by Reana Malori
However, just last night, the closeness the three of them shared had caused a mini-meltdown for Madison. As he was putting his little girl down for the night, he mentioned their trip to Rehoboth Beach with his mother and some other family members. It had been a family tradition for everyone to meet in Delaware to reunite and have some fun before winter hit. Realizing now that he should have considered the ramifications of thinking like a man, it had failed to dawn on him that Faith wouldn’t be there. After all, he had forgotten to even mention it to her, so why would she? Once he realized this, it seemed Madison wasn’t far behind.
When Madison finally understood Faith was not going to be coming with them, she was not happy. Not one little bit. Sitting here looking over at the woman who had created such high loyalty in his little girl, he knew he had to talk with her about it tonight. Cringing a little as he thought back on last night’s conversation with Madison, he almost wished Faith would come with them. His own procrastination had caused this and he knew it. The conversation with his daughter replayed in his mind.
“Why can’t Ms. Faith come with us to Grandma’s house?” Mouth turned down and eyes filling with tears, his little girl was not very pleased with him at the moment.
“Because Faith has her own family and friends. I’m sure they want her to spend the holiday with them,” he responded as calmly as he could. Getting Madison to understand that Faith didn’t belong to only them was becoming harder each day.
Then again, he had his own issues with that lately. Not thinking straight, he had made his own assumptions and hadn’t even considered that he needed to ask Faith. Looking back, he knew he had fucked this up royally.
Lately though, it seemed that Faith was just always there. Which is what he enjoyed most. When he wanted to see her, he did. When coming home from work at night, if he called and she wasn’t home, he texted. As soon as she responded, he made sure to ask when she would be home. While he always used the excuse that Madison was the one who wanted to see her before going to bed, he also knew that it was something he needed as well.
Seeing her, even just to spend five minutes talking with her each day, had become something he needed to do each night before he could relax and fall asleep. Recalling his daughter’s voice as she continued her pleas for Faith to join them for the long weekend, he had continued tucking her in under the covers.
“But she has to come with us. You have to ask her,” clearly not giving up her request, Madison continued to press the issue.
Cooper had to understand that with Madison being so young, she didn’t understand how complicated adult lives could be. So, he agreed, sort of, “Okay, I will ask her tomorrow. But if she says no, then that’s the final answer. Understand?” He would swear his little girl was smarter than her four years as she looked at him with suspicion.
“You promise to ask her,” she inquired.
“Promise. Now go to sleep,” he kissed her on the forehead and exited the room. Laughing to himself as he turned out the hallway lights and entered his own bedroom, he wondered if Faith really had any plans for the weekend. Would it be such a big deal if she came with them? They were only friends, right?
Chapter Seven
Now here he was the next evening, sitting near Faith as they relaxed after dinner. Still not having broached the subject, he was tempted to just leave it alone and not ask. He wasn’t usually this damn nervous, but lately, something had changed. His Special Forces buddies, and even the people he worked with now, would never believe this. They always described him as hard, unforgiving, candid, brutal, and even aggressive. They would laugh in his face if they knew he was fretting about a woman’s response to such an inane thing. But with this woman, none of that mattered. Over the years, he had become a cold, heartless killing machine. But with Faith, he seemed to lose all of that.
His cool points balance took a deduction each day that he was in her presence. Five points every time he called her before he went to bed. Another ten points whenever he became tongue-tied around her when she had on her black yoga pants and a t-shirt. Heaven forbid his friends ever find out that he spent an entire afternoon looking through paints and fabric patterns when she wanted to redecorate her upstairs guest room. It was downright odd! And if he wasn’t careful, he would continue to get deeper, which was something he couldn’t do.
Resolved to get this over and done with, Cooper excused himself.
“I’ll be back. I’m headed to the kitchen. Do you want a drink, Madison?”
“No, Daddy,” she responded and then giggled at a scene in the movie.
Tapping Faith’s arm, he nodded at her to follow him and started walking toward the other room. Once in the kitchen, he leaned up against the counter and watched as Faith came into the room a few seconds after he did.
His eyes were drawn to her shapely legs and her toes painted in a vibrant pink, the result of a recent spa day for her and Madison. Eyes going to her face, he noticed that her smooth brown skin seemed to glow with vitality. Her lips were tilted in a mischievous smile and her walk was...damn. Hips swaying from side-to-side, he could feel his body begin to react to her and had to adjust his stance. Three words entered his head and he knew that it was the unfiltered truth.
So fucking beautiful.
Stopping just inches in front of him, Faith hopped up to sit on the three-legged stool in front of the breakfast nook. Sitting there with a questioning look on her face, she began to fidget as she waited for him to speak.
Smiling, Cooper realized how common this scene had become. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal if she came with him. And after his recent train of thoughts about her, he was quickly coming to the conclusion that he wanted Faith to come with them for their family weekend. By all accounts, she was already part of their family. What would make the weekend in Rehoboth Beach any different?
