Catching Cooper (Red Maple Falls, #4)

by Theresa Paolo

  “It does help that my kid is pretty amazing.”

  “He takes after his mom.”

  She swatted his chest. “You already got me in bed. You don’t need to flatter me.”

  His lip quirked at the edge. “I’m not, I’m just telling it as I see it. I mean, let’s be honest. You have to be pretty amazing to snag a highly desirable guy, such as myself.”

  She responded with a tweak to his nipple that caused him to rear back with an amused smile and a surprised yelp.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said just as his fingers went to her sides and started tickling her.

  He was relentless, and she kicked and squirmed all while laughing so hard it made her abs hurt. She couldn’t remember the last time she laughed this hard. It felt good and free.

  “Stop, stop!” she managed around the laughter.

  Cooper pinned her hands above her head and smiled down at her. “All you had to do was ask.”

  “Jerk.”

  “Yes, but you love me anyway.”

  “God knows why,” she said playfully.

  His mouth dropped open in mock shock, and he pressed his growing erection at the apex of her thighs.

  “I can think of one reason,” he said with that sexy smirk.

  “Trust me, that’s not why I love you, but it does help.”

  He bit her lip then captured her mouth in an all-consuming kiss that sent heat rushing through her body.

  He pulled back, looking down at her with those blue eyes. “How much does it help?”

  “A lot.” She reached up, taking his face in her hands and pulling him toward her. “Now get back here.”

  “Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you want.”

  She looked into the depths of his clear blue eyes as if she could see straight through to his soul and murmured, “I want you to make love to me.”

  And he did. He kissed and worshipped every part of her body and when he finally entered her, the connection she felt was so profound that she couldn’t tell where his body began and hers ended. As one together, he continued to move in and out of her till her walls clenched around him.

  “I love you,” she cried out as she fell into a blinding powerful freefall that left her breathless, completely sated and more in love with him than she ever could have imagined.

  Chapter 16

  Tick Tock.

  Cooper stared down at the text from Gray. A reminder that each day that past was one less day he had to make a decision. July had somehow melted into August, and before he knew it, it would be September. He was running out of time. He needed to decide, but how the hell was he supposed to decide between two parts of his heart?

  Trekking across the Great Wall was an opportunity of a lifetime. He wasn’t getting any younger, and if there was ever a time to do something it was now. He had the money, he had the time, and his fans were getting restless with his recycled posts.

  His platform was what made him. They were the reason he had money and time. If he said yes, he wasn’t only saying yes to Gray, he was saying yes to his one point five million followers. He needed to give them something new to see because he had a feeling the moose expedition he took a group of seven-year-olds on the other day wasn’t going to cut it, even if Kyle had said it was awesome—a declaration that made him happier than he’d expected.

  But on the other side of his heart sat Sarah and Tommy. How the hell was he supposed to up and leave them for eighteen months? He didn’t like when a day went by when he didn’t see Sarah’s beautiful smile or hear Tommy’s contagious laugh.

  He promised Sarah he wouldn’t disappoint Tommy, and he wouldn’t. If he did decide to go, he would explain to Tommy about how it was a once in a lifetime experience. Promise to call, video chat, and email every day.

  Somehow, he didn’t think it would be enough. And that was where the problem lay.

  He let his head fall into his hands as the debate raged on in his mind. Finally, fed up and in desperate need of advice, he grabbed his keys and headed out to the one person he always counted on when he couldn’t make a decision.

  Ten minutes later, he pulled up to Five Leaf Brewery and threw the truck in park. He hopped out and headed in, hoping that Mason wouldn’t be too busy. Even if he was, Cooper knew he’d drop everything for him if he asked him to.

  He walked in and spotted Cassie behind the bar, filling a tasting glass for a flight. Her reddish-brown hair fell across her eyes as she looked down at the pour. She looked up, shaking her hair back into place and handing the wooden flight board to the customer.

