Cooper's Charm
Page 28
Taking her arm, Cooper started her back toward shore. “I was whispering sweet nothings in her ear, but I suppose I can give you five minutes.”
Regretfully, Ridley said, “Might take fifteen. Is that okay?”
Phoenix heard a note of...something in her sister’s voice. “Everything okay?”
“Fine.” But she added in a rush, “I think.”
“You think?”
“Normally I wouldn’t intrude when it’s clear Coop is getting his romance on.”
Tone dry, Cooper said, “I was that obvious, huh?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “You’re not a subtle guy.”
Phoenix squeezed the water off the ends of her hair as they climbed to the shore. “Towel?”
“Anyway, I really do hate interrupting.” Ridley rushed to hand her a towel and her glasses. “It’s just that if I don’t talk to you soon, I might explode. Or worse, do something stupid.” As an aside to Cooper, she confided, “Phoenix is the supplier of commonsense.”
“True enough.”
With her glasses on now, she could see the tender look Cooper gave her. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” To Ridley, he asked, “Will you have enough privacy if I take Sugar into the lake to teach her to swim?”
“How good are your ears?”
He laughed. “I won’t be straining to listen, if that’s what you mean.”
“Then I suppose it’s fine.” She shifted her feet, antsy in her impatience. “Thank you, Coop, seriously.”
“No problem.” He went to Sugar, who’d been dozing peacefully, and scooped her up.
Phoenix could hear him talking softly to the dog as he waded into the water hip deep. Already Sugar’s legs were pumping even though she had yet to touch the water. Seeing the dog was excited, but not afraid, Phoenix turned to her sister.
“Come on.” Ridley grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the shore, toward the shade of the tree where the dog had been.
“What’s going on? You’re sure you’re okay?” Phoenix spread out the towel and started to lower herself.
“I’m pregnant.”
Shock took out her legs and she plopped down hard on her backside. “Pregnant?”
“Shh.” Ridley sat beside her, her back to the tree, her eyes closed as if by finally sharing, she’d exhausted herself.
“But...are you sure?”
“Positive. I did the whole home check then—”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Phoenix pushed her shoulder, but immediately snatched back her hand, horrified by what she’d done. “Oh, hell. I didn’t mean—”
Ridley rolled her head enough that she could glare. “I’m not breakable, sis. Just knocked up.”
Pregnant. Phoenix had a hard time taking it in. “But Robbie left you because you couldn’t conceive.”
“Yeah.” She closed her eyes again, but she was smiling. “Apparently the problem wasn’t with me.”
Phoenix sat sideways to face her. “Apparently not.” With her heart starting to pound in excitement, she gently stroked her sister’s hair. “Ridley, are we happy about this?”
Still with her eyes closed, Ridley nodded, then gulped.
“We are?” Phoenix gulped, too. A baby. The smile came with a bloom of happiness. “We are!”
“I should have known Baxter would be more potent.”
A snickering laugh escaped Phoenix before she could stop it.
Ridley bumped her with her shoulder and finally looked at her.
She had tears in her eyes, but she looked... “Radiant,” Phoenix breathed.
“Come again?”
Phoenix threw her arms around her. “Oh, Ridley, you’re beautiful.”
Ridley laughed. “Thank you?”
“We’re going to have a baby.” She started to bounce and couldn’t stop.
“We are.” Ridley began bouncing, too.
Phoenix noticed Cooper staring at them, a lopsided smile on his face as he watched them hugging and laughing.
“We’re drawing attention.”
Quickly, Ridley cleared her throat, wiped her eyes and resettled against the tree. “You can’t tell anyone yet.”
She nodded. “What does Baxter think?”
“Well...” Ridley plucked at a dandelion, twirling it between her fingers. “I haven’t exactly told him yet—and before you blast me, recall that I told you first, and that’s how it should be.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that one.” She was honored to be the first to know. “But you are going to tell him, right?”
She shrugged. “Eventually.”
“Ridley Rose.” Phoenix sat back, her hands on her hips.
Smirking, Ridley looked her over. “That indignant pose loses something when you’re sitting on a beach towel in a bikini squinting from the sun.”
“You have to tell him, sooner rather than later.”
Slumping, Ridley mangled the weed. “What if he’s not happy? What if he’s the opposite of happy? We’re not you and Cooper. We’re not—”
“Me and Cooper?”
With a roll of her eyes, Ridley said, “Don’t play at being surprised. You two have it worked out. You’re the perfect couple, for crying out loud.”
It took Phoenix a second to find her voice after that crazy claim. “Cooper is still in love with his deceased wife. Yes, we have a great relationship, but it’s all very uncertain.”
“Oh, my God,” Ridley complained, much aggrieved. “That is such bullshit and you know it. He’s crazy about you. You’re crazy about him.”
Beyond crazy, actually. She loved him. “But his wife—”
“Is gone,” Ridley stressed. “And you’re here.”
Was it enough though, just to be present?
Ridley peered at her. “Everyone grieves, Phoenix. Change is hard. But Cooper isn’t the type to live in the past. You know that, right? Or are you really that far in denial?”
