“They’re a lot of responsibility. I have Lady, but I also take care of other dogs, too. It’s a lot of work.”
“Like how much work?”
“Well, you have to feed them and walk them and bathe them and make sure you give them all the love.” Hadley pulled Lady close and kissed her snout. “Dogs like to be spoiled, and I think they should be. If you think you can handle all of that then I think you’re ready for a dog.”
“Hadley,” Cooper warned. “Stop trying to color the world with dogs.”
“Maybe you should get a dog. Show you a little responsibility.”
Cooper turned to Sarah and shook his head. “She’s been trying to get me to adopt a dog for years. She doesn’t realize how hard it would be to travel with a dog. It’s not like another human.”
“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea. I mean, you don’t have anything planned for a while, right?” Sarah said, and Cooper couldn’t help but think she was insinuating something without actually saying it.
He ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to have this conversation right now or right here in front of an audience. He didn’t have anything planned, but he wanted to talk about his future, their future, in private.
“Coop, if you get a dog, it’ll be like I have a dog, since you’re over all the time,” Tommy said.
Hadley tilted her eyebrow up and glanced toward Cooper. Everyone in the Hayes family knew Cooper and Sarah were dating, but he didn’t think they knew how serious it actually was. If they didn’t, Hadley did now and they would soon find out, too.
“We need to get to the house before Mom sends out someone to find Hadley,” Cooper said, walking toward the house and hopefully leaving the conversation in the dust.
At the house, everyone welcomed Sarah and Tommy with open arms and warm smiles. Betty Hayes couldn’t wait to pinch Tommy’s cheek which he wasn’t a big fan of but appeased the old woman.
The girls swooped Sarah up in conversation and Tommy was telling Betty and Harold everything he had learned at camp this summer. Cooper stood back, listening to Tommy with pride. Thrilled that the things he taught the kid actually stuck with him. He wondered what else he would teach him and if they were things that would help him become a better man, better person.
Cooper felt a strong hand land on his shoulder, and he didn’t need to look to know it was his father. “He seems like a good kid,” Jonathon Hayes said and hearing that was as if Jonathon was giving him a compliment which was ridiculous since he had nothing to do with who Tommy was, though, he hoped that he would one day.
“He is,” Cooper replied. “Smart as hell, too. Loves a good adventure.”
Jonathon squeezed Cooper’s shoulder. “Sounds like someone I know.” Jonathon looked out to the farm then back at Cooper. “It’s nice having you home. I don’t know if I’ve said that before.”
He hadn’t, but it’s not like Cooper was keeping tabs on who did. It was nice to hear all the same.
“I just hope this means you finally found what you were looking for.” Jonathon patted him on the back and walked away, leaving Cooper confused.
He hadn’t been looking for anything other than the next country, the next adventure.
While Cooper contemplated what his dad said he turned and caught a glimpse of Sarah who was laughing at something Kate said. She looked absolutely radiant with her long dark hair hanging in loose waves, her face practically glowing beneath the afternoon sun seeping in through the skylights.
Maybe he was looking for something this whole time and didn’t even realize it. He had gone from country to country, wandering the world with no purpose other than to find his next big adventure. Maybe all this time what he was looking for was an anchor—someone to make him want to stop moving. Someone who would hold onto him long enough to make him realize everything he could ever want was right in front of him if he would just take a minute to absorb it all in.
Sarah was his anchor. She didn’t just keep him grounded; she opened his eyes to what he always knew but could never seem to see.
There was absolutely no place like home.
He took out his phone and typed a quick message to Gray.
Call me. We need to talk about China.
Mason walked over with an extra beer in hand, and Cooper put his phone on the table as he accepted the glass.
Cooper raised his glass to Mason’s then took a sip, grateful for the good food, the good beer, and the love of his family.
***
Sarah knew most of Cooper’s family, but being surrounded by them all at once, in their home, there was nothing like it. It reminded her of summers at her grandparents in the Philippines, something she had missed and cherished deeply. She had always wanted Tommy to be able to experience the love of family and friends gathering together, being a part of such a big group of people and knowing that no matter what there would be laughs, love, and good food.
Even if Tommy only got to experience it this one time, she was grateful because the smile on his face while he told any Hayes who would listen, which was practically all of them, about his camp adventures was heart-warming. It also made her realize that she needed to plan a trip home.
Her parents visited twice a year, and Sarah was okay with that because she was so adamant to prove she could raise Tommy on her own. But the truth was, she was only hurting him by not allowing his grandparents to be a big part of his life. And also, maybe it was time she and Tommy took a trip to visit the family he had never met.
Like Cooper had said, it took a village to raise him and his siblings, and Sarah loved how close they all were to not only their parents but their grandparents. Tommy deserved that.
By trying to be the best mom and showing him how to be independent she wasn’t doing him any favors. She was denying him a massive support system.
She made a mental note to call her parents tomorrow.
“That son of yours is a riot,” Betty Hayes said, coming up beside her.
