Chapter 46
STEPHANIE
“What’s going on with Cooper?” Sam waited approximately one second after the door closed before firing out her question.
“No way. You first. How are you doing?”
She groans, knowing I won’t spill any details until I know she’s okay.
“I’m doing great now because I’ve got an epidural.
Before that, I was doing terribly. I may have cussed out Deke for bringing me ice cubes instead of ice chips.
The horror.” We both laugh. “This isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.
But we can talk about that later. We only have a few minutes before the boys return.
” She grips my hand tighter. “Are you and Cooper getting along?”
“Sam, I don’t even know where to start.” I drop my face into my hands.
I give her all the details since we’d last talked, which was right after Cooper’s drinking-fountain incident.
She doesn’t say anything, but shock is written all over her face. “So you and Cooper are dating?”
“Fake dating. And only when Chase is around.”
“So who was that almost kiss for in the lobby?” She looks absolutely delighted.
“That’s what Alyssa said too.”
“Steph,” she holds my hand with both of hers, “I can tell you really like him.”
I nod. “I do. I like him a lot. Half of me is happy; the other half is still nervous.”
“About?”
“His money makes me afraid that my dad will swoop in and try to manipulate him. And I still have a few trust issues because of Chase—but I believed him when he said he would return the shoes if I wanted him to, and I can’t tell you what that meant to me.
” I exhale. “So I’m fine with the Jimmy Choos now. ”
“Poor Cooper. He really opened Pandora’s box with those, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. When he saw how upset they made me, he almost burned them.”
We both smile. “He’s the real deal, Steph. Don’t let this one get away.” She squeezes my hand again.
“Yeah.” I squeeze hers back. “That’s what I’m starting to think too.”
The door opens, and Deke escorts the doctor into the room while Cooper waits in the hallway. I give him a small wave, and he sends me one in return.
“Does anyone here want to have a baby?” The doctor is met with enthusiasm from everyone—but none more so than Sam and Deke.
An hour later, a beautiful baby girl dramatically enters the world, wailing and crying loud enough for the entire maternity floor to hear. But once she’s placed on Sam’s chest, she calms instantly.
“Hello, baby girl.” Sam’s voice is rough with emotion and fatigue.
“Welcome to the family, little treasure.” Deke leans down and kisses her, again and again.
I’m overwhelmed by the moment: the beauty of birth; the instant and unconditional love that Sam and Deacon have for this small person they’ve just met; the kisses, embraces, and tears they share.
I tell them to call or text when they need anything and slip out into the hall, giving them some privacy. Cooper is anxiously waiting, standing against the wall.
My voice is barely a whisper, but it’s all I can get out. “It’s a girl, and Sam’s doing great.” And then the tears start to fall.
Cooper instantly reaches out and pulls me into an embrace with his strong arms. I curl into him.
“Happy tears?” He speaks softly into my hair, and I nod.
I’m consumed by how much love I have for that little girl in there, and she’s not even mine.
I’m overcome by the joy I saw in Sam and Deke—in their little family—because they grew by one more person today.
I also have a sense of sadness for my own family. I never saw my parents have this kind of joy. The only emotion I ever saw from them was a lust for money, fame, and validation from the world. And it never mattered how much they got—it was never enough.
“Cooper, I don’t want to be anything like my parents.”
“That’s good, because you’re not.” Cooper kisses the top of my head before holding me tighter, then he guides me into a nearby waiting room.
Thankfully, it’s vacant. I go straight for a stack of napkins next to a microwave so that I can blow my nose.
“I’ve cried more today than I have in the last year.
” I throw the napkin away, nab another, and sit next to Cooper on the couch.
“And I’m sure you’ve reached your limit on how many times you’re willing to comfort me while crying. ”
He gives me his lopsided, one-dimpled grin. “You actually have. Next time, it will cost you twenty bucks.” He winks, making me smile. “How was it in there?”
“Amazing. Sam was a total boss. I can’t imagine anyone being stronger than she just was—I have a whole new respect for her.
And little baby girl is perfect.” I close my eyes for a second, trying to pull every detail of her face into my mind.
