by Megan Smith
I feel bad bailing this weekend because I’m hardly around but this can’t wait.
Eli 3:49pm: Deal. Must have found your balls.
Me 3:50pm: Asshole.
I want to make a quick stop by Sadie’s house to let her know my plans. I know she had a treatment today because Jaylinn took her this morning. She normally just wants to go home and sleep but I don’t think she’ll mind if I bother her for this.
I make a quick U-turn and head towards Sadie’s. I know Jaylinn isn’t at her mom’s because she texted me during my meeting and said she was at home with Fallon and they were going to make me dinner tonight. Jaylinn loves that little girl and treats her like a little sister.
When I pull up in front of Sadie’s house the front door is open which is a little weird. She’s always been so secure, never forgetting to lock the door when she’s home or even setting the alarm at night or when she’s by herself. So a red flag immediately goes up when I see the door open.
I climb from the truck and walk up to the door. Her purse is lying on the floor and the contents are spilled out.
“Sadie?” I call out as I open the screen door.
Nothing.
I step into the house and listen. All is quiet.
“Sadie?” I call again.
Nothing.
I glance around the corner and into the kitchen but she isn’t there. I walk back towards the bedroom and that’s when I hear her throwing up.
We all knew this was a side effect from the treatments she’s getting. As far as I was aware everything was going good and she didn’t have any issues from the treatments aside from being tired. Apparently no one told me about this.
I step into the bathroom, reach for her hair and hold it back as she continues to get sick. I don’t say anything, just sit back on the tub and hold her hair. It’s all I can do right this second. I’d like to think that by me doing this that it’s helping, letting her know that she isn’t alone.
Sadie takes a couple of deep breaths and rests her head on her arm that’s resting on the toilet.
“Cooper?”
“Yeah?” How in the hell did she know it was me?
“Don’t tell them,” she cries.
My stomach drops. She’s hiding this from them.
“Promise me.”
I can’t make that promise. It’s not right to hide this.
“Cooper...” she sniffles.
I stand and reach for a wash cloth in the closet and wet it for her.
“I won’t this time but you can’t ask me to do this again.” Her body relaxes against the wall she’s now leaning her back against. “Did you tell the doctors?”
“No,” she starts to say before a chill racks her body. “But I will, I promise.”
I give her a few minutes to collect herself before helping her stand up. When she’s ready I take her hand and pull her up. Sadie stands in front of me and in just two short weeks after starting the treatments I can see how this poison meant to save her is taking its toll on her body. Her clothes are baggy, her cheeks are sinking in, and she barely weighs anything.
“Let’s make a deal,” I tell her as we walk to the living room. “You call the doctors and tell them about this and I’ll promise not to say anything.” I help her sit in the recliner and she winces a little. I throw my head back. Another God damn side effect is body aches. “And tell them about the pain, too, Sadie.”
Sadie’s hands come up and she covers her face. She’s breaking down again, she’s not fighting like she promised she would.
“I’m fighting a losing battle, Cooper,” she sniffles. “This shit is eating me alive and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.” Her sobs come harder and faster.
I kneel down in front of her and hold her in my arms. “You have to keep fighting, Sadie. You have too much here for you to just give up.”
“I’m trying. I’m trying so damn hard.”
I run my hand up and down her back. “That’s all we need from you. Don’t give up.”
She takes a deep breath, holds it for a second and then lets it out. Sadie lifts her head from my shoulder and cups my face with her shaking hands. “I love you like you’re my own son.”
I smile. “And I love you like my second mom.”
Sadie wipes away her tears. “What did you stop over for?”
Right, I completely forgot. “I’m proposing to Jaylinn tomorrow,” I explain. “I want you to know and to see if you could help me.”
She gives me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. “Of course. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
I explain what I have in mind and together we make a plan. After a few phone calls and a couple hundred dollars later I’ve got a plan and know the details.
“You’re going to make my daughter a happy girl.” Sadie walks me to the door.
“I sure hope so.” I glance down to the ground. “Promise me you’re going to call the doctors?”
She nods. “I think I’m supposed to be the parent here,” she chuckles. “I’ll give them a call right now.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you Cooper for…” She nods back towards the bathroom.
“I’m just doing what one of your kids would do.” I lean down and kiss her on the cheek before turning to leave.
Now to get the ball rolling with my plans.
After getting home from Sadie’s I find Jaylinn in the kitchen. It’s a freaking mess. “What the hell happened in here?”
Jaylinn looks up with flour on her cheeks. “Making cookies.”
I slide up behind her and put my hands on her hips. “Are you part of that process?”
“Maybe.”
I kiss her neck, her weak spot. “We’re going on a little getaway.”
She squeaks. “When? Where?”
“We leave in the morning and it’s a surprise.”
I bite down on that sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder meet. I’m trying to distract her from asking so many questions and this almost always works.
“How do I know what to pack?” she moans.
I smile against her neck. “It doesn’t matter. You aren’t going to be wearing much, if anything, anyway.”
