by J. S. Cooper
Rhett In Love
J. S. Cooper
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Special Content
Dear Reader,
Rhett in Love is more than just a book. This is more than just a reading experience. There are two parts to this book. Part I is a traditional story and Part II is a story combined with images, music, and videos that provides a fuller experience to the love that Rhett and Clementine share.
I hope you enjoy this unique interactive book.
If you have any issues with Part II, please email me at [email protected].
Lots of love,
J. S. Cooper
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2014 by J. S. Cooper
Thank you to David Berkeley for giving me permission to use lyrics from his songs in my book. Also for writing the song, “Clementine” specifically for Rhett in Love.
All song lyrics displayed in this book are written and owned by David Berkeley (Straw Man Publishing) © All Rights Reserved.
“Back to Blue” by David Berkeley - The Fire In My Head. Straw Man Publishing, 2013.
"George Square" by David Berkeley - Some Kind of Cure. Straw Man Publishing, 2011.
"Fire Sign" by David Berkeley - After The Wrecking Ships.
Straw Man Publishing, 2003.
"A Moon Song" by David Berkeley - The Confluence. Straw Man Publishing, 2001.
“Homesick” by David Berkeley – Some Kind of Cure. Straw Man Publishing, 2011.
“Shelter” by David Berkeley- The Fire in My Head. Straw Man Publishing, 2013.
"Clementine" by David Berkeley- Written for J.S. Cooper's Rhett in Love. Straw Man Publishing, 2014.
For more information on David Berkeley, you can visit his website here: http://www.davidberkeley.com/
You can listen to “Clementine” on my blog.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been made possible without the following people: David Berkeley, thanks for writing amazing songs. Hollis Chambers, thank you for being such a handsome and kind man, thank you for the videos. Louisa Maggio, the wonderful cover designer. Emma Mack, my editor that works at all hours. Cara Webb, Tiana Croy, Cilicia White, Emily Kirkpatrick, Lisa Petty, Tracie Ridgeway, Stacy Hahn, Chanteal Justice, Tanya Skaggs, and Katrina Jaekley for all your help perfecting the final book.
As always, thanks be to God for all of his blessings. I hope everyone enjoys Rhett in Love.
*DPGROUP.ORG*
Table of Contents
Part I
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Part II
Note From Author
Exclusive Teaser
All good things one day begin.
If I knew the words I’d sing,
I’d sing it loud so we could hear.
We have only this one chance. Let’s take it my dear. Let’s taste it my dear.
“Back to Blue” by David Berkeley - The Fire In My Head
PART I
Prologue
Rhett
Falling in love is just the beginning. It’s awesome and amazing, but they’re not the only things you feel when you’re in love. Love is so much more complicated than I ever thought it would be. Not that I ever really thought about it. I love Clementine O’Hara more than I thought I could love anyone, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Being in a relationship isn’t easy. Being in a relationship with your best friend is even harder. My name’s Rhett and I never thought I’d be in this situation. I was a certified man-whore. I had fun, women loved me, and there were no complications. Now my life has completely changed and I’m not even sure I recognize who I am anymore. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s just different. Very, very different. Cos here’s the thing - yes, I love Clementine, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still the same guy. I’m still Rhett Madison and I’m still a badass. That’s something that’s never going to change.
Chapter One
Rhett
“You can kiss my ass, Rhett Madison.” Clementine shouted at me as she slammed the bathroom door. The whole wall seemed to shake for a few seconds afterwards.
“Anytime you wish.” I rolled my eyes and walked out of our already messy bedroom and into the even messier living room. “Can't even find a spot to sit down.” I groaned under my breath as I pushed Clementine’s books to the ground. I stared at them for a second before leaving them there; I knew that my throwing her books on the ground was going to be an issue as well, but I just didn't care. She shouldn’t have left them on the couch if she didn’t expect them to end up on the floor. “That’ll teach you to throw out my Playboy magazine.”
Clementine and I had only been dating for a couple of weeks before we moved to Boston together. We’d only been living together in Boston for two months, but already the romance of cohabitation was wearing thin and we were starting to get on each other’s nerves. We’d been best friends for over ten years, but being in a relationship was different from just being friends.
“What did you say to me?” She walked out of the bedroom, her face covered in what looked like mud.
“Sorry, who are you and what happened to my girlfriend?” I raised an eyebrow at her.
“What? Oh.” She giggled and touched her face lightly. “It’s a mask.”
“Uh huh.” I shuddered.
“It helps to take the impurities out of my pores.”
“Uh huh.”
“It’s good to prevent acne.” She continued.
“You don’t have to tell me all your secrets, Clementine.” I groaned. “Really and truly you don’t.”
“So I shouldn’t tell you about the hot guy that...” She started, but I cut her off by jumping up and lifting her off of the floor and carrying her into the bedroom and dropping her on the bed. “Rhett, my mask is on the sheets.” She gasped as she looked up at me with wide brown eyes.