Denial? No, she wasn’t. Not anymore. Yet... Phoenix shook her head and got them back on track. “We’re talking about you.” They could sort out her complicated relationship with Cooper on another day.
“Me—and junior.” Ridley put a hand to her flat belly. She exhaled and smiled. “I don’t know jack about being a mother.”
Strangling on a laugh, Phoenix asked, “Are you kidding me? You’ve been mothering me forever.”
“You,” she said, “don’t need to be fed or have your diapers changed—”
Phoenix snorted.
“—and God knows you don’t depend on me.”
“Do, too.” Unwilling to let Ridley hark back, Phoenix grabbed her hands. “You are the most witty—”
“You mean sarcastic.”
“—smart and caring—”
“Sharp and intrusive?”
“—and generous person I know.” With a look, Phoenix dared her to insult herself again.
In reply, Ridley pretended to lock her lips.
Satisfied, Phoenix continued. “You’re a wonderful person and that baby is going to be very, very lucky to have you.”
“And Baxter? Will he be lucky to have me?”
“He’ll be the luckiest of all because he’ll have both you and a baby.”
“There’s a hitch, though.” In a very uncharacteristic show of timidity, Ridley looked down and whispered, “I’m in love with him.”
As far as revelations went, that one failed. She’d known for a while that her sister was hooked. “That’s wonderful, Ridley.” Wonderful that she’d finally admitted it!
“Is it? What if he doesn’t feel the same?” She groaned loudly. “God, Phoenix, I’ve beat him over the head with the dogged assertion that ours is just a sexual thing. And he’s agreed with it! What if he wants the baby—” she blinked fast as if fighting tears
“—but he doesn’t want me?”
It was an unusual thing, seeing her headstrong, snarky sister so vulnerable. “I’m betting he does. After all, he’s not a fool. But if not, we’ll deal with it together.”
Ridley slanted her a look. “Promise you won’t run away a second time? Because hon, I need you.”
That was a big admission for Ridley, and it damn near made her cry. “Never again,” she vowed. “You have my word.” Phoenix cupped her face in her hands. “Tell him, Ridley. Today. Right now even. Go interrupt the old dudes and drag Baxter away someplace private and tell him.”
Looking unconvinced, Ridley said, “You forgot to add chickenshit to my accolades.”
“Brave,” Phoenix corrected. “You’re brave enough to do this.”
In agreement and resolve, Ridley stiffened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “You’re going to be such a terrific auntie.”
At that, they both started giggling again.
16
Coop had discreetly watched the conversation between Phoenix and her sister, and he knew that whatever they’d discussed, it had pleased Phoenix. Even when she’d been talking seriously to Ridley, or hugging her in sympathy, she’d looked ecstatic. He was curious, but figured she’d tell him when she was ready.
That didn’t stop him from asking, “Were you and Ridley having your own private party?”
Another very sweet smile curved her lips, and a rosy glow colored her cheeks. “Something like that.” She peeked up at him as they walked to the house. “I can’t tell you anything yet, but soon, I promise.”
He didn’t mind waiting. As long as Phoenix was with him, as long as she was this happy, he had what he needed. For now.
Eventually, he’d want more, but he hoped to ease her into it.
They paused in front of the house while Sugar took care of business near a bush.
“Look at that sky.” Shielding her eyes, her nose scrunching, Phoenix gazed toward the setting sun.
After Ridley had left, they’d played together with Sugar in the water for another half an hour. The dog had taken right to swimming, but still they’d kept her in the shallows. Now as the sun dropped in the sky, it splashed watercolors of purple, pink, crimson and yellow across the horizon.
“Pretty,” he agreed, looking more at her than the scenery. In so many ways, she seemed an intrinsic part of the resort. A very special, most important part.
“It’s breathtaking,” she whispered.
If she liked it enough, maybe she’d be content to stay forever.
When Sugar finished, Coop opened the door for her to go in. She made a beeline for her dishes, gobbled up some food, then trotted down the hall to sleep. Apparently, swimming in the sunshine exhausted everyone, even high-energy dogs. Since her fur was still damp, he was extra glad that she didn’t want to sleep on the bed.
Giving up her admiration of the sunset, Phoenix started to follow the dog inside.
Though she must have missed it earlier, the second she stepped over the threshold, she noticed that Anna’s photo wasn’t on the desk.
Halting, she stared fixedly at the spot where it had always been. Her towel slipped in her hands, dropping loosely around her hips, her hair in dark, wet hanks over her bare shoulders.
Her gaze cautiously sought his. “You put that one away, too?”
Having thought about it a lot, he’d expected the question and saw no reason to pretend he didn’t understand. Phoenix wasn’t like other women. She was so far out of the realm of other women that she constantly took him by surprise. He knew he could be up-front with her, and he was.
Smiling, he rested his hand over his chest. “It’s here.”
“In your heart?”
“Yes.” He’d never forget Anna, but he could move forward now without anger, without anguish. Thanks to Phoenix, he could love again. “I don’t need or want a daily reminder of her.” Hoping she’d understand, he moved his hand to her cheek. “Not anymore.”
