Catching Cooper (Red Maple Falls, #4)

by Theresa Paolo

The problem was no matter how many countries he had been to, how many different people he had met along the way, that craving for more never stopped. If anything, it only became greedy, growing with each new place wanting more. He kept on the move, searching for something to satisfy the desire, but nothing ever did.

  Until he came home last July.

  Recently he felt the desire sparking back to life, but then he met Sarah, and for the first time in his life he was content. Maybe they only had one night together, but that one night was enough to get him hooked. He needed to see her again.

  “So,” Kate said, and he could hear the sad attempt at trying to be nonchalant, “heard you had a hot date this weekend.”

  “Where’d you hear that?” he asked, not that he should be surprised. No one in his family—or this town—could keep their damn mouths shut. It was why he drove to the next town over in the first place so he and Sarah could enjoy their night without prying, noisy ass people.

  “Oh, you know. Around.”

  “Don’t play that shit with me.”

  “Testy are we? Matt might have mentioned it.”

  Cooper ran a hand through his hair, feeling the tension in his shoulders. “What’d he tell you?”

  “Just that you were out with Sarah Kramer. Why? Is there more to tell?”

  He rolled his eyes behind his aviators and slumped into his seat. “No.”

  “You’re such a liar. Besides you’ve never been good at it, so I don’t know why you even continue to try.”

  “Why don’t you worry about driving and not worry about my dating life?”

  “Because I’m a multi-tasker, and I can do both.”

  “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  He sat up, his palms pointing upward and resting on his knees. “No, it was fucking amazing. Then Matt knocked on my damn door, and the whole night was ruined.”

  Kate’s eyebrows pinched together as she glanced over at him. “Why did Matt knock on your door?”

  “Her kid got hurt and had to go to the emergency room. Our phones were in my truck so nobody could get in touch with us. She freaked out. Now she won’t answer my damn calls, not even a freaking text message. I just want to know that she and the kid are okay.”

  “Oh my god,” Kate said her mouth parting in that way it did when she was excited about figuring something out.

  “What?”

  “You like her.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “No. You really like her. Like, like her like her.”

  “Are you twelve? Yes, I like her. So what?”

  “This is different.”

  “Don’t read too far into this.”

  “I’m not, Coop. I can hear it in your voice, see it in your face. You have it bad.” She laughed and shook her head with what looked like amazement. “I’ve never seen you like this. Ever.”

  “That makes two of us,” he admitted.

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “What do you mean what am I going to do? Nothing. You heard me; she won’t even take my damn calls.”

  “If you think making a few phone calls is all the effort the girl deserves than you don’t deserve her.”

  “Thanks, sis.”

  “I’m serious. If you really want to have something with her then you need to show her that she’s not just some notch on your bedpost. She needs to know you want to commit to her. That you’re ready for a relationship.”

  “I don’t know if I do. I mean, she has a kid.”

  “Yeah and…?”

  “I don’t even know if I like kids.”

  “Of course you like kids. You’re a big kid yourself. You’ll fit right in with him. Besides, Dad said you’re filling in for Bob at Bob’s Big Adventures.”

  He nodded.

  “You know Bob runs the programs with the young kids, right? Not the teenagers? You’ll have all summer to learn to love kids.”

  “Great.” That would be just his luck.

  Twenty minutes later, they walked into the hospital waiting room and were greeted by their parents, grandparents, and their sister Hadley.

  “Any baby yet?” Cooper asked.

  “She’s only six centimeters dilated,” his mother, Carol Hayes said.

  “And that means?”

  “Ideally she needs to be ten centimeters before she can start pushing.”

  “How long will that take?” Cooper asked, almost immediately realizing how childish he was sounding. Poor Shay was in there, having a baby wreaking havoc on her insides while she tried to bring new life into the world, and he was upset he had to wait.

  “It could be a couple hours, it could be longer,” Carol said, patting him on the cheek. “So find a spot and get comfy.”