“I hope he’s not too much,”
“Oh, poppy cock. He’s absolutely delightful.”
Sarah breathed a breath of relief.
“I miss having kids around. All my grandbabies are all grown now, so it’s nice to have him here with baby Matthew. The next generation. I hope you both will be coming around more often. Maybe add to the kiddie pool.”
If Shay hadn’t prepared Sarah she might have choked on her lemonade. Instead, she didn’t miss a beat as she looked Betty straight in her blue eyes and smiled.
“Cooper and I are taking things slow. Tommy’s more than I could have ever asked for. I don’t plan on having any more.”
Betty’s lips drooped into a straight line before she burst out with a loud ear piercing laugh. “If that isn’t the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m not lying,” Sarah said.
“If you’re not lying to me then you’re lying to yourself, sweetie.”
Sarah knew this was just one of Betty’s mind games, so she shook her head, determined to stay adamant. “Honestly, I’m not.”
Betty patted her hand as if she felt bad for her. “I see how you look at him.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You don’t look at someone like that unless you want to have their babies.”
Sarah went to reply, but the words got stuck somewhere between her throat and her lips and before she could manage to get them out Betty Hayes left her to move on to her next victim.
She felt bad for poor Kate, but was grateful for the moment alone.
A few moment later, Cooper wrapped his arms around her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder. “What were you and my grandma talking about?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“You’re probably right,” Cooper said with a laugh. “Just don’t take anything she says to heart. She means well, but sometimes she goes a little overboard.”
Sarah turned in his arms until she was looking into his eyes. “Nothing she can say can
scare me off. Besides, Shay warned me already so I was prepared.”
Cooper laughed. “I bet Grandma didn’t expect the forces to work against her.”
Sarah held her finger over her lips. “Shh. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said, followed by a yawn.
“Tired?”
“I shouldn’t be, but I am.”
Cooper brushed her hair behind her ear. “You feeling okay?”
“Just tired.”
“Let’s get you home then.”
“Coop?”
“Yeah, baby?”
She shrugged, trying not to make it a big deal. “Maybe… you could spend the night.”
An adorable smile touched the corners of his mouth. “Do I have to keep my hands to myself?”
She bit her lip, a hot rush of desire rushing through her body and straight to her core. “Not if you can be quiet about it.”
“Oh, baby, I’m not the one who’s going to have to be quiet.”
He kissed her just long enough to insinuate what was to come then pulled away, leaving her desperate to get him home and alone.
Chapter 18
Sarah sat on the table, drumming her hands against the paper. Time felt like it was at a standstill, and she’d be sitting in that room for the rest of eternity. She checked the time on her cell phone for the hundredth time and was discouraged to see only two minutes had passed since the last check.
She had a million things to tackle on her to-do list and couldn’t put them off. Still, her health was important. She had lost so much time the last time she got sick, and she was terrified of that happening again. It was bothering her that she wasn’t feeling a hundred percent and just wanted to get checked out to let her know she was on the mend instead of harboring something that could potentially take her out for another week.
Finally, there was a slight knock on the door as it eased opened. The doctor stepped in, donning a long white lab coat and a smile.
“Mrs. Kramer.”
“Miss,” she corrected him.
“My apologies. I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Excuse me?”
Confused, Sarah narrowed her gaze at the doctor.
“You’re pregnant.”
A laugh bubbled up and flew out. If that wasn’t the most absurd thing she had ever heard. “You must have the wrong room. I’m Sarah Kramer. I’m just here for a routine check-up.”
The doctor looked down at his chart. “No, I have the right room. If I had to guess you’re about four weeks along.”
Pregnant.
The words were like a swift kick to the gut, knocking the wind right out of her.
No. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. The room spun and blurred around her. Her hands tightened on the edge of the table, the white paper crinkling beneath her grip. “No,” she said, meant for no one but herself as she rocked back and forth, trying to make sense of it all. “I’m on the pill. I don’t understand.”
She glanced up, her eyes catching the doctor’s, searching for a different answer but knowing there wasn’t one. She was pregnant. Again. And just like before, it wasn’t planned. How in the world was she going to tell Cooper? He told her on that first date that he wasn’t the settling down type. He didn’t do relationships. She couldn’t just spring this on him. She wasn’t naïve. A baby wasn’t going to change someone like Cooper. He was set in his ways, a free-spirit, just waiting to move on to the next big adventure. All she was to him was a pit stop on his never-ending train to nowhere. She knew that. Accepted it. But this changed things.
She had finally gotten her life together—a career she loved, a town filled with people she adored, Tommy who was thriving and happy. Oh god. How was she going to explain this to Tommy?
Things just got real in a way she wasn’t prepared for. Control was stripped away from her, and there was nothing she could do. She swallowed down the panic, trying not to think about diapers and bottles and middle of the night feedings, but how could she not focus on those things?
It was like she was reliving it all over again. This couldn’t be happening. She refused to believe it.