She straightens and pushes away from me so she’s out of my reach. “And what makes you so certain of that?”
Taking a few steps towards the bedroom I smirk. “Come with me and I’ll make sure you have no doubts.”
Suddenly she’s everywhere in the kitchen; opening the oven door, taking the cookies out, slamming cabinets shut and tossing stuff in the sink. I turn back around just as I’m about to step into the bedroom and I see pot holders flying behind Jaylinn as she runs towards me.
“What were you saying about doubts?” she asks all out of breath.
I toss her onto the bed and cover her body with mine. “Exactly.”
Thursday morning I lay awake in bed just as the sun starts to come up. I’ve been laying here for at least an hour just watching Jaylinn sleep. The steady rise and fall of her bare chest, her long brown hair spread out on the pillow and her eyelids flutter as she dreams. I always thought that sex was just a release, a way to get rid of that pent up frustration or emotions but it’s not. It’s so much more than that once you’ve found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, and I have no doubts about that.
I’ll admit I never saw the appeal in attaching yourself to someone. Never thought I’d settle down. I’ve had a thing for Jaylinn for a long time but I thought it was because I knew I couldn’t have her but now, it’s so much more than that. It’s a connection…a bond, which we have that no one else can have but us. It’s ours and only ours.
After a while longer I slip from the bed and slide my boxers on. I go about the room packing my bag for the weekend as quietly as I can so that I don’t wake Jaylinn. She’s one hell of a bear if she doesn’t get her sleep and I want this day to be as perfect as possible.
I wander out into the laundry room; grab a pair of sweatpants and
a hoodie. I throw them on, lace up my sneakers and grab my iPhone. Since I’m going to be missing the gym for the next couple of days I’ve got to get in some cardio. Plus, it’ll help keep my mind occupied, too.
An hour later I stand in the driveway stretching before taking my sweaty ass into the shower. I really hope that Jaylinn’s up so that we can get the hell out of here. The weather reports said that a snow storm is going to be coming in tonight.
Making it down the hall I hear the water running which means she’s up. Hope she doesn’t mind some company. The bathroom door is cracked so I push it open and watch her standing under the water. The water is running down every inch of her body and my dick starts to get hard.
I kick off my shoes, toss my hoodie on the ground and then strip my pants and boxers off. I open the shower door and Jaylinn screams.
“Damn it, Coop. You scared the hell out of me,” she has her hand over her heart.
I slide my hands on her hips and pull her back against me. I turn our bodies so that the water is hitting my back and rinsing away all the sweat. “Sorry, babe.”
I bite down softly on her shoulder and she moans.
“I thought you said you wanted to get out of here early,” she’s panting as I bite and lick at her neck.
“We will.”
Jaylinn turns in my arms and my dick bobs up and down. “Not at this rate.” She lowers herself to the floor and pushes me up against the wall.
Jaylinn leans forward and licks the tip of my head before she lowers her mouth onto me. I groan as a shiver racks my body. She sucks me all the way in until I feel the back of her throat. She’s never disappointed me with a blow job yet. My hips arch off the wall wanting to go deeper but Jaylinn places a tiny hand against my stomach stopping me. Once she knows I got the message she slips her hand down and wraps it around the base of my dick. She pumps her hand up and down while bobbing her head at the same time. My breathing shallows and I’m so close already but I don’t want to come in her mouth. I’m just about to tell her to stop as she slows down and then swirls her tongue around the tip.
“Fuck,” I groan and squeeze my eyes shut.
Jaylinn looks up at me with innocent eyes. She presses my dick forward against my stomach and licks the underside causing all my muscles to tighten. I can’t take it any longer. I reach down grabbing her under the arms pulling her towards me and then I turn and lean her against the wall.
I move my hands and position her hips so that my head is at her entrance. Pushing in very slowly my eyes squeeze shut from the tight sensation. I wait a second giving her a chance to adjust before pulling almost all the way out and slamming back into her again.
I rest my forehead against Jaylinn’s and set the rhythm. Our eyes lock and the intense, raw emotions that we share when we’re like this is what gets me every time. It’s only been minutes but I’m already so damn close. I reach down between us using my thumb to rub circles on her clit. Her legs squeeze my hips tighter. Her head falls back with a thud against the wall.
“Ohh,” she moans. “I’m…gonna…”
I slam my hips into her hard as she screams out her release. She’s clinching around me and the sensation does me in. I pump faster, harder and my release hits hard. My vision gets spotty as I continue to rock in Jaylinn at a slower pace.
“Fuck me,” I pant out.
“Pretty much,” Jaylinn giggles.
I slowly let her legs fall down. I make sure she’s steady before letting her go completely. I lean forward and place a kiss on her lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
We finish up our shower together and then finish some last minute packing before we’re on the road.
I know once we’re on the road she’ll figure out where we’re going since we’ve been here before. We loved the scenery in April but seeing it now snow covered is going to be even better.
