Chapter 21
Aspen
He loved me.
That was not something I was expecting him to declare tonight or ever. I figured he'd never admit it to himself. Was it possible his ex-girlfriends were wrong for him? Now that he'd met the right person, he was able to express himself.
But I had a feeling those kind of insecurity issues didn't just disappear because you fell in love. He might still freak out about what his feelings meant and worry that he'd turn out like his dad.
He would doubt himself, and he might even push me away. I should be prepared for that. But right now, I wanted to bask in his love.
As soon as I'd said the words, he'd kissed me, touching me all over as if he was afraid I'd disappear at any second. He was kissing me down my body and finally settling between my legs. I couldn't get enough of him. My body was aching for more.
I wanted his mouth and fingers on me. I wanted to ride the wave of his love forever. I never wanted to go to sleep. Because in the morning, he might change his mind.
He did that thing with his tongue on my clit, and I cried out, the waves of pleasure coursing through my body. I was vaguely aware that he moved up my body, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand before his cock was inside me, filling me.
He braced his hands on either side of my head, dropping his head to whisper in my ear, "I love you."
"I love you too," I said, my heart cracking open even wider.
I was all in, and that meant that I could get hurt.
But at the same time, I was excited for what this could be.
Who knew the broody boy who'd been in my life since we were kids was the man I was supposed to fall in love with?
I didn't necessarily believe in fate, but this felt like something out of my control.
This time when he moved, it was different. We were in love with each other. That meant there wasn't necessarily a time limit to our relationship. There was hope that maybe this relationship could work. His movements were slow, as if he was drawing it out, wanting to feel everything.
The orgasm built slowly. He was driving me higher with each drag of his dick. I bit my lip against the sensation, wanting to hold out.
"I need you to go first. I can't hold back." He pressed his finger to my clit, and I cried out his name, reveling in his ability to give me pleasure.
He lowered his body against mine, moving faster now, chasing his release. And when he went over, he rested his full body weight on top of me. When he finally rolled off to the side, I was sleepy.
He must have slipped from the bed, because he returned with a wet washcloth to clean me. How could anyone say that he didn't feel things, that he wasn't a great guy? Maybe he was only like this with me, and that made my heart soften even more for him.
He was fully capable of love.
He gathered me to him, his breath moving my hair. "I love you."
I snuggled against him. "I love you too."
I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but for the first time, I had hope that there was a future for us together.
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon. I didn't have anywhere to go. I could enjoy a leisurely morning in bed, but I didn't want to miss whatever breakfast he'd planned. So I got up, pulled on one of his shirts, and padded downstairs.
He was facing away from me, wearing sweats. I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around his waist. His skin was warm to the touch.
He touched my hands. "Did I wake you?"
I smiled against his back. "It was the smell of bacon."
He moved me so that I was cradled in front of him. "I couldn't sleep."
"You get up early most mornings," I said by way of explanation.
His lips curved into an easy smile. "And I wanted to make you breakfast."
"It smells delicious." My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten dinner last night in the chaos of the parade cleanup and rushing over to Cooper's. As soon as I'd gotten here, we'd been all over each other.
"I want to feed you for some reason."
This was all new for him, and I'd have to be patient, letting him feel everything out. "I'm not going to argue with you about that."
"Oh, and I made coffee." He moved away from me to pour the coffee into a mug, and then he set it by the stove.
"You're a good host."
He grinned. "Stays here come with orgasms and bacon."
I laughed, loving this lighter side of him. "I might never leave."
He growled, pulling me against his chest. "Don't tease me."
I swallowed down any questions about the possibility of my brothers stopping by at some point. We couldn't hide this forever. We'd have to confront things head-on, but I wasn't ready to do that yet. I wanted to stay inside the bubble of his home for a little while longer.
I felt loved and cared for. He'd surrounded me with his heat and his scent. He nuzzled his nose against my neck, making me sink deeper against him.
"You're making it hard to cook," he said, and I laughed, loving the effect I had on him.
He straightened, flipping the pancakes on the griddle and removing the eggs from the pan. He plated the eggs and dumped cut-up strawberries onto the plate.
