“What are you doing Maggie?”
“Obviously I’m looking. He’s…”
“He’s what?”
“He’s freaking gorgeous! Dark hair and dark eyes. He’s got about a day’s worth of stubble and the way he’s rubbing his jaw right now like he’s thinking about something is totally hot.” Maggie leaned back further in her chair, tilting her head. “There’s something almost ethereal about him. The way he moves is just so…” Maggie shook her head like she was coming out of a trance then focused her attention back to me. “Anyway, when’s that fiancé of yours going to get here?”
Maggie didn’t know it but she was staring at Cooper, and trying to remain composed without laughing in her face was killing me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was him.
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, Lily, I think he’s coming over here.” She looked down at her menu and pretended to read it. I, however, was fighting the laughter bubbling inside of me.
“Hi,” Cooper said as he approached our table.
“Hi,” I said back politely.
“I couldn’t help noticing you when I came in.” Cooper looked at me and winked but didn’t let Maggie see him do it. She was still pretending to be interested in the salad choices. I could only assume that Cooper noticed Maggie’s reaction to him and he wanted to play. “Has anyone ever told you how absolutely stunningly beautiful you are?” Cooper didn’t wait for me to answer. “You should be told that every day.” He bent down so that his breath was in my ear. “So beautiful.”
Maggie had finally looked up from her menu and it was the first time she’d gone without saying words this long that I could recall.
“Thank you. That’s…um…very sweet of you to say, but I’m waiting for my fiancé. So…”
“If you were mine I would never keep you waiting.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
Maggie was looking at me with her big eyes, trying to communicate with me telepathically.
Cooper turned to acknowledge her. “Hello.”
With a small wave of her hand she responded, “Hi.” Her eyes darted quickly back to her menu.
Cooper turned back toward me and pinned me with his eyes. “I really love your dress.” His lips barely grazed the skin behind my ear when he leaned down to speak low enough to be sinfully enticing. “I’ll make you a deal. If this fiancé of yours doesn’t get here in the next two minutes, you are going home with me.”
I think I was supposed to pretend not to enjoy having Cooper talk sexy to me right then, but I’d kind of lost my bearings. I couldn’t think to string two words together.
Maggie’s mouth dropped to the floor, then she huffed and snapped her menu shut purposefully. “I don’t think you understand, mister whoever you are. My friend here is taken. You see that rock on her left finger? Yeah, that means you need to move along.” The coolness in her green eyes was back with a vengeance, but the confidence in her voice was barely convincing.
Cooper sat down next to me, moving closer and draped his arm over my shoulder. He gave her a smooth, devilish grin. “You must be Maggie.”
For the second time in less than five minutes, Cooper had managed to render her speechless.
Maggie’s mouth dropped open. “You’re…you’re Cooper?”
“I am.” He reached across the table for her hand. “It’s nice to meet you finally.”
Maggie’s face now matched her hair color. “I’m an idiot. I don’t know why I didn’t think that…you….ah, I’m such an idiot. I wasn’t expecting someone who looks like you. I mean, oh God. I’m going to shut up now.”
Well this was a first. I had never seen Maggie flustered before. Ever.
Cooper let out a loud laugh. “Tell you what; since you were defending me in a way, I promise to not embarrass you anymore if you promise to keep the butter knives on the table where I can see them.”
Maggie was the one to laugh next. “Deal.”
“Making deals already? Y’all just met,” Joe said, slapping Cooper on the back, smiling at Maggie. Joe extended his hand, “Hi, I’m Joe, the good looking one.” Turning to face me he winked. “Right, Lily?”
“Right, Joe.” I grinned. “Joe, meet Maggie Malone. Maggie, this is Joe Carlisle.”
Maggie graciously extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Taking a seat next to Maggie, Joe asked curiously, “So why are we making deals so early in the evening already?”
Maggie stammered, not knowing exactly how to answer that, but Cooper stepped in and saved her from further embarrassment.
“Allow me to explain. Maggie here has promised not to remove my testicles with a butter knife if I promise to take care of Lily. We shook on it and everything. I think I made a friend.” Cooper winked. “Right, Maggie?”
Sitting up straighter, Maggie agreed. “Right.”
“I have a knack for walking in on the tail end of conversations,” Hayden grumped. “Hi,” he said to Maggie, greeting her with a gentle handshake. “I’m Hayden McCoy.” Hayden never waited to be introduced. He greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. “Always nice to see you, Lily.” He looked around the table. “Am I late?”
Patting Hayden on the hand, I said, “Nope, just in time actually.” I gestured toward Maggie. “This is my friend, Maggie Malone.”
“Nice to meet you, Hayden,” Maggie beamed.
“Likewise.”
The rest of the evening flew by. Maggie was her old self again and Joe was in rare form.
“Tell us something about Maggie,” Joe asked her enthusiastically.
“Um, like what?” Maggie asked cautiously.
“Anything. This is get to know you night. So, let’s get to know you. Here, I’ll help you out. What is one of your pet peeves?”