  Cooper plopped down in a chair farthest from his grandmother, hoping the distance would deter her, and pulled out his phone. He pulled Sarah’s name up and sent her another text letting her know Shay was in labor.

  Maybe she would finally respond. He felt a little guilty using his sister-in-law to elicit a response, but he was desperate, and Sarah seemed to genuinely like Shay. And the way Shay tried to protect Sarah from him, he knew they were friends.

  Seconds turned to minutes and eventually an hour, and he realized that Sarah wasn’t going to respond. Kate was right; Sarah deserved more than a few failed phone calls and texts, but he didn’t know what else to do.

  Maybe what they had was only meant to last the night. Besides, who was to say in a month or four that itch that was always hiding just beneath the surface wouldn’t reappear, making him want to cut ties and head off with his backpack and passport?

  After all, Shay was having the baby right now. The only reason—at least what he told himself—for sticking around was to meet his nephew. He didn’t want to be the uncle his nephew only heard stories about, but that was why he wrote his book in the first place. So even if he wasn’t around all the time, one day his nephew and future nieces and nephews would know who he was and where he was.

  Besides, it’s not like home wasn’t a plane ride away. He could come back for birthdays and all that other nonsense that required a party and presents. Maybe it was time to realize that sticking around in one place was never in the cards for him.

  He shoved his phone back in his pocket, accepting defeat when Betty Hayes stood from her seat and made her way toward him. Her white flowy top matched her short pixie hair. Her blue eyes focused on him, and he knew there was no way out.

  She sat down in the chair next to him and patted his knee with her work worn hands. She’d been working on farms since she was a child and still helped his parents out at Basil Hill.

  “What are you sulking about?” she asked.

  “I’m not sulking.”

  She laughed loud enough to cause a few heads to turn. “Could’ve fooled me. The last time I saw you looking so down in the dumps Mason had pushed you and you dropped your ice cream in the dirt.”

  “That was a travesty,” he said with a smile.

  “It was vanilla. Not much of a loss if you ask me. So tell me, does your current mood have anything to do with that sweet girl, Sarah Kramer?”

  “How did you kno…?” He cut the question off before he finished it. Kate knew, so of course Betty Hayes would know. Between her and Terry at the Happy Apple it was amazing anyone in that damn town had a secret to themselves. Those two women were like vultures on roadkill the minute they thought something was up. He was pretty sure he heard Matt mentioning that Terry had a police scanner app on her phone.

  He loved his grandmother to death and was fond of Terry, too, and while he would never admit it out loud, some long lonely nights he’d missed their meddling. Now that he was immersed in it he was wondering what the hell he had been thinking.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said to his grandma, but that statement was as useless as when he tried it on Kate.

  “Nobody ever wants to talk about the things that are hurtin
g them but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. I bet it’ll help to get it off your chest.”

  “It didn’t help when I talked to Kate about it.”

  “That’s because that girl is not me. Now let me help you fix this so I can get a great grandbaby out of the deal.”

  “What?” Cooper shot up in his chair and looked at his grandmother like she’d lost her damn mind because she very well might have.

  “Sarah already has a son. If you two are together then that means the boy is your responsibility, too. Built-in grandson for me.”

  Cooper held his hand up, feeling his stomach twist in knots. “Hold up. What Sarah and I had was nothing more than one date. No one said I was signing up to be some kid’s father.”

  “Why the heck did you go on a date with the girl… Oh!” she said, giving him a knowing smirk. “It was a sex date.”

  He ran his hands through his hair, seriously not wanting to have this conversation with his grandmother no less in a hospital waiting room. If the floor would open up and swallow him he’d consider himself one lucky son of a bitch.

  He searched for someone to come rescue him, but Caleb, Mason, and Cassie just walked in so they were all occupied giving updates.

  “It wasn’t a sex date,” Cooper admitted. “I genuinely wanted to go out with her. I didn’t care if it ended in sex as long as we got to spend time together. It was great… until it wasn’t, and maybe it was a blessing in disguise. I’m not capable of being some sort of father figure. Like Kate said, I’m still a kid myself.”