Although he had told Madison that Faith probably had other plans, he wasn’t so sure that was true. Hell, if he were actually honest with himself, he didn’t want it to be true. It would be nice to have her with them, on his own territory for four full days. She could spend time getting to know his family and maybe, just maybe, he could figure out why his thoughts about the one person who had become his closest friend, had become focused on getting her out of her clothes and into his bed.
Before he could dissect why having Faith spend time getting to know his family made him smile, she interrupted his thoughts.
“What’s up, buttercup? You wanted me to come in here, right?” she asked jokingly. Chuckling at her own corny and warped sense of humor, she suddenly gave him a wide smile and began laughing.
Interrupting her one-person comedy show, he shared the reason for their impromptu meeting. “So, Madison wants you to come with us to her Grandmother’s house for Labor Day.”
What? He wasn’t fool enough to say that he wanted her there as well.
At her stunned response, he continued, “So, what do you think? Want to come spend the Labor Day weekend with us?” He fully expected her to jump at the chance to spend time with them and found that he was excited at the prospect. They could explore this thing that was building up between them.
Turns out, he was in for a surprise.
After a few moments of silence, her face turned down for a brief moment, as if she had become saddened by the question. Faith then smiled, just a tiny lift of the corners of her mouth, and then turned him down flat, “Actually, I can’t. I’m sorry, Cooper.”
“Oh, great…wait! What?” Not sure that he heard her right, he had to stop and think for a few seconds to process her words. “What do you mean you can’t? Why not?”
The words came out a bit harsher than he expected them to, but that couldn’t be helped. Noticing her response, he could tell she had not been expecting that response. Taking a half-step back, he waited for her to tell him why she couldn’t go with them. Where the hell else would she be?
Sitting up a bit straighter on the stool, her eyes were cold as she responded, “Well, I was
n’t expecting to see you guys that weekend, so I made plans. I’m going down to Miami to see an old college friend.” Hearing the flat tone of her voice, he could tell that she was not happy with how he responded.
“You never mentioned that before,” he responded.
“Well, you never asked,” she replied in turn.
“Dammit, Faith, I didn’t know that I needed to!” He hadn’t meant to yell, but he had never expected her to tell him no. She had never denied him anything—ever. This shit was throwing him off, big time. Fuck! Never expecting her answer to be no, he wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this new development.
Then again, why was this such a shock to his system? Wasn’t he already expecting her to have plans? There was no rule that said she needed to spend all of her time with him and Madison. But still, he didn’t like the feeling he was having about this. It felt a lot like jealousy.
“Okay, what is this all about? When did you start expecting me to clear my schedule with you?” Faith was leaning back, her elbows on the counter and her feet crossed. The smile that he had come to expect and enjoy so much was nowhere to be seen.
Trying to recover and avoid coming off as an even bigger ass, he tried to sound neutral as he responded, “Fine. You don’t. It was just...never mind. Just forget it.” Based on the look that was reflected on her face, he hadn’t done a very good job of glossing over how he felt. Trying another tactic, “Well, I just wanted to mention it to you as an option. For Madison.”
“Cooper, I can change my plans if you want me to,” she tried to interject, but to him, it was too late.
“No, it’s fine. We can always do something on our own, before Madison and I go up there,” he said.
It suddenly hit him that the upcoming holiday weekend would be the longest they had been away from each other since they had met. At least by choice. Each of them had traveled for work in the past few months, but that had always been something they couldn’t avoid. Work was work. Out of town business travel was one thing. Choosing to go to different vacation spots on a major holiday by choice? Well, that felt entirely different. What the hell had happened to him and why didn’t he see this coming?
“Okay. If you’re sure,” she said hesitantly.
He wasn’t sure at all, but neither did he have a choice it seemed. “I’m sure you’ll have a great time.” Not willing to play the role of forgiving friend, he simply didn’t respond to the unanswered questions he was sure she had.
Smirking to himself, he thought, ‘I hope it rains during her entire Miami visit.’ Picturing the thought of her trip ending up a complete and total washout, literally, had him feeling quite a bit better. She would look back and wish that she had chosen to come with him and Madison. Shaking away the internal thought, he knew that it was completely selfish of him to think that way. He just wanted her there with them and not over a thousand miles away.
“What are you smiling about, Cooper?” She asked slowly.
Eyeing her as she sat her on the stool, he couldn’t stop the next question, “Will you miss us?” Nope, not even if he had tried.
Recognizing that things were changing for him, for them, he made the decision to at least test things out. See how Faith would respond if he pushed things a little further than normal.
Dark brown eyes stared at him for a few seconds. If he had to wait for an hour to hear her response, that’s what he would do. Awareness hit him like a twenty pound brick. Would she miss them—him—as much as he would miss her?
“Of course, I will,” her response came out low, as if she were hesitant to speak the words.
