24. Will
24
WILL
"So you're tellin' me there's a spirit in the mountain– our mountain–that is goin' to bring me my soulmate?" Jude says, his voice rising with disbelief. The look on his face when Case told him was just as comical.
The twins–having read more of Aster's books on the road trip home–have taken the news of the Call in their stride. It helped that all the Coopers from Moose Mountain were on hand to answer their questions while Birdie and I were…otherwise occupied.
Case still believes that the prophesy is a hell of a lot easier than online dating. "Having the love of your life picked for you instead of having to find her yourself? Sign me up," he'd said.
Sutton just shrugged, as is his way. "I'll keep an open mind about it. There's not much I can do about it if it's goin' to happen anyway."
Now we're back home and my brothers, Birdie, Wyatt, and myself are all squeezed tightly into a booth at the Icebox diner, digging into a selection of burgers and fries, a tuna melt for Jude, and a Hot Honey Apple BLT Sandwich for Birdie.
"What I want to know," I say, narrowing my eyes at Wyatt across the table, "is why you didn't tell us about the Call? Might've saved me some overthinkin'."
He chokes his mouthful of root beer. "Should I have just led with that when you offered me the job?" He arches a brow. "How do you think that would've gone down?"
"Probably not well," Birdie snickers from beside me.
"Keep in mind, I've had to sit back and watch six men I respect the hell out of fall head over heels for their soulmates from the time I was fifteen to nineteen. That includes my dad. So, the very last thing I expected after all of that, was to move to another ranch, another mountain , let alone with members of the foundin' family of the prophesy, and discover I'm about to have a few more years, and a few more Calls to go through."
We all sit there staring at him. "Whoa!" Jude says.
"That's a lot. Like a lot ," Sutton adds.
Wait," Case says. "You know what this means, right? You can give us tips and make sure we don't miss our chance when our soulmates show up."
Wyatt snorts. "You do know I haven't experienced it myself, right? I don't know what to do or not to do. What I do know is that it's never the same for everyone. Sometimes your soulmate will be new to town. Sometimes it turns out they're already here and are right under your nose. Like Dad and Mags."
That's got me intrigued. Going by the looks on everyone else's faces, I'm not the only one. "So what we've read in the books isn't that far from the truth after all? Even though they're marketed as 'fictional'," I say, pulling Birdie closer to my side and pressing a kiss to her temple.
She tilts her head up, smiling sweetly up at me. Unable to resist–and honestly, why should I have to–I lean down and brush my lips over hers, kissing her grin away until her nails are digging into my jeans.
Since we completed the Call, my need to touch her at all times has been amplified. To the point where it's a little hard to control sometimes. I'd say I hope it gets better. Then again, I like it, and I know damn well that Birdie has it just as bad as I do.
"Gah! Some of us are tryin' to eat here," Sutton says, looking between us. "Can't have the mayor's daughter scandalizin' the Icebox." This time he clutches his imaginary pearls for added effect.
Birdie snorts. "You know, Sutt. Sometimes I think you and Case can't be any more different. Then you go and say somethin' like that and it reminds me that you two came from the same egg."
He pops a fry into his mouth, looking at Case with furrowed brows before turning back to us again. "Not sure if I should be proud or offended."
"Proud," Case adds. "Definitely proud."
Jude chuckles. "I vote for offended."
I turn to Wyatt, rolling my eyes at the others. "You said the Call was different for everyone?" I ask, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"Yep. Take Dad and Mags. Everyone saw it happenin' before they did, includin' me. That's why I invited Mags along with Dad when I was goin' to work with Cap. I figured if they got time alone away from Spring Haven and the ranch, somethin' might happen."
"And the rest, they say, is history," I say, looking around the table. "So long story short–"
"It can happen anywhere, at any time, and to any one of us. Yeah, Will. You've told us that already," Case says in a 'duh' tone, making Birdie giggle. Case narrows his eyes her way. "You laugh now, Birdie. But just think, since you'll be livin' with us, you'll get a front-row seat right along your One here."
