35. Leah
35
Leah
“ O
kay, you two sit here,” Alice says, pointing to the small loveseat in Lucy’s family room.
“What about the couch?” Cooper asks, pointing to the long, empty sofa that faces the television. It’s a valid question.
Alice huffs, rolls her pretty blue eyes, and glares at her uncle. Wow. Guess we all know who’s in charge in this house.
“I’m going to lay on the couch. I need the whole thing.” And then… she winks. She clearly just winked at Cooper—right?
I peer over at Coop, letting my scrunched forehead and confused expression ask for me.
But Cooper only shrugs.
“I’m getting snacks. You guys sit.”
“Is that seat going to fit us both?” It’s not even a two-seater—more like one and a half. Cooper is one and a half all on his own.
“It’s made for two,” he says .
“It’s fine,” Alice says, turning back just before exiting the small family room. “If you have to, sit on him. He’s very comfortable.” And then she’s gone.
“Uh, Coop?”
He swallows, and in a tone that claims innocence, says, “Yeah?”
“What’s going on here?” I set my hands on my hips and give him a pointed stare. I need an answer.
“Here? As in this room? Movie, I think.”
I shut my eyes, breathe out, and shake my head. “Cooper Bailey,” I scold. I can scold too. Alice and Lucy aren’t the only ones with that skill. “Your mother has disappeared, and your niece is attempting to convince me that your lap is the comfiest seat in this room.”
And then that big, dumb, handsome cinnamon roll gulps, his steel-blue eyes on mine. “I might have told Alice that I like you.”
Okay—that’s not what I was expecting. Nope, that’s more like a defibrillator to the heart. I have no words, so I ball my hand into a fist and punch Cooper’s shoulder—hard.
“Ouch,” he says, but the word comes out through a laugh. He rubs the spot I just sucker-punched. “What was that?—”
I find my voice and whisper-shout, “You told her you like me? Why would you do that?”
“Because I do.”
My heart speeds up, running for its life. And yet, I’m in the same spot I was ten seconds ago. I stare up at Cooper, my gut blooming. “But we decided, Cooper. We said that friendship was smarter. It makes more sense. Considering a month ago I hated you.” I cross my arms, telling my fluttering stomach to simmer down. “I don’t understand why you’d tell Alice something like that. ”
“ You decided,” he says, his hand flexing in then out of a fist.
“What?” I blow out a tired breath. Maybe I should go. I really do have to get up early.
“You said we should just be friends. I was respecting your wishes, but I don’t want that.”
“You don’t?” Does he have no idea how difficult his confession is going to make things?
He shakes his head. Sure, his eyes are blazing, his lips full, and his broad chest warmly beckoning me closer, but he could have said something—to me and not his niece. And before we’ve been assigned seats to the tiniest couch on the planet!
“So, you were just appeasing me?” I say, grinding my teeth together. I reach out, snag a hold of Cooper’s stomach, and pinch. It’s difficult, as if I’m trying to pinch the flesh of a stone wall.
“No,” he says, hopping back with my assault. “I was trying to respect your wishes. Clearly, I didn’t last long.”
“Two whole days—aren’t you a hero?”
He scoffs, and then, as if we were kids on a playground, he reaches out, grabs a hold of a strand of my hair, and tugs. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero.”
“Hey!” Stepping closer, I flick his arm. “We aren’t seven. You can’t just go around pulling my hair.”
“Well, you can’t go around pinching and flicking me.”
“I wouldn’t have to pinch and flick you if you’d be honest with me.”
“I’m being honest now.”
I cram my eyes closed. This is a problem. He has feelings. I have feelings. When neither of us should have any feelings!
“I like you, Leah,” he says— again .
So vulnerable. So honest. The pounding in my heart starts up again. As if I’ve lost all control of myself, I draw one step closer to Cooper Bailey.
I swallow, and it’s possible words leave my mouth before my brain has decided to filter them. “I might like you too, Coop.”
He’s hypnotized me—that reply was not my fault. He has hypnotized me with his expressions of adoration, his bergamot scent, and even that senior superlative smile.
“That doesn’t make it a good idea.” I try for logic, but the words are weak and lifeless. I’m trying to convince myself more than anyone.
“I’m sort of an expert at bad ideas.” His eyes narrow and his lips turn up playfully. “Believe me, I know one when I see it. Learning Spanish in two months—bad idea. Also not mine, by the way.”
I smirk, leaning one centimeter closer to the man.
“Using my savings to buy Arnold cinnamon rolls the rest of his life—not my best idea, but I am in too deep now. There’s no way out.”
