Chapter 41
Mae
A voice croons outside my window, and I slowly crack my salt-dried eyes open. Am I hallucinating?
The sun is bright and shining, but I’m full of rain clouds. I lay there listening and recognize the distinct voice. Peter Gabriel is playing outside my window. Yep, I’m hallucinating. It’s probably because I’m delirious from low blood sugar and dehydration.
The music gets louder, and I finally peel myself out of bed to peek out the window.
In Your Eyes blares from the boom box as Cooper holds it above his head, staring at me through my window, and my heart leaps as if it’s relieved that he’s here. As if he’s the only one who can make this all better.
I can’t help the smile that builds on my face. He’s good at that.
Then he turns the volume down. “Will you hear me out?” he yells his cowboy hat shading his eyes.
I look like hell. I smell terrible, and I’m pretty sure my hair is a rat’s nest now, and a few have made their home on my head.
“Please?” he offers.
I nod and close the window.
When I make it to the front door, I take a second. I know what my choice is, where I messed up, but that doesn’t mean Cooper wants me anymore. I’m the one who walked away. Maybe this is his way of a kind goodbye. It’s so kind. I don’t deserve it. He should spit in my face and walk away.
I open the door, and he stands on the porch with the 80s boombox in perfect condition in his hand. I freeze taking him in, in his Wrangler-clad thighs, t-shirt that hangs loosely on his body, and that cowboy hat and perfect mustache, and five o’clock shadow.
“How’d I do?” he asks.
“What?”
“Was it what you always dreamed it would be?” he asks.
I blink too shocked to speak, but also mildly confused.
He sets the boombox down and takes a step toward me. I retreat, mostly out of self-preservation, so the last time he’s near me isn’t plagued by the way I smell.
“Okay, I guess I’ll start,” he says.
I blink.
“Stubborn, you’ve had me in shambles. I was so confused and angry. I played that night over and over again in my head, trying to understand what I did to make you run from me, and then it hit me.”
My stomach twists.
“You saw me with another woman, after those others said hi.”
My eyes brim with tears and I swallow thickly.
“I …” I rasp.
“You thought the same thing was happening when it was Jacob or any other asshole standing in my place.”
I nod because I can’t speak.
Cooper shakes his head and puffs out a breath. “Okay, I can work with that,” he says.
“What?” I ask focused on my feet.
“Mae Morgan, my stubborn, stubborn woman. Look at me,” he commands.
I look him in the eye, ignoring my tears.
“First, I would never, ever do that to you. I have eyes for one woman, and she kind of smells at the moment,” he says with a small smile. “Second, I was talking to Ada West. She is married to an old friend of mine, I went to high school with, Knox West.”
“Why did she kiss your cheek?” I ask. I need to know.
“She was messing with Knox,” he says.
“That’s it?”
“Yep. I love riling Knox up. It’s funny, and he had a couple too many beers, and Ada was making him pay for it because they have three kids, and he’ll probably pass out the moment they get home. They don’t get out much.” He pauses, studying me.
I wring my shaking hands, feeling like more of a fool.
“But I want to be clear about something with you. Even if a woman did approach me, I wouldn’t let it get that far. These hands, this mouth, this body, is for one woman, and her name is stubborn to the point of pain, but I love her.”
My jaw drops and I think my brain forgot to tell my lungs to breathe. Everything tingles, even the edges of my hair.
“So, what do you think? Are you going to be a little less stubborn with me?”
My mouth finally forms words, but what comes out is not what I wanted. “You love me?” I ask him.
“Yes, ma’am, very much so,” he says like it was written on his forehead the whole time.
“I’m sorry, Cooper.”
“You nearly killed me, but it’s okay.”
“It’s really not. Does Naomi know anything? I … it kills me to think I disappointed her, or she thought I’d leave without saying goodbye.”
He shakes his head and takes another step. One more and he’ll be in the house. He grabs the sides of the doorjamb and leans in. “She’s seven, Mae. There are details she doesn’t need to know.”
I lift my chin. “So you’re not mad at me?”
“Nope,” he clips. “I have plenty of other things to be mad at, honey, and you struggling to beat those fears of yours is far from one of them. But if I can take them and carry them for you, I will,” he says, taking the final step inside and closing the door.
I step back, and he chuckles, still watching me carefully.
“So what’ll it be, stubborn?”
“You … really want me?” I ask him, still dumbfounded.
