by J. S. Cooper
Say You Love Me
J. S. Cooper
Contents
Untitled
Untitled
Untitled
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Part 2
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
Also by J. S. Cooper
Say You Love Me
J. S. Cooper
There are some guys you just can't forget.
There are some girls that catch your eye.
There are some guys you just can't say no to.
Cody Brookstone. He's my best friend's brother. I've known him for years. Fancied him for what seems like forever. And of course, he's never noticed me. I've always been his sister Mila's annoying friend, but I'm about to change that. Mila came up with a plan for me to snag him. I'm going to make him mine. One way or another. The plan is fail proof. Well, not really. There are plenty of things that can go wrong. Plenty of ways that my own heart will get broken. But what's the path to true love without some risk?
There are some girls you can't get out of your mind.
There are some guys that can break your heart.
There are some girls that make you rethink everything.
Sally Johnson. My sister’s best friend. Sweet, funny, always there. She's got one of those smiles that makes you happy and a body that goes on for days, if you know what I mean. She's crept into my life making me feel things I don't understand. I can't give her what she wants. Even if I love giving her what she needs. Or rather what I need. I didn't expect everything to go crazy. I didn't expect for everything to get out of hand. Now I've gone and got myself in a mess that I don't understand and I can't fix easily. Sally's the one girl that's got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, I don't know it all.
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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 © 2016 by J. S. Cooper
Editing by Lorelei Lodgson
Created with Vellum
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments and Dedications
Sometimes we fall in love with someone because we have an immediate connection with them. Sometimes people come into our lives and we just know that they are someone important. They will make an impact. They will flip our hearts upside down and inside out. And our lives will never be the same. Sometimes this love works out and we end up with the loves of our lives. And sometimes, sometimes, the fairytale is not meant to be. However, there is something special in that love, something special in that moment of time. And sometimes we just need to figure out what that love means to us.
This book is dedicated to every single one of us that has fallen in love with someone and gone through the pain of not knowing if we were good enough. Always remember that you are always good enough. And the right guy will know. And when he knows and you know, that’s when you both know. That’s when it’s true love!
There are so many people I need to thank for making this book happen. First and foremost, all of my readers that requested a story for Sally and Cody. They were bit characters in the Four Week Fiancé series, but they really resonated with a lot of people. Thank you to all the readers that have purchased, reviewed, talked about and loved my books. Your support means everything to me and it is for you that I write. I would like to thank the J. S. Cooper Street Team, made up of readers and friends who provide me daily support and encouragement. I appreciate your kind words and love more than you’ll ever know. I also need to thank my assistant Katrina Jaekley for typing up handwritten pages and always pushing me forward to continue writing. I’d like to thank all of my beta readers: Stacy Hahn, Tanya Kay Skaggs, Kathy Shreve, Cilicia White, Nancy Murtha, Tammie Lynd, Sarah Ackerman, Laura McMillin, Gwen Midgyett, Kristine Roller, Kyna Mack, Julianna Santiago, Heather Coombes, Laci Keenzel, Jennifer Pon, and Kim Briesemeister. Your feedback as I wrote the book encouraged me to keep going with the words in my head.
As always, I thank God for all of my blessings and for the ability to write for a living.
I hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Jaimie
XOXO
Prologue
Sally
Cody Brookstone. My first love. He’s my best friend’s brother. The man of my dreams. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted and yet, he barely knows I exist as more than a friend. He is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life: all six feet¸ two inches of muscular brawn, dark blond hair, hazel eyes that go from green to brown on a whim, and a smile that lights up my heart. His very presence does things to me that I can’t explain. Cody Brookstone is the man I’ve had a crush on for what seems like forever. There are so many declarations I want to make to him. Declarations that make my heart flutter. Declarations like:
“I will wait for you because I don’t want anyone else.”
“I will wait for you because I’m a fool.”
“I will wait for you because the feeling in my heart is greater than anything I’ve ever felt before in my life.”
“I will wait for you because the smile on your face makes me happy when I’m sad.”
“I will wait for you because I love you.”
I wanted to tell him all of those things. I wanted him to know how much I loved him. I wanted him to know I would wait a lifetime for him. I would have told him all of those things, too, if I thought it would mean anything. All I needed was for him to say he loved me. Three simple words. That’s all I needed. “I love you.” That’s all I needed to hear. At least that’s what I thought in the beginning.