Shifting slightly, he turned to her just as she came off the stool and stood in front of him. In her bare feet, she stood six inches shorter than him and he liked her this way. Brown eyes met light blue and he felt, more than saw, her breathing become jagged and shallow as they stood in front of one other.
“I’ll miss you, too. Surely you must know that,” the honesty of his words didn’t escape his notice as he spoke what he truly felt.
At her sudden intake of breath and the widening of her eyes, he knew the exact moment Faith understood as well.
There was no more hiding from what was happening between them. His nice, structured world had evolved and become something completely different, and Faith had a starring role. Both he and Faith were guilty of ignoring the signs that were flashing bright red in front of their eyes. There was no turning back and Cooper was ready.
With the truth staring him in the face, he knew, without a doubt, that he wanted this woman with every fiber of his being. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold back and not simply seduce her into his bed. Sex was one thing and he had never been without someone that could help relieve stress. After his wife’s death, once he returned to the land of the living, there had been plenty of women lined up to offer him whatever he needed, desired, or was simply curious enough to try.
But none of them were her. None of them affected him the way Faith did. And he didn’t think she even tried. It was just her. This was a different feeling for him. While he was positive that he would do everything in his power to please her, to make her body weep with anticipation for him, it would be a huge step. Before he made this step with her, Cooper needed to first let go of the past and grab ahold of his future with both hands.
Actually, there was a larger question lingering in the air. Was Faith ready for him? He didn’t think she had any clue about the lion that was ready to be unleashed on her. But she would learn soon enough. Some would assume that they had already crossed the line and become intimate with each other. If truth be known, he and Faith had never even shared a kiss. But if he had anything to say about it, that would change soon enough.
The moment seemed to pass by in slow motion. Having her this close, the space between them seemed to sizzle with electricity. Maybe this had been building for a while. The two of them lived a life that centered on each other. But deep inside, could he truly say that he was ready to move on with his life and leave the past behind? Was it possible to allow himself to fully open up and let Faith take her place by his side?
He was bothered by the thought that there was still too much of his past with Heather holding on to him. It wouldn’t be fair to Faith to come at her now. Not while he was still in the process letting go.
But now that he took time to think about it, the hurt and pain that usually came when he thought about putting his past behind him, never materialized. Would Heather really expect him to never fall in love again? To never feel desire for another woman? Or feel the soft curves of her body as he sank inside of her? He couldn’t see her denying him the chance to be happy again.
Faith was all he ever thought about, aside from his daughter. She was the first person he thought of in the morning. She was the last person he thought of before he went to bed. He should have seen what was happening a long time ago.
Picturing Faith beneath him, her legs spread wide as he stroked in and out of her body made sweat bead on his upper lip. Unbidden, the idea of bringing them both to the heights of pleasure entered his mind. It was enough to make his body heat from the inside-out.
And even though her body language was sending him a message that he so desperately wanted to respond to, he didn’t. No matter how much he may have wanted to lean down and brush his lips against hers, he wouldn’t. Not yet. This was Faith and she deserved all of him, not some sliver of a man that held on to the ghosts of his past.
The few seconds they stood there staring at each other seemed like hours. Would one little kiss hurt? Just a little nibble to see if her lips tasted as good as they looked. Unashamed and unapologetic, his gaze soaked in the sight of the woman before him and he refused to turn away. There would be no more denying what he wanted.
The television played in the background. Loud sounds of cartoon characters traveled from the living room where his daughter continued to sit as she played with her toys. When it was all said and done, that was the thought that made him pull back.
Taking a step away from Faith, the tether holding them was broken.
Things seemed to calm and the spell they had been under had evaporated into the space between them. They each looked at one another as if meeting for the first time.
Faith was the first one to speak, “We had better go back in the other room. She’ll come looking for us soon.”
For a moment, words failed him. How could he feel so strongly for her in what some would think was such a short time? It had taken him more than a year to feel this way about Heather and that unnerved him. “Yeah, I guess we should.”
Shaking his head in slight disbelief, he thought, she’s not really even my type, but no one else does it for me like her. Faith was the only woman that he had allowed to get close to him since his wife died. So whether or not he thought she was his type or not, was a moot point. Clearly his dick and his heart wanted her with a fierceness that would not be denied.
“Are you sure you can’t make it to Rehoboth Beach with us?” As she turned to walk out of the kitchen, he couldn’t resist asking one more time. Maybe this time would be different. Everything in him wanted to yell out, ‘Dammit, woman, just say yes’, but he was smart enough to know that would be a bad move.
Pausing before she answered, he was almost hopeful that she had seen the error of her ways and would be coming with them after all. Decide that the best place for her was to be with him, instead of hundreds of miles away in a city known for its hedonism. After all, they needed to explore what had just happened, what had been happening, between them. It would not be easy for him to have her away from them, several states away, doing God knows what. And just who the hell was this old college friend she was meeting up with?
“Faith, who—”, he was about to ask who she was going to meet in Miami when she spoke at the same time.
