She walked into the beautiful home that managed to capture both Matt and Shay’s style of rustic and chic. “You look like you need a nap,” she said with a sympathetic smile.
“I’ve been trying to let Shay sleep as much as she can before I have to go back into work next week.”
Sarah remembered the awful middle of the night feedings, the constant crying that seemed to go on for days, how her mom offered to help in the beginning, but she was so determined to do it all on her own. It wasn’t until she broke down into tears herself when her mom took Tommy and sent her to bed. She must have slept for twelve hours straight that night.
While she loved her son more than anything in the world, she had no desire to have another baby. And if for whatever reason she decided she did, she was never doing it alone. She’d have a partner to help her.
“That’s really sweet of you, and I’m sure it means so much to Shay.”
He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do. She carried him around for nine months then was in labor for six hours. A few nights of missed sleep is nothing compared to that.”
“Are there more of you out there?” she joked.
He smiled that Hayes charm evident even through the exhaustion. “I am the best, but I do have brothers.”
Realizing the massive hole she’d just stepped in, she tried her best to recuperate. “Forget I said that.”
“Speaking of brothers,” he said, but the last thing she wanted was to talk to Matt about Cooper. If anything, she just wanted to forget that night ever happened. It was for the best.
She waved her hand, but before she could get any words out she heard the distinct sound of Cooper’s voice coming into the living room. “Matt, Shay needs some Desitin. She said you’d know what I’m talking about.”
“Yup. Excuse me. I’ll be right back,” Matt said.
The minute Cooper looked up from his phone and his eyes met hers, she felt the air suck out of the room. He froze on spot, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Sarah,” he said, sounding almost as shocked as she felt. “What are you doing here?”
She held up the gift bag and tried to pretend like seeing him didn’t tear a hole in her chest. “I’m bringing Shay and the baby a gift. What are you doing here? I mean… Your truck wasn’t outside.”
He ran a hand over his head, resting it on the back of his neck. “I rode my bike.”
“Here it is,” Matt said, coming back into the room.
Cooper went to reach for it, but Sarah stepped in front of him. “I’ll take it to Shay. I want to give her this anyway.” She held up the gift bag and smiled at Matt.
“She’s in the nursery. Down the hall, third door on the right,” he said.
Sarah hurried away, refusing to even look at Cooper because she knew the minute she did every memory from their night together would flood into her. She’d finally accepted what she had known all along—Cooper Hayes and her could never work. She was focused on her son and her career, and he was focused on…Well, she wasn’t even sure, but it definitely wasn’t a steady relationship.
At the third door, Sarah peeked in, lightly knocking on the door.
Shay, who was standing by the window holding her newborn, danced to a silent song. Bubbles, their adorable adopted dog with a white face and brown head sat at her feet. When she heard the knock, she spun around.
“Sarah!” she said with a big smile. She was absolutely glowing as she held her son closely to her chest. Bubbles sat up and nudged Shay’s leg.
“It’s okay, Bubbles,” Shay said, bending down and patting the dogs head. “He’s been overly protective of the baby. It’s super sweet.” She motioned to Sarah. “Come in. Come in.”
Sarah gave Shay a hug. “Congratulations, Mommy. How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly well.”
Shay pulled the blanket away from the baby, and Sarah looked down at the angelic face. “He’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Do you want to hold him?”
“Of course!” She lifted her arm, realizing she was still holding the present. “I got you both a little something,” Sarah said, placing the bag on the changing table.
“You didn’t have to.”
She waved her hand at Shay. “Please. Now give me that adorable baby boy.”
“Just a warning, he tends to get a bit fussy with other people.” Shay handed little Matthew over to her, and she rested her hand behind his head for support. His little hands moved, little feet fidgeted as he got comfortable in his new space. Sarah rocked him gently, cooing down at him until he relaxed into her arms.
“You’re a pro,” Shay said.
“I’ve had some practice. God, it’s been seven years, but you never forget.”
“Do you want more?” Shay asked, causing Sarah to freeze for a moment before continuing to rock Matthew.
“I don’t think so. It’s been me and Tommy for so long. I can’t imagine anything else.”
“Two years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined reconnecting with Matt, falling in love all over, getting married and having a baby, but here I am.”
“You two are different.”
“How?”
“You guys were written in the stars.”
Shay rolled her eyes then laughed. “That’s a load of crap. We just got under each other’s skin and never fully recovered.”
Sarah thought of Cooper who was only a few doors away. How, ever since their date, she couldn’t get him off her mind. How every damn thing reminded her of him. How she couldn’t even think about his lips on her without having aftershocks ravage her body.
The night was perfect… until it wasn’t, and she had to remind herself over and over that everything happened for a reason. Tommy getting hurt was a reminder that her main focus in life was her son. She couldn’t let anyone take his place or let her for a minute not be there for him a hundred and ten percent like she had been all along.
