by Ryan, Kaylee
“We’re proud of you, Cooper.”
“For destroying a wedding?” I ask.
“No. For following your heart.”
“I love her. I’m going to fight for her.” It feels good to say it aloud.
“Show her, son. That’s all you can do is show her,” Dad says.
“That’s the plan.” I give them a wave before heading out the front door and across the yard to Reese’s parents’ place. I march up the steps and knock on the door, not giving myself the chance to change my mind.
“Cooper,” Eve says, opening the door. “We didn’t know you were home. Come on in.” She pulls the door open wider. “You know you don’t have to knock. You’re always welcome here.” She smiles warmly. “We just had a late breakfast. Are you hungry?” she offers.
I’m starving but didn’t come over here to eat. “No, thank you,” I say politely, following her into the living room.
“Look who I found,” she tells Garrett.
“Cooper, good to see you. How long are you in town?”
“A while,” I say vaguely. I don’t want to leave until she’s home and I have a chance to see her. Hell, I don’t want to leave her at all. Technically I don’t have to. I have a few engagements with the team I have to go back for, but it’s a three-hour drive, so that’s manageable.
“Not that we’re not happy to see you, but what brings you by? I’m sure you know that Reese isn’t here. She and Tessa went to Mexico for a week,” Eve says, not knowing that I didn’t know where she was.
“Yeah, I knew they were out of town.” I don’t bother to tell her she just spilled the beans. “I actually wanted to talk to the two of you.”
“Oh, what’s going on?” Eve asks, her motherly concern shining through.
Here goes nothing. “I’m the reason she ran.”
They both stare at me with blank expressions.
“I’m the reason Reese walked out on her wedding, and I’m so sorry. I’ll repay you for everything—” I start when Garrett holds his hand up to stop me.
“There will be no talk of you paying for anything.”
“Cooper, you didn’t make Reese change her mind. Furthermore, we’re not upset that she did. All we want is for her to be happy. We’d much rather her walk away now than live a life of misery or go through a nasty divorce later,” Eve explains.
“It was me though. I saw her at the rehearsal dinner. I passed you in the hall, remember?” I ask Eve, and she nods. “I went to her and told her I was in love with her. I begged her not to go through with it.”
A slow smile crosses Eve’s face as she looks over at Garrett. “She’s been waiting since the day we moved in, and you and Reese hit it off, for you to say those words.” Garrett chuckles.
“That’s my mistake too. I was blinded by our friendship. I didn’t want that to change, but it did anyway. I was losing my best friend regardless, so I thought it was time to tell her how I felt. This past year, being away from her, it’s been hell,” I admit.
“So, what are you going to do?” Garrett asks. “What are your intentions with my daughter?” He grins cheekily. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
The fact he’s making jokes has relief washing over me. “Did you not say that to Hunter?” I ask, barely able to say his name. He did nothing wrong, but in my eyes, he’s still the enemy.
“No. Hunter didn’t talk to us before he asked Reese to marry him.”
What a douche. “I love her.” My voice is steady and calm. “I want to spend the rest of my life showing her. I hope I have your blessing.” It’s not a question.
“And if you don’t?”
“I’m going to love her anyway. That’s what she deserves. Nothing less.”
“Of course you have our blessing.” Eve reaches over and lightly smacks Garrett on the arm. “He’s messing with you, Cooper. We’ve always known the two of you had deep-rooted feelings for each other.”
“My parents said the same thing. Why didn’t I see it sooner?” I ask myself out loud.
“You did,” Eve assures me. “But the fear of losing your best friend kept you from naming it and letting it grow. The separation did the two of you some good.”
“Yeah, except she ran to another country.”
“Oh, hush.” Eve waves her arm in the air. “She just needed some time to get her head together and work it all out. You know Reese. She’s a thinker. This is what she does.”
“I’m glad Tessa is with her.”
“We are too. I was relieved when she told us.”
“So, what now?” Garrett asks.
“I don’t know. I’m going to stay here until she comes home from Mexico, and then take it day by day. I love her.” I look him in the eye when I say this. “I love her, and I’m going to fight for her. I’ve pushed her away for years.” I gloss over the hottest night of my life in college, that was up until our night together in the hotel. “I’m going to show her what she means to me.”
“You sound determined,” he observes.
“I am.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have your work cut out for you,” Eve chimes in. “She’s loved you for years, Cooper. She was sure there would never be anything between the two of you. I don’t know what happened to make her think that. Give her some time, and please don’t give up on her.”
“Never.” The conviction in my voice is unmistakable.
We spend the next hour catching up on life. Garrett and I talk about my first year of playing in the league, and Eve asks about living in Indy. I’ve missed them. They were such a huge part of my life growing up. It’s been nice to catch up. I just wish Reese could have been here too.
“I should get back.” I stand. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I never meant for it to turn out this way, but I’m glad that it did. Watching her walk down the aisle to him… it broke me. I never want to feel that way again.” They don’t say anything, and they don’t need to. I said what I needed to say. The looks on their faces tell me more than words can.