  “You my boy do not give yourself enough credit.”

  “Grandma let’s be serious.”

  “Oh I am. I helped raise you, so if you think you’re not capable then that makes me a failure.”

  “I know what you’re doing,” he said, meeting Betty’s blue eyes. “And guilt tripping isn’t going to work this time.”

  “Darn.” She snapped her fingers. “I must be getting rusty in my old age.”

  “Or I’m getting wiser in mine.”

  She patted his knee. “No dear. I don’t think so.” Her face was stone cold, and Cooper looked at her in shock until she burst out laughing. “Not as rusty as I thought.”

  Cooper laughed with her, and it felt good after his shitty weekend.

  “Do yourself a favor,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “Do what you always do and follow your heart. It hasn’t steered you wrong yet.”

  Betty Hayes was at times inappropriate and always wedging her nose where it didn’t belong, but she also gave some of the best advice.

  “Thanks, Grandma,” Cooper said.

  “Anytime, dear. Now excuse me. I have to go ask your sister when she plans on getting knocked up.”

  Cooper smiled as his grandmother walked across the waiting room and cornered Kate and Caleb. Kate threw him a pleading look, but he just shook his head and laughed. She didn’t come to his rescue a few seconds ago, so she was on her own. Besides, she had her husband to help defend her against Betty.

  “Did we miss it?” Hadley came into the waiting room with Matt’s best friend and local fire chief, Sam Bennett.

  “Not yet,” Jonathon Hayes said as he stood up to give Sam a proper handshake. “Did you two come together?” he asked, eyeing them both curiously.

  “No, we just happened to see each other in the parking lot,” Sam answered before greeting the rest of the clan.

  He and Hadley plopped in open seats in the corner and joined the rest of the family.

  The clock on the wall seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace.

  Cooper was getting antsy. It had only been two hours, and he was tempted to go home and have them call him when the baby arrived, but then he saw Mason drumming his fingers on his knees. He didn’t do well in hospitals, and even though Cassie was sweetly rubbing his arm, it only seemed to help a little.

  “You okay, Mace?” Cooper asked.

  He looked down at his moving fingers and quickly flattened his hands, rubbing them against the knees of his jeans. “Fine,” he answered.

  Cooper was about to ask him about his newest batch of pale ale when Matt came flying into the room.

  “Saved by the baby,” Kate mumbled as Betty and everyone turned to Matt with bated breath.

  “He’s here!” he announced, and the entire half of the waiting room that they overtook erupted into excited cheers. “Seven pounds, eight ounces and healthy as can be.”

  “That’s because he’s a Hayes,” Harold Hayes said with a nod of approval.

  “Always has to take credit,” Betty murmured.

  “Time to celebrate.” Jonathon Hayes reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a bunch of cigars, handing one to Matt.

  “How’s Shay?” Mason asked.

  “Good,” Matt said with a smile. “My girl is a fucking champ.”

  Carol Hayes pointed her finger at Matt. “Mouth.” That typical Mom tone they were all used to, caused all of them to laugh. No matter how old they got, how many kids they had, it didn’t matter to their mother. In her eyes, they were still her babies.

  Matt wrapped their mom in a huge hug, kissing her on the head before pulling away. “I have to get back to Shay. They’ll be putting the baby in the nursery soon. If you come out in the hallway they said they’ll wheel him by so you all can get a good look.”

  “Get out of my way,” Betty Hayes said, pushing her way to the door. “I need to see my great grandbaby.” As she passed Matt she reached up and stood on tiptoes, pinching his cheek. “You made me proud.”

  A genuine smile spread across Matt’s face before he kissed Betty’s cheek. “Shay needs to rest so if it’s all right by you, no visitors tonight.”

  Everyone gave a collective nod, knowing even if they didn’t agree, when it came to his wife there was absolutely no arguing.

