Chapter 50
STEPHANIE
“Newborns shouldn’t fly. The altitude and cabin pressure aren’t good for them.
” Cooper helps me hang a lopsided “Welcome Home, Emma!” banner while I talk him through the logistics of getting a brand-new baby from one island to another.
“But they’re not supposed to take a boat either because of how bumpy it can be.
Luckily, they have a friend on the island who owns a helicopter company.
She ran it for her dad for a while but recently bought it from him, so it’s all hers now.
She has a really nice chopper, and she’s going to fly low and slow to get them here. They should be here in about an hour.”
“Are you talking about Maquel?” Cooper rips another piece of tape.
“Yeah. I didn’t know that you knew her.” I finish putting up the last of the streamers, while Cooper finishes putting up the banner.
“I met her a while ago—before she got together with her now-husband. Deke tried to get me to go out with her. She’s nice enough, but I wasn’t interested.”
“Not interested in Maquel? She’s amazing! Why wouldn’t you want to go out on a date with her?”
Cooper stops what he’s doing and turns to me. “I’ll tell you why. It was the weekend of Lou’s birthday party, so I knew you would be here. I was desperate to find a way to get on your good side and didn’t want to waste any of my time with another woman.”
“I don’t know that I’ll ever stop regretting how I treated you. Why on earth did you keep trying?”
“Because I knew you were worth the fight. It also didn’t hurt that Amber told me to not give up.”
“Amber?” He has my full attention. “What did Amber say?”
“She told me that your heart was a bit battered and that I needed to take my time and give you space. She said not to do anything dumb or you wouldn’t trust me.
That I’d know what to do when the time was right.
” He pauses. “And that getting to know you wasn’t going to be like getting to know anyone else—it was going to be like ‘diving into the sun.’”
“What on earth does that mean?”
“I didn’t know for the longest time, but I think I’ve figured it out.
” He’s sitting on the arm of the couch with his long legs extended and his ankles crossed.
“I’m used to diving into the water. It’s a place I’m familiar and comfortable in—it’s even the metaphor Deke and I use to talk about relationships.
In the water, I know all the safety protocols, how to avoid danger, and what to do in a crisis.
With you, none of that applied. You were the opposite of anything I’d ever experienced.
I had no idea what to do most of the time, and I was always second-guessing myself, wondering what I should do next and—quite frankly—getting it wrong most of the time.
” He studies me. “You were different than anyone I’d ever known, which, it turns out, is amazing.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love the water, but it can get dark and cold sometimes.
With you, everything is light and warmth and unexpected—in the best possible ways.
Amber seemed to know I’d be a huge fan of diving into the sun.
” The ease of his smile sinks into me. “I’m planning on making it my new full-time job. ”
I’m taken aback by both the simplicity and sentiment behind his words and find myself deeply, deeply touched.
Though I’ve been pressed up against this man’s body many times, right now, standing at least fifteen feet away from where he sits on the couch, I feel a closeness to him that I’ve never felt with anyone else.
If this were a movie, he might slowly walk over to me, take me in his arms, and passionately kiss me, but I love that he stays where he is; I simply look at him and let his words sink into my heart, where I hope they’ll stay forever.
My voice is barely audible. “Thank you.”
“No,” he stands up, “thank you.” He picks up the tape, scissors, and other decorating items and puts them away.
Cheryl and Lou eventually show up, followed shortly by Marco.
Then we all hold our breath as Sam, Deacon, and little Emma Stephanie walk through the door.
Lou runs to Emma and is instantly smitten.
Far from her usual exuberantly loud ways, Lou is quiet and soft as she sits and holds Emma for the first time.
“She’s so tiny.” Her voice barely makes a sound.
Emma’s hand breaks free of her blanket, and when Lou reaches out with her finger to touch it, Emma grips Lou’s finger.
“She’s holding my hand!” Lou lights up. “She likes me!” Every adult in the room melts.
Then Lou sings her a song, reads her a book, and cuddles her close.
When she’s done, Emma is passed to Cheryl. It’s unexpectedly emotional.
While Cheryl is amazing with kids, she also has a very straightforward way about her.
