9. COOPER

9

COOPER

"What are you doing here? I thought you took today off."

Wyatt barely got out those words when I asked, "How soon did you know?"

"Know what?"

I stood in the doorway to Wyatt's office, shaking my head in disbelief with my eyes pinned on my older brother while he lounged in his office chair.

I'd always heard people talk about lifelong relationships and state that when you knew, you knew. I used to think it was a bunch of bull because I'd never experienced anything like that in my life.

And it was safe to say that I'd dated a fair number of women to believe that if just knowing in such a short time was a possibility, I should have felt something like that with somebody.

It never happened, so it was no surprise I had my doubts.

But I didn't necessarily believe that the feeling wouldn't eventually come. I certainly trusted there would come a time when an individual would realize that the person they'd fallen in love with was the one. Unfortunately, I had convinced myself that someone would need at least a few months to truly learn if they'd found the person with whom they were meant to spend their lives.

Now, I felt differently.

A couple of hours spent in a canoe on the lake this afternoon with Skye had me questioning everything I thought I knew to be the truth. I felt utterly spellbound by her. Our afternoon together had been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. That alone was one of the reasons I had questioned the accuracy of my former beliefs about relationships. I had been fortunate enough to experience things in my life that a lot of people—young and old—never had the opportunity to experience. Despite all of it, this afternoon with Skye was the very best of it.

So, as I drove back to Westwood's, I came up with a list of things I needed to take care of immediately. It didn't even bother me that I had plenty of work I had to get done. This was far more important.

Up first, I needed to talk to Wyatt.

Sadly, I'd spent too much time recalling just how good it felt to spend that time with her today and get to know her better that I was caught off guard when Wyatt's voice broke into my thoughts.

"Coop, man, I don't think I've ever seen that look on your face before. Is something wrong?"

I shook my head again. "No. No, it's just that I was curious how long it took for you to know that Rhea was the one for you? I don't know if I'm reading too much into this feeling, but I've never experienced this before."

A look of worry washed over Wyatt's face as his eyes slid away from me and toward the couch to my left. Confused, and for the first time since I'd made it to Wyatt's office, I took my eyes off my older brother and glanced to the side to find my youngest brother sitting there. "Liam. Shit. I didn't even see you there."

He had his elbow resting on the arm of the couch, and his fingers were pressed against his temple. But the moment I'd spoken to him, he sent an unenthusiastic smile my way and waved his hand.

Liam was a lot like me. Not only did he prefer working with his hands, but his attitude these days matched mine. While I was often moody about the work I had to do, Liam's mindset was shaped by more personal matters. "Fuck, man. I'm sorry. If I had realized you were here, I wouldn't have said anything."

His eyes narrowed on mine. "Why not? You don't need to tiptoe around me, Cooper. Just because things didn't work out for me the way I had hoped doesn't mean I don't want to see my brothers happy."

I believed Liam felt that way. There was no question he wanted the best for everyone in our family, but it didn't mean those words weren't said with a hint of bitterness. It had been just over two years since he'd had his heart broken, and I was beginning to think he'd never heal from it.

"I know," I assured him. "I just… I don't want to throw this kind of stuff in your face."

"It's fine," he insisted. "Is this about the bookstore girl?"

"How do you know about Skye?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Word gets around."

That was code for he had no intention of revealing his source. It wasn't like it mattered anyway. Before the day was over, all the important people in my life would know about Skye.

I returned my attention to Wyatt and gave him an expectant look.

Without me needing to ask my question again, Wyatt answered honestly. "I'd like to say I knew the first day I met Rhea that there was something about her I liked, but if I'm being honest, it probably took me being around her two or three times to know I wanted everything I could get from her. What's happening with you and Skye?"

I sighed. "I took her out to dinner last week, and we got together again this afternoon. I don't know what it is, but I've had this feeling ever since I met her that just won't go away. If anything, the more I'm around her, the more I'm convinced she's someone I need to have in my life."

"That's awesome, man. Congratulations."

"Don't congratulate me yet," I warned him. "She's not interested in getting into a relationship right now."

"Yeah, you mentioned that last week," he noted.