Maggie made a face. “I guess people who expect instant gratification.” She raised an eyebrow to Joe, “You’re not one of those people are you?”
“Oh God no. Instant gratification takes too long.”
Maggie laughed. “You’re a wise guy aren’t ya?”
“It’s not that hard to be wise, Maggie. Think of something stupid to say, and then don’t say it,” Joe smirked.
“The answer to your question, Maggie, is yes. He’s a wise guy,” Cooper said.
“Yes, but we love him.” I smiled at Joe across the table.
The guys would razz each other and Maggie and I would find ourselves listening to their back and forth banter. I think they got Maggie broken in fairly quickly and she was having a great time, as I had known she would.
We finally left the restaurant and Maggie and I went back to my house. Saying goodbye to Cooper was hard. A lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess I hadn’t realized how much I was going to miss sleeping in the same house and knowing he was close to me, but we were getting married in a few days and I could tough it out that long. I told myself I was being silly and when he kissed me outside the restaurant I ignored the ache that rapidly formed in my chest. I climbed into bed and turned off my light and then I heard a light tapping on my door.
“Come in.”
“Lily?”
“Yeah, Mags, what’s up?”
‘Nothing. Good night, Lily.”
“Good night.”
“Lily?”
“Yeah?”
She looked up at me and began to smile as one single tear fell down her cheek. “Consider your relationship with your man stamped and sealed.”
A rush of warmth flowed through my veins, and I smiled at my friend. “Thanks, Mags.”
Twenty-Six
True love is like rain; it touches us all
~Unknown
“Stop it. You can’t cry or you’ll make me cry and ruin my makeup.”
“I’m sorry, Lily.” Maggie squared her shoulders and stood up straight. “I’m just so happy for you. I’m happy for Cooper.” Throwing her arms in the air she shouted, “I’m happy for everybody today!”
“I’m so glad y
ou’re here, Mags.”
“Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?” She grabbed a tissue and gently dabbed underneath her eyes before she started frantically pacing again. “It’s your wedding day and I love you like a sister. I want everything to be perfect for you.”
“Perfect,” I whispered to myself. I gently took Maggie by the hands, standing right in front of her, and coaxed her to look at my eyes. She looked up through her thick lashes. “I’m marrying Cooper today.
Before I even realized it I was smiling in a big way. I said it again because I liked the way it sounded. “I’m marrying Cooper today. So you see, Maggie, today is already perfect. Nothing else could make me happier. Nothing.” I gently squeezed both of her hands and then pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you. Thank you for everything. But if you don’t relax I’m gonna have Joe come tie you down until it’s over. Something tells me that Joe just might like that idea, so don’t give me a reason to call him in here.”
I gave her a smile and she immediately started blushing, wiggled herself loose and pulled away.
“You’re right, Lily. You’re totally right. You don’t need me being all panicky and giving off nervous energy. Today will be perfect. Is perfect.” She patted her hands on her hips and then ran her palms down the front of her dress.
“Wait a minute…” I evaluated Maggie’s body language for a moment. “You like Joe don’t you?” Taking a step toward her, I noticed how she wouldn’t look at me. “You do! You like Joe! Does he know?” I felt like a giddy teenager.
“We’re not talking about me, Lily. This is your day. We can talk about this later.” Her shoulders stiffened and she moved away from me.
“Oh come on, Mags. You gotta give me something.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Maggie, please?”
She sighed and her shoulders lost a bit of the stiffness. She turned back to look at me. “Yes, Lily. I like Joe. I like Joe a lot actually. And I don’t know if he knows. But if me kissing him is any indication that I do then maybe he does.” Maggie shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
“Wait. You kissed him?”
“Yes.”
“How was it?”
She sat down hard in the chair with a look of defeat. “It was…great actually.”
“Okaayyy…” I was confused because her words and her actions were not speaking the same language. “So, what’s the problem?”
She threw her hands in the air then quickly folded them onto the table and laid her head down. “I didn’t expect to like him this much. I didn’t expect to like anybody this much. And I don’t like that I like him as much as I do.”
“Oh, Maggie, I totally understand what you’re saying. It’s a bit scary, I know.” I touched her hair and moved it off her shoulder. “Joe’s a really great guy. If you’re gonna take a chance with anyone, you picked a good one.”
Maggie rolled her head to the side to look at me. She didn’t say anything else for a while, and neither did I. Finally she said, “He’s a really good kisser.”
I patted her on the back. “Come on. Help me finish getting ready.”
Beth finally came into the room where I was getting ready at Ms. Sophie’s –or rather I should say Grams’— house. Ms. Sophie had instructed me a few days ago that I would be calling her Grams from now on. (“We’re family, dear, and that’s what you’ll call me. Understand?”) It wasn’t a request. She also asked if we would have the wedding at her house, and Cooper and I were fine with the idea. Actually, I was happy that she wanted our wedding to be at her house. It made me feel…really loved. She was the first person to make me feel like I belonged somewhere.
“Lily! It’s your big day! Are you excited?!” Beth bellowed, entering the room like a Tasmanian devil.
