Page 64 of Broken Heart

“I don’t mind at all,” she assured me. Then Rhea went on to tell me how things had gone down for her and Wyatt over the last few months. They’d certainly experienced a whirlwind to get to where they were now, but it was obvious things had worked out for the best for them.

Listening to it all, getting to know Rhea, and seeing just how happy she was now that she and Wyatt were officially together, I couldn’t help but think about my own situation with Cooper.

Rhea had made it clear things were tense between her and Wyatt in the beginning. Cooper and I hadn’t experienced that. But where our situations were similar was in the persistence of the men who’d walked into our lives. Though the reasons for keeping the men at bay were different, the result was the same.

Wyatt refused to give up on having something special with Rhea. Cooper refused to give up on having something special with me.

And if there was one thing I took away from Rhea’s situation, it was that as much as she believed she needed to take the time she did to get to know the real Wyatt, she knew she lost some time in the beginning because she was stubborn.

In my situation, I’d held Cooper at arm’s length because my heart had been broken too many times to want to suffer through something bad again. Cooper stood his ground, put in the work, and made me believe in the possibility of something permanent again. Although it hadn’t been months or years yet, I could only hope I wouldn’t live to regret what I’d done by not hopping right into something serious with Cooper.

“So, where exactly do things stand for you and Cooper?” Rhea asked.

At that question, I noticed how Ivy and Jules leaned in a bit, awaiting my response. I didn’t mind that they wanted to know. Cooper was their brother, and it was obvious they cared about him the same as he did them.

“Well, we’re not officially together or anything like that, but just like Wyatt took his time to wear you down, I think Cooper might be having that same effect on me,” I confessed.

Rhea smiled, Jules beamed at me, and Ivy offered a nod of approval. Before any of them could say anything in response, Ava returned wearing a new shirt.

But that wasn’t all. It only took one look at her face to see she was upset.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed, either.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Jules asked her.

Ava shook her head, swiped at her cheeks, and insisted, “Nothing. I’m just being silly. I loved that shirt, and despite how quickly I tended to it, I just don’t think it’s going to survive.”

“Are you sure?” Ivy pressed, clearly not buying Ava’s explanation.

Ava forced a smile on her face. “Of course.”

It was obvious to all of us that Ava wasn’t okay, but whatever was bothering her wasn’t something she wanted to share. Figuring it would be best to try to divert the attention away from her, I said, “So, Jules, I was wondering how your pastry program was going and if you were finding it beneficial. I know you just started, but from what I tasted a few days ago, you’re already a stellar baker.”

Happy as ever, Jules sat up and said, “Thank you.” She then went on to tell me about her pastry program, the things she was learning, and how excited she was to complete the program, so she could finally open her own bakery.

I listened intently, wanting to be sure I made the effort to really get to know Cooper’s family.

But at the same time, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at Ava from time to time and noticing the dejected look on her face. There was no way her mood shift could have only been about that shirt.

And when I finally turned my attention toward the field again, I was certain I’d figured it out. Maybe I didn’t know the details, but if I had to guess, something happened between Tate and Ava. Because whenever he wasn’t in the midst of a play, his eyes sought her out.

A movement to the left of Tate caught my attention, and that’s when I saw Cooper staring at me. He was half-naked and grinning at me.

God, the man was stunning. My hands had been resting on my thighs, and my nails dug into the skin there, since I couldn’t do what I really wanted, which was to touch him instead. And when he didn’t look away, I knew I had to give him some kind of reaction.

The only thing I could bring myself to do was to smile back at him and offer a wave. That’s when he gave me a wink, turned, and got back to his game.

Maybe I didn’t know what happened between Tate and Ava. But if what Rhea had already experienced with Wyatt and what I was currently going through with Cooper was any indication, maybe it wouldn’t be long before Ava was smiling at Tate, feeling those very same feelings.

Having experienced the worst of it, where I was now, where I knew I wanted to go, I didn’t think it was a bad place to be.

19

SKYE

It was quite some time later when the Ultimate Frisbee game ended.

I’d spent that time alternating between watching the game and getting to know Ivy, Jules, Ava, and Rhea.