11. SKYE

11

SKYE

"Skye?"

My body had already tensed the first time I heard my name.

I had hoped I'd been hearing things that weren't actually being said—perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me—but after hearing my name a second time, I realized it was time to face the music.

"Skye."

Yep.

I had no choice now. That was three times in a row my name had been called, and the chance there was someone else standing nearby with the same name had to be close to zero.

Feeling uneasy, but knowing I just needed to get this over with, I turned around slowly and felt my stomach grow cold.

There they were. Two people I'd loved and trusted more than anything else in the world, and they never felt the same in return.

How could I have been so stupid to think they had actually cared about me?

Taking in the looks on their faces, it was obvious what I was witnessing. Maria was happy and hopeful; Simon looked rather smug.

That was the worst of it. Not only had they done what they'd done to me, but they had the audacity to stand in front of me after all this time, while expecting a baby together, and act like nothing bad had happened, like they hadn't committed the ultimate betrayal.

Some small part of me wondered what they were thinking. Maria had made the attempt to approach me before today; she'd tried contacting me after it had all gone down. I'd gotten nothing from Simon ever since that email. That he hadn't even tried to communicate even once with me, to prove that I had meant even just a little to him, had hurt. He'd picked up and moved on like I was merely a detour on the road he took to get to my best friend. It made me sick to think about it.

Instinctively, I shifted closer to Cooper and reached for his hand on my own. He didn't hesitate to link his fingers with mine and support my weight as I leaned heavily into him. That one small gesture, not necessitating any words from him, provided me with a level of comfort and reassurance that I never imagined I'd be able to have.

When I made no move to speak—truthfully, I really didn't have any desire to have an ounce of communication with either one of them? Maria took charge. It seemed she had no problem filling the silence. "We were hoping we'd see you here. I wasn't sure if you were serious about coming when I saw you two weeks ago."

I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. She really didn't think she'd done anything wrong, her tone indicating she felt not an ounce of shame for her disloyalty to our friendship, something I had wrongfully believed had the power to stand the test of time.

It was apparent she felt no remorse. And I was too stunned by it to be able to speak. How had I not known that this was the kind of woman she was? Was it there the whole time, and she was just that good at hiding it? Or was it simply that she'd done what she'd done, was now expecting a baby with my ex, and just thought it would be easy to be friendly again? She couldn't have believed I could or would do that—maybe she was hoping I'd be willing to pretend.

Fortunately for me, Cooper must have realized I wasn't going to be able to respond to what Maria said, and he didn't hesitate to do what he'd promised to do for me. He let go of my hand, wrapped his arm around my back, and allowed his hand to settle on my opposite shoulder, so he could offer a reassuring squeeze. Then he said, "Well, there wasn't a chance I was going to let her miss this. There was no reason for her to have to give it up in the first place."

Just like that.

Cooper not only understood I was having a hard time speaking, but he also found a way to make it known I had done nothing wrong to warrant how they had treated me.

If I hadn't been so unsure about every decision I made being the wrong one, especially in a situation like this, I might have thrown my arms over Cooper's shoulders and kissed him.

"That's so sweet of you," Maria said, her tone too saccharine to be anything but condescending. "I'm really glad Skye didn't miss this, either."

This wasn't about her genuinely wanting me to be here because she knew how much it meant to me. This was about her wanting to rub her new life in my face. That was the only reason she was glad I was here.

Had she been this much of a bitch when I thought she was my friend?

Somehow, I ignored her comments and decided it was best to offer official introductions. "Cooper, this is Maria and Simon." Waving my hand back toward him, I said, "This is Cooper."

Keeping his arm firmly around me, Cooper extended his free hand toward Maria and said, "It's nice to meet you." She shook his hand, and when he shifted it to Simon, Cooper said, "Nice to meet you. Welcome to Westwood's."

Simon's face twisted with confusion. "Welcome to Westwood's? What's that supposed to mean?"

I pressed my lips together in an effort not to burst out laughing. My eyes went to Cooper, who had since let go of Simon's hand. He was looking completely unaffected by the pair when he offered a nod and explained, "Yes. Well, I feel it's the right thing to do when anyone visits my family's business."

"This is your family's business?" Maria asked, her eyes nearly falling out of her head with undeniable shock.

Cooper offered a smile and a nod. "Yes. I'm Cooper Westwood."

