Chapter 42
Mae
Music plays through speakers around the fairgrounds. Food trucks are scattered throughout, with games and rides off to the left of the large park. Barns sit on our right, full of animals from horses to cattle, goats, rabbits, pigs, and sheep.
“Daddy, I want to go see the rabbits!” Naomi says, tugging his arm.
“We need to get you checked in first,” he says, tugging her towards the arena.
“You alright?” Cooper asks.
“Just taking it all in,” I say.
He smiles and puts his hand on the small of my back while his other holds onto Naomi.
“I know it’s a lot. There’s always something going on. I grew up coming to the fair. They hold a lot of fond memories for me.”
“What did you do?” I ask him.
“Well, we showed cattle as a ranch, then I competed in the rodeo. They have open sign-ups at the beginning. Me, Fletcher, and Ledger would take turns doing roping or steer wrestling. We had a good time.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” I say.
“We were fearless, that’s for sure.”
“And is Naomi as fearless?” I ask him as she bounces around in her adorable straw cowboy hat, pink button-up shirt with rhinestones on the collar tucked in her jeans and kid size belt buckle and pink cowboy boots.
“Unfortunately, I think she is.”
He grins and kisses my hand. We decided to talk to Naomi first about what’s going on between me and Cooper.
Yes, she’s seven, but we want to make it very clear that she’s not being left behind.
The family is getting bigger. But I can’t ignore the bit of fear that she won’t be happy about it, and I don’t know what I’ll do.
“Today will either end in tears, or a ‘I can’t wait to do it again,’” Cooper says.
I snort, and Naomi’s wide green eyes take in all the fair food and rides.
When we get to the arena, I follow behind as he checks her in and gets her number and pins to go on her vest. Then we’re directed to the waiting area while they get everyone organized.
“I can go wait in the stands,” I tell Cooper.
“Nonsense, I want you here.”
“You’re not going to cheer me on?” Naomi asks.
“Of course I will!”
She stares at me for a minute, then goes back to trying to zip up her vest that protects her chest and ribs.
When I glance at Cooper, I find him watching me, and my cheeks get hot.
“What? Is there something on my face?” I ask wiping my cheeks.
“Nope, just my lips,” he says quietly and pecks me on the cheek.
Naomi huffs, slapping her hands against her thighs. “Daddy, I can’t get my vest, can you please,” she whines.
Cooper chuckles and squats down to zip up her vest and check the Velcro on the sides. “Tight, but not too tight?” he asks her.
She takes a deep breath and puffs it out. “Yes.”
“Alright, killer, let’s go get’em.”
Naomi nods with a serious look on her face, and we wait on the small set of bleachers as the first few kids go.
I watch them in simultaneous nervousness and excitement as a little boy holds onto the sheep for so long they have to pull him off.
While another little girl hangs on for five seconds and falls off into the dirt.
“Hayes!” an organizer calls.
“Ready, princess?”
Naomi dips her chin once, oddly focused for a seven-year-old, and Cooper takes her cowboy hat off and puts her helmet on.
“Can you hold this?” Cooper asks me, handing me Naomi’s hat. I take it and follow them to the chute where a sheep who looks thoroughly annoyed is locked in.
“Remember what we practiced, arms and thighs. Make sure you squeeze both.”
Naomi glances at me with wide, slightly fearful eyes. “You can do this. You’ve been practicing. You’re ready.”
Her eyes soften, and she looks up at her father. He lifts her onto the sheep and she situates herself before they open the gate.
“Ready?” the gate operator calls.
Naomi gives a thumbs-up to Cooper, and he lets go as the gate operator yanks the rope. The sheep and Naomi go flying out of the gate, and the animal takes off. Naomi hangs on for dear life but falls off in a matter of seconds.
My heart leaps out of my chest, and I swallow down my panic as Cooper hops into the ring and runs out to Naomi in the dirt.
The rodeo clown encourages the sheep away from Naomi, and Cooper stoops down, picking her up.
He checks her up and down, and I can’t hear what he’s asking her, but she nods, and he takes her hand, walking back to the exit of the large ring.
The crowd claps as I run over to them, and Cooper winks, telling me she’s okay.
But I unbuckle the strap of her helmet and pull it off her head. “Are you okay?” I ask her.
She throws herself into my arms, crying on my shoulder. Shock rolls through me, and I pull myself together enough to remember to hug her back and glance at Cooper.
He watches us with soft eyes, and it melts my heart.
“I didn’t hold on long enough. I didn’t make it to the next round,” she cries.
Cooper takes her helmet for me, and I rub her back. “It’s okay, you gave it your all and tried your best. That’s what counts.”
“But … but…” she cries and pulls back her little bottom lip, trembling.
