Lost Chances (16 page)

"Nothing happened. I'm not going to lie; I want to be with Sophia more than anything and no matter what, I'm going to do everything possible to make it happen. Even if that means I lose yours or the others' frien
dship." He didn't have many close friends and after many years, they had all been able to pick up where they left off.

"I respect that. And I don't think you'll lose us as friends. Unless you hurt her and then there might be an issue. Just be careful how those two find out about y'all. It would've been a pain to bail either of them out of jail." He waved at Mike as he pulled in. "I'm not going to be the one to break the news. That's completely up to you and Sophia when you want everyone to know."

"Thank you. I'll talk to Sophia about it. I'm trying to take things slow. I know she's it for me, but I have some time to make up for and I need her to know how I really feel." Hell, he'd loved her from the beginning, even if it took a little time to realize it.

"Hey, Cooper! You're up early today." Mike slapped him on the shoulder. The dark circles under his eyes showed the lack of sleep.

"He saw me outside and pulled up to say hey."

At least he was true on his word about not telling them. "You look exhausted. Did you have a busy night?"

Mike nodded and ran a free hand through his blonde hair. "Two car wrecks, one car caught on fire. A small house fire and I had to go on a medical call too. Busy for this small town."

"Well, I'm heading out. Get some rest, man. I'll see you both later." He got into his truck and drove home. Telling Sophia's brothers about them was not something he felt quite ready to do, but they'd realize it soon enough if he just kept taking her out or showing up to see her. He'd have to talk to her after he surprised her with a picnic and he couldn't wait for the time to come.

Chapter Nineteen

Sophia woke up missing Cooper until the voices in the kitchen filled her with relief he wasn't there. Not ready to wake up just yet, she lay there a few minutes longer until she couldn't stand it anymore.

The yawn escaped her lips before she could stifle it and the voices quieted. She got up to stretch and see who all was there. Jacob raised one brow at her and Mike smiled.

"Good morning." The smell of fresh coffee drew her toward the kitchen where her mug already sat ready to fill. "I guess I dozed off during the storm."

"Yeah, that was a fun one to work in." Mike rinsed his cup in the sink. "Now, I'm off to bed."

"Night." He obviously had just gotten home, so her only concern was if Jacob came home before Cooper left. If he showed up before, then he'd have found them both cuddled on the couch. That was not the way she wanted her brothers to find out. "What time did you get home?"

He shrugged. "Late. I waited until the rain slowed so I didn't get soaked. Luckily, we had some candles and flashlights stashed in the office. I managed to still finish some work as I waited."

She couldn't tell if he knew anything or not. Dang him and his calmness. She could never read him.

"Nice of Cooper to stop in and check on you."

And there was her answer. "He said you called him and told him I was alone. Thanks. You know how much I hate storms and when the power went out, I kind of lost it."

He didn't even crack a smile as he put the cup to his lips. "Chicken."

The muttered tease caught her off guard and she laughed. "Ha ha. I'm going to get ready for work."

"Good. I'm tired of doing it all on my own."

She knew better than that. "You couldn't survive longer than a day without me and you know it."

He grunted as she hurried to shower. Maybe Cooper woke up before Jacob made it home. There was no way she'd ask her brother. It would have to wait until she spoke with Cooper again. Hopefully, not too long.

Later at work, Sophia removed her focus from the work on her desk to glimpse up at Jacob. He never mentioned Cooper, but he was acting odd—a little more to himself than usual. The big chain deal could be the reason. It didn't mean she wasn't paranoid about his silence.

The sound of her phone vibrating against the desk i
nterrupted the quiet and he glanced up for a second before switching his attention back to his work.

Cooper's name flashed on the screen. A smile crept across her face no matter how hard she tried to hide her excitement. She couldn't answer with Jacob right there, so she pressed ignore and managed to get her mind back on her job. Sort of.

When lunch time came, Jacob left to pick up some food. He was barely out of the door when she jerked her phone up to listen to the message that had been teasing her since the phone alerted her he left one.

"Hey, sweetie. I hope your day is going perfect. I know you're busy at work, but wanted to know if you'd come over around six for dinner. Just give me a call or text if you can't. I'll be waiting impatien
tly to see you. Have a great day!"

Oh my gosh! Her cheeks were not seriously hurting from smiling so hard over one voicemail. A message that would never be deleted.

She was about to text him, but he said just to text or call if she couldn't come. There was nothing keeping her from meeting him. Too bad Ryan was still out of town for work or she'd be calling him.

If they were having dinner at his house, how the heck was she to keep from going too far with him? She wasn't exactly ready to tell him about their drunken night toget
her. Why should she ruin a perfectly good evening?

Jacob walked in and the aroma of Mexican food filled the small building almost instantly. Her stomach growled.

After a small breakfast and her craving for chicken fajita, she was starving.

"Sheesh, Sophia! Have you not eaten this week? Your stomach sounded like a bigfoot's growl." He pulled out the aluminum containers, and then the chips and salsa.

"Like you know what Bigfoots sound like." The rumble in her belly decided to make its presence known again.

He laughed. "Maybe not, but I'm pretty sure it sounds like that."

Things seemed to go a little back to normal as they ate. She began to worry less about what Jacob knew and more about what Cooper had planned.

****

Cooper entered the small town bar and made his way over to the bartender, who someone told him was the owner.