She stared up at him, her eyes big and glassy, her lips trembling. “I don’t want to come between—”
“You’re not.” She couldn’t be between him and a memory, not when she came first, before anything or anyone else. He wanted to say more, so much more, but he feared rushing her. In many ways, she was still shy of commitment. Part of that, he knew, was out of deference to him and the love he’d had for Anna.
It was up to him to show her that now, with her in his life, everything was different. That started with the removal of reminders of his past.
She leaned against him, her face tipped back so she could see him. “You’re sure, Cooper?”
“Very sure.”
Her acceptance was tremulous and heartbreakingly beautiful. “All right.”
His blood fired, and he hugged her closer, lifting her off her feet while taking her mouth in a hot, deep kiss. To his libido, it seemed like she’d just agreed to a lot.
She kept one arm locked around his neck and with the other, she held on to the plastic bag holding their phones and his wallet.
Sliding a forearm under her bottom, he carried her down the hall, then let her slide down his body until she stood before him. The plastic bag got tossed aside—he didn’t really care where it landed.
He dropped his towel, stripped away hers, then also removed her bathing suit top and bottoms. God, he would never tire of her body, of the soft, abundant curves. He adored those as much as the eager way she approached their lovemaking.
Every time with Phoenix felt both new and yet familiar; comfortable, but unbearably exciting. It was special, because she was special.
Whether she knew it yet or not, he’d already accepted that he wanted her, now, tomorrow...and for the rest of his life.
* * *
Baxter didn’t know what to think when Ridley finally sidled up to him. She’d been hanging back a few yards, watching him while he not-so-patiently waited to make his escape. The two men before him had inexhaustible curiosity about diving, the park and the lake. Like many elders, they had stories and adventures to share, and apparently they wanted to share them all with him. He’d tried to concentrate on adequate replies, but it was getting late, well past his work hours, and he wanted Ridley.
As usual.
Now, as she approached, the two men lost their trains of thought, too busy staring at her to continue speaking.
She’d pulled on a cover-up but hadn’t closed it in the front, meaning her very sweet body was still easily seen by all.
True, every woman on the beach wore a suit...but every woman wasn’t Ridley.
When Ridley realized they were all three staring at her, she gave her patented “make a man drool” smile and said, “Excuse me, gentlemen, but I need to borrow Baxter if that’s okay?”
The old goats nearly fell over themselves assuring her it was fine.
She hooked her arm through his. “Inside?”
If she planned to seduce him in the scuba shop with dozens of people still hanging around, he’d...what? Count himself a lucky bastard? Probably.
“Sure.” Damn it, he was already getting semi-hard just thinking about it and even with the top half of his wet suit turned down, that wouldn’t do. He tried a deep breath, but despite the weeks they’d been together, she still did it for him. God, he had it bad.
Ridley could give him a look, or that killer smile, or hell, she could just be walking away from him—even after giving him hell—and he wanted her.
Instead of her effect wearing off, it seemed to amplify each day. What he’d thought would be a quick affair that burned out naturally was instead an attraction that flamed brighter and hotter than ever.
It’d be unsettling if he wasn’t having so much fun. Ridley was so damn honest he never had to guess about her motives. Even when she tried to make him jealous, she let him know what she was doing.
There was something very reassuring, very addictive, about knowing her so well and trusting her so completely. Ridley told him what she wanted, when she wanted it, how she wanted it. She also listened when he did the same, and then she took wicked pleasure in giving it to him.
Huh. Was he falling in love with her?
Baxter stopped so suddenly that Ridley ran into him with an “Ompf.”
He turned to stare at her, boggled by the notion that he wanted a lifetime with her.
“Hey.” Scowling, she bumped him with her hip. “Why’d you put on the brakes like that?”
All he could do was shake his head. Seeing that particular disgruntled frown on her face—even that made him hard.
Put a fork in me, I’m done.
Hands on her hips, she snapped, “What’s going on, Baxter? Why are you looking at me like I’m naked?”
Slowly, the grin spread. “That’s how I usually see you, now that I know what’s underneath the clothes. Not that you’re wearing anything even close to resembling clothes today.”
“Oh? Do you like it?” Smirking, she struck a pose, breasts out, hand on the dip of her waist, leg turned just so. Then suddenly her scowl was back. “Don’t get too used to it. Things are about to change.”
He stiffened from head to toe. “What the hell does that mean?” If she planned to end things when he’d just realized he wanted forever, he’d... Well, he didn’t know yet, but he wasn’t about to let her call it quits.
Exasperated, she put both hands on her hips. “I’ll explain if you’ll get a move on. Or would you rather we stay here drawing attention?”
True, people were starting to stare. He glanced at the scuba shop, but he’d rather not make it too easy on her, so instead he led her over to a vacated picnic table. It was far enough away that no one could overhear if she thought to dump him.
Somehow he’d change her mind—even if he had to carry her off to bed.
That was where he was most convincing anyway.