  She smiled at the guy then spotted Cooper and gave him a wave as he made his way over to her.

  Before he sat down he leaned over the bar and gave her a kiss on the cheek. There was a time when she didn’t even like to be hugged, not that he could blame her after everything she had been through, but now she was as much a part of the Hayes family as the rest of them. It took time, but the shy, timid girl that Mason picked up on the side of the road was gone, and in her place was a witty, fun loving woman who absolutely adored his brother. Cooper couldn’t be happier for either of them.

  “You look like you could use a beer,” she said, grabbing a glass and filling it with his favorite: the Hippity Hop IPA.

  “You have no idea.”

  He looked around the brewery, still amazed at how it turned out. When Cooper first came home and Mason showed him this place, Cooper was skeptical. But Mason had a vision and he didn’t stop until it came to fruition. If anything, the brewery exceeded his vision and became his ultimate master piece.

  The place was beautiful, refurbished but keeping that rustic feel that Red Maple Falls was all about. The two crates Cooper had picked up at Ellie’s place were sitting on a table on their side, displaying brewery merchandise.

  Cassie slid the glass across the bar, and Cooper gratefully picked it up, taking a long sip.

  “Where’s your other half?” Cooper asked as he placed the glass back down.

  “In the back changing out one of the kegs. He should be up here soon. Anything I can help you with?” she asked.

  He thought about asking Cassie, lay it all out there, tell her about Sarah and Tommy, about Gray and the Great Wall. It would be good to have a female perspective, and he was about to open up when he heard Mason come up behind him.

  “You look like shit,” he said to Cooper then leaned over the bar and gave his girl a kiss.

  “Keg is all set.”

  “Just in time for the crowd,” Cassie said, her eyes on the door.

  Cooper and Mason turned just as a bunch of people walked through the door.

  “Let me just help her out,” Mason said but Cassie waved her hand at him.

  “Nope, I got this. You two go talk. Coop looks like he needs an ear.”

  “You sure?” Mason asked, looking at her in a way that made Cooper think he could read exactly what she was thinking beyond the words that came out of her mouth.

  “I’m good.”

  “We’re just going to be upstairs. Call up if you need me.”

  “Will do,” she said then turned to the crowd, handing out tasting menus and diving right into an explanation of how the tasting room worked.

  Cooper waited for Mason to grab a beer and top Cooper’s glass off then he followed him upstairs to his apartment.

  Inside was spotless except for a few things of Cassie’s that were scattered around. “You two moving in together yet?” Cooper asked.

  Mason let out a sigh, placed his beer on the kitchen island, and sat down on a stool. “No,” he said, and Cooper detected disappointment in his tone. “She said she wants more time.”

  “Guessing you’re not too happy about that?”

  Mason ran a hand over his face, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the island. “I get it. I do. After everything she went through she needed to prove to herself that she could do things on her own. But it’s been months now. I guess I’m just getting impatient.”

&nb
sp; “By the looks of it, she stays here a lot.”

  “She does, and when she’s not here I’m at her place.”

  “So you’re practically living together already.”

  “I know. I just want to make it official.”

  A few months ago, Cooper would’ve told Mason to hang on to his independence as long as he could. Why rush it? But now, he understood wanting to be with someone so badly that you were willing to sacrifice not only where you lived and how you lived but your independence.

  He wanted that. For the first time in his life he didn’t want to take off at the first opportunity. He wanted to stay and see where this thing between him and Sarah was headed.

  “Enough about me,” Mason said. “What’s going on?”

  Cooper smiled, his answers had been inside of him all along. He just needed to open his eyes to see them. “Nothing,” Cooper said. “Nothing at all. Just wanted to come say hi and drink your beer.”

  Mason was always the one Cooper went to whenever he needed advice, someone to listen while he talked shit out and tried to make sense of whatever it was. Mason was the listener in their family, and it wasn’t until that moment that Cooper realized Mason had listened to him time and time again yet Cooper rarely returned the favor. Maybe Mason didn’t have much to talk about, or maybe he didn’t think he had anyone who would want to listen.