Have you ever been in love? Have you ever been in love so bad that it hurts you in places that you didn’t even know existed inside of you? Have you ever thought of someone so much that you thought you could read their mind? That somehow they were a part of you, that indelibly you were linked by something greater than words or feelings or actions? That your connection was created by God himself? Have you ever had that feeling? That feeling where you feel so high, so happy, so powerful, just being around them? Their smile makes you smile. Their laugh lights up your life, so that nothing could dim it. Absolutely nothing. Just being there with them, just talking to them, touching them, seeing them, knowing them gives you something that you can’t explain. That’s power. Real power. And that power is dangerous. It’s dangerous because you lose yourself to that feeling. And sometimes when you lose yourself in that way to the wrong person…well, sometimes, you never get yourself back.
I’ve experienced that love. Great love. Love so powerful that I couldn’t eat or sleep for days. Only, he didn’t love me. He didn’t want me. He didn’t feel the same way. And the pain that I felt, the pain I carried inside of me, well it nearly broke me. You see, it didn’t make sense to me. How can one love someone so greatly and they don’t feel a thing? It doesn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense. I thought that was the worst of i
t. I thought that was the end of the world, but I was wrong. I thought Cody Brookstone breaking my heart was the end of it all, but really it was only the beginning.
You see, I’ve gone and found myself in an even more precarious situation. A situation that has called everything I thought I knew into question. A situation that has made me doubt every feeling and every emotion I’ve ever had. A situation that makes me wonder what true love really is. Everything I believed in has come crashing down around me.
Now I don’t know if him telling me he loves me will mean anything.
Now I don’t know if my world will ever be the same again.
Now I don’t know what I feel for Cody Brookstone and I don’t know if I can find it in my heart to figure out the answers to any of my questions before it’s too late.
Part 1
Chapter 1
Sally
When I was just a little girl, I always read fairy tales and I loved hearing how the handsome prince would fall in love with the princess and sweep her away. He'd love her with everything in him and he'd do everything he could to protect her. I always thought I'd find that love. It's all I've ever really craved. There was something so comforting knowing that there was someone in the world who loved you more than life itself. My childhood was pretty normal I suppose. My parents divorced when I was barely three and I was shuttled back and forth between them for the next eight years of my life. Then my dad moved back to Guyana, in South America, to take over his family business and all of a sudden I went to seeing him once every couple of years and talking to him on the phone every few months. My dad remarried, though he had no more kids, and I felt like his new relationship took precedence over his role in my life. His new wife hated me because she was a jealous cow and I was a reminder of his loving another woman. My mom, well, she sort of drifted about life aimlessly after the divorce, never knowing if she was coming or going and the bitterness of her marriage ending never seemed to leave her. I'm lucky I didn't become bitter and jaded myself, but I think that was thanks to having Mila as a best friend and having her family as a surrogate.
It didn't hurt that I found Cody mesmerizing and that he was on my mind all the time. I suppose my unhealthy obsession began the first time I met him. Even though we were young, it was love at first sight for me. He was the golden boy, all dimples and big smiles, teasing and loving and full of life. When I was around Cody, I forgot about everything else. I forgot about being scared of exams, the loneliness of going home, the heartache of rejection when a boy I had a crush on didn't like me. I forgot about being hungry, angry, sad, mad, whatever emotions I was experiencing at the time. It was like time stood still when I was with him. We were just us, at a moment in time, and nothing else mattered. I can remember the exact moment when I knew he was my true love. I can remember it as if it happened yesterday. We'd been by the lake house and we'd gone for a walk. It had just been the two of us and I'd been so happy to have some alone time with him. We'd stared out at the lake, under the moonlight, and we'd just gazed at the rippling water in amazement.
"It's so beautiful," I'd said softly. "How amazing would it feel to fall asleep in the water and let it carry you away gently?"
"Pretty amazing, I suppose," Cody said quietly, nodding as we stood there.
"The only issue I see," I continued, "is if you floated off into the middle of the lake, though I suppose that would be scarier if it were an ocean. Then you'd float off into the middle of nowhere."
"That would be pretty scary." He nodded. "Though I suppose we could be like the otters."
"Be like the otters?" I asked curiously, turning to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"You don't know about the otters?" He turned to look down at me and his eyes were sparkling in delight as he stared at me.
"No, tell me," I said, gazing back at him, wanting his eyes to never leave mine.
"When otters fall asleep in the water, they make sure to hold hands so that they don't drift apart. So even if the water carries them downstream they're still together."
"Oh wow," I said simply, my heart melting at how sweet that sounded.
"So we could be like them," he said with a small smile. "We can go and fall asleep in the lake and let the water take us where it may, but we'll have to hold hands to make sure that we don't drift apart."
"That sounds like a good idea to me." I grinned up at him, my heart overflowing with love. "That sounds like a really good idea."