“I don’t care.” I grinned and collapsed on the bed next to her. “I don’t have time to talk about the sheets when I’m busy trying to do something else.”
“Rhett, is that all I am to you? A sex toy?” She mumbled and smiled slightly. I saw a small crack in the mask next to her lips and smiled.
“What do you think, Clementine O’Hara?” I grinned at her as she stared up at me with happy joking eyes. Her face looked like she was a monster with the green mask on, and I shook my head. “I certainly didn’t sign up for a sex toy that looks like she’s just seen a ghost in the middle of a wet and muddy field.”
“Don’t!” She giggled. “You’re making me laugh. I can’t laugh or it will crack my mask.”
“That’s the least of your problems, Clemmie.” I looked down at her and gave her a quick kiss, and wiped my lips quickly as I tasted the mud. “What has my life come to? I’m kissing a monster.”
“A monster of your making.” She groaned as she wiggled against me.
“How is this my fault?” I pinned her arms back. “I never made you go and run around in the mud. And now I come to think of it, what mud is green?”
“Rhett?” She giggled and pushed me away from her and we both started laughing. “Forget about the mud, Jake called me today.” She muttered, lines and cracks appearing all over her face now.
“Oh yeah?” I lay b
ack on the bed. “How is he?”
“He’s fine. He’s loving living on campus.”
“I bet, all those freshmen girls looking to have some fun.”
“Rhett.” She made a face and I held my hands up.
“Not that I want any freshman girls, of course. I only want you. Beautiful wonderful you.”
“You’re full of crap.” She rolled her eyes at me and I groaned.
“How have I gone from being the bees knees to full of crap already?”
“Since I found out you never do the dishes.”
“What?” I sat up, my mouth dropping open. “I’m always doing the dishes. In fact, I think I’m the only one that ever loads and unloads the dishwasher.”
“You have to turn it on before you unload it Rhett.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t just wash automatically.”
“I assumed you were running it.” I shrugged, suddenly feeling bad. Now I understood why the dishes always looked dirty when I unpacked the machine. I’d thought it was because the machine was old, but now I realized it was because the dishes were never being cleaned in the first place.
“Rhett, how would I know to turn the dishwasher on? You’re the one that loads it. I assume you’re turning it on when you load it.”
“So why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“I don’t know.” She looked away.
“Clemmie?”
“Well, everything’s been going so well. I didn’t want to start an argument after only being here a couple of weeks.”
“It’s not a big deal, Clemmie.” I bit my lower lip. “But seeing as we are telling each other stuff now, there’s something I need to ask you.”
“What’s that?” She paused. “And no, I’m not giving you a blowjob right now.”
“Darn it.” I winked at her. “That wasn’t my question, though. Perfect southern gentlemen don’t ask for blowjobs, they receive them.”
“You’re not a perfect southern gentleman.” She laughed. “I don’t know who’s been lying to you.”
“I’m trying to tell you something.” I said seriously and she frowned, her brown eyes looking at me curiously.
“What is it?” She studied my face for a second and I had to turn away to stop myself from laughing at her mud-caked face with all the lines.
“You drop your clothes all over the place.” I began and she wrinkled her nose creating another crack line in the middle of her nose-bridge.
“What?” She began confused.
“You drop your clothes all over the place.” I began again. “On the floor in the bathroom, the living room, the bedroom. I think I even found a bra in the kitchen the other day.”
“That’s because you undid it when I was making dinner.” She shook her head at me and laughed. “You’re the one that pulled my top off and then my bra.”
“Shh.” I laughed and she rolled her eyes as my hand dropped onto her shoulder.
“Oh no you don’t.” She took a step back as I pulled her towards me.
“Oh yes, I do.” I grinned as my lips fell to hers, this time I was able to ignore the muddy taste.
“Rhett.” She mumbled and pushed me away. “Let me wash this mask off first.”
“I won’t say no to that.” I grinned and watched as she jumped off of the bed and walked into the bathroom. “And if you want to pick some of the clothes up that you have on the floor as well, before you come back, that’d be great.”
“Asshole.” She said and I laughed.
“You weren’t saying that last night.”
“I’ll be saying that a lot tonight though.” She stood at the bathroom door, her face clean and dripping with water. “And tomorrow night.”
“Wow, my girlfriend is back.” I jumped up and walked over to the bathroom. “And she looks normal again.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and gave me a small smile.
“Yup, she’s back to normal.” I kissed her lightly on the lips. “And she’s looking as beautiful as ever, now that she’s not dressed up like a monster.”
“Rhett.” She groaned. “I need to study.”
“Study for what? Finals aren’t for months yet.”
“Everyone at Harvard studies every day.”
“I’m sure glad I don’t go there then.” I made a face. “And I’m sure glad that I decided to just finish my classes online and graduate from SC instead of transferring to Boston College.” I wiped my forehead. “I’ll be done in December.”