"What can I get for you?" It was like out of the movies with the bartender wearing a white apron, standing there drying a glass with a towel. He looked to be maybe in his sixties with a head full of silver hair. He wore a genuine smile as he waited for him to answer.

"I'll take water." A glass full of water was placed on the bar in front of him. "Thanks. I was actually wondering how you get a chance to play here on the weekends. Ryan told me he plays here sometimes and I was hoping to get in some time while I'm in town."

"I don't pay anything. Can't afford that these days."

"No, sir. I don't expect payment. It's all for fun." And maybe he wanted to serenade Sophia a little.

"Well, if that's the case, then you can just drop in when you're ready to play and the stage is yours." The man held his hand out and Cooper shook it.

It was different to not have to audition for the guy to see if he was any good. Of course, in the small town, he'd probably take what he could get.

"Great, I'll see you soon." Cooper dropped some cash in the tip jar and walked out feeling even more excited than before. As long as Sophia showed up, the day couldn't get better. He just needed to figure out what to take on their picnic.

At the store, he studied the items he'd filled the cart with. He had a box of crackers, a bottle of wine and three different types of deli meat. He added three packs of bread, one with a little sweet flavor, wheat bread, and white bread.

It would've been easier if he knew for sure what she liked. He'd even gotten four different types of cheese. Dessert was really the hardest. Chocolate covered strawbe
rries popped in his head first, but if they were taking it slow, then he'd wait on those.

Then the idea came and he knew it was perfect. Only, he didn't need to buy anything else, because he had the perfect dessert at home. He never ran out of it and Sophia would enjoy knowing he still had a serious addiction problem.

He grabbed two bags of ice and then checked out. While in line, he recognized a firefighter walking in the door. At least he was pretty sure the guy's name was Seth.
Awe hell
. And of course it couldn't be a coincidence that Sophia's ex was a firefighter named Seth.

No matter the guy’s identity, he'd have thought very little of him, but Cooper couldn't believe Sophia actually dated
him
. The only thing he remembered about him was that he ran around on every girl in school, acting the dick. He hated the fact Cooper became quarterback while he was stuck as second string on the bench. It wasn't a shock to find out how excited the jackass was when Cooper had to have surgery from the tear in his right ACL. It interrupted his last year of playing high school football, but he still had full scholarships for a few of the colleges.

He’d always planned to go until the injury. The break gave him time to realize what was really important to him and football wasn't it. Music had become his passion and even before his grandma made him promise to pursue his music career, he'd already planned on doing so.

When Seth looked over at him and stared for a moment, Cooper turned to unload his cart on the cashier counter. He couldn't be sure he'd be able to control his temper and hoped the man would just leave.

"Cooper?"

All hope was lost. He finished unloading and then acknowledged Seth who now stood in front of his buggy.

"I heard you were in town. It's been a long time." He held his hand out.

Ignoring the gesture, he just nodded. "I've been gone for a while. I'm really in a hurry though."

"No problem man. I'll catch you later." Seth winked at the cashier and then walked away.

The cashier grinned big, her cheeks flushed.

He slid his card then put the bags into his buggy. "I'd be careful if I were you. He loves the women and won't think twice to run around on a girl. Even the ones who don't deserve it."

Her smile disappeared. "I appreciate the warning. What about someone like you?"

This time he just laughed. "I like to think of myself a good man, but I'm already committed to someone I want to spend my life with."

"That's disappointing to hear for myself, but I'm glad there are still some good ones. I'll definitely steer clear of Seth. I've heard some things too and should've never considered it in the first place. I don't want another man like that." She fiddled with her left ring finger. "Once was enough."

He read her name tag and held out his hand. "Thanks, Wendy. Just remember not to settle. You deserve someone who sees you as their world. Keep smiling."

After he left the store, he couldn't help smiling. Sophia was his world and he had to do everything possible to prove that to her.

Chapter Twenty

She stared at the note hanging on the door and reread it.

Turn around and follow the flowers
—the only words on a large sheet of paper.

Coming to an empty house was not what she e
xpected. Nor that he had something so romantic planned. She turned around and walked down the steps to find the first flower. The stem faced her and the petals pointed toward another a few feet away.

She stood there in awe when she realized they were o
rchids. How the heck did he know they were her favorite?

The sun was high in the sky and she wanted to blame the tears on it. She followed the flowers, shocked to find them heading in the direction of the river. It had been a month or so since she'd been there.
Cooper had cleared a path to it. She looked down at her sundress and boots.

If he wanted to swim, then he should've warned her ahead of time. The strapless nude color bra and floral underwear weren't exactly something she could swim in. Maybe she should turn back and go pick up a bathing suit. She shook her head. He would've told her if she needed to bring it. Unless he wanted her to be stuck without one.

Oh.

The sound of music playing had her heading back t
oward the river until she saw the truck bed opened, covered with a red blanket and food spread out over it. Cooper sat on the tail gate playing his guitar.

She watched him caught up in his playing until he f
inally lifted his head and smiled.

"You made it." He laid the guitar down and walked over to her.

A scream escaped when he pick her up in his arms and carried her over to sit on the tail gate. His hips maneuvered between her thighs and then his lips connected to hers. Large hands gripping her waist and the way his tongue invaded her mouth had her scooting until she felt his hard length pressed exactly where she wanted.

He groaned against her lips and kissed his way to her neck, then stopped completely. "This is not what I planned on. I've got to stop now or it won't happen. How about we eat?"