“Of course I’m excited.” And I was. The butterflies in my stomach had turned into Apache helicopters. The closer the time got to me walking toward Cooper and us taking our vows, the more nervous I got. Not nervous like cold feet, but nervous like I couldn’t believe he picked me. Me. I’d been fighting tears all day. Sometimes it was like there wasn’t enough room inside my heart to hold all the love and it overflowed in the form of wet, salty liquid.
When I reached for a tissue, Beth put her hand over the box and pulled one out for me.
“Allow me,” she said, dabbing the tissue under my eye and down my cheek. “We’ll fix your makeup as many times as we have to. Don’t worry about it. These are the best kind of tears.”
“Thanks, Beth. I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Happy to be here, sweetie.”
I carefully dried my eyes and looked around. “Okay, I’m ready for my dress.” Even though I hadn’t given myself a lot of time to find a dress, I found the one I think was meant for me. It was a strapless modern dress with an Ancient Greek or Roman flair, lightweight and long-flowing with an empire waist, and rows of vertical lines created by gathered material that puddled on the ground around my feet. It was simple yet elegant. When I tried it on it felt like it was made for me, and now that I was standing there wearing it, I knew that this was The Dress.
“You’re beautiful and you’re ready for this,” Maggie said, stepping forward and giving me a hug. “We need to go out now. It’s almost time. We’ll give you a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll be right behind you.” Mags and Beth left, closing the door softly behind them, and I looked around the room while I tried to catch my breath. I heard a light tap on the door and I went over to answer it.
“Grams…” I instantly smiled at Cooper’s grandmother because she was the picture of love.
“Lily, dear,” she greeted warmly, touching both of my cheeks. “So on a scale of one to ten how nervous are you?”
Laughing, I said, “I don’t even know. I’m kind of all over the place.”
“You should see Cooper.” She tried unsuccessfully to hold in her laugh. “I swear he’s asked me twenty times if his tie was straight.” She chuckled some more. “Trust me, dear, you seem just fine.”
I walked over to the edge of the bed and practiced taking deep breaths. Grams came over and sat down beside me, wrapping an arm around me. “Are you ready to marry Cooper, dear?”
“So ready, Grams.” I turned to look at her so she could see how serious I was.
“Good, because I don’t think I can keep Cooper from charging back here any longer and throwing you over his shoulder caveman style.” She shook her head in amusement and patted me on my thigh. “Whenever you’re ready, dear. Everyone is ready to start.” She got up to leave and then stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She handed me a small piece of paper that had been folded up. “Cooper asked me to give this to you.”
I took the piece of paper and held onto it. “Thanks, Grams. I love you.”
She embraced me in a warm hug. “I love you too, dear.” Patting me on my face she said, “Such a blessing you are.” She smiled brightly and closed the door behind her.
I opened the folded up piece of paper, read it, and laughed out loud.
I can’t wait to kiss you.
-C
I walked over to the bag I had packed last night. In it was the letter from my daddy. I’d debated with myself whether or not I should read it, but I needed a piece of him today. I carefully slid the letter out of the bag and simply held it at first, running my fingertips across the folds. I knew that when I read this letter I would hear my daddy’s voice and knew that it would be the last words he’d ever say to me. I think I’d purposely held on to the letter as a way of holding on to him, knowing that there were still words left unsaid and hanging on to idea that he had more to say. Knowing my daddy, he more than likely saved those words for a day just like today. I opened the letter and began to read.
Dear Lily,
Do you have any idea how much I love you? I’m looking at you now and I can’t help but think how much you look like your mother. You are a lot like her. I never told you but she was the one who taught me about being fearless
. After she was diagnosed with cancer she decided that she wouldn’t let what time she had left keep her from living her life. She soldiered on, making each day she had with us special. Those memories have lasted me a lifetime.
You, Lily, are a part of her. Your strength comes from her. This, what happened to you, will not break you. I know that. It’ll take a while, but you’ll realize that too. I know that you still have a lot of life to live. It’s not your time. You still have lives to touch with your amazing heart. I think, perhaps, you’ve already captured someone’s heart without you even knowing it. It’s just your way.
Anyway, I’m going to shut up now. I just needed to tell you how proud I am of you that you didn’t give up; that you fought back and won. Live, Lily. Really live. And like a proud father, I’ll watch from a distance.
Love,
Daddy
I folded the letter and pressed it against my heart, then placed it back inside my bag. I resolutely wiped the tears from my eyes. “Thank you, Daddy.”
As I was pulling myself together I heard a light tap on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Hayden,” he said quietly through the door.
I opened the door to see him standing there in a suit looking extremely handsome. He sucked in his breath.
“You look incredible, Lily.”
“Thank you. What are doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Cooper?”
“No, I’m right where I need to be.” His eyes were slightly downcast and his voice remained low and soft.
“What do you mean? They’ll be starting any minute.”
Looking up at me he stepped in closer. “Lily, it would be my honor to walk you down the aisle. I know I’m not your father, but if you’ll let me I would very much like to stand in for him. Just for today.”
Stolen Breaths Page 18