I press my lips together, reining in my grin. My heart thuds and my fingers itch to touch him.
“Working at Bluewave Law and taking on Green Timbers as a client without conferring with my senior partner—not my brightest career choice. But I learned a lot from that mistake.”
I listen as he ticks off one poor choice after another. I don’t want to end up as another tick on that list. “You’re proving my point,” I say, hating the words even as I speak them.
“No, I’m proving that I am now proficient in spotting a bad idea.” Cooper’s hand cups my cheek. “And you, sweet Leah, could never ever be a bad idea. You might be the best idea I’ve ever had. ”
I stare at him, heart thundering in my ears, skin tingling, that firework stand in my gut has been obliterated.
“Okay!” Alice booms, stepping back into the room. “I’ve got peanut butter cups, Whoppers, and sour cherries! Who’s ready for a movie?”
Cooper drops his hand from my cheek, and we both turn to look at the girl, her arms full of sugar.
“Hey,” she groans. “You aren’t sitting.”
“Oh, right.” I snatch Cooper by the hand, warmth and electricity shooting up my arm and into my chest. I tug him two feet over to the loveseat and sit, pulling him down next to me. Cooper is flush at my side, and we’re both at awkward angles.
“You better put your arm around her, Uncle Coop. Just to settle in better.” She nods, and it’s clear to see how she is orchestrating things, now that I know what’s up with the girl.
Still, Cooper wraps an arm around me. I settle into the crook of his arm, feeling more comfortable already.
“That’s better,” Alice says. She sets her stash on the coffee table, arranging it just so, all while jabbering about the movie she’s picked for us.
But I can hardly make sense of her words. Citrus and spice fill my senses while my head rests on Cooper’s chest. The bristles of Cooper’s beard tickle my forehead, and then soft, smooth lips press to my temple.
Cooper’s lips on my skin rain sparks of exhilaration over every inch of my body.
I rest a hand over Cooper’s waist and settle closer.
“I must warn you,” Alice says, standing in front of us once more. “This is a kissing movie. Lots of kissing.” She nods.
I blink, taking in the young matchmaker in front of us.
“Are you both okay with that?” Her eyes ping-pong from me to Cooper and back again.
“We are celebrating Valentine’s Day,” Cooper says.
“We are,” I agree. “A kissing movie feels appropriate.”
Alice grins, wide and sweet, with one bottom tooth missing. “Good, we’re on the same page. We don’t even have to wait for Grandma to finish putting York down because she’s already seen this one.” Alice flicks off the lights and, as promised, sprawls herself over the long couch, her eyes on the screen.
The television illuminates in the corner, but I’m too distracted to focus on the couple standing in the rain on Lucy’s TV. And maybe Cooper’s distracted too because it hasn’t been playing long when his hand finds mine at his waist. His fingers trace mine, entwining our limbs one by one.
“WHOA!” Alice’s little body bolts upright.
My hand jerks, but Cooper doesn’t let me pull away from him.
“Popcorn!” Alice says, a hand on either side of her head. “I forgot the popcorn. You cannot watch a movie without popcorn!” She jumps to her feet, her movie still running. “Don’t worry! I can make it—Dad taught me! You keep watching.” And then she races from the room, leaving us with the quiet hum of her chick-flick. The one I’ve been too distracted to pay any attention to.
Cooper’s side, flush with mine, sends warm tingles over my skin. I peer up at him in the dark, the light from Alice’s movie illuminating his face. He matches me, peering down. His blue eyes lock with mine, and I turn to mush. I melt. I am not that timid girl that Cooper sang to all those years ago. I am a fully grown woman who knows exactly what she wants at this moment .
I tip my chin up, my eyes dropping to Cooper’s mouth. I flick my gaze back up to his, but the man is waiting, possibly for a sign from the heavens above. I told him we should be friends—and only friends. I stopped him from kissing me two days ago. Even with his confession and mine, he’s waiting. He’s respecting whatever boundaries I feel the need to set.
With my heart racing and my eyes glued to his, I shove down timid, nervous Leah with who I truly am—sure Leah, confident Leah, making myself more vulnerable than ever before. My eyes rove over his face. Cooper. Cooper Bailey .
“Kiss me,” I whisper, waving that sign he thinks he needs, making it as clear as I possibly can.
Cooper is a smart man who doesn’t need to be told twice. His arm around me tightens. He leans closer, his nose brushing mine, his eyes open, still watching me. I hear, rather than see, the smile on his lips. “Leah,” he whispers, his warm, sweet breath dusting my chin and cheek. He is all I see, hear, smell, and touch.