They’re rooting for us.
Walking back to my parents’ place, I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Our families know where I stand. Now I have to decide which course of action to take. How am I going to prove to her that she’s all I want?
Making my way into the house, I find it’s quiet. Mom left a note on the counter telling me that there are leftovers in the fridge and that she and Dad ran to the hardware store. Grabbing the plate from the fridge, I pop it in the microwave and pull my phone out of my pocket. There is a two-hour time difference in Mexico, which means that Reese and Tessa were on the beach bright and early this morning. She’s always loved the ocean. I wish I could be there with her. I decide to send her a text.
Me: Hey. Just had a visit with your parents. I told them you calling the wedding off was my fault.
Her reply is immediate.
Reese: It wasn’t your fault, Cooper. I just realized I wanted something different.
Me: Does that something rhyme with Trooper?
Reese: You’re impossible.
She follows her message with a line of laughing emojis. It’s not a confession of love, but it’s not a denial of one either.
Me: Enjoy Mexico. Stay safe.
I follow it up with some hearts. My emoji game is on point.
Reese: Damn it. Cooper, please don’t come here. I need some time.
Her words sting a little, because all I want to do is be with her. All the time. However, I know she needs this time to work out what’s going on in her head. Just like her mom said, Reese is a thinker, and a lot has happened in a very short amount of time.
Me: I won’t. Not unless you need me. I love you, Reese.
Reese: Thank you.
The microwave dings, and I pull out my plate of food, taking it to the living room. I turn the television to the sports network that’s talking about the upcoming draft. I get lost in the sport I love, all the while still thinking about Reese and the
possibilities of our future.
Chapter 6
Reese
I’m on my flight back to Ohio. Tessa and I said our goodbyes at the airport as she’s flying home to Louisiana. I already miss her.
I’m so grateful she was able to come with me this week. It was nice to just catch up and talk about her wedding, while trying to forget about mine. There’s a churning in my gut for what I did. How I acted. I was unsure after hearing Cooper’s confession. However, if I’m honest, the doubts were there long before Cooper ever confessed he loved me. I just didn’t know how to handle it. I’d let it go too far. Hunter is a great guy. He didn’t deserve to be treated that way. I should have been upfront and honest with him.
I need to talk to him. That’s something I was able to work out while I was in Mexico. He deserves to hear from me. It’s going to be a hard conversation, but it needs to happen. Hell, I’m not even sure he’ll talk to me. I might have to get creative, but he deserves an apology. I’m following my heart, but in the process, I trampled all over his. That’s not okay. I don’t expect him to ever forgive me, but it’s important he knows I will forever be sorry for the way I treated him. For the way I hurt him.
As for Cooper, I still don’t know what to do.
I love him. I’ve always loved him. I just don’t know if I can trust his declaration of love. I know he loves me, and he’s never lied to me. I’m just worried about him changing his mind about what kind of love he has for me. Tessa told me all week I was being irrational. That I need to give him a chance to prove it to me. She’s convinced he loves me.
I want him to love me.
Closing my eyes, I rest my head back against the seat. I’ve tried to read this entire flight, and I keep reading the same line over and over again. There’s no use in trying. Eyes closed, the first thing I see is Cooper. The way he hovered over me. The look in his eyes when he entered me for the first time, and when he told me he loved me. I want so badly to believe him. I want to jump right into this with him, full-speed ahead, but I know that’s not the best way to handle this.
Tessa said to let him woo me, and although I’m not sold on the wooing, I do feel like we need to take things slow. We could easily get swept up in one another from our history alone. I don’t want that. I let us take things too far that night in the hotel room. We should have talked, and nothing else. Maybe then I might not be so conflicted as to how to proceed. When I told him I needed him, I meant it.
Looking back, I’ll never forget that night, but I feel as though we need to take a few steps back. Ease into this… whatever this is.
The rest of the flight is spent reliving that night we spent together just one short week ago over and over in my head. My imagination all these years has nothing on the real thing. No matter what happens between us, I have that night. It’s one I will always cherish.
I’m walking through the airport with my carry-on wheeling behind me when I hear my name called. I stop and look around but don’t see anyone I know, so I keep walking.
“Reese!” I hear it again, and this time, I know the voice.
Cooper.
Following the sound, I turn to my right, and there he is. Standing tall, with a Defenders hat pulled down over his eyes. My breath hitches at the sight of him. He appears to be bigger than life with his arms crossed over his chest, his muscles on full display and his face, well it’s lit up with a smile all for me.
Slowly, I make my way toward him. He drops his arms to his sides, and as soon as I’m within reaching distance, he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me into his chest. His face is buried in my neck, and his grip is tight. No matter how hard I try, I can’t resist wrapping my arms around him and hugging him back.
“I missed you,” he says softly.