She was fine with that notion for so long, but Cooper, like Shay had said, got under her skin. She wondered how long he would be there. If it was only a momentary blip in time or if he would always be there, reminding her of how happiness could only lead to heartbreak. How letting loose and having fun had consequences.
The baby let out a content sigh and opened his eyes, shocking her with the intense blue. They were just like his uncle’s, and it made Sarah think things she shouldn’t.
She ignored the idea of a baby Cooper and wondered about the baby in her arms. Would his eyes stay this color or change to be green like his father’s or hazel like his mother’s? Either way he would be gorgeous. He had good genes.
Sarah felt his presence before she heard him or saw him. In a moment of weakness, she looked up, and he caught her gaze. He stared at her unnervingly as she held his nephew in her arms. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple rising and falling.
The urge to flee consumed her as she turned to Shay. “I should get going.” She handed the baby back and gave Shay a kiss on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”
A little stunned by Sarah’s sudden departure, Shay stuttered before settling for a nod.
“I will and thanks,” Shay finally called after her, but Sarah was almost at the door. She kept her head down as she pushed past Cooper, hoping like hell she could make a clean break. She got into the hallway and picked up speed. Matt called a goodbye after her, and she waved over her shoulder.
She managed to get to the door and was about to sigh in relief when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Sarah, wait! Please?”
Her body betrayed her, freezing in place. She wanted to run out of there and not look back but she couldn’t get her legs to cooperate. He came up behind her, that delicious manly scent of citrus and woods surrounding her. She could feel the heat from his body as he placed a hand on her arm.
It was gentle and sweet, making it really hard for her to keep her resolve. “Talk to me,” he said, his body coming closer to her. His chest bumped against her back w
ith each breath he took.
She swallowed, trying to find the courage to face him.
“I just want to know that you’re okay.”
She took a deep breath and turned, forcing herself to keep any and all emotion from her face when she met his beautiful blue eyes. “I’m fine.”
“I don’t like how we left things.”
“You mean when you told me that I’m a bad mother?”
“Those words never came out of my mouth. I would never say that or think that.”
“No, but that doesn’t stop you from thinking I’m doing it wrong.” Her eyes narrowed on him as she waited for his answer. It didn’t matter what he said; she had already made up her mind.
“I didn’t mean it like that. It came out all wrong.”
“So, what exactly did you mean?”
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration obvious in the strain of his veins, the stubborn set of his jaw. “God, Sarah why are you making this so hard? I don’t know exactly what I meant. All I know is that I couldn’t stand to see the guilt in your eyes. To see one silly thing ruin everything we had that night.”
“Silly thing? My son getting hurt is not just some ‘silly thing.’”
“Dammit! Stop twisting my words around.”
“You’re doing a damn good job of it yourself.”
“So, that’s it, then? You’re just going to act like that night meant nothing to you.”
“It didn’t,” she said, but even she could detect the pathetic attempt at keeping her voice steady.
“That’s a damn shame. Because it meant something to me, and despite the way it ended, I’ll always remember it as being one of the best nights of my life.”
Her resolve was breaking, hot pathetic tears pressed against the back of her eyes. She was on the verge of falling apart, but before she did Cooper looked at her long and hard then walked away.
Her heart and her head battled it out. As she reminded herself it was for the best, it took everything she had not to run after him, but in the end, she walked away, too.
But instead of feeling a sense of closure like she had hoped, all she felt was empty.
Chapter 8
He tried and he failed. Honestly, what else could he do at this point? She could barely even look at him. It was as if she was a completely different person from the woman he spent one of the best nights of his life with. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her that. He needed her to know. She wasn’t just another girl he messed around with; she meant something.
Clearly, he didn’t mean anything to her or she would remove that stick she had wedged so far up her ass and give him another chance. But no, all she cared about was twisting his damn words around and making him sound like some insensitive asshole when that was the farthest thing from who he was.
So what if only a few days prior he decided it was for the best for them to go their separate ways? She had a kid, and he had no idea how much longer he was going to stick around; honestly it was for the best. But when he walked into Matt and Shay’s living room and saw her standing there, long black hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders, those dark brown eyes landing on him, every reason of why they could never work vanished. All he wanted was to talk to her, hold her and hear that sexy as hell laugh that made him hard at the thought.
“Want to talk about it?” Matt asked as Cooper passed him and headed to the back door.
“No, I don’t want to fucking talk about it.”
“That’s it. I’m getting a swear jar. I don’t want my kid’s first word to be ‘fuck.’” Shay slapped a hand over her mouth and looked down at little Matthew. “That’s a bad word. We don’t say those. Coop, I’ll let it slide this time. Next time, five bucks.”
Cooper reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty, handing it to Shay. “Consider it an advance,” he said.
She took the money without question and turned to Matt. “We might be able to pay for Matthew’s college this way.”
“Between you and me we’ll be broke in a week and tapping into the jar to take our money back.”
Shay gave a noncommittal shrug then moved her attention to Cooper who was about to head outside.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Just dandy.”