He grins wider and shakes his head. “I’ll add repeating myself in order to remind you to the list. But yes, Mae. I love you, it’s that simple.”
I stare at him, not sure how this will work. Maybe it means I have to go back and forth to Colorado, but my place is here with him.
“I love you, too. I’m yours … if you’ll have me.”
He huffs and sets his hat on the hook.
“I’ve been dying for you to say that,” he says, and takes my face, pressing a gentle, healing kiss to my mouth. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” he rasps.
“You’re too forgiving,” I mutter against his lips.
“Not when it comes to my woman, I’m not. You could stab me in the heart and I’d die a fortunate man. I mean, please don’t we have a kid and hopefully a ton more to raise, but you get the point?”
“I’m sorry my insecurities got the best of me. It was wrong to run, and I see that now. But I know what I want, Cooper. You. I’m sorry it took me so long to see it. I’m an idiot for avoiding it because that’s clearly what I was doing.”
He shrugs and reaches for me. “Idiot? No, maybe a little dense? Sure.”
I frown and he chuckles, leaning in to kiss my cheek, then he rears back.
“Oh, baby, we need to get this fixed up.”
“Rude,” I mumble.
He chuckles, spinning me around by the hips and walking behind me toward my room.
“That’s okay, I can’t lie, it feels good knowing you were as much of a mess as I was.”
“I’m the worst,” I mumble.
“No, baby, you’re just in love.”
“With you,” I mumble. “What’s wrong with me?”
He chuckles and closes the bathroom door behind him. “You’ll probably be asking yourself that question for the rest of your life,” he mumbles into my neck.
I spin around and grab the waist of his jeans. His smile shines down on me, making my knees weak and my thighs clench.
“I love you,” I whisper.
He leans forward delicately, kissing me, and my heart bangs against my chest. I’ve never felt this light before. I’m in love.
“I love you,” he says.
He leans around, flipping the shower on, and reaches for the edge of my t-shirt.
I peer up at him and lift my arms. The shirt covers my eyes for a moment before he tosses it to the side and reaches for my sleep shorts, pushing them and my underwear down.
He checks the water and grabs my hand, helping me into the tub.
“Are you not getting in with me?” I ask him.
He chuckles and tugs my chin forward. “I would love to, but while you shower, I’m going to make you something to eat. I could hear your stomach from outside.”
“Thank you,” I rasp.
“I love you, stubborn,” he says.
I blink, and he wipes a tear. “I love you, too.”
He stares at me for a second longer then leaves the bathroom.
I stand under the hot spray, thankful and still in disbelief. I thought I was going back to Colorado and had myself to blame.
When I finish taking a shower, I feel like a new woman.
I pad into the kitchen and find Cooper at the stove. He spins around, plopping a grilled cheese on a plate.
“Hey, baby, here you go,” he says, pushing the plate across the counter.
“Thank you,” I say before shoving half of it in my face. He smiles watching me eat while he eats his own.
The air crackles between us.Our chemistry is difficult to ignore — always has been.
I take a sip of water, washing the rest of my food down while he watches me, already finished with his.
Admittedly, I want to jump his bones. But I am also aware of the fact we need to talk about a lot, like how this is all going to work.
I don’t know how this will affect my parents, but I don’t want to wait around to get married.
If we could go to the courthouse tomorrow, I would.
But I want my family here, so that might have to be tabled for a week.
What am I going to do about my job? What about the flower shop? It’s barely making money. I can’t rely on that. Especially with more than my mouth to feed. Yet … I’m not panicked. It’s oddly exciting, granted overwhelming, but we’re a team. We can figure this out.
“I can see your wheels turning and all the questions in your eyes. But I desperately want to take you to bed and enjoy us for a minute.”
I smile and hop down from my stool. “Just a minute? Surely you can do better than that.”
Cooper beams and takes a step toward me. “Is that a challenge, stubborn?”
I shrug nonchalantly. “I’d say it’s more of a general rule at this point.”
“Oh? Is it? Is there a rule against telling you I can’t wait to put a baby in you, and I’ll take our sweet time doing it?” he asks.
I take a step back toward my room. But then I stop. I should change the sheets.
“Sir, I need a ring on my finger for that.” I wiggle my ring finger for emphasis.
“That can be arranged,” Cooper says, meeting me step for step.
“Sounds like we both have work to do.”
Cooper throws his head back and laughs.
“I’m pretty sure it takes both of us to make all of those things happen.”
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” I ask him.