When I looked back at Simon and Maria to see their reactions, I got stuck on Simon. Because his horrified and disbelieving eyes had fallen on me. And the expression he wore told me precisely what was going through his mind. It was hitting him that he'd done me a tremendous favor by cheating on me, because what I got in return was far better.

Granted, I realized Cooper and I weren't actually together and that this was simply a little scheme we'd concocted in an effort to get this exact reaction from Simon, but Simon clearly didn't know that. And it seemed we were doing an excellent job of being convincing, so far. From where I was standing, it was unclear whether Simon felt any regret about what he'd done, but I was positive he believed I had traded up.

Even better, Cooper's fingers stroked along the skin on my bare shoulder, and Simon's eyes shifted there.

Okay, so perhaps there was a bit of regret there, because he realized another man was doing something he'd never be able to do. He'd never touch me again.

"Cooper!" a voice called out from behind us.

We both glanced back in that direction and saw the bartender had placed our drinks on the bar. Cooper released his hold on me, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a tip for the bartender. After he handed mine to me, he reached for my hand. Then he turned his attention to Simon and Maria and said, "Well, it was great meeting the two of you. I'm going to take my girl to grab a seat for dinner, because you know how much she appreciates food. And then maybe we'll see you two out on the dancefloor later. I hope the two of you enjoy your evening." Cooper turned his attention to me and asked, "Ready, sweetheart?"

I nodded with a bright smile on my face.

Without giving them another glance, I allowed Cooper to lead me away toward a table near the front of the room. And as we made our way there, my thoughts were entirely consumed by Cooper. All I could think about was how wonderful he was, how he'd done what he'd done—basically dismissing Simon and Maria like he just had—and doing it so effortlessly and with such confidence.

I wondered whether he was just that good at pretending, or if it was possible that he might really care about me. The next question that popped into my head was which of those options I would have preferred to be the answer. Because even if I had initially believed Simon and Maria's betrayal was a good reason not to open my heart to anyone else again, Cooper was showing me I might have gotten that wrong.

We made it to the table, where Cooper pulled out my chair, so I could sit. The moment he was seated beside me, he asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm good," I assured him.

He smiled. "Are you sure? I could tell when they first showed up that you weren't doing so hot."

Shaking my head, I explained, "I didn't know what to expect seeing him for the first time. It was awkward, at best."

"Yeah. I'd say so. He wasn't very talkative, and she seemed to be overcompensating," he pointed out.

I nodded. "It's strange. I really didn't want to see them at all, but now I'm thinking it's a good thing that I did. I'm not the kind of person who feels the need to seek revenge or anything like that, but in this case, I have to admit, it felt good to be able to show them, especially him, that I'm happy and much better off without them."

"Are you?"

I jerked back slightly, confused by his question. Did he think I wasn't better off? "What?"

Cooper took a sip of his drink, placed it on the table, and reached his hand out to cover my forearm before he spoke with such tenderness in his voice. "Are you happy now?"

Now, it made sense. Cooper wanted to be certain I wasn't just appearing happy for the sake of throwing it in Simon's face. He was legitimately questioning the perceived happiness.

I glanced down at his hand on my arm, loved the way it, combined with his gentle voice, made me feel inside. Warmth moved through me as I returned my attention to his handsome and concerned face, and I smiled. "I'm the happiest I've been in a very long time, Cooper."

He gave my arm a squeeze and smiled back at me. "Good. I intend to make sure you remain just as happy for the rest of the evening."

I let out a laugh. "I'm looking forward to that. It appears I'll be dancing later."

"Without a doubt. You don't honestly believe I'm going to have you here, looking as beautiful as you do, and not take the opportunity to show you off."

God, he made me feel so good about myself. "You're flattering me, Cooper."

His hand left my arm and moved to the satin material of my dress covering my thigh. Then he leaned close and whispered in my ear while giving my thigh a squeeze. "I'm glad to hear it. Because that's exactly what I intended to do."

Between the deep rumble of his voice that I loved so much, the possessive grip of his hand on my thigh, and the rich scent of him filling my nose, a rush of desire moved through me. I had no choice but to react with a shiver as I squeezed my legs together tightly.

Cooper pulled his face back and looked at me with a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. If he'd had my words about not wanting to get into another relationship in the back of his mind, it was evident he wasn't bothered by them. If anything, he was being playful, and I believed he knew precisely what he was doing to me. Maybe he was just as determined to change my mind as I was about figuring out if he was the real deal.

