14. SKYE

14

SKYE

If anyone had been watching me, they might have thought I had something stuck in my eye. My disbelief about what I was witnessing had me blinking rapidly.

Cooper and I were standing off to the side of where everyone was gathered in his parents' backyard—though calling it a backyard seemed inaccurate given its sheer size—prepared to celebrate Cooper's birthday.

Everybody was deep into conversations or cooking on the grill and in the brick oven. I didn't know what time everyone had arrived, but it was plainly obvious they were all enjoying themselves.

Slowly, I twisted my neck and looked up at Cooper. "You expect me to believe this is your family and just a few friends? I thought you were one of six kids. How do you even know this many people?"

Cooper squeezed my hand in his, an attempt to comfort and reassure me, and said, "I am one of six kids. But my dad's sister, my Aunt Mina, and her husband have another five kids of their own. Plus, my grandparents are here along with all the friends, which don't include just mine. My mom's two best friends, Pam and Cheryl, have been in our lives for as long as I can remember."

I swallowed hard, returning my attention to the crowd.

Suddenly, I was seriously rethinking my decision to have Cooper pick me up and bring me to the party with him. I had foolishly thought it would be easier to arrive with him, instead of arriving and having to search for him in a sea of people I didn't know.

But I was wrong.

Now, it would be just a matter of a few seconds before all eyes would be on us. Cooper was the guest of honor, which meant I was bound to get an extra dose of scrutiny for having arrived with him.

"This is terrifying," I murmured under my breath.

"You have nothing to worry about, Skye. Everyone is nice, and they're going to love you," he assured me. Then he took a step forward and gave me a slight tug on the hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."

I had no choice but to go with him. It was either that or stand here, alone, looking awkward and out of place. As we made our way through the perfectly manicured grounds toward the party, I tried to focus on anything but what was immediately in store for me.

I took in the space, unable to ignore the opulence. That's when it hit me. Sure, I was aware of what The Westwood Company was, and I realized they had built a global brand, but it hadn't hit me until this moment just how affluent they were.

Was Cooper being honest with me? Would his family like me? Or would they think I wasn't good enough for him?

Granted, it wasn't as though I was living in poverty—not that it should have mattered—but I still didn't come close to this level of wealth, either.

There was one thing that caught my eye and held my attention.

The garden.

Not a vegetable garden, but a floral one.

There were flowers everywhere, the beautiful blooms and colors bringing the backyard to life in a way the existence of people never would. After everyone left and went home or indoors, the living beauty of the garden would remain. It was breathtaking, and I found myself wanting to inspect all of it.

But I had to refrain from that for the time being.

All that I'd done to distract myself from the nerves I felt about meeting all these people hadn't helped. If anything, I'd grown more and more concerned about how this was all going to go down.

Before I could freak out any more than I already was, Cooper ground to a halt on the partially shaded patio—if it could be called that—and said, "Hey, Mom."

A beautiful woman with dark hair looked up, took us in, and beamed at us. She turned slightly, looked back behind her, and called out, "Cooper's here, Malcolm."

That declaration seemed to force a hush to fall over everyone who happened to be under the covered portion of the patio. All eyes came in our direction, and several people moved our way, including Cooper's mom and the man called Malcolm, who I could only assume was his dad.

Cooper's mom and Malcolm were the first to make it to us, and she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her son as she said, "Happy birthday, Coop."

"Thanks, Mom."

She loosened her hold, stepped back, and Malcolm stepped forward. "Happy birthday, son."

Cooper hugged him and said, "Thanks, Dad."

When their eyes fell on me, I had expected Cooper was going to introduce us, but his mom stepped forward with a huge smile on her face and hugged me. "You must be Skye."

I hugged her back, completely baffled, and confirmed, "I am."

She stepped back and said, "I'm Cooper's mom, Evelyn. And this is my husband, Malcolm. We're so happy you could join us today."

So perhaps I had it wrong. Maybe I didn't need to be worried about Cooper's family looking down on me. At the very least, it seemed his parents were welcoming.

I smiled at her. "Thank you for having me."

"Are you kidding? We've been dying to meet you," Malcolm said as additional members of Cooper's family came to a stop around us.

I'd only met two of his family members so far today, and my mind was already blown. How much had Cooper talked about me that they already knew my name and were "dying" to meet me?