He opened the door then shut it before going out. “You’d think that I was the one who hurt her son,” he blurted as he spun toward Matt and Shay. “Like it’s my fucking fault the kid fell out of bed and hit his head.”
Shay held up a finger. “That’s one for the swear jar.”
Cooper ignored her, too consumed in his own thoughts.
“She acted like a kid’s never got hurt before. Like I’m the bad guy in this fucking scenario. Yeah, I know that’s two,” he said to Shay before continuing. “I tried calling her after. Sent a thousand texts to see how she and the kid were and she blew me off. Like what we had meant fucking nothing to her.”
“Did it mean something to you?” Shay asked, her eyebrow arching.
He paused. “All I know is I like her. I had fun, and I know damn well she did, too up until this asshole knocked on my fucking door and ruined everything.” Cooper reached into his pocket and pulled out another twenty, slapping it into Shay’s palm.
“Hey,” Matt said, holding his hands up. “I couldn’t just sit there knowing she might be with you and not do something. Her kid was hurt for crying out loud.”
“I know! But it still fucking sucks that’s how our night ended. And now I might as well have the damn plague because she can’t even stand to be in the same room with me.”
“I doubt it has anything to do with you,” Shay offered. “Sarah’s been coming into my bakery since I opened. She was actually one of my first customers. Her son is her world. So much so that it took us almost two years before we went from store owner and customer to friends. She doesn’t put herself first; everything she does is for her kid. The fact that she even agreed to go out with you says something. Maybe right now your timing is off, but if you really like her then give her some time to cool off, reminisce a little, and maybe she’ll come around.”
Cooper scoffed. “And maybe pigs will fly.”
“You have to have a little more faith than that.”
“What do you think?” Cooper asked Matt who had been leaning against the counter and silently observing.
“My wife is always right.”
Shay let out a loud barking laugh. “Since when?”
“Since I’m trying to earn brownie points for when the doctor gives you clearance.”
“Because you want some of this,” Shay motioned to her body. “I smell like spit up, I haven’t washed my hair in three days, and those damn celebrities make you think you’ll lose the baby weight right away, but nope. It’s still here.”
Matt walked toward her, taking her in his arms. “You’re beautiful.”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Cooper said, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
“Like you’ve never seen a man be affectionate to his wife before,” Shay said with a laugh. “Don’t forget I know your parents and your grandparents really well. You grew up with this shit.”
“Swear jar,” Matt said without skipping a beat.
“Damn it!”
“Again.”
“Whose stupid idea was this?” Shay asked with a roll of her eyes.
Matt and Cooper looked at each other, then at Shay. “Yours,” they said in unison.
“I’ll put my money in the pot later. I’m going to go put him down. Not a peep from either of you.”
“We’ll be out on the deck. Call me if you need me,” Matt said before giving Shay a kiss.
“Coop, if it’s any consolation, I take back what I said a couple weeks ago.”
“What’d you say?” Matt asked, but Shay ignored him, keeping her eyes on Cooper.
“You are her type, and while I haven’t spoken to either of you about the other, I can see it in both of your eyes. I think it’s something worth fight
ing for and, in this case, waiting for. Now get out of my house.”
Cooper walked over to Shay, took her into a sideways embrace, and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks,” he said before following his brother out to the deck.
Matt held up his phone. “Mason just texted. He’s on his way. I told him to bring beer.”
“Perfect,” he said and sat down on the Adirondack chair facing the lake.
If Cooper had to wait, there was no better way to spend his time than enjoying the beautiful day while drinking some beer with his brothers.
***
Sarah had a custom order she needed to complete and ship out, but how the hell was she supposed to concentrate when all she could think about was what Cooper had said.
I’ll always remember it as being one of the best nights of my life.
Did he actually mean it? The man had travelled all over the world, met hundreds, probably thousands of people, experienced things people couldn’t even fathom, yet a night with her in the middle of nowheresville was one of the best nights of his life?
It had to have been a line, some bullshit to try and make himself feel better about the other things he had said that she may or may not have misconstrued.
“Just let it go,” she said out loud as she hunched forward in her chair and picked up a pair of bending pliers. She tried to focus on the piece in front of her, but his damn words were stuck on repeat and wouldn’t go away no matter how hard she tried to ignore them.
Finally, with her patience spent, she tossed the tool onto the table and slumped back into her chair. “Damn it,” she muttered just as the sadness she had been ignoring pushed to the surface.
She hated to cry. Ever since Tommy’s sperm donor left her in a pile of her own tears for a week, she vowed to herself that she’d never give another man that sort of power over her. She wouldn’t give anyone that sort of power, and here she was, seven years later, trying so hard not to cry when really all she wanted to do was fall apart.
Maybe if she gave herself this tiny moment of weakness, she’d finally be able to get back to business. It’s not like Tommy was home; he was at school, and he’d never know. By the time she picked him up, she’d be fine.
Catching Cooper (Red Maple Falls, #4) Page 9