  Cooper took a sip of his beer then nodded to Mason.

  “Let’s talk more about you.”

  ***

  It was Thursday, but Sarah’s craving for a blueberry muffin was so intense she couldn’t ignore it no matter how hard she tried. So she took the fifteen minute drive into town to make a special stop at Sweet Dreams Bakery.

  When she walked in the door the first thing she noticed was Shay behind the counter.

  “Welcome back,” Sarah said as she approached the counter.

  “Sarah!” Shay said with a smile that fell almost instantly. “Oh my god, it’s Monday? I thought it was Thursday. I’m losing my mind.”

  Sarah quickly held up her hand and shook her head, trying not to laugh at the memories of being sleep deprived. “No, you’re right. It’s Thursday.”

  “Oh, thank heavens,” Shay said as she rested against the back counter in relief. “I honestly thought I had lost it.”

  “My fault. I only ever come in on a Monday.”

  “It is your fault,” Shay said with a smile. “So what brings you in today?”

  “A blueberry muffin craving. Tried to ignore it and I can’t. I must be PMSing.”

  “I used to think PMSing was the worst thing in the world, but man. Nothing compares to the crap you go through after you have the baby. My hormones are all over the place. One minute I’m laughing and the next I’m crying. I’m surprised Matt hasn’t had me committed.”

  “Your body is adjusting. You’ll be back to normal before you know it.”

  “I don’t even remember what normal is.”

  Sarah laughed. “Somewhere between delusional and drunk.”

  “I would kill for a glass of wine.”

  “So why not have one?”

  “I’m breastfeeding, and I know I can pump beforehand but I’m so scared about doing permanent damage and I know the chances are slim to none but my parents messed me up without alcohol and I promised I would never hurt my child so here I am, suppressing my wine craving with chocolate. At this rate, I’ll never lose the baby weight.”

  Some days it felt like yesterday when Sarah had Tommy and other days it felt like an eternity. Alcohol was never an issue for her since she wasn’t of age to drink even if she wanted to. She remembered the onslaught of confusing emotions and the desperate desire to lose the baby weight. It had been so long since she had thought about those things, and now that she did, she remembered how horrible it could be.

  Everyone tells you having a baby is the greatest thing you’ll ever do, but they forget to tell you all the changes your body endures and how you don’t jump right back into shape as soon as the baby is out. It takes time and work.

  Luckily, Sarah had been young and people told her that made it easier for her. She imagined it did. It had been weeks since she had the flu, yet she felt like she still wasn’t a hundred percent.

  “Hang in there,” she said to Shay. “You’re doing great.”

  Shay’s eyes softened. “Thanks.” She let out a breath and turned to the display case. “One blueberry muffin coming right up. Then you’re going to eat it here, I don’t care if you have to get back to work, and tell me all about you and my brother-in-law.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Sarah said, but couldn’t keep the silly grin from taking over her face.

  “Uh huh. That’s exactly what I thought.”

  Shay placed the muffin on a plate and grabbed a chocolate cupcake for herself. They walked over to a table in the corner after Shay yelled in the back to Louise that she was taking a breather.

  “So?” Shay said, forking a piece of cupcake.

  “So what?”

  “Oh, don’t play coy with me. I hear Cooper is bringing you and Tommy to Sunday dinner. I didn’t realize it was so serious.”

  “It’s not.”

  “Does Cooper know this?”

  “I mean. We’re taking each day at a time. With his job, I know it’s only a matter of time before he has to leave, so we’re just enjoying each other’s company right now.”

  “It’s okay to want more,” Shay said her voice sympathetic. “But you’re right. His job takes him away for long periods of time to places where he’s unable to be reached. Have you guys talked about it?”