She’s pretty down to business and rarely emotional, which leaves me surprised to see her blinking back tears as she presses Emma to her.
Everyone falls silent, even Lou, as the mood in the room shifts.
Watching Cheryl hold Emma is like intruding on something personal, almost sacred.
After several minutes, she finally meets Sam’s eyes. “She’s perfect.”
Marco finally gets to hold Emma, and his huge frame and large hands dwarf her. He’s gently animated as he quietly talks to her and tells her stories. Then he begins to sing, his gentle tenor voice in direct contrast to his large stature.
The first time I heard Marco sing was at Sam and Deke’s wedding, when he sang and played the guitar as Sam walked down the aisle.
He doesn’t seem like the kind of man who could produce such a tender voice—or be so delicate and precise with the guitar strings—but he has a real gift.
I remember thinking then that I could never love his voice more.
But right now—hearing Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” slide from his lips so effortlessly—I’m proven wrong.
He was made to sing this song for baby Emma.
Cheryl doesn’t wait for the song to end before getting up and going out to the deck. I watch her go as Cooper appears and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into him.
Too soon, Marco is done singing, hands Emma off to Sam, and excuses himself to go back to the bar. Cheryl comes in from the deck and says her goodbyes too. Before long, Sam, Deke, and Emma leave to take a much-needed nap, and Cooper and I find ourselves alone again.
“How are you doing?” Cooper squeezes my hand.
I give him a tired smile. “Honestly, I’m so emotionally exhausted. It’s been quite an unexpected week.”
“Why don’t you go get some sleep too. I’ll hang out with Lou.
” He walks me across the duplex to my bedroom and lingers there, leaning in the doorway, one hand playing with my fingers and the other running down a strand of my hair.
“Am I going to wake up and find out this was all a dream?” His baritone voice is quiet and calming.
“I hope not. I like this.” I turn my face to place my lips on the palm of his hand.
His delicious eyes slowly caresses my face. “You really are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” His hand moves to cradle my face as his dark-brown eyes dive into mine. “Is it okay that I tell you that?”
In the past, I’ve never liked it when people have praised my looks, but coming from Cooper, it hits differently. I know he’s not attaching my worth to my looks—and he doesn’t make it seem like I have to prove anything. I nod and smile at him.
“Good.” Then he leans down and kisses me—deep and slow and intentional.
He lingers before finally slowing and breaking the kiss.
“I need to not stay here, kissing you in the door of your bedroom.” He takes a step away. “You’re too much of a temptation. Come find me when you wake up.” He gives me one more heated glance, then walks away.
A thrill pings through me. I love that he called me a temptation—and then chose to walk away. It’s different from being called a temptation and then being forced to endure endless pressure.
I fall a little more for Cooper Mallory.
I sleep deeply, and when I walk into Deke’s kitchen two hours later, I’m hit by a multitude of voices. The room holds not only Cooper, Sam, Deke, and Lou—but also Cheryl, Marco, Kaylee, Melodie, Pam, and even Maverick, the pilot. Pam is cradling Emma as easy conversations fill the room.
“Good morning, sleepy head.” Cooper comes over and kisses the top of my head while wrapping me in an embrace.
I panic slightly, realizing that very few people in the room know what’s changed between Cooper and me since they last saw us. I carefully slide out of his embrace and lower my voice. “Cooper, your entire family—and a lot of other people—are here. Don’t you think we should?—”
“They already know.”
“You told them?” I whisper back.
He laughs. “Stephanie, if you won the lottery, wouldn’t you tell your friends?”
“Yes, but this is different.”
“Not to me.”
His words are like a soft hug enveloping me. “That was really smooth.” I narrow my eyes. “How long have you been working on that line?”
“Are you kidding me?” Deke’s voice booms from over on the couch. “He’s been working on anything that would get you to notice him since the day he met you.” His comment draws laughter from the entire room.
Cooper drags me fully into the room and next to him on the couch, and the conversation continues around us. Deke ends up telling the room about some of Cooper’s dating stories.
“Another time, he started using a very bad—and very thick—foreign accent on their fourth date. She never said a thing.” The room erupts in laughter, and several people throw out their own very bad accents. “But the worst was with Rebecca—was that her name?” He turns to Cooper for confirmation.