Whether he recognized I was feeling slightly overwhelmed or not, Cooper wrapped his arm around my back, his hand landing on my opposite shoulder. Then he swung his free hand out in front of us and pointed at each individual as he said, "This is my brother, Wyatt, and his girlfriend, Rhea. Her family owns the Marks Dairy Farm that buttresses up against Westwood's campus."

I offered a wave, feeling a hint of solidarity with Rhea, if for no other reason than her being an outsider like me.

"And this is my brother, Tate, my grandmother, Wendy, my grandfather, Larry, and my sister, Ivy, whom you met last night," Cooper went on.

"It's lovely to meet all of you," I said softly to a sea of warm faces.

"You two have perfect timing, because the last bit of the food was just finished up. Let's all grab something to eat, and you can meet the rest of the family, Skye."

I gave Evelyn a nod of agreement just before she turned and started moving in the opposite direction. Cooper and I remained where we were, because his grandparents shuffled forward to offer him birthday wishes. Only after they'd done that did Cooper urge me away from the spot we'd been in and toward the food.

But it wasn't a direct shot there. On the way, I was introduced to Liam and Jules as well as Cooper's best friend, Marco, and Ivy's best friend, Ava. I'd already felt overwhelmed when Cooper's Aunt Mina approached with her brood, leaving me to wonder how he kept everybody straight.

While I could certainly admit I'd been wrong so far to think the worst would happen once I was here, a new set of fears had popped up. I had been introduced to so many people, and I was utterly terrified I was going to forget somebody's name.

My hope was that I'd be able to do one of the things I did well, which was to observe for a while, and hopefully, I'd be able to practice names in my head while everyone else was communicating with one another.

For the next few minutes, the entire crowd was occupied with small talk as everyone went about loading up their plates with food. I stayed by Cooper's side, grateful he was communicating with me, but I couldn't help feeling as though there were more than a handful of eyes on us.

Not wanting to appear paranoid, even if I was truly panicking inside, I did my best to pretend it was just Cooper and me by ourselves. It wasn't as though it was impossible to get caught up in him anyway. Cooper had made that easy enough. And the truth was that I'd been looking forward to spending time with him today, so I thought it was wise to simply do that. If there was one thing Cooper had proven to me already, it was that he could recognize when things were uncomfortable for me, and he'd take charge in those situations.

Surprisingly, by the time we sat down to enjoy some food, I'd almost forgotten about everyone else, because Cooper had done something I hadn't been expecting and distracted me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice slightly hushed as he rested a hand on my thigh.

I nodded, my belly trembling at the intimate touch. "Yeah. I just wasn't expecting so many people.

"I understand that, but that's not what I'm talking about," he said.

Confused, my brows pulled together. "What do you mean?"

He jerked his head toward my plate and noted, "You didn't load up."

"What?"

"We go overboard with food here, so there's a large variety, and nobody goes home hungry," he explained. "Is there a reason you put only two things on your plate? You don't have any allergies, do you?"

I shook my head. "No. I just…" I trailed off. Until that moment, I didn't realize exactly what was happening. But now I knew. I didn't just want Cooper's family to like me in the way that anybody wanted people to like them in general. I wanted them to like me in the way that meant they'd ultimately want me to be one of them. Sure, I was nervous as heck about being around so many of them, but from what Cooper had told me and what I'd seen so far, this was a family that cared deeply about people. I never wanted anything more than that. And I wasn't sure I knew how to express that to Cooper without bursting into tears.

Cooper must have realized I was struggling with something and said, "Sweetheart, I need you to be yourself. That's all you've got to do."

"I'm trying," I murmured, dropping my attention to my lap after squirming under the intense scrutiny of his concerned gaze.

I managed to take a settling breath before Cooper placed a crooked finger beneath my chin and tipped my head up. Once my eyes were on his again, he cocked a brow, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Seeing his softened features and the playfulness in his expression instantly helped me to feel better. "Oh yeah? So, you're telling me you didn't want to try the surf ‘n' turf packets we had on the grill, or one of my favorites, the honey-garlic grilled shrimp?"

My mouth watered, and Cooper must have realized the reaction I was having. He looked down at his plate, picked up a skewer of the grilled shrimp. Then he slid one off and held it up to my mouth. Between the way he was looking at me and the scent of the honey-garlic marinade, I couldn't not take the shrimp.

But I didn't use my fingers.

