Page 60 of Broken Heart
With a smile on my face, my eyes were on Cooper as I asked that question. His gaze had been focused on the road in front of him as he drove us to his family’s lake house, but the moment my question penetrated, he glanced over at me with confusion written all over his face.
“Lying about what?” he countered.
Cooper was paying attention to where he was driving again, but it was clear, based on the way his hand was gripping the steering wheel, just how concerned he was. The last thing I wanted to do was upset him by not immediately giving him a response, but I had to give myself a moment to let what I was feeling settle inside me. It was such a powerful force; I had no choice.
But it was good.
God, I was so close to saying it was the best thing I’d ever experienced. That alone made it impossible for me to not want to ignore any of the lingering fears I might have had and lean into it fully.
Being the woman that I was, I hadn’t expected I would have even brought this up, especially considering there was a small chance I could have gotten it all wrong. But there was something about Cooper, the way he was with me, and how he made me feel that led me to having the confidence to talk about it.
Finally, I eased Cooper’s concerns and clarified, “When you brought me home from the charity event on Friday evening, you stood with me outside my front door and told me you intended to do everything in your power to prove or convince me I can’t live without you.”
Those words had stuck with me for days now. When I woke up in the middle of the night, it was those words, mixed with so many of the sweet gestures and tender moments Cooper and I had together, replaying in my mind that kept me from finding sleep again.
He wanted to convince me I couldn’t live without him.
There was a part of me that believed he might have been a bit overzealous and self-assured when he’d made that statement. I mean, technically, I believed it was still entirely possible I could live without him. The problem came in when I considered what that would be like.
And that’s when I realized I didn’t want to live without him. Being able to do something and wanting to do it were two very different things. In the few short weeks since he’d come into my life, Cooper had made me happier than I’d been in so long. I had smiled more since meeting him than I had in the entire first six months of the year combined.
Cooper’s grip loosened on the steering wheel, and his shoulders visibly relaxed once he heard my response. Seeing that level of concern from him only solidified my belief that I didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to sharing what I was feeling.
“Can you honestly tell me you believed I was lying when I said that to you?” he questioned me.
“I don’t know if I would say that I thought you were intentionally trying to deceive me, but I certainly hadn’t expected to have such confidence in you attempting to accomplish that so quickly,” I explained.
His lips twitched. “Can I ask what, other than me telling you that I intended to do that, has made you believe I’m actually following through on that promise?”
Warmth moved through me as I considered all the ways to answer that question, and I realized just how fortunate I was to be in the position to be able to have a whole host of responses to give him.
I started with the easiest. Holding it up between us, I declared, “You brought me breakfast this morning.”
He glanced in my direction, his brow cocked with disbelief. “That’s all it takes?”
When his eyes were back on the road, I answered, “No. But if I’m sharing the most recent revelation, it’s that you decided to bring me breakfast on the morning when you’ve included me in the day’s festivities with your family.”
Cooper reached across the center console, placed his calloused hand on my forearm, and squeezed. “You know, it’s funny. Because I was under the impression you were trying to convince me that I couldn’t live without you.”
The shock and confusion I felt over his statement forced me to ignore just how much I liked the feeling of his hand on me. “What?”
He gave my arm another squeeze before returning his hand to the wheel. “While I understand that I invited you to come to my family’s lake house, it was you who asked if I had plans and wanted to spend time with you today. Considering I was ready to give up my plans with my family to make that happen, I figure you’ve already accomplished that feat.”
As Cooper spoke, I had started to lift the bagel sandwich he’d brought me to my mouth for a bite, but at that declaration, I stopped. Had he just confessed he didn’t think he could live without me? Surely, he was exaggerating.
“You’re joking,” I stated.
Cooper had pulled to a stop sign, so he looked over at me and deadpanned, “I’m not.”
Lowering my hand with my sandwich down to my lap, the nails on my other hand dug into my palm. It was a vain attempt to wake myself up. Clearly, the lack of sleep had caught up with me, delirium had set in, and this was all just a dream.
With the pain increasing in my palm, I had no choice but to face reality.
This was happening. It was real. And Cooper was telling the truth.
My throat was so parched, I wasn’t sure I would have been able to respond, even if I couldn’t have formulated a response.
Fortunately, Cooper seemed to have realized the effect he’d had on me and how difficult it was for me to know what to say, because he urged, “Breathe, Skye.”