  “I love you guys,” Matt said before hurrying back to Shay.

  The family gathered in the hallway, waiting for the new edition to the family to make his grand entrance.

  A nurse came into view, pushing a hospital bassinet toward them. “Are you the Hayes family?” she asked as she approached, making it clear that they weren’t in Red Maple Falls.

  “Yes,” they answered in unison.

  “Here’s your new edition: Matthew Jonathon Hayes Junior.”

  Betty clapped her hands together, tears glistening in her eyes as she gazed down upon her first great-grandbaby. After all these years of pestering and hoping, her wish was finally granted. She was a great-grandmother.

  Everyone took turns looking down at the red-faced nugget like he was a trophy on display. He was the newest generation of Hayes, and if the poor kid knew what he was getting himself into, he might’ve climbed back into the womb.

  One thing was for certain. He would be loved.

  Cooper moved closer, looking down at his nephew. He didn’t expect to feel much of anything so when warmth filled him, pure joy racing through his body causing him to smile uncontrollably, he knew that this kid, not even a few hours old, did something that no one else had been able to do.

  He gave Cooper a reason to want to stay.

  Chapter 7

  The phone calls and texts stopped, but that didn’t keep Sarah from checking her phone every now and again. Her heart sunk a little at the lack of new messages. It was what she wanted, which was why she never answered, so why did it hurt so much that he gave up on her?

  She was being ridiculous, and she knew it, which was exactly why she hadn’t been by Shay’s house to congratulate her and bring a little something for the baby and the new mom-to-be. She had bought the gift over a month ago in anticipation for the day, and the gift bag had been sitting on her dresser for a week, taunting her.

  Everyone in Red Maple Falls was talking about the new baby, and it was time Sarah sucked it up and went over there. She waited until the middle of the morning when she assumed Cooper would either be helping out at the bakery or out on his parents’ farm. Who knew, maybe he’d even s
till be sleeping since he didn’t have any real responsibilities. Or possibly flew off to some faraway country because it’s what he did.

  She mentally scolded herself. It wasn’t his fault she got knocked up at eighteen. He had every right to live the way he wanted to, and she shouldn’t judge him. It just pissed her off that he had the nerve to tell her that she was parenting wrong. Who the hell did he think he was? If they were discussing ethnic cuisine or airfare from one country to the next he’d have a leg to stand on because that was his thing. Parenting was hers. She was a mom, and a darn good one, dammit. He had no right to judge her.

  She took a deep breath, letting the anger subside as she grabbed the baby blue gift bag off of her dresser, ignoring how the color reminded her of Cooper’s eyes, and headed for the car.

  If she didn’t go now she never would, and that wasn’t who she was. She was the person who showed up with flowers the minute someone was having a bad day. The person who had a gift for every occasion, handpicked and perfectly suited to the person. Like being a mother, it was who she was, what she was good at.

  Ten minutes later, she pulled into Shay and Matt’s driveway and parked next to Shay’s new Audi wagon. Sarah laughed, thinking about the day she walked into the bakery to order her usual muffin when Shay was on a war path because Matt wanted her to buy a minivan. It was as if the man didn’t know his wife at all.

  A girl who was born and raised in New York City, a place of style, did not want to be driving all over the town in an oversized fam van. Shay had slammed Sarah’s muffin down on the counter in disgust, and that’s when Sarah had suggested the all-wheel drive station wagon.

  Luckily for Matt, Shay liked the idea, and luckily for Shay, Matt did, too.

  Sarah walked up the path to the log cabin on the lake and knocked on the door, wishing she would have called first or at least sent a text. She hated arriving unexpectedly.

  Matt opened the door with a smile, and the tension in her shoulders eased, but she could see the bags beneath his eyes, the messy spikes of his hair, and the stain on his shirt—the sure signs of a baby who doesn’t like to sleep.

  “Hi, Sarah. What a nice surprise,” he said as he motioned for her to come inside. “Come in.”