Birdie goes still, her breath catching on a barely there gasp. Case shoots me an 'oh crap' look, Sutton purses his lips, biting back a smile. Whereas Jude and Wyatts look between all of us like their heads are stuck in a pinball machine.
"I mean… eventually, right?" Case continues, trying to cover up his faux pas but digging himself a bigger hole in the process.
Birdie–with her adorable awkwardness that I love–grabs her sandwich and stuffs it in her mouth, staring down at her plate instead of looking at me.
Unfortunately for her, I'm not a man who lets things slide, never with her, and especially not with something as important as this. Case may have put his foot in his mouth, but he didn't say anything wrong …
We've got work to do, Will .
At first, I thought Gramps's favorite saying was about work. But now it's like a mantra in my head, motivating me, pushing me to do better, be better, and strive for more.
I gently angle her body toward me, losing myself in her bright blue eyes but not before I see the hope shining in her eyes and that soft spot she only shows me. That's all the urging I need to push forward with the inadvertent opening my brother's big mouth has given me.
"Honey…" I say, dropping my forehead to hers and breathing her in. "If I could have you moved in and in my bed tomorrow–hell, tonight if I could–I would. But I promised you I wasn't ever goin' to rush or pressure you. We already know we're forever. It doesn't matter how long it takes for us to start our future together, just that we're goin' to do it."
"Aww," Case says, followed by a grunt. "What did you do that for?"
"Shut. Up. They're havin' a moment," Sutt growls under his breath. Birdie's lips twitch and the corner of my mouth tugs up, but we only have eyes for each other. The only way it's ever going to be.
"Maybe I want you to rush me, Willy-Will," she whispers sexily and I curse the fact we're in a diner with the family instead of back home at the ranch where I could get her alone.
"Aww, he even lets her call him Willy-Will." Yes, Case again.
"Be nice, or we'll pay you back tenfold when it's your turn," Jude warns our brother.
"You want me to think about movin' in with you, city boy?" Birdie whispers.
"More than anythin' else in the world."
"That would mean you're stayin' in Timber Falls," she adds.
"Already told you I was. Wherever you are, that's where I'll always be till the day I die."
She sighs and shifts her head back, her eyes roaming my features. "Really?"
"Again…" I cup her jaw, gently holding her in place as I watch her closely, making sure there's no room for confusion. "Yes, honey. I ain't goin' anywhere. This is home. You …" I flex my fingertips, "are my home."
"Yes." Her breathy acceptance might just be the best sound I've ever heard in my life. "Yes, I'll think about it."
"Yeah?" I say, a little loudly, but I don't care. I want the world to know that Birdie Walker is mine and always will be.
Cheers fill the air as I kiss my One slow and soft, keeping it PG because we are in a public place. Later, though… it'll be R18 all the way.
My brothers forget all about personal space, filing out of their side of the booth and coming around our side, pulling Birdie up to her feet and hugging her one after the other.
I turn to a smirking Wyatt, arching a brow. "You goin' to go steal my girl too?"
"Nah, I'm good. As I said, I've watched this play out many times now and it never gets old," he says, a wry smile appearing. "Happy for you, Will. You probably didn't expect it, but mountain life suits you. And once we get the ranch up and runnin' how y'all want it, I bet you won't miss the city life one bit."
"Still glad you're comin' along for the ride too?"
"Yep. Dad always told me to trust my gut, no matter what. That's what I did when you offered me the job. But if you're talkin' about me ever hearin' the Call. I ain't a Cooper."
I smirk. "Neither were the Graham brothers, or your dad, or Randy and the Barnes family. The Cooper bloodline is the connection that activates the prophesy. It doesn't determine who deserves or hears the reward. Maybe somethin' to keep in mind, yeah?"
Wyatt nods and we both look over to where Birdie is busy sassing my brothers. See, I knew she was perfect.