When we hit our first rest stop I battle between sending everyone a text letting them know what I’m doing or just keeping it between us. I’m pretty much a private person; I hate people being in my business. I know they are family and all but I just want this to be our thing so I decided to just let it be a surprise for everyone. Maybe we’ll invite everyone over for dinner when we get back on Sunday and tell them then.
A few hours later we pull up to the same house that officially began our relationship.
“Coop,” Jaylinn says in awe.
The beautiful log cabin that’s tucked into the Pocono Mountains is completely snow covered. All the trees around are covered in a blanket of snow. The small stream that runs along the side of the house and past the driveway is the only thing not covered.
We climb out of the truck and I wait for her in front. “It’s so much prettier than last time,” she says as she grabs my hand.
We walk to the front door and she starts laughing. She’s remembering the first time we were here all over again.
“Let’s hope we don’t slip this time on the floor.” I put the code in the little box to get the keys for the door out.
“At least you caught me,” she giggles. “That would have sucked if I would have gotten hurt.”
I pull her body close to mine. “I told you I would always catch you.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. “You did and you have every time I’m about to fall.”
Out of the corner of my eye I see a pair of fresh foot prints stemming from the back of the house. I paid a ridiculous amount of money for the management department to come here and set everything up for us. I sent them an email when we were about a half hour away telling them that we were almost there. This box in my jacket pocket is about to burn a hole in it. I just want this done with so I can enjoy the rest of my time with her. I hate that I’m so nervous about doing this. It’s not that I don’t want to marry her but I think maybe it’s the fear that she’ll think we’re too young or our relationship is to new.
The first thing she’s going to see when she walks in is the fireplace and everything that is set up in front of it. I kiss her one more time before I unlock the door.
“It’s gonna be freezing in there,” Jaylinn rubs her hands together.
Maybe she’s going to make this a little easier for me. “We’ll get the fire started as soon as we get in there.”
Jaylinn turns the door knob, pushes it open, gets one foot in the door before she freezes. Bingo, she sees what I’ve done. She takes another step into the house getting closer to the candles that are situated in such a way that they spell out the words ‘Will you marry me?’ One of her hands come up to her face so I quickly step in behind her, reach into my pocket to pull out the ring and drop to one knee.
Jaylinn turns to me, unshed tears in her eyes. “Cooper?”
I turn on the smile that she loves as I take her hand placing it over my heart. “This is where I want you to stay forever,” I pat the hand over my heart, “right here.” I clear my throat. “From that first kiss that we shared on the sky ride, to the kisses I hope to be sharing with you when we’re old and watching our great grandkids run around the yard from our rocking chairs on the porch,” her tears are falling now. “It’s you that I want, it’s you that makes me complete.” Her hands begin to shake. I flip open the lid of the box and hold it out in front of her. “Will you marry me?”
My heart is beating a mile a minute and my hands are sweating. The entire house is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and she still has yet to answer me. Maybe I should have waited a while longer.
Jaylinn
“Will you marry me?”
Holy shit.
Holy shit.
Holy shit.
Did he really just ask me to marry him? No. Nope. Couldn’t have. My hands are shaking so damn bad, it’s hard to breathe and to see through the tears. I turn my head to the side and make sure I read what the candles spelled out once more.
“Jay,” Cooper’s voice shakes.
My head starts nodding up and down but I can get
the words out of my mouth. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.” I drop down to my knees and throw myself at him.
He falls backwards onto his ass laughing and holding on to me. “You just scared the shit out of me for a minute there.” Now that I’m straddling him, his hands come to my face. “I didn’t think you were going to say yes.”
I cup his face with both of my hands and bring his face close to mine. “I love you.” I kiss his lips, gently at first. Cooper’s hands slide around the back of my neck. His tongue traces the seam of my lips and I open, giving him the access that he wants. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you, too.” He pulls back, reaches for the ring and he pulls it out of the box. I hold my hand out and he slides the ring onto my finger. It’s beautiful.
I hold my hand out in front of me. The light from the candles catching the diamonds making them sparkle. “It’s perfect, Coop.” The tears come back again. I’m so damn emotional all the time. Everything seems to be falling apart around me with mom being sick but when I’m wrapped up in Cooper he seems to make me forget, even for just a little bit.
Cooper lifts me and turns me around so my back is leaning against his chest. He brings his knees up, rest his arms on them. I’m surrounded by him as we sit and stare at the candles in front of us. I can’t believe he did this, its super sweet and so romantic. I’d do anything to stay in this moment for the rest of our lives. To stay tucked into these mountains, away from everything and everyone and nothing can hurt us. We deserve this much after the shit we endured together.
I lean my head to the side giving him better access to kiss my neck. “How long have you been planning this?”
“The trip here only happened just yesterday with a little help.”
I turn my head so I can see him. “And how about the proposal?”
He shrugs. “A few weeks ago. I had to get permission and all that stuff.”
My eyebrows draw together. “From who? Hunter?”
Cooper laughs. “No, although now that you say that maybe I should have.” Then he shakes his head. “Nah, he didn’t ask me to marry my sister.”