I pull out of his hold and realize we’re causing a scene. He might have thought pulling the hat down low was a big enough disguise, but he was wrong. People are watching with their phones pointed our way. “We’re being watched,” I say under my breath.
“I don’t care. Let them look.”
“Cooper, people are going to talk.”
“I don’t care.”
“You don’t need a scandal,” I remind him.
“How is this a scandal? I’m picking the woman I love up at the airport. They can kiss my ass if they don’t like it. There is no scandal here.”
“Until they find out what I did.”
“What did you do?”
“The wedding.”
“You didn’t break the law, Reese.”
“I know that. It was a week ago. I still need to apologize to Hunter.”
Something flashes in his eyes when I mention Hunter. “I’m not hiding, Reese. I told you that.”
“Fine, can we please get out of here?” I keep my eyes on him, not willing to make eye contact with anyone else. I can feel the stares as more and more people begin to take notice.
“That I can do.” He laces his fingers through mine, and together, hand in hand, we make our way through the airport. Pointing fingers, and even more cell phones, are aimed in our direction. They don’t know about the wedding, but it’s only going to take one nosey reporter to do some digging to figure it out. I need to call Hunter before that happens.
We reach Cooper’s Truck, and he opens the door for me. “Nice ride,” I tell him.
“Thank you.” He waits for me to be buckled in before closing the door and racing around to the other side. Once he’s in, he leans on the center console, his eyes on me. “You know why I like this truck?”
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s not gas mileage.”
He leans in close. “The tinted windows,” he says before pressing his lips to mine.
I try to fight it. I hold still for as long as I can, but when his tongue swipes across my bottom lip, I know I’m in trouble. I kiss him back for the briefest amount of time before coming to my senses and pulling away.
“I missed you,” he says again, his eyes hooded.
“We should go.” I shift in my seat to face forward.
“Where are we headed? Your house or your parents’?”
Here goes. “My place. But I can drive. My car is at Mom and Dad’s. If you can just drop me off there.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“Then I won’t have my car.”
“You can use my truck.”
“How long are you planning on staying?”
“I don’t have to report to training camp until the end of July.”
My mouth falls open. “You’re staying here until then?”
“Yep.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can. I have a couple of prior engagements with the team, but I won’t be gone longer than a day or two. Maybe you can go with me. I can finally show you my place.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With you.”
“Cooper. We can’t do this. We can’t jump into this like we’ve been dating for years.”
“We kind of have.”
“No. We were best friends. There is so much we need to talk about. You can’t stay with me, Coop.”
“I’ll rent a place or stay in a hotel. I’ll figure it out. All I know is that I’m not leaving Columbus. I want as much time with you as I can get.”
“We need to talk.”
“We will.”
“I want my car.”
“Okay.” He nods, not taking his eyes off the road. “I’ll take you to your parents’ to get your car.”
“Thank you.” That was easier than I thought it would be. Cooper is stubborn as hell, and I know how he gets once he sets his mind on something. Impossible pretty much sums it up.
He reaches over and laces his fingers through mine. “How was your trip?” he asks again, keeping his eyes on the road.
I stare down at our joined hands. I know I should let go, tell him that this is too much too soon, but maybe I can bask in his touch just this time, during the drive to my parents�
��. I’ve missed him. Not just since I’ve been in Mexico, but this past year and before, if I’m honest. That night he pushed me away, created a divide. I know I’m just as much to blame for not being truthful. Maybe all of this could have been avoided.
“Reese?” he asks, glancing over.
“It was good. Great actually. I’ve missed Tessa, and I enjoyed getting to catch up with her. She caught me up on everything with their wedding, and helped me forget about mine.”
“You didn’t forget,” he says gently. “I know you, Reese. I know you’re tearing yourself up inside over this. I’m the one you should blame, not yourself.”
“Actually, I should thank you.”
“Thank me?” he says, surprised.
“I had my doubts,” I confess. “I wasn’t sure that marrying Hunter was what I really wanted. I didn’t voice it because I was ashamed. He’s a really great guy. He was good to me.”
“I’m glad. I feel for him too, but at the same time, I’m so fucking grateful that I have this chance with you. To show you what you mean to me.”
I don’t say anything to that. I’m not sure if I’m ready to have this conversation in his truck as we travel down the highway. When we get to my place, because I know he’s going to follow me home, we’ll talk. And while I don’t want to push him away, I want us to ease into whatever this might be. Maybe, just maybe, I can keep my heart from falling even more in love with him in the process.
* * *
Four hours later, we’re pulling into my building. Mom and Dad were chatty, and so were Cooper’s parents. None of them seemed surprised we were together or when Cooper took my hand to lead me out to my car.
Cooper insists on carrying my bag as I let us into my apartment. “I’m going to grab a quick shower. Wash the travel off me. Make yourself at home.”
“Need any help?” he asks, taking a seat on the couch. He already knows what my answer is going to be.
