“Let it ring,” he mumbles, his lips trailing back up my neck. “Nothing is more important than this,” he whispers, his hot breath ghosting across my ear.
His phone stops ringing, and mine starts from where I left it in the entryway. “Coop,” I say, dropping my legs from his waist. “It might be important.”
“You’re important,” he says, kissing the corner of my mouth before pulling away. Reaching out, he grabs his phone. “It was my mom.” There’s a worried expression on his face when he taps the screen to call her back. He’s still standing between my legs. He has one arm wrapped around me, while the other holds the phone that he puts on speaker so I can hear.
“Hello, my son,” Ann greets cheerily.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, I was just calling Reese since I couldn’t get a hold of you,” she says. Cooper looks at me and rolls his eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
“Of course, why do you ask?”
He looks at me and shakes his head. “What’s up?”
“Oh, I wanted to see what you and Reese are doing for Memorial Day weekend?”
“We haven’t talked about it.”
“Well, we’re having a barbecue. You two should come home.”
He looks at me, and I shrug and nod. “Sure, we’ll be there.”
“Oh, good. I’ll call Eve and let her know you’re coming. Will the two of you be staying here or at their place?” she asks.
“Mom, I told you. We’re taking it slow.”
“Right. Of course, we’ll both have the beds made up just in case. Tell Reese I said hello. We can’t wait to see you,” she says and ends the call.
“Told you it wasn’t important.”
“You did, but what if it would have been?” I counter.
He leans in and kisses my neck just as my belly growls. He chuckles and pulls back. “Grab us a couple of beers, and I’ll heat up our plates.” This time his lips land on my forehead before he grips my hips and lifts me from the counter. My legs are weak as I walk to the fridge and pull out two bottles of water. Tonight proves I have no willpower when it comes to him. We don’t need alcohol to cloud our judgment. If he’s on his best behavior, it’s difficult, but I seem to manage just fine. However, when he’s like he was tonight, my power to resist him is nonexistent.
Chapter 13
Cooper
“Are you ready for this?” I ask Reese as we hit the city limit sign for the town we grew up in.
“I’m not sure.” She chuckles. “I know we’ve told them that we’re taking this slow, but our mothers don’t seem to understand that concept.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they have our wedding all planned out.” I laugh.
“Really?” she asks, glancing over at me. “You’re okay with that?”
“Sure. I mean, it doesn’t bother me. We’ll do it our way regardless of what they want. Let them have their fun.” I keep my eyes on the road, but I can feel her stare.
“Cooper, you do realize we’re talking about marriage, right?” she questions.
“Not just marriage, baby. Marriage to you.” I reach over and link my fingers with hers. She doesn’t pull away, not that I expected her to. I’ve been pushing the limits since that night in the kitchen. She’s yet to stop me or push me away. I’m slowly wearing her down. I’m taking note of every one of my small victories.
“Hey,” I say to get her out of her head. “What do you say we hit up Bill’s Billiards tonight?”
“You up for a night of signing autographs?” she teases.
“Pfft, this is my hometown. I’m just some guy who grew up here.” Sure, there’s going to be a few of my old buddies reach out, but none of the fanfare that Reese is imagining.
“If you believe that, I have some oceanfront property just down from Mom and Dad’s that I’ll sell you.”
“Are you going to live there with me? If so, you found yourself a buyer.” I glance at her and wink, and a slight blush coats her cheeks.
“Coop!” she scolds me. “You’re too much.”
“If you’re there, that’s where I’m going to be,” I tell her as I pull into my parents’ driveway. “You gonna come in and say hi?” I ask, taking off my seat belt.
“Like your mom would let me get away with not,” she says, staring out the windshield.
“If at any time you feel uneasy, let me know, and I’ll take care of it. If I can’t, I’ll get us out of here.”
“They’re our parents, Cooper. We can’t just leave.”
“We can. You’re my main priority. I’ve told my mom, and I know you’ve told yours. I don’t think we have to worry about our fathers.”
“Yeah, I can’t see them saying much, if anything about this.” She waves her hand between us.
“I don’t either. Our mothers, on the other hand, I’m sure won’t be able to keep quiet. Say the word, and we bail.”
“Word.” I reach for my seat belt and strap back in, making her laugh. “I was kidding.”
“It’s going to be fine.” I don’t think she’s nervous about seeing them as much as she’s nervous that they know we’re… whatever it is we are right now. In my eyes, we’re together. Reese still isn’t putting a label on it, but we’re exclusive, and our families know that.
“They’re going to ask us what’s going on.”
“And I’ll tell them that I’m madly in love with you and that as best friends, we’re learning each other in a new capacity, and that it’s our business. We’ll include them when it’s time.”
“Wow, that sounds practiced.”
“I knew this was going to be a concern for you.”
“She’s looking out the window,” she says, nodding toward my parents’ place.
“So is yours.” I give the same nod to her parents’ place.
“Come on then. Let’s get this over with.” She reaches for her handle, and before I can stop her to tell her I’ll get the door, she’s out of the car. It’s probably for the best. That would just fuel our mothers on even more.
I follow her up the steps, and she stops at the door. “Go on in, babe. You never had to knock before,” I say, placing my hand on the small of her back.
“It’s different now.”
“No, it’s not different. It’s better. This time when you walk into this house, it’s not as my best friend, but as the love of my life. My future. Now, more than any time before, you belong here and don’t need to knock. You’re family. My family,” I tell her. She smiles up at me, and that’s how my mother finds us when she opens the door.
“Oh, look at you two. I missed you kids something awful,” she says, pulling first Reese and then me into a hug.
“Mom, it hasn’t even been two months since we saw you last.”
“That’s too long. Come on in. Dad’s in the living room.”