"You thought of everything."
“I don’t cook breakfast for anyone else," he said as if he'd only just realized this fact himself.
"My apartment’s too small to cook in, and I'm always on the go. I usually grab something at Reina's or Meg's."
"This should be better than that. Unless you prefer pastries."
"I love both," I said as he transferred the pancakes to our plates.
He moved the plates to the island and grabbed syrup from the fridge. I sat on the stool and cut into the blueberry pancakes. The only time I ate brunch was at a restaurant these days.
This was so much better.
Cooper's chest was on full display, and I was wearing his shirt, which still smelled like him.
He sat next to me as I poured a healthy amount of syrup over my pancakes. Then I took a bite. Between the sweetness of the blueberries and the syrup, I was in heaven. "These are delicious."
"It's from a box, but thank you," he said shyly, as if he'd never been complimented for his cooking skills. "I learned to cook to feed my sister growing up. Mom worked hard, and I wanted to help around the house."
How many times had he said that to himself to justify what he was doing at a young age when other boys were busy playing sports after school? "What you did was extraordinary for a kid. Most teens are more self-centered. I certainly wasn't worried about putting food on the table at that age."
He shrugged. "You didn't have to worry about that stuff."
"Don't diminish your accomplishments."
"I can't. Not with you around." He flashed me a smile before he took a huge bite of pancakes.
I had a feeling we were going to spend most of the day in bed. I couldn't seem to get enough of him.
We finished eating, then sipped our coffee.
"What do you normally do on a Sunday morning?" I asked him.
"I work out, shower, and then go into the office for a few hours. Then to your parents' house for dinner."
"I used to work at Belle's Bookshop on Sundays, but I recently quit working there to focus solely on the event-coordinator job."
He raised a brow. "Do you have any coordinating to do today?"
"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. I worked hard on the parade. I deserve a break."
"What do you think about going to an event outside of town where we wouldn't see anyone in your family?"
My shoulders lowered in disappointment. He still wanted to keep us a secret.
I'd hoped that last night had changed things for him.
But maybe we'd have to go slow. Admitting that he loved me was huge for a man who'd been accused of not feeling anything.
I should be happy with what he'd already offered.
His expression was earnest. "We'll have to deal with your family eventually, but can we keep this to ourselves for the day? I'd like to enjoy this."
I could understand that. It wasn't an unreasonable request. "I'd like to spend the day with you. What did you have in mind?"
"There's a winter festival in a nearby town. But it's not just shopping and music. They have ice skating and a slide."
"That sounds fun."
He showed me the pictures, and I was pleased that he'd taken the time to research something for us to do. He was a better boyfriend than he gave himself credit for.
A few hours later, we walked hand-in-hand down the street.
"I kind of want to do the slide. It's supposed to be made of ice," he said.
"Let's do it then." I was willing to do whatever he wanted to do today since this was his idea.
He grinned and picked up the pace as we walked toward the edge of town where the sporting events were set up.
My eyes widened as it came into view. "It looks fast."
"You can ride in front of me. I'll protect you."
I loved the sentiment, but I was a little nervous. This was something he wanted to do, and I wanted to have a good day.
We stood in line, and when we got to the top, they handed us a mat to slide down on. I got on in front of him, and he pressed me against his chest. His arms banded around me, and I felt nestled into his body, protected.
"You ready for this?" he whispered into my ear.
I nodded, and he pushed off.
Then we were racing to the bottom. My stomach dropped as we flew over a bump, and then I was screaming as we seemingly went into a free fall. The air was whipping at my cheeks, and my heart was still in the air when we started to slow.
When we came to a stop, Cooper hopped up with a grin and held out his hand to help me up. "Did you like it?"
"It was thrilling." I was just proud I'd done it despite my fear. But he was the one who made me feel safe and protected.
"Want to go again?" he asked earnestly, his expression eager.
"Sure." I had a feeling he missed things like this when he was a kid. And I wanted him to experience anything that gave him this boyish excitement.
We went down a few more times. When we were done, we stood, his arms around me as we watched others fly past us.
"Want to go ice skating?" he asked.