Cooper held on to the tail as I pulled out the meat using my teeth. There was an explosion of delicious flavor in my mouth, forcing me to drop my head back, close my eyes, and moan. I chewed, swallowed, and returned my attention to Cooper, whose gaze had darkened. He had a smile playing on his lips. "Good?"

I returned the smile, nodded, and declared, "I can see why it's your favorite. That was so yummy."

Cooper held the skewer out to me. "It's yours."

"No. That's yours, and it's your favorite. I can't take it," I said.

He tipped his head to the side in the direction of his plate and pointed out, "I have two others. Plus, I can just go back and grab more if I want. You take this one."

I sent a look of appreciation his way as I took the skewer from him. "Thanks, Cooper."

He gave me a wink, squeezed my thigh, and said, "You're welcome, Skye."

The two of us returned our attention to our food, and I started to feel more relaxed.

For a short while, I happily ate while I moved my gaze through the crowd, trying to recall everyone's name. I was relatively sure I recalled the names of Cooper's immediate family, which I thought was most important.

But eventually, the mental gymnastics were brought to a halt when someone said, "So, Skye, did I hear correctly that you're also part of a family business?"

That question came from Rhea, who looked completely at ease, sitting beside Wyatt as they ate.

I offered a slight nod in return before I explained, "Well, I'm technically the sole owner now. My grandmother opened The Next Chapter forty-three years ago. It's a used and indie bookstore that's been a part of my life since I was a kid. My grandmother, who raised me from the time I was eight when my parents died, has since passed, but I've been honored to follow in her footsteps and continue running the store."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Rhea said.

"Thank you."

"Your parents died when you were eight?" Jules asked. Her voice indicated she couldn't begin to wrap her head around the possibility of that being true.

"Yes. Sadly, they were the victims of a robbery gone wrong," I shared. When I noted the horrified looks around me, I apologized, "Sorry, that's probably too heavy for the occasion."

I felt Cooper's hand settle on my thigh again. "I don't think anyone is looking for an apology, sweetheart."

"Of course, we're not," Malcolm insisted.

While there were still muted conversations happening in other groups around the backyard, an awkward silence fell over those that surrounded Cooper and me. I felt awful for bringing the spirit of the party down.

Fortunately, Evelyn was quick on her toes. "You know, I went into that bookstore looking for a job once."

Relief swept through me, and I couldn't have been more grateful for her in that moment. Because not only was Evelyn changing the subject, but apparently, she was sharing information that nobody else seemed to have heard before now.

There were gasps from all around, and it appeared that even her children weren't aware of this information. I glanced at Cooper, and he shot me a look that indicated he had just heard this news for the first time in his life.

"You did?" I asked.

She nodded. "It was just around the holiday season so many years ago. In fact, it was the same day I met Malcolm. I had just lost my warehouse job the day before, so I was out looking for another one. I was walking through downtown Landing and stopped in at the bookstore. It was probably your grandmother I spoke to when I was there. Unfortunately, she said she wasn't hiring."

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized.

Evelyn shook her head, a bright smile on her face. "Don't be. If she had been hiring, I wouldn't have continued walking down the street handing out resumes, and I never would have met Malcolm inside the coffeeshop a little farther down the block."

"Are you talking about The Java House?"

"That's the one. I love that it's still there, along with your bookstore."

"I'm grateful for the bookstore, too," Marco declared.

My eyes shot to him, but before I could assess whether I'd seen him in the store before, Cooper didn't hesitate to question his best friend. "When have you ever been interested in books, let alone been to Skye's bookstore?"

Marco and Liam both laughed as Marco replied, "I've read a book or two in my life, Coop. But I haven't been to Skye's place." He turned his attention to me momentarily and said, "No offense."

"None taken."

Marco slid his eyes to the side, smirked, and declared, "Let's just say that ever since you destroyed the front door at The Next Chapter and met Skye, you're like a completely different guy at work."

"You can say that again," Liam muttered under his breath.

Curious as to what they were talking about, I twisted my neck to look at Cooper. His eyes were narrowed on Marco and Liam in a way I hadn't ever seen. He almost looked… menacing.

"Yeah, I think we're going to have to wait until Tate or I call a meeting to be certain the change is here to stay," Wyatt added.

A wave of confusion washed over me as I looked around, hoping somebody was going to offer some additional explanation.

Ivy cottoned on and announced, "I get the feeling Skye hasn't met the real Cooper yet."

