Page 85 of Broken Heart

There was an extended pause as Cooper took a moment to digest the information I’d just given him. Finally, he declared, “I’m on my way there.”

“What?”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Warmth moved through me. “Yes, I am now. You don’t have to come here. I promise I’m fine.”

“Skye?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m coming there.”

He was a determined man. There wasn’t a chance I was going to have any success convincing him to do something other than what he’d already decided he was going to do. “Okay.”

“See you soon, sweetheart.”

“See you, Cooper.”

We disconnected the call, and I blurted, “Maybe I should have listened to Maria.”

“What?” Ivy asked, disbelief in her tone.

I nodded, confirming she hadn’t heard me incorrectly. “Maria told me she didn’t understand why I was still holding a grudge when it was clear I had already moved on and was happy. She suggested I should have been thanking her for what she did. Obviously, there’s no way I’d ever do that, but she isn’t technically wrong. I’ve got something so much better in my life now.”

All three women beamed at me, and it was Rhea who spoke. “My family is very tight-knit, and I thought I would have a hard time ever finding someone who came from a family with similar values. I haven’t been around the Westwoods much longer than you, Skye, but I can tell you that they are some of the best people I’ve ever met.”

“Aw, Rhea, that was sweet of you to say,” Jules declared.

“It’s the truth.”

“Based on what I know about my brothers, I suspect it’s probably wise for the both of you to get used to this family, because they aren’t going to let you go,” Ivy chimed in.

“And the rest of the family adores the both of you as well, so Wyatt and Cooper would be getting flak from all of us if they didn’t keep you two around forever,” Jules added.

Nothing made me happier than to hear that.

I could have questioned what Cooper’s sisters were saying, but the reality was that I didn’t think they were lying. The proof was sitting across from me. They didn’t hesitate to step up and be supportive of me after what just went down in my bookstore. It warmed my heart to know that after only knowing me for such a short time, they were willing to look out for me like this.

Before Rhea or I could respond to the comments Ivy and Jules had made, the door to the ice cream shop opened and forced our attention in that direction. My eyes landed on Cooper, who had his gaze pinned on me as he stalked in my direction without taking in anyone else in the store.

He came to a stop at the side of the table, bent at the waist, and drove one hand into my hair as he kissed me. Whether for the sake of his sisters and Rhea or because he merely wanted to confirm what he’d already asked on the phone, Cooper kept the kiss from getting too heated. It was good he’d done that, because I didn’t trust I could have held myself back from him otherwise.

Keeping his eyes only on me, he asked, “How are you doing?”

I smiled at him, feeling so much warmth and love move through me, and I promised, “I’m okay. In fact, I’m better than that.”

“I don’t understand what that woman doesn’t get about the situation,” he muttered. “Does she honestly believe it would be easy to forget what she did to you.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But I don’t want you to be upset about it. I was when she showed up, but I’m quickly realizing it’s not necessary. I just need to let it go. I’ve got you, your sisters, Rhea, and the rest of your family. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

He smiled, his features softening.

I held up my ice cream and said, “And I’ve got ice cream, so it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Laughter spilled out of him, and he kissed me again. Then, for the first time since he walked into the store, Cooper glanced around the table and greeted Rhea and his sisters.

“Can I get you an ice cream, Cooper?” Rhea asked him.