“You know you could never be anything other than a Gamecock.” Clementine laughed. “I know you love me, but asking you to graduate as a Yankee would have been too much to ask.”
“You got that right.” I winked at her. “Ain’t no Madison ever traveled out of the South to go to college. No Ma’am. Not before. Not now. Not ever.”
“Not ever?” Clementine raised an eyebrow at me. “What about if we have kids and—”
“Clementine.” I shuddered and placed my finger on her lips. “You know I love you more than life itself and you know I love sex, but it is way too early to be bringing up kids.”
“Rhett Madison.” She brushed past me into the bedroom and shook her head. “You’re a dumbass.”
“Just don’t be trying to trap my dumbass self with a kid.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice rose and I realized that I’d crossed the line. Suddenly my little joke of humor was no longer funny. I didn’t even need to see her face to know I shouldn’t have mentioned her trying to trap me. I knew she would take it the wrong way. Just like all women. You made a silly little joke and they always get bent out of shape. Even Clementine and she’s about as perfect a woman as I know. However, even Clementine took things too seriously sometimes.
“I was joking Clemmie.” I gave her my award winning smile and batted my eyelashes at her. I knew Clementine loved my big blue eyes and I was hoping that they would distract her from being mad.
“You got a fly in your eye, boy?” She frowned at me.
“No.” I shook my head and smiled again.
“Good because I’d hate to kill a fly when I slap you.” She stood there with her hands on her hips and then pointed her finger at me. “How dare you accuse me of trying to trap you! If you think that I’m the sort of person that—”
“Watches trashy TV?” I interrupted her. “Yes I do think you’re that person.”
“What are you talking about?” She frowned in confusion at my change of subject.
“You watch those trashy shows and get ideas in your head.” I held back a grin. “How do I know you haven’t watched one of those Real Housewives shows and decided to trap me with a baby?”
“Rhett?” Her eyes narrowed and her voice grew lower, but I just couldn’t help myself.
“They should rename that show Devious Housewives.” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Or Devious Girlfriends That Want to be Wives.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Wouldn’t you watch that show though?” I grabbed her hand and played with her fingers.
“No.” She replied huffily.
“You wouldn’t be calling me into the living room to see how someone on the show got pregnant to trap her man after she found out he was cheating on her with her maid or assistant or something?”
“Maybe.” She said finally and then started laughing. “Okay fine, it sounds like a show I’d enjoying watching, but I certainly don’t want to be compared to one of the women from the show. You’d be so lucky to have a baby with me.”
“I was just joking Clementine.” My stomach churned as I looked into her annoyed eyes. “You don’t really want a baby do you?” My life flashed before my eyes as I thought about us having a baby and all the extra mess we’d have to deal with. It was something I wasn’t ready for, plus I knew Nanna would be upset and Clementine’s parents would kill me. They hadn’t even been happy that we were going to be living together. It was only because Nanna had convinced them that it was better for the both of us. And we’d been
friends for so many years and spent so many nights together anyway, that what difference did it make? She’d told them we’d end up spending most nights together in Boston so we might as well live together. It had been my idea of course, but Clementine had been equally as excited. In fact, the day we’d moved in had been the most exciting of my life. Surreal, but exciting. Much like every other day since then had been.
“Rhett, you know I don’t want a baby. And who knows, maybe I won’t even have a baby with you when the time comes for me to have a baby.” She gave me a look and turned around and my heart started thudding. What was she talking about?
“What are you talking about, Clementine?” I frowned and grabbed her around the waist.
“I’m saying don’t worry, there are other men that would love to be my baby’s father.”
“What other men?” I growled down into her face.
“Men you don’t know.” She licked her lips slowly. “Men that would—”
“Clementine, there are no other men for you.” I kissed her hard. “And that’s not even—”
“It was just a joke, Rhett.” She pulled back and smiled sweetly and rubbed my cheek.
“What?” I frowned, my heartbeat slowing down. “That wasn’t funny.”
“Just like your joke wasn’t funny.” She smiled and I shook my head.
“Touché.”
“Rhett, you need to calm down.” She squeezed my hands. “This is new for both of us. We’ve been best friends for years and neither one of us knew it would become a relationship. There are still going to be days that we annoy each other and that’s fine. It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to look for a new man or that you’re going to look for a new girl. It’s just how relationships go.”
“You better not go finding a new man.” I took a deep breath as a feeling of fear hit me. I felt like I’d been slapped in the face. I’d never considered Clementine leaving me to be with anyone else. It had never crossed my mind. Yes, she was beautiful and yes other men were interested in her, but it had never crossed my mind that she would give them a chance. So why then, was she bringing it up? Was she considering dating someone else? I frowned as my heart dropped. What if Clementine was done with me, already? Maybe my jokes weren’t as funny now that we were dating.