My body tensed.

The real Cooper?

I wasn't quite sure I knew what that meant, but I was certain I didn't like the way it made me feel.

"Wh… what's going on?" I stammered.

"Jeez, you guys are the worst sometimes," Cooper declared.

"Everyone is just joking around," Tate insisted. "I'm sure Skye has seen your moody side already."

I raised a curious brow. Cooper? Moody?

Normally, in a situation like this, I'd have sat back and said nothing. But something came over me and I rushed to Cooper's defense. "I've never seen anything like that," I told them. "Cooper's the sweetest, gentlest man I've ever met."

If I thought I'd been shocked by them calling him moody, it was evident I'd done the very same in return by telling them the truth about who I knew Cooper to be, because several of their jaws dropped open, and those who kept their lips pressed together couldn't stop their eyes from looking as though they might fall out of their heads.

My focus returned to Cooper. "Am I missing something?"

His hand rubbed my thigh as he shook his head. If I hadn't been so distressed about the possibility of Cooper being someone other than who I believed he was, I didn't think I would have been able to ignore how much I liked the feel of what his hand was doing and that I wanted to feel it in other places.

But I was worried I'd somehow misjudged him—or that he'd kept a side of him completely hidden from me—so I couldn't pay attention to much else besides that.

"No, you're not," he assured me. "My family is simply getting on my case, because just as I'm a man of action in my personal life, which I don't think you would disagree with, I'm the same when it comes to my work. Wyatt and Tate don't mind having meetings. I think if they could be in meetings all day, every day, they'd do it. I'd rather be getting something accomplished instead of sitting around. That's all."

If there was one thing I could believe, it was that Cooper was a man of action. After that piece of wood flew through my front door, he walked in and promised to take care of it. When Maria showed up unannounced and unwanted, he stepped in and pretended to be my boyfriend. He'd put so much effort into getting to know me, and he made our night last night wonderful.

I guess I could easily understand why his family might have thought he was moody, especially if they made him sit around in a meeting when he much preferred to work with his hands.

Of course, those thoughts all led to me relaxing enough to recognize his hand was still rubbing my thigh. Cooper liked using his hands a lot, and I started envisioning those hands on other parts of my body.

A shiver ran down my spine. Cooper noticed, halted the movement of his hand, and asked, "Does that help explain it?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Of course, it does," Jules declared. "And shame on the rest of you for giving him a hard time for being happier while he's at work. If meeting Skye has made that happen for him, you should be thanking her."

"He's already agreed to build you a bakery, Jules," Tate noted. "No need to butter him up."

"Oh, stop it," Wendy ordered. I was surprised Cooper's grandmother was so firm, but I probably shouldn't have been. Mine had been the same way. "We want Skye to come back. And we want Rhea sticking around, too. So, how about you all just finish eating and distract yourselves with some volleyball in the pool before we have dessert?"

"Sure, Gram. We can do that," Liam promised.

There was a round of nods, and everyone did just as the matriarch of the family had demanded.

And I surprised myself when I initiated a conversation on my own. "Mr. and Mrs. Westwood, I've got to tell you that I'm blown away by your garden. The flowers everywhere are absolutely stunning."

Cooper's mom smiled at me and said, "Call us Malcolm and Evelyn, Skye. There's no need to be formal like that, especially when it's all just family and friends around. And thank you. As much as I'd love to take credit for the garden on my own, I'm afraid I can't. My mother-in-law is the one with the green thumb, and she helped me to select everything we planted here."

"It's gorgeous."

"Skye's parents used to own a flower shop here in Landing," Cooper revealed, joining the conversation.

Wendy immediately declared, "Well, then before you leave, Evelyn and I will give you a tour of the grounds. I think you'll love it."

"I already do," I assured her. "But I'd love a tour."

"And if you think my garden is beautiful," Evelyn started. "Just wait until we have you over to Wendy and Larry's place. My garden doesn't compare to theirs."

My eyes widened in surprise. "I can't imagine anything beyond what's here, so that sounds incredible."

Clearly having his mind on one thing only, Cooper announced, "We're playing volleyball in the pool before garden tours."

"There's plenty of time for all of it, Coop. But since you're the birthday boy, we'll let you choose what happens," Wendy said.

I couldn't help but smile and allow the warmth to seep in.

Despite there being some tense moments when I