I inch up, closing the gap, ticking off that last sense: taste . Gentle and coaxing, Cooper’s lips tease my mouth open. I reach for him, holding his neck and head in one hand, pulling him ever closer. Our breaths swirl together, our lips dancing in time as if we’ve trained for this kiss our entire lives. Cooper is sweet and minty, and insanely good at this.
“POPCORN!” Alice bounds back into the room, her arms full as she bellows at the top of her very strong ten-year-old lungs.
I break away from Cooper as if I were the Flash in training. Whoops—forgot about the little fact that Cooper’s niece is at this party.
Holy, thank The Universe for this dark room. She sets the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and plops herself back on the couch. She bounces in her seat, pointing to the screen. “He took her scarf! Did you guys see that? He took it! On purpose!”
I’m not sure what kind of Hallmark love story we’re watching, but it’s one Alice has seen before and she’s invested.
For the next hour and ten minutes, I behave myself, snuggled right next to Cooper. It’s an award-winning feat. Once, when Lucy came in, I jolted inside my own skin, attempting to move out of Cooper’s arms—but he wouldn’t let me. He held on as if I were his life preserver and he were a drowning man. Move over, Rose—we aren’t letting Jack sink in Titanic 2.
By the time the credits roll, Alice is asleep on the couch and Lucy is cleaning up the kitchen.
“Thanks for coming. I know Alice appreciated it,” Cooper says.
“Alice, huh?” I twist in my seat, moving one of my legs up over his. It’s all very innocent—there is no room in this loveseat. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
“Yes, Alice. And me. I appreciated it too.”
Absentmindedly, I trace circles over the back of Cooper’s hand. “We’re meeting tomorrow to go over some case things?”
“Yes. You’re coming to my office, right?”
“Right,” I say, and while that meeting is less than twenty-four hours away, it feels like I might be waiting for an eternity. “I should go,” I say. My long day settles in with the words. I’m usually in bed by now.
“Sure—early morning.” He adjusts his position on our mini couch, pushing himself up to his feet.
Coop holds out a hand for me, and I slip my fingers over his, letting him pull me to my feet. His fingers roam over my hand, up my arm, landing on my cheek. He cups my face and smiles down at me. Leaning in close, my eyes flutter closed as he presses a soft peck to my forehead. I hold a hand to my stomach. My body has got to learn to behave. It’s certain every touch, every word, every thought is urgent when it comes to Cooper.
“I’ll walk you out,” he says and I follow after him, making our way into the kitchen.
Lucy’s there. My cheeks are warm, and I am certain they tell her how guilty I am—yep, I kissed your son tonight. Yep, I was wrong before and he just might be the most adorable human on the planet. But she doesn’t accuse me of anything. Instead, Lucy pulls me into a hug and hands me a plate of cookies. “Don’t be a stranger,” she tells me. The woman has a way of making you feel like family after a handful of meetings.
Cooper walks me to the door—it’s so much later than I planned to stay. I literally have to start baking in five hours. But I’d do it again. That kiss was worth it. He’s worth it.
“Leah,” he says when I twist the knob, and the cool February air comes wafting into Lucy’s nice, warm home. His tone doesn’t say goodbye, so I turn, giving him my full attention.
“Yes?” I say, my heart thumping.
His brows furrow. “I’ve always been this person with a lot of confidence.”
“Oh, I can vouch for that.” I lean against the door jam and grin up at him. “It takes confidence to sing Rod Steward to a girl you hardly know.”
He breathes out half a laugh. “Right. Though lately, I haven’t had much to be confident about.”
I listen, waiting to understand where this is going.
“But then we reconnected, and you—” He swallows. “You brought the truth out of me, even when it wasn’t pretty. You made me feel okay about being right where I’m at.”
Me? I did that?
I reach for him, tugging on the front of his shirt, forcing him two inches closer to me. Peering up, I find his gaze. “It’s okay to be imperfect, Cooper. And let me clue you in on something: vulnerability is a whole lot more attractive than overconfidence.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Absolutely,” I tell him, tipping my head, beckoning his lips closer. My back arches as my hands slip up and around his neck, tangling into the tendrils of hair at the back of his head.
With his mouth centimeters from mine, he decides to speak— again . “Thanks, Leah.” His minty breath warms the evening air around us.
“Is this going to be a habit of yours?” I whisper. “Getting in the last word before you kiss me?”
“Probably,” he says, his lips parting into a grin just before he kisses me. His mouth presses to mine and every part of my body warms with his touch. Apparently, even a Cooper Bailey peck will melt me. It’s February, it’s forty degrees outside and I am a puddle of melted ice cream on Cooper’s front porch.