Page 38 of Broken Heart

Every time he said it with that seductive voice, I felt myself melt just a little bit.

I was lost in the way that word made me feel and struggling to pull myself together when Cooper asked, “How are you feeling about tonight?”

Problem solved.

No longer thinking about Cooper’s voice, his sweet words, or the way he looked and smelled, my mind was entirely focused on my nerves again. “I’m nervous.”

In an instant, Cooper reached his hand across the center console and covered my hand with his. He offered a reassuring squeeze, which had me trembling for a whole different reason.

“What are you worried about?”

I didn’t think I could ever tell him about how the simplest touch from him left me struggling to remain upright, so I gave him the other truth that was easier to share. “I haven’t seen Simon since before he told me about his infidelity in February. I guess I’m worried about how it’s going to go this evening.”

Cooper’s thumb stroked gently across my knuckles. “You don’t have anything to worry about, Skye. Not only is he the one who should be embarrassed by what he did, but I won’t allow him to do anything to hurt you or make you uncomfortable tonight. I hope you can trust me enough to believe that.”

I swallowed hard. It was one thing to admit to myself that Cooper being by my side tonight was the only reason it was going to be bearable, but it was another thing for him to come right out with a promise to protect me. “You know, in the two years that I dated Simon, I don’t think he ever made me feel reassured about his ability and willingness to keep me safe. I’m not suggesting it was always bad, but I realize things now that I overlooked then. And I guess I should have expected his betrayal, because he obviously didn’t feel it was his responsibility to guard my heart.”

I paused a moment to gather some courage and to make sure that what I said next came out precisely the way I wanted Cooper to hear it. Somehow, he seemed to know I wasn’t finished speaking, and he waited patiently for me to prepare myself.

Eventually, I said, “I don’t know if it was fate or luck or something else that put you in my life, but I’m grateful for it all the same. You didn’t even know me, and you stepped up for me. You didn’t hesitate to stand up and protect me, even when you didn’t know what you were protecting me from. And you deserve to know that the only reason I feel like I can be here, knowing I’ll come face-to-face with Simon and Maria, is because you are by my side. I couldn’t do this without you, Cooper. And I trust that I’ll be safe with you tonight.”

Silence filled the cabin. Cooper had been such a confident and outspoken guy, so I had assumed he would have had something to say in response. We’d just come to a stoplight, so I glanced over and saw that he was staring at me with something that looked a lot like admiration and appreciation in his expression. His thumb was still stroking my knuckles, and since he finally had my attention, he said, “I mean no disrespect to you when I say this, but your ex-boyfriend was nothing but a fool to let you get away.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly the one who walked away,” I reminded him.

He offered a slight shake of his head. “Maybe not at first. But he made it possible for you to do it. That, in my opinion, makes him a fool.”

“Yeah,” I agreed quietly.

When the light changed, Cooper started driving again. For the remainder of our drive to Westwood’s, it was mostly silent, but comforting. The nerves I’d been feeling all day had dissipated after my conversation with Cooper. Knowing he understood what I was struggling with and hearing him promise to make sure things didn’t go awry for me gave me a sense of peace I wouldn’t have been able to achieve on my own.

Cooper was, slowly but surely, providing me with the opportunity to put my faith in someone again, to trust someone, and there was something about him that made me believe he wouldn’t do anything to screw it up.

We eventually arrived at Westwood’s. After he parked the truck, Cooper got out and rounded the hood to meet me on my side. And as we walked toward the entrance to the hotel, something washed over me. It felt different being here with him than it had ever felt with anyone else. Though I always loved coming to this event with my grandmother, it never felt like this, like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Cooper had taken me by the hand, his fingers linking with mine. And although there was a part of me that believed this was only going to complicate things for me on a personal level, there was the other part of me, the part that Cooper revived which longed for something more, that relished the feel of such an intimate gesture and having my hand firmly held within his.

As he led me toward the ballroom, I had at least a dozen thoughts about him, tonight, and where things would go after his birthday celebration tomorrow all running through my mind. That’s why I was caught off guard completely when he brought us to a halt and said, “Oh, this is perfect. I was hoping we’d catch you early.”

I hadn’t realized the fog I’d been in thinking about wonderful things related to Cooper until I heard him speak. I shook my head to remove those thoughts and focused my attention on where Cooper’s was—on a gorgeous woman.

“Ivy, this is the woman I was telling you about, Skye. Skye, this is my sister, Ivy,” Cooper said.

Shock washed over me, and I blinked my eyes in surprise. Why didn’t I know that he’d spoken to his sister about me? Had he told anyone else about me? What did he say?

Ivy extended a hand to me. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Skye.”

Finally. How long had he been talking about me?

Using my free hand, I reached for Ivy’s and shook it. “It’s lovely to meet you, too. Are you the one responsible for setting everything up here tonight?”

With a smile on her face, she tipped her head from one side to the other. “Well, I didn’t do all the work myself. I have an incredible staff here, but I am the one responsible for making sure everyone does what they need to do.”

I shook my head slowly. “We just got here, so I haven’t seen inside yet, but every year I’ve come to this event, it’s always been beautifully decorated and tastefully done.”

Ivy’s smile grew. “Thanks. I’ve only recently taken over being the one solely responsible for things like this, since I just graduated from college, but I’ve been working here in this hotel for years and have participated in preparing for these types of events for as long as I can remember.”

“Ivy’s always been great in a role like this,” Cooper interjected. “She’s capable of juggling multiple things at once, and she seems to have no trouble doing it well and with ease.”