"What's stopping her? Does she have a good reason not to want to be in a relationship?" Liam asked.

I knew this conversation was hitting so close to home for him. "Skye's ex-boyfriend broke up with her several months ago, doing it via email, because he'd cheated on her with her best friend."

Liam winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah. And it gets worse. When I was there at the bookstore fixing her door, Skye's former best friend showed up wanting to make amends, and she thought Skye wouldn't have a problem with it. Worst of all, the ex-boyfriend and the best friend are expecting a baby now."

"You've got to be kidding me," Wyatt said.

I shook my head. "Nope. Anyway, I heard their conversation, realized what was happening, and stepped in, pretending to be Skye's boyfriend."

"Nice."

"Yeah. Well, we've been getting together to get to know each other better, because our goal is to convince them at the charity event that Skye's in a much better relationship now and that she's much better off without them in her life," I explained.

Liam chimed in again. "But now you're getting caught up in her, and she doesn't feel the same. Is that what you're telling us?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. She's not throwing herself at me, that's for sure. But I think she's warming up to the idea of me a bit more."

"Okay. So, what does how I felt about Rhea have to do with you and Skye?" Wyatt asked.

"Nothing. It was just me wanting to see if I'm crazy for feeling the way I do about her, especially when I know her stance on the idea of a relationship right now," I explained.

Wyatt laughed. "I'm not sure I've ever fully explained to you how much Rhea did not like me in the beginning. She barely spoke to me. So, I think you're already way ahead of the game with Skye. Just be patient with her, but I don't think you're wrong for feeling the way you do."

That was a relief. "Thanks. That's good to know. I probably should get going, because I still need to talk to Tate about something, and I need to go see Ivy before I get some work done here today. I'll talk to you both later."

"If you need an extra hand with anything tonight, let me know," Liam offered. "I don't have any plans, but that's nothing new."

I sent a sympathetic look his way. "Yeah, okay. Let me go take care of a few things, and I'll give you a call to let you know where I wind up. By the way, what are you doing here? Did everything go okay with the construction today?"

He let out a slight laugh. "You're awfully concerned for someone who wasn't here today."

"I'm here now, though," I pointed out. "And as I just said, I intend to get to work shortly."

"Right. Well, everything is fine. You need to relax a little. I can handle what's happening at the amusement park. I merely stopped up here to give Wyatt an update on the progress and show him a few pictures of what got done today."

I gave him a nod of understanding. "Okay. I'll check it out later."

"Sounds good."

I said goodbye to my brothers and walked out.

Though I needed to talk to Tate about something I had in mind, I thought it was more important to head over to the hotel to talk to Ivy. On the way there, I pulled out my phone and gave Jules a call.

"Hey, Coop. How's it going?" she greeted me.

"Hi, Jules. You aren't in class, are you?" I asked.

"If I was, I certainly wouldn't have answered your call. So, tell me what I did to deserve the honor of getting a call from you on a random Tuesday afternoon."

I smiled at the same time I rolled my eyes. Jules was such a good kid with a positive attitude. She always got good grades and did what was expected of her. I should have known better than to ask her such a stupid question. "Well, my birthday is coming up," I started.

"Oh, do you have a special request for me?" she asked excitedly before I could say another word.

"Actually, I do," I told her.

Jules squealed with delight. "I can't believe it. Every time I've ever asked you what I can make for you, I'm always told to surprise you. This has made my day. What kind of cake do you want for your birthday?"

I could just imagine her bouncing up and down on her toes excitedly. "I kind of don't want cake. I mean, you can certainly make that if you want, but I was curious if you'd be able to make a dessert style bread."

"What?"

"I don't care what kind, but I'd really appreciate it if you could make a banana bread or something like that," I explained.

Jules didn't respond. In fact, it felt as though the excited and upbeat mood she'd been in had vanished, because nothing came through the line. I pulled my phone from my ear, saw that our call was still connected, and called, "Jules?"

"Is this… are you… what are you not telling me?" she asked.

She was going to have to know the truth. "I invited the girl I mentioned last week to come and celebrate my birthday with us, and I've learned a bit about the things she likes."