“Her hair is a dark red like Sam’s, and there’s tons of it.
She’s pink and plump with blue eyes. And she has an incredibly powerful set of lungs. ”
“I think everyone on the maternity floor knows that. How did Deke do?”
“He was a champion. You should have seen his face when the doctor said it was a girl.” My body melts at the memory.
“The entire pregnancy, he insisted it was going to be a boy, but the second the doctor said ‘girl,’ Deacon’s face transformed into .
. .” My mind doesn’t know how to describe it, so I let my words die off, hoping my expression says what I can’t find words for.
My heart is filled with so much happiness just thinking about it.
“I wanted to give them some time alone and told them to call or text us when they’re ready for a visit. ”
“I’m glad we made it here in time.”
“Me too.”
Cooper stands up and starts searching through the cupboards and drawers by the microwave, but he finds nothing. “You hungry?”
“Starving, but it’s almost midnight, and we’re on a small Caribbean island. Nothing is going to be open at this time.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” He gives me a mischievous smirk.
Forty-five minutes later, after stuffing our faces with the potato chips, bagged popcorn, and apple juice that Cooper charmed out of one of the nurses, we get a text from Deacon telling us to come back.
We practically sprint down the hall and gently open the door. The first thing we see is Deke cradling his new daughter; Sam stares at the two of them, her face absolutely glowing.
Deke approaches me. “Would you like to hold her?” He holds the little nugget out to me, and my greedy hands pull her into my chest.
My heart explodes with even more love for this small human.
I rock her back and forth and hum her a little melody.
I notice Cooper watching us from across the room.
“Have you seen her yet?” I silently wave him over and lay her on my lap, unwrapping the blanket cocooning her in.
We count her fingers and toes, look at her little ears, and quickly become completely obsessed.
“Would you like to know her name?” My eyes travel up to Sam, waiting for her answer. “You are holding Emma Stephanie King.”
“Really?” My voice cracks mid-word. “Stephanie?” My eyes jump between Deke and Sam, and my tears start to flow again. I cuddle their little baby—my namesake!—into my chest and cry. Again. It’s almost too much to take in.
Cooper sits down on the arm of my chair, hands me a tissue, and rubs my back in soothing circles. Then he leans in and whispers, “You owe me twenty bucks.”
“Shut up.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “Do you want to hold her?”
“I’m not going to pass that up.” I hand little Emma over to him, and my heart does a backflip as I watch Cooper’s expression. “I forgot how small they are. Lou can’t have been this small.” He’s completely transfixed as he gently rocks her back and forth. He’s going to be the best dad someday.
The next hour is spent passing the baby around, watching Deacon change a diaper like a pro, and listening to details about Sam’s labor, their hilarious attempts to get ahold of us, and their journey to the hospital. Emma is the one who ends our visit—when she wants to nurse, we decide to head out.
The island Deke and Sam live on is too small for a hospital, so we return to the jet for a fifteen-minute flight. Maverick is asleep in the jet’s bedroom, so Cooper’s our pilot for the short trip. Something about seeing him as a pilot is incredibly attractive.
I find that I’m calmer about Cooper’s money situation. It helps to understand why I reacted the way I did, but I’m still worried about my dad infiltrating Cooper’s life.
We end up at Deke and Sam’s condo around two o’clock in the morning. We’re exhausted but happy.
“Funny story,” Cooper sends me a side-eye as he holds the front door open for me, “but the last time I showed up at Deke’s house this early in the morning, there was an incident with the beds. I think I might need to lock my bedroom door.”
“Ha ha ha,” I deadpan as I walk past him and through the front door. “I heard about that. Wasn’t there some deranged woman who took you for a creep and beat you up with a pillow?”
“Yeah. She was dangerous. Very scary.”
“Do I need to stand guard outside your door to protect you?” I set my bag down and turn around to face him.
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“I think you’ll be okay, but if you need me, scream really loudly, and I’ll come to your rescue.”
We didn’t turn the lights on when we walked in, so the room is lit only by the moonlight coming in through the windows.