"I'd love to." It was nice to be able to touch each other in public like a real couple. The thrill of him saying he loved me was still fresh in my mind. I enjoyed reprieve from worrying about people finding out or the knowing that there was an end date to our relationship.
Today we could pretend that we were a real couple, that we had a future together. We walked toward the ice rink, getting in line to pay for skates. Then we sat on a nearby bench to put them on.
We set our things underneath the bench and then hobbled toward the gate to the rink. It had been a while since I skated, but I didn't think I'd forgotten the basics.
He held out his hand, and I took it, letting him lead me onto the ice.
We both laughed as I slipped on the first step. We moved slowly at first, then gathered confidence, gliding with ease. We took a few circles on the rink before pausing for Cooper to grab hot chocolate from a vendor.
"This is the perfect day." The air was crisp and cold, the overhead speakers played holiday music, and there was a large, decorated tree at one end of the rink.
Cooper placed his arm around me and set my to-go cup of hot chocolate on the seat next to me. Then he lifted my chin and kissed me.
There were so many people around I wasn't worried about anyone saying anything to us. He pulled back slowly and said, "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Aunt Aspen!" Ayla cried as she ran over to us.
My heart raced, and I looked around for Angela. She stood a few steps behind her daughter, her winter jacket open over her belly. Hudson stood next to her, looking surprised.
I attempted a smile. "Ayla, are you here to ice skate too?"
She lifted her rental skates in response. "Are you going back out?"
"I'm not sure." Cooper was tense next to me, and I wasn't sure if he wanted to run as quickly as he could away from this situation.
Hudson touched Ayla's shoulder. "Ayla, go by your mother. She can help you put on your skates."
Ayla gave him a look. "She can't tie her own shoes because her belly is so big."
Hudson gave her a look, and she moved toward her mother, leaving us alone.
Cooper stood. "I can explain—"
I tried to stand but wobbled on my blades. This time, Cooper didn't reach out a hand to steady me, and my stomach dropped.
Hudson's eyes flashed with anger, but he lowered his voice. "Want to explain why you were kissing my little sister?"
"I'm not your little—" I began, disgust tinging my voice, when Hudson stopped me with a glare.
"Cooper owes me an explanation."
I sighed, then waited for Cooper to respond. There was no getting out of this. Hudson had seen us kissing.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't be here." Then Cooper reached down and grabbed his shoes wobbling away from us.
Hudson's gaze swung to me. "What the hell were you thinking? You single-handedly just blew up our business. This new venture of yours was a bad idea.”
"What are you talking about?" I asked, a little taken aback by the ferocity in his tone.
He waved his hand at me, his lip curled in disgust. "I'm sure this is fun for you, but this is our livelihood, our business."
"Nothing has to change—" I began.
"Cooper was hooking up with you behind our backs. We trusted him, and he betrayed us."
I swallowed down the words I'd said so easily just a few short minutes ago.
I loved Cooper.
But he'd said it was wrong for him to be here with me; he never meant for it to get this far. Then he'd walked away, leaving me to deal with the fallout.
I wasn't sure if my frustration was directed at Hudson or Cooper.
"I'm here with my family. I'm about to have a baby. I can't deal with whatever this is." He gestured dismissively at me.
I watched helplessly as he went over to Ayla, who was sitting on the bench, and dropped to his knees to tie her skates.
Angela sat next to Ayla, murmuring softly to Hudson, probably telling him to calm down before he said something he regretted.
But he'd said enough. If the business fell apart, it was my fault. I was the one who'd made the impulsive decision to sleep with their friend and business partner.
I undid my laces, wondering how I was going to get home, because Cooper had driven me. My only hope was that he was waiting by the car to take me home. Not that it would be a pleasant ride.
With trembling fingers, I pulled on my boots and tied the laces. My heart still pounding, I returned the skates and walked toward the parking lot. I was only mildly relieved when I saw the familiar red truck.
Cooper wouldn't abandon me here, but he wasn't going to talk to me either. Whatever we had was done now that he'd seen the potential fallout. Our end wasn't hypothetical anymore. It was real.