Not missing a beat, Jules didn't hesitate to call me out. "You said you two were just friends."

"We are, but I'd like for us to be more, and I think I could use your help in impressing her," I explained.

I could hear the smile in my sister's voice. "Oh, I'm so excited for you, Cooper. I'd love to help you out. Don't you worry at all. I'm going to come up with something super special."

The smile was back on my face. "Thanks, Jules. I really appreciate it."

She let out a laugh. "Hey, you've agreed to build me a bakery. I figure I'm going to owe you close to a lifetime of baked goods."

Laughter spilled out of me. "That works for me. Listen, I just got to the hotel, and I've got to talk to Ivy. I'll see you later this week."

"Absolutely."

Jules and I disconnected just as I stepped inside the front door to the hotel.

I didn't immediately spot my sister, so I moved in the direction of the front desk. "Hi, Cooper," one of the front desk employees greeted me. "Looking for Ivy?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Is she around, or did she already leave for the day?"

"She's here. I think she's down in the grand ballroom."

"Perfect. Thanks."

I walked off and made my way down the hall toward the grand ballroom. When I stepped inside, I found my sister there, directing several employees as to what she needed to have done with the setup of the tables and chairs. I waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt.

The moment they got to work on doing as she requested, I stepped forward and called out to her. "Hey, Ivy."

My sister spun around, immediately spotting me moving in her direction with a bit of surprise written on her face. "Hi, Cooper. What's going on? I thought you were off today."

I shook my head. "No. I took some time this afternoon to do something, but I have too much work to get done here to be able to take a full day off right now." My eyes scanned the space, and I asked, "Is this for the charity event on Friday, or do you have something else happening before then?"

"This is preparation for Friday," she said. "Most people aren't booking large events in the middle of the week, and nobody is going to ask for this ballroom for a small event. They'll usually grab one of the conference rooms or one of the smaller ballrooms in those instances."

"That makes sense. Are you planning to be here on Friday during this event?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

She offered a slight nod. "Yeah. I mean, I don't know if I'll be here for the entire thing, since I'll be in early to make sure everything is prepped and ready to go for the event. Why do you ask?"

"I was hoping you could do me a favor," I revealed.

Her brows shot up. "Really? What do you need?"

"I'm going to be attending this event with someone, and I was hoping I could introduce her to you," I explained.

Confusion washed over her. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I met a girl. I really like her. And I'm going to be escorting her to this event," I said. "Skye's particularly shy, but she's incredibly sweet. Since I've invited her to celebrate my birthday on Saturday, too, I thought it might help her to have met at least one member of my family ahead of time."

"I had no idea you were dating anyone," Ivy replied.

"That part of it is a little complicated, as we're not officially together or anything like that," I shared. "But I'd like for that to change, and I'm hoping my family can help me out with that."

A look I couldn't ever recall seeing before formed on my sister's face. But it was gone so quickly, I thought I'd imagined it. "Of course, I'll help you. Tell me about this girl. Where did you meet her, and what else should I know about her?"

The corners of my mouth tipped up with a smile. This felt like one more small victory, even if it shouldn't have. I knew the kind of family I had. We would always do whatever we could to help one another out, so it didn't surprise me that Ivy was willing.

And while I didn't necessarily want to go blabbing the details of Skye's personal life to everyone around me, there were parts of it that I believed were important for them to know, especially when it came to helping in this situation.

So, I spent the next fifteen minutes giving Ivy the important details. To say she was horrified to learn what Skye had been through with her ex-boyfriend and former best friend would have been an understatement.

Though she hadn't been averse to meeting Skye, after Ivy was given those details, she was even more willing to help. She was fully on board and promised to stick around to meet Skye, so she could make her feel welcome. Plus, if there was any chance that Simon and Maria were around, it would only strengthen the believability of our relationship.

With any luck, all that I was doing would help Skye to realize this was more than just a means to prove to those that had betrayed her that Skye had officially moved on. Hopefully, she'd understand that I liked her and wanted to do what I could to make sure she was surrounded by people who cared about her. If I succeeded in doing that, maybe I'd be able to prove to myself that my instincts about her being someone special were correct from the beginning.