She looks up at Cooper and taps her chest.
“I know, princess, but it’s going to be okay,” he says patting her back.
Naomi turns to me.
Not sure what to make of the exchange, I look her in the eye. “I know it stinks, but we aren’t going to win everything. But that’s okay, did you have fun?” I ask her.
She lifts a shoulder and drops her gaze.
“Did you learn something?” I ask her.
She nods.
“Okay, tell me what you learned?”
She glances at Cooper first. “I learned that I need to squeeze my legs harder.”
“So then, what are you going to do next time?” I ask her.
“Squeeze my legs harder,” she says, as the tears dry up.
“That a girl,” I say and hug her again.
Cooper pats her back and smiles at me.
I set her cowboy hat back on her head, and that seemed to solve the issue, and the sting of losing is a distant memory.
“I’m hungry. How about you? Let’s go get you something to eat.”
“Can I do some of the rides too?” Naomi asks, clasping her hands together.
Cooper puffs out his cheeks. “Okay, but only a couple. You don’t need to puke again. Remember last year?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Naomi sighs.
Cooper shoves her helmet and vest into his backpack and throws it over his shoulder as we follow Naomi out of the arena.
“She did all that work for just a few seconds?” I ask him under my breath.
Cooper chuckles, throwing his arm over my shoulders. “Sometimes a few seconds is all you need. The fall definitely startled her, but something tells me it only hardened her resolve.”
“She’s going to be a handful as she gets older,” I tell him.
Cooper grins. “Don’t I know it. I’m bracing myself for her to ask if she can start barrel racing. I know a few, and they’re crazy.”
“Daddy! Mae! Come on!” Naomi calls.
We follow her lead to the elephant ear stand and get one to split among the three of us.
“Naomi, you have to get actual food,” Cooper grumbles.
“Corn dog!” she yells.
“That barely qualifies, but fine,” Cooper sighs and buys her one.
While she eats that, we get steak bites and mashed potatoes.
“Can I have ice cream?” Naomi asks.
“I’m absolutely going to regret this,” Cooper says to himself and takes her to the line to get a strawberry swirl cone.
I giggle. “I’m pretty sure you don’t know how to use the word no with her.”
He shrugs. “There’s a reason everyone calls her princess.”
Naomi works on her ice cream cone as Cooper and I share the steak bites. She happily licks at the cone, and my chest expands. I look at Cooper and he’s sticking his fork into another piece of meat.
My eyes burn and I itch my nose, trying to force the tears away.
Cooper grabs my hand, startling me, and presses his lips to my knuckles.
I glance at Naomi and she’s still working on her ice cream cone.
A vision of our future plays out before my eyes, and I’ve never wanted it more than with Cooper.
“Are you going to eat?” Cooper asks me.
“What? Oh, yeah,” I say and shove a couple bites into my mouth.
When we finish, Cooper gets us ice cream before making our way to all the games and rides.
“What do you want to do first?” Cooper asks Naomi.
“Ring toss! I saw a giant pink bear.”
“Naomi, that’s all the tickets you get, so if you spend them in one spot, then that’s it.”
She looks at the folded tickets in her hand and seems to be fine with that outcome. But I’m willing to bet she’ll be okay with that only if she get’s the pink bear.
Naomi turns on her heel and takes off for the ring toss. Cooper grabs my hand as we catch up to her. “Thank you for being here.”
“Why would I want to be anywhere else?” I ask him, taking another lick of my cone.
“I’m severely regretting buying you ice cream,” he mumbles under his breath while he watches me with heated eyes.
“You’re bad,” I whisper.
Cooper grins and tosses me a wink.
He shrugs. “I could be worse.”
I roll my eyes and dramatically drag my tongue over my cone, and Cooper’s pupils blow wide.
He leans into my ear. “Two can play that game, just wait till we get home,” he says lowly.
“Daddy!” Naomi yells.
He slowly drags his eyes from me to his daughter, who stares at him hopefully. “Please help?” she asks him.
I smile and finish my cone as he plays the ring toss for her, winning enough points to get her a bear.
The game attendant asks what he wants, and Naomi points to her giant bear.
“Thank you, Daddy!” Naomi squeals, hugging it tightly even though it’s nearly as big as her.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” he says.
She makes her way with the string of tickets to a shooting game where she aims a salt pelt gun at balloons to make them pop.
“She’s surprisingly good at this game,” Cooper says.
Naomi hands the lady her tickets, and Naomi picks up the small kid size rifle and aims it at the balloons.
I look up at Cooper and he’s watching Naomi with a light in his eyes and I feel the tears come again. I’m so overwhelmed and happy.
“Why did Naomi pat her chest with her hand earlier?”