Before either of us could accomplish those tasks, the head of the foundation, Bob Gibson, stepped up on the stage at the front of the room and spoke.

"Can I have your attention please?" he asked. The conversations died down, and the occasional clink of a glass hitting a utensil filled the air. When the room was silent, he continued, "I've just been told that we're only a few minutes away from dinner being served, so before that happens, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for joining us this evening and for all of your donations. We are so grateful for all of your generosity, which helps us gain the very critical funding needed to provide resources and programs throughout Landing and the surrounding towns. This year, due to an unexpected, last-minute donation, we're now going to be able to branch out to even more areas across the state. I'd like to take this opportunity to give that donor the chance to speak to you this evening." Bob scanned the crowd, his eyes ultimately settling on our table. With a slight nod in our direction, his gaze focused on the man beside me as he said, "Everyone, I'd like to invite Cooper Westwood to the stage."

Applause broke out in the room as my stunned expression fell on Cooper. He smiled at me, winked, and stood. Then he made his way to the front of the room as I belatedly joined in the applause.

Cooper took the microphone from Bob. "Thank you," he said. The clapping died down, and he went on, "It's an honor to be here with all of you tonight. Though the event has been held here for several years, this is my first time attending, and I'm having a wonderful time." Cooper paused a moment, his eyes pinned on mine for several beats before he spoke again. "The Westwood Company has a longstanding history of generosity within this community. We have always wanted to give back to the people who make it possible for us to do what we do year after year. And so, this year, we're honored to be able to donate to a cause that's not just doing good work, it's doing that work in our community and spreading the resources out from here. Reading is such a fundamental skill and something that everyone should be able to do, especially children. Not only is it important to teach children how to read, but it's important to make sure they have access to books. We'd much rather see the youth of Landing and the surrounding towns get lost in one book after another instead of seeking out other, perhaps harmful, activities. So, The Westwood Company is happy to contribute one million dollars to that effort, and we look forward to seeing the change we can help enact."

Cheers and applause sounded in the room, my eyes blinking rapidly in a vain attempt to stave off the tears. One million dollars. Bob had said this was a last-minute and unexpected donation. Was Cooper the one behind all of this?

As the room quieted down, Cooper said, "Thank you again. It looks like they're coming out with dinner, so I'll quit talking. Enjoy your night tonight."

Cooper handed the microphone to Bob and made his way back to me as the sound of conversation filled the room once again. He lowered himself into his chair and allowed his eyes to connect with mine. Lifting one hand to my cheek, he gently swiped the tear away and said, "Sweetheart, don't cry."

"Your family never donated to this charity before?" I asked, my throat painfully tight.

He shook his head. "No."

"Why this year?" I pressed.

Cooper tipped his head to the side, his hand still tenderly cupping the side of my face. "Because I listened when you told me about what reading meant to you as a kid, and I realized that not every kid has lived the life I've had. There're not just socioeconomic factors at play, Skye. There's heartbreak and loss and a myriad of other reasons that children might need access to more books or the resources to learn how to read. I thought it was important to contribute to something meaningful like this charity, so I talked to my parents and my brother, Tate. They agreed it was a worthy cause, and they knew how important it was to me."

"You did a really nice thing, Cooper," I rasped.

"So, smile about it," he urged me. "Be happy we're here together and that we're going to have a wonderful time tonight." He glanced over my head, grinned, and said, "In fact, I think your night is about to get even better."

I hesitated to turn around. Instead, I asked, "Why?"

"Because your food is here."

He'd really listened to me. And there was something about that, even if it seemed like a trivial thing in this case, that I liked a whole lot.

Our plates were set down in front of us, and we dove in. When I took the first bite, I did a little dance in my seat and moaned with delight. "Mmm. This is delicious."

Cooper looked at me like he was waging a war inside his head, debating whether to ignore me or kiss me. If my little moan was tempting him, maybe I was going to have to do it a few more times before I finished my meal.

And having that thought surprised me. Because I wasn't the kind of girl who was confident in my ability to flirt. But there was something about Cooper that made me want to break out of my shell a bit.

No matter what, I knew I'd have a wonderful time tonight. But if I could just manage to let loose a bit, I didn't doubt Cooper was going to take advantage and kick things up a notch in his quest to fulfill his promise to show me a good time.