“The only other option is for me to walk away.” I tense at his words, and his arms tighten around me. “You weren’t listening to a damn thing I said. I’m not walking away from you, baby. If you were listening, you would have heard me say I would walk away from football.”
“What?” I sit up and turn to look at him. “Cooper, are you crazy? You’ve worked your entire life to be where you are. This is your dream. To play in the professional league. You can’t just walk away. Not without good reason, and by good reason, I mean an injury or your health.”
“Or the love of my life.” With one hand still around my waist, he places the other against my cheek. “I mean it, Reese. I would give it all up if it means I get to be with you every day. To come home to you at night, to lie next to you as we fall asleep.”
“Cooper, do you hear what you’re saying?”
“I hear it, and I feel it. If that’s what you want, for me to stay with you in Columbus, I’ll do it. I spent a year of my life without you, and I never want to do that again. Never. If it takes walking away from football to achieve that, then so be it.”
“You can’t just walk away.”
“Then come with me.” Gently, he pulls my face to his. “I want it all, Reese. Every single moment life gives us, I want to spend it with you. I don’t care what that looks like, or where we live, as long as we’re together. You are what’s important to me,” he says before softly pressing his lips to mine.
I allow myself to get lost in the kiss. In the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms, knowing he wants me. Just me. It’s a feeling of bliss I want to chase, and it’s getting harder and harder not to. We spend hours, if I had to guess, in that chair, kissing and touching one another. Nothing overly sexual, but something you might do when you first start dating someone. When the dew and the chill of the night air set in, I know we need to head inside. Cooper pulls back from the longest kissing session in history and rests his forehead against mine.
“You should get inside.”
“Yeah,” I agree. Reluctantly, I untangle my body from his and the blanket and stand. He does the same, and we both stretch before Cooper turns off the fire pit.
He wraps his arms around me in a hug, burying his face in my neck. “Sweet dreams, beautiful. I’ll see you in the morning.” He pulls back and takes a hesitant step back.
“Coop.” I hold my hand out for him.
“Yeah?” he asks, placing his hand in mine.
“Come with me.” I begin to walk toward the house, the blanket in one hand, and Cooper’s warm hand in the other. Quietly, we step inside, and he follows me upstairs to my room. I drop the blanket on the floor, pull off my hoodie, and climb into bed. Cooper just stands there in the moonlight, waiting for me to tell him what I want.
“Will you hold me?” I whisper into the dark quiet of the room.
I hear him exhale. “Nothing I want more,” he murmurs. The bed dips and I’m in his arms, snuggled under the blankets.
I don’t think about what it means or how our parents are going to react when they find out we stayed together. No, the only thing I’m thinking about is how tonight has been one of the best I’ve ever had. Just me and Cooper. Together. Not hanging with my best friend, but a man who loves me. With each passing day, with each tender caress, my heart begins to heal, and the love I have for him grows.
More than that, I begin to believe he’s really in this for me. For us.
Chapter 15
Cooper
“School has only been out for two weeks, and already the kids are going stir crazy. I just wish there was funding to take them somewhere, like the zoo or COSI or something. Things are tight at the state level, and honestly, they just worry about keeping the kids fed, clothed, and a roof over their heads. I guess I just feel like I know what they are missing out on, you know?”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Fundraising is difficult, and many forget we even have a children’s home. It makes me realize how fortunate we were growing up. I mean, some of these kids come to the home with their meager belongings in trash bags, some worse off come with nothing. It’s heartbreaking.”
“Come here.” I pull her closer to me and kiss the top of her head. Since that weekend at her parents’, I’ve been sleeping in her bed every night. We’re still taking it slow, so no sex. But there has been a lot of kissing and touching. My hands have memorized every dip and every curve of her body.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re probably tired of hearing about all of this.”
“No. I want to be the person you can turn to. I don’t care what you have to say. I’m going to listen.”
She rolls over to face me. “I love having you here. Not just here in my bed, but in my apartment and in my life.”
I don’t hide my grin. She’s still kept her feelings tight to her chest. I’m still waiting for those three little words, but I’m not worried. I know they’ll come. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be.” I kiss the top of her head. “Speaking of, I need to go to Indy next week. I have to meet with my agent to sign a couple of endorsement deals. Do you think you could get off work on Friday? We could spend the weekend at my condo. If not, we can just leave when you get off work.”
“You don’t have to wait on me, and I don’t have to go with you.”
“Yes, I do. Yes, you do. I have training camp in a little over a month, and I’m going to be leaving. That means I need all the time with you that I can get.”
“Are you excited for the season?”
“Yeah, I think we’re going to go far this year.”
“Of course you will,” she says, quick to support my team and me.
“You going to be at some of my games?”
“I’ll try.”
I want to tell her to quit the damn job and come with me. She could come to all the games, but I don’t. I have plans in the making, and I need to time it all just right. I haven’t brought up me leaving football again, but I would for her, and I wouldn’t think twice about it. No regrets.
“Well, I’m just going to throw this out there so that there is no confusion. I want you there. I want you at as many games as possible. I’ll fly you there, and I’ll have a seat for you at every stadium.”
“Okay.” One word, but I can tell by the tone of her voice that she’s pleased. “I should get some sleep.”
“I love you.” I kiss the top of her head again. She doesn’t reply, but she snuggles into my chest. I feel her love. She doesn’t have to say it, although I’m dying to hear those three little words from her, I feel them every single day. That’s enough for now. We’ve come a long way in just a couple of months.
“Have a good day, baby.” I press my lips to the corner of her mouth and open the door for her. I need to give her some time to get to work to know the coast is clear, so I grab a quick shower before setting my plans in motion. I can’t call until eight anyway.
After a quick internet search, I have a name and number to call, so I dial the phone and wait. “Mr. Garcia, this is Cooper Reeves.” After answering questions about the Defenders, and promising an autograph, I get to the reason for my call.