"I'm tellin' you right now, Birdie. There ain't no way you're goin' to get us eatin' any healthy stuff," Case says.
"It was twice-cooked oxtail stew with prunes, tomatoes and carrots. Dad loved it."
Case's eyes pop out of his head. "Prune Casserole? Nope. Nuh-uh. Not at Cooper Ranch. No way." His head jerks my way. "First house rule, Will. No prune anythin'. "
Instead of answering him, I lock eyes with the dancing eyes of the love of my life.
"Damn Coopers," a gravelly voice announces, stopping us all in our tracks. "Couldn't leave well enough alone. Had to come back and mess it all up again."
Bridie shoots me a worried look before we all shift our attention to the diner's counter, finding an old man watching us wearing a twisted frown on his worn lips.
"Mr. Wilson, I didn't see you there. How are you," she says, turning on her winning smile that I'm sure she's had to use a time or two at the bar.
"I was a hell of a lot better before those damn Coopers came to town again, that's for sure." He knows back his coffee before spearing Birdie with a glare. "Thought you had better taste, Birdie Walker. I have half a mind to talk to your father about this."
I see red and make a move to stand up. Birdie quickly jerks her head from side to side before turning back to the man who seems to have more misplaced anger than sense.
"No need for that. I'm a grown woman now. Haven't needed my daddy's approval in a long time now. But I think you know that, Mr. Wilson," she tells him with a pointed stare.
"Pfft. Here was I thinkin' we'd finally get what was due to us after Ridley passed, bless his soul. Then all y'all come into town thinkin' you want to play ranchers?" He scoffs, slicing through all of us with a scathing glare. "Our time will come. My family's been waitin' years, and we'll keep waitin' till the universe rights the wrongs of the past."
"C'mon, Sully. We're all here to enjoy the company and the food," Mack, the Icebox's owner says from behind the counter. "Don't need to air old grievances for the townsfolk to hear. There's a time and a place, old man."
He grunts, giving us all one last filthy look before he shoves his stool back and stalks toward the diner's front door, stopping just before he steps back outside. His parting words are ominous and more than a little confusing. "Our time will come. Just you wait, Coopers."
Then he's gone and it's as if everyone goes back to acting normal.
Mack meets my confused but angry gaze. "Let sleepin' dogs lie, Will. There ain't nothin' that can be done about it now. Just ride it out. Sully Wilson will run out of steam eventually. He always does."
My frown deepens. "I don't even know what he's talkin' about. The ranch is on Cooper land. The ridge, the house, the land, all of it down to the highway leadin' into town, it's outs. I'm not sure why he thinks he's owed a damn thing."
"It's ancient history. Y'all focus on gettin' settled, and lookin' after the town's favorite daughter, here," he says. "That's all you need to worry about, Will."
"Might help if I had any clue what the hell the man was on about. Haven't even seen a Wilson since we've been here. Went to their gate, it said 'No Coopers' so we didn't even try," I explain.
"Leave it be, son. Can't change the past, so best to move on. Can you do that for me, Will? It's better to keep the peace than open that can of worms. Yeah?"
By the looks on my brothers' faces, they're even more reluctant to let this go than I am. I nod, silently telling them we'll talk about it later.
Birdie steps forward, holding her hand out in front of me. She holds her hand out. "Come on. How 'bout we head to the bar and celebrate me movin' in."
" What? " I stare at her in shock before I get to my feet, grab her hips, and pull her into me. She smiles up at me and not for the first time tonight, I'm lost. Gone. Putty in her hands. And I wouldn't want it any other way. "You said you'd think about it."
A wry grin appears. "Turns out I don't need to think about it at all. The answer is yes. It'll always be yes when it comes to you."
I dip down so that her beautiful face is all I can see. "I'll keep that in mind, honey."
Softly, slowly, she brushes her lips over mine, resting them there as we stare deep into each other's eyes. "You do that, city boy."