“Do you mean Rachel?”
“Yes! Rachel, that’s the one. Cooper stopped showering to see if his smell would drive her away.
After ten days—ten days—she still didn’t seem to care.
I was so happy when Coop finally broke up with her, because I was the one who had to be around him during the day while we were at work. ” He plugs his nose and makes a face.
“In my defense,” Cooper animatedly addresses the room, “I made sure I took no in-person client meetings that last week.”
“Good for the clients, still bad for me.” We all laugh at Deke’s declaration. “I could tell a lot of stories—and they all end the same.”
Other people start chiming in with their own funny stories, and the next few hours pass quickly and enjoyably.
Through it all, Cooper finds every chance he can to touch me.
Sitting on the couch, he has one arm around me while the other holds my hand.
When he passes me food at dinner, his fingers linger on mine.
If he’s standing beside me, his hand rests on my hip.
If I stand still for more than a few seconds, he’s behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into his chest. Not only do I not mind, but I can’t seem to wipe the grin off my face.
“So when do you return to New York?” Maverick asks Kaylee. “Isn’t the fashion world getting back into full swing soon?”
“The fashion world is always in full swing. It never stops, but I take a month off every year to preserve my sanity.” Kaylee pauses as she surveys the room.
“Which makes this as good a time as any to let you all in on some news.” She immediately has everyone’s attention.
“I’ve been talking to Charlie a lot lately. ”
“Charlie Calvey?” Cooper’s question gets a nod from Kaylee, and he leans toward her.
I can’t help but ask. “Who’s Charlie Calvey?”
Pam answers my question. “Her mom is my best friend. She and I grew up together in Maple Creek, Colorado. After we both got married, we bought cabins next to each other right outside Maple Creek, and every summer since, that’s where we’ve had family vacations together.”
“Well,” Kaylee takes a deep breath before going on, “I’ve enjoyed New York less and less the last few years. The fashion industry is such a grind, and even though I’ve had a lot of success, I’ve not loved it for a while.”
Melodie sits next to Kaylee. “You’ve never said anything about this before.”
“I didn’t realize how much it was wearing me down until recently.
Anyway, Charlie hasn’t been happy with her job either, so,” she pauses, and everyone holds their breath, “I’m not returning to New York.
” A collective shock moves around the room.
“Charlie is now living in Maple Creek, and I’m going to move there and open my own interior design studio.
She’s going to handle the business end of it for me—she’s a genius with that stuff, and I’m terrible at it.
It’s a perfect fit for both of us.” The room is silent for a beat before exploding into questions and excitement about her new venture.
After a while, Cooper leans over and whispers in my ear. “Wanna go on a walk?” I nod, and we excuse ourselves and walk out onto the deck.
Cooper holds my hand while we head down the beach. We walk in comfortable silence until Cooper speaks up. “Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.”
“I don’t know what you don’t know, so I wouldn’t know what to say.”
“Fine. Tell me how you ended up in Boston when you were working in Austin.”
“It’s not a glamorous story, but it has to do with my nana.
She’s my mom’s mom. I’ve always been incredibly close to her.
She was the one adult who had my back when I was growing up.
She was more of a mother to me than my own mother was.
A few years ago, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
As it progressed, she needed more help. There was no family in Boston where she lived, and she couldn’t afford the kind of help she needed—and of course my dad wouldn’t help out—so I moved there and have been helping and keeping an eye on her ever since.
I stayed working for Alyssa and McKay as a remote consultant, then picked up some freelance work.
So that’s why I’m in Boston and what I’ve been doing. ”
“Alzheimer’s.” Cooper says the word like it’s the answer to a question. “That’s why you were so willing to help us out—even if it meant having to call Chase.”
“I thought it would be selfish of me to not help when I knew I might be able to.” Cooper raises the hand he’s holding and gives it a kiss. “What about you? You said you’re in Chicago most of the time. Why Chicago?”
We keep walking and talking like this for a while, with no conscious destination in mind, but without either of us saying anything, we end up at Amber’s headstone.