“Congratulations.” I nod, trying to decipher the relationship here. “That’s cool.”
I look around, but Story’s not to be found. Unloading the bag and display board, Lila whispers, “She wanted to do a little touch-up.”
“Ah.” Maybe she’s a little nervous, too. I set the flowers and bottle of wine down, and Lila laughs. “What is it?”
She shakes her head and gives me a wink. “You’ll see. Nice rosé by the way.”
“I didn’t know what to bring. And what will I see?”
“Wait until Story comes downstairs.” She shifts things around on the counter to make more room. “You brought too much, Cooper, but thank you. It’s appreciated.” She comes around and adds, “I didn’t approve of her bringing you into her life or Reed’s.” Not a great start, I think. I’ll wait for my final judgment to see where she’s going with it. “But when I saw you, and particularly when I saw you with Story . . . It’s good to see you again.” She hugs me.
I wasn’t sure where that was headed, but I hug her back. “It’s good to see you, too.”
With her head near my ear, she whispers, “Hurt her again, and I’ll kill you.” Leaning back with a warm smile, she pats my shoulder. “Capisce?”
Story is lucky to have her in her corner. “Understood.”
“Good.”
When she steps into the backyard, Lou says, “She’s harmless, but I’m not.”
It’s hard to imagine Lou getting in a fight, but what do I know anymore? “All right.” This must be the fun Story spoke about.
“Beers in the fridge; the bar’s over there.” He starts laughing and then joins Lila in the back.
“How do I look?”
I turn to see Story coming down the stairs—her long hair held high in a ponytail on the crown of her head, fitted jeans, and little white sneakers. Her makeup is light, but she never needed that anyway. “Incredible.”
“Oh.” She looks up when she hits the landing. “Cooper, I didn’t know you were here.”
“Only for a few minutes.”
We both spot it at the same time. Pointing at each other’s tees, we start laughing. She plucks hers away from her chest. “I guess being around you made me sentimental.”
With our matching Atterton University T-shirts on, I say, “Great minds think alike.”
“And go to the same college.”
“That too.” As the laughter simmers, I say, “Thank you for having me over.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you were available since it’s so last minute. I just wanted to make sure Reed was in a good place because I know he’s going to be busy running around all day.”
Glancing out back again, I tuck my hands in my pockets. “Looks like he’s doing well.”
She looks up from the island and smiles when she sees him. “He has a lot of pent-up energy from sitting around all week.”
“I bet.” I rock back on my heels. “I’ll let you lead.”
Her smile is so natural like her beauty that it’s almost too much for me to take in, knowing she’s not mine to kiss. “Thank you.” She grabs a bottle of water. “I’m having water. What can I get you?”
“Same.”
When she reaches for another, she sees the flowers. I jump over and pick them up. “I brought these for you. Not sure why, but they reminded me of you.” It was a stab in the dark, so I hope she likes them.
“That was very sweet, Cooper.” She takes the bouquet and holds them to her nose. “Thank you. Peonies are my favorite. I’ll put them in water when Lila comes in.” After setting them down, she walks to the back door, and asks, “Ready to meet Reed?”
Despite my nerves, the only answer for me is, “Yes.”
Story holds her hand out for me and waits at the door. I didn’t expect the added perk, but I’ll happily accept it. Carrying our bottles in one hand and holding each other with our formerly free hand, we walk outside together as a united front.
Lila and Lou are sitting at the outdoor table on the patio while the boys still run around in the yard. When we walk down the steps and onto the grass, Lila calls Jake to come help her. I think that’s the signal for Story because she releases me and calls out to our son. “Reed, come here. I want you to meet someone.”
The boys look annoyed that their game of chase must end, but both do as they’re told and head to their respective parents.
Full of sass with the hand of his broken arm anchored on his hip, I’ve seen that before somewhere. I glance at Story and grin.
“Mommy, I’m it, and I don’t want to be it anymore.”
“Sorry,” she says, “that’s how the game is played. You either play by the rules, or you don’t.”
“I can make my own rules.”
“Yes, you can do that as well. Hey, buddy, I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine. Remember how I mentioned Cooper would be coming by today?”
“I member.” He’s not quite smiling at me and a lot suspicious. I work with kids every day, but you have to learn their angle, what they like to play, or what they’re into. But somehow, I already feel like I’m failing when it comes to my own kid.
I kneel to talk one-on-one with him and hold out my hand. “Cooper Haywood, it’s very nice to meet you.”
Reed takes my hand and looks me right in the eyes. “Nice to meet you.” He glances at Story for approval.
She rubs his head and nods. “You did good.”
Feeling pleased with himself, he says, “Are you staying for burgers, Cooper?”
I might be setting myself up, but I sure hope not. “Would you like me to?”
When he nods, it’s so tempting to hug him, to tell him you’re mine, kid, and I’m yours. We’re stuck together now. But that will have to wait for a few more meetings.
Over the past hour, this has gone better than I imagined. He’s not only receptive to me being here with his mom and him, but he has come over to talk to me several times on his own. I’ve just taken a sip of water when he sits down in a chair next to me, and says, “I saw you at the park last week before I broke my arm.”
“I saw you, too. Great climbing prior to the accident.”
“Yeah, we all slip. We all fall sometimes,” he says, sipping from a juice box. “That’s what my mom says.” His cheeks are red from running, and the hairline of his forehead is soaking wet. I don’t remember ever having the freedom to just be a kid. Story’s giving that gift to him. Looking at me, he asks, “Why were you crying, Cooper?”
I chuckle. The kid hits hard with that callout. “I wasn’t crying. I got dirt in my eyes.” A little fib won’t hurt, especially when it’s to protect him.
His eyes go wide, but he rolls them like his hazel-eyed mom. “Jake threw dirt in my eyes once. I didn’t cry.”
Hard crowd to please. I laugh, but then nudge him with my elbow. “Guess you’re a tough guy, Reed.”
“Yup,” he says as if it’s a fact. Then he looks at me again. “What are you?” The question comes unexpectedly, and I’m at a loss for an answer. I glance over at Story, not sure what I am anymore.
“Mommy’s friend.”
“Oh, I thought you were her boyfriend.”
I could be, but I’ll keep that to myself. “What made you think that?”
“I heard her tell Aunt Lila that she loves you.”
This time, my eyes go wide. “Loves or loved?’
Under the slurp of the last dregs of juice, he shrugs his little shoulders and then hops up. “I don’t know.”
Me either.
But I wish I did.
40
Cooper
Story was right. This was fun.
More fun than I’ve had in a long time.
I even got invited to play a game of tag, but when Reed tripped over a tree root, it was game over. Story said she was glad there was a doctor around. She may not have said she was glad I was around, but I’m taking the liberty to interpret it that way.
After a patchwork of Spongebob bandages and Scotch tape on the elbow of his cast, which was dirty but didn’t show any signs of damage, Reed was mighty impressed with my skills.