* * *
You ever have that moment where you see a guy and your whole body freezes still and then turns hot? Your heart starts beating fast and your stomach flips over and over and over and all you can think is Oh hot damn, that man is smoking and I want him right now. I want him to look at me, smile at me, run up to me, grab me, pull me into his arms, kiss me hard, and then run his finger down my cheek and tell me that I’m the woman he’s been waiting for his whole life. You ever experience that? Some people call it love at first sight. Others call it lust at first sight. Others still call it a chemical imbalance. I call it what I feel for Cody Brookstone every time I see him. He’s that one guy that I can’t get out of my blood. That guy that I’ve fancied for more years than I like to think of. He’s the smile I see when I think of dying or getting married. Either one. Not that I think of dying often. Or getting married. Though sometimes I can be slightly morbid. Sometimes I think to myself, would Cody care if I died? Would he love me then? Would he want me then? Yeah, I’m a sad case. I think about Cody every single day, without fail. Even when I’m trying not to think about him. Some people would call me obsessed. They’d say I’m like the girl from Fatal Attraction. Only, perhaps I’m worse. I have never dated Cody. I have never kissed him. I have never slept with him. I have never even held hands with him. Cody Brookstone doesn’t even know I exist. Well, as a woman. He knows I exist as a human being. I’m best friends with his sister, Mila. And no, that hasn’t gotten me any brownie points. If anything, it’s made me even more hands-off. To be fair, I don’t know if Cody would have wanted me even if I weren’t friends with Mila. He’s the kind of guy who likes to have fun. I can’t think of any girl that he’s dated seriously or for a super long time. Which used to make me happy. But now it makes me wonder why. It’s not like his parents had this crazy shady marriage or that’s he’s been super terribly hurt by an ex. From what I know, he’s never had his heart broken. Or even been in love. Which makes me both happy and sad. I’m a terrible romantic, so it makes me think Ooh well maybe I’m his true love, his one and only. It makes my heart beat rapidly when I think of him telling me that he loves me. Oh my God, could you even imagine how that would feel? Having him tell me he loves me, that I’m the only woman he’s ever loved? It would be like something out of a movie. Something that we’d tell our kids and grandkids. Something I would dream about in my grave (I told you I was morbid). I know, I know. I’m unrealistic and a dreamer. And probably too old for these sorts of pipe dreams.
I don’t know how some women seem to have it so easy. They blink and they get the guy they want. I blink and I smudge my mascara and eyeliner and end up looking like a skunk or raccoon. Let alone getting the guy to notice me. Unless of course, he notices the eyes and wonders if I’m okay because I look like I’ve been crying or beaten. That’s my luck. Not that that matters now. Because here I am, standing on Cody’s doorstep, waiting for him to answer the door and let me in to his apartment. This is going to be my moment. I’m going to make my move. I’m going to make Cody Brookstone fall in love with me. Or at least take me into his bed. I deserve that at least, right? Hot sex is better than nothing. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
I took a deep breath before I knocked on the front door. My heart was in my mouth. I, for some reason only known to God, was hoping that today was going to be the day that my luck changed and the day that Cody suddenly looked at me and told me that he loved me. I knew it wasn’t realistic. I knew that life didn’t go like that. And I knew that I was only looking for more heartache.
He wasn’t going to just fall in love with me like that. This wasn’t the movies. I’d known him for so long and he’d never fallen for me. Not even when I looked super hot in short skirts and tight dresses. Not even the time I ‘accidentally’ walked into his bedroom in only my underwear. Not even the time we’d gone to the hot tub and I’d worn my tightest, skimpiest bikini. I hadn’t even seen him giving me a look of appreciation. It was sad. I was a sad case. I wasn’t sure how I’d let it get to this point. I felt like I was wasting my life away waiting for him to fall in love with me. But I just couldn’t stop. I was hoping for the fairy tale, but I wasn’t sure that the fairy tale would ever happen for me. Ever.
Cody opened the front door before I had a chance to knock or ring the doorbell. “Hey, stranger, why’re you just standing on the doorstep?”
“Sorry, I was daydreaming.” I smiled at him, giving him my most winning smile, trying to position my face in an angle that showed off my features the best.
“Come on in. Mila and TJ will be here in a second.” He stepped back and ushered me in. “TJ said that the reservations for the go-karts is a little later than he’d originally thought, so we’re going to grab dinner first.”
“Awesome,” I said as I stepped inside, slightly disappointed. He’d barely glanced at me, and certainly hadn’t seemed to notice my new tight jeans or the cute top I’d bought especially for the occasion. I followed him down the corridor to his living room and tried to stifle my sigh. I was an idiot for feeling upset. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but I had hoped for more than I’d gotten. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I mean, we were still spending the evening together.