Dr. Steinman sat down on his stool, rolling closer to her. “You said you had been sick. I’m assuming you were taking something.”
“Yes. Of course. I mean I had the flu and an upper respiratory infection. I had no choice. I was on antibiotics.”
“Unfortunately, antibiotics can counteract the pill. We always tell our patients to use condoms for at least a week after just to be safe.”
She shook her head. “No one told me. Why wouldn’t they tell me?”
“It’s on the packaging.”
“Nobody reads the packaging.” Panic rose in her voice as she slouched back onto the table, trying to calm herself down.
The doctor’s head tilted for a moment then he let out a breath. “No, but they should.”
There was no use in continuing this discussion. What was done was done. She was pregnant. Pregnant. Maybe if she kept saying it over and over in her head she’d finally be able to grasp it. Find a way to make sense of it all.
It dawned on her then that it might not have even been the antibiotic, she had missed a day of her pills, but she doubled up when she emerged from her sick bed.
Dr. Steinman was still talking, but she had stopped listening. There was nothing he could tell her that she didn’t already know.
So many people would feel blessed knowing they were expecting, and she felt guilty for the shock and fear that was consuming her. She took a deep breath, forcing down the panic and channeling the courage that lay inside her.
She was scared once before, terrified actually, and now she couldn’t imagine her life without Tommy. Her life had always been about making the impossible possible, and this wasn’t going to change that. If anything, it was only going to reinforce it.
“Are you going to be okay? Do you need me to call someone?” the doctor asked. “The father maybe.”
“No!” she blurted then cleared her throat. God, she could only imagine how that call would go. “I mean. No. I’m okay.” The last thing she needed was a doctor calling Cooper. She would deal with that bridge when she got to it. Right now, she wanted to take the low road and avoid that route until she had a plan. She was good at making plans, at figuring things out. Once she had this all mapped out she would tell him, and maybe knowing that she had it figured out it would lessen the shock. Put his mind at ease that she had everything under control.
“If you have any questions…”
“I think I’m good.”
“I’ll see you soon, then,” Dr. Steinman said before walking out and leaving her alone with the bombshell he just dropped on her.
Soon. She thought about all the doctor appointments she would have to work into her schedule. All the items she would need to buy so she could prepare for this unexpected arrival. She had so much to do, and she had no idea where she was even going to start.
It was too early to know what she was having, so she couldn’t buy clothes unless she bought everything in yellow. Would it be a boy or a girl? She imagined a blue-eyed boy with golden brown hair and a mischievous smile looking back at her. A baby girl with the same blue eyes lined with long, beautiful lashes.
She rested her hand on her stomach, the slightest of smiles playing at the corner of her lips. Whether Cooper wanted to be a part of this child’s life, it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was this kid would be loved. She would make sure of it.
Chapter 19
Cooper’s phone buzzed in his pocket for the nine hundredth time, and he let out a sigh as he reached for it. Gray’s name flashed on his screen again. Ever since he told Gray he couldn’t go to China the texts hadn’t stopped. Gray was determined to convince Cooper that he was making a big mistake.
Cooper already made up his mind and nothing would change that. For the first time in h
is life, he made a decision that he was absolutely certain about. He loved Sarah, there was no denying that now, and he couldn’t imagine a day, no less five-hundred-and-forty-seven and a half days apart from her.
It’s going to be epic. I’ll see you in September.
No, he wouldn’t. Cooper shoved his phone back in his pocket and ignored Gray. He hoped by ignoring him he would stop with the texts and give up.
He slid out of his truck and headed up to Sarah’s door. She hadn’t answered her phone when he called but assumed she was still at the doctor’s. He thought he’d hang out until she got home but was surprised when he pulled up and her car was in the driveway.
She was probably consumed in work. He knocked on the door and was about to let himself in when the door flew open and Tommy bounced out.
“Coop! You’re here,” he said and flung his arms around his waist as if it was the most natural thing to do. He let go almost as quickly, but the effects of the affectionate move still lingered. “Come on, I want to show you something!” Tommy announced and ran back in the house.
Cooper cleared his throat, swallowing down the unexpected emotion and followed Tommy to his room.
“Look! Look!” Tommy’s voice got louder and louder as Cooper turned into the room. He pointed to the floor where he had constructed an entire village out of Legos.
“Wow, buddy. This is awesome!”
Cooper got down on his knees to get a closer look at Tommy’s masterpiece.
“This is the post office,” he pointed to the left. “Then this is Sweet Dreams Bakery and this is your parents’ farm.” He moved his hand through the Lego town and stopped at a very small building. “And this is your house.”
There were three Lego people and a dog placed on a path he made leading to the house. “And who are these people?” Cooper asked.
“That’s me, Mom, and you, duh. Oh, and this is our dog.”
Cooper smiled. He knew for so long that Sarah and Tommy were an unbreakable unit and somehow for whatever reason this amazing kid accepted him into it. He had no idea what he did to deserve it, but he was grateful.
Catching Cooper (Red Maple Falls, #4) Page 16