  “Not really. Like I said we’re living in the now. Not worrying about the future.” The more she said it the less and less she was actually believing it.

  Shay looked skeptical as she poked at her cupcake.

  “What?”

  “You can’t hide from the future. It comes whether you want it to or not.”

  “I know.”

  Shay reached across the table and rested her hand on hers. “You can’t stop it but you can prepare for it.”

  Shay was absolutely right. Sarah wanted to live in the now and not worry about what was to come but you could only live in the moment for so long before it became the past and the present turned into the future. She needed to protect herself and her heart for when the time came for Cooper to take off.

  “Now that’s out of the way, I figured I’d be a good friend and give you some pointers for Sunday night dinner.”

  Sarah raised a curious eyebrow. “Pointers? It’s just dinner.”

  Shay let out a loud laugh and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Just dinner. Have you met Betty Hayes?”

  “I have. She’s a sweetheart.”

  “If you mean a sweetheart with no filter, a dirty mind, and the determination to marry off all her grandchildren and have them reproducing the next generation then you have her pinned.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened at Shay’s description. She took a generous bite of her muffin then settled back into her seat. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  Chapter 17

  In all of his twenty-six years, Cooper never brought home a girl, especially not for Sunday night dinner. Having a date for Sunday night dinner was admitting to, not just yourself, but to your family that you were in a committed relationship. The closest thing Cooper ever had to a committed relationship was owning the same backpack for three years. Other than that, everything in Cooper’s life was temporary. At least until Sarah.

  Most of his family knew her from town, but he wanted them to officially meet her as his girlfriend. He felt almost juvenile, needing his family’s approval, but he wanted them to love her as much as he did. It was important to him.

  Sarah and Tommy met him at his place, and Sarah handed him a bottle of wine. “For me?” he asked.

  “No, it’s for your mother. I figured it was pointless to bring dessert since Shay will be here, and beer was out of the question because I’m sure Mason
keeps them stocked, so wine it is. Unless someone in your family owns a winery that I don’t know about.”

  “As of right now no, but never say never.”

  “All I care about is right now,” Sarah said then gave him a kiss hello on the cheek as Tommy stared up at Cooper’s house.

  “It’s like a treehouse but bigger and not in a tree,” Tommy said.

  “Cooper ruffled his hair and laughed. “That’s a good way to describe it. I’ll give you a tour later when we get back.”

  Cooper took Sarah’s hand in his, happy she was finally letting him be affectionate to her in front of Tommy, and started on their way to the main house. Tommy ran ahead but turned back every so often to make sure they were keeping up.

  Just as he was about to turn the corner toward the house, Lady, Hadley’s dog, a golden Cocker Spaniel came around the bend.

  “Look, Mom! It’s a dog.”

  “That is Lady,” Hadley in a pair of cut off shorts and a t-shirt said as she walked toward Tommy.

  “Can I pet her?”

  “Of course you can. Just be gentle; she’s an old dog.”

  Hadley had adopted Lady after fostering her and falling in love with her. The two had been inseparable ever since.

  Tommy dropped to his knees and ran his hand over Lady’s head.

  “Hadley, you know Sarah Kramer?” Cooper said.

  “I do. It’s a pleasure to see you. Have no idea what you’re doing with this doofus, though.”

  “He grows on you,” Sarah said, turning to Cooper and giving him a wink.

  “Like a fungus.”

  “Hads, don’t you have something to be doing?”

  “Yup, looking for you. It’s a minute after five. Mom sent the search party out.”

  “Oh no, are we late?” Sarah asked, checking her watch. “I knew I should’ve picked up the wine yesterday and not have waited until today.”

  “It’s fine,” Hadley assured her. “Besides, our family is used to waiting on Cooper.” Hadley gave him a sassy smirk then bent down to Tommy and Lady.

  “Do you like animals, Tommy?”

  “I love animals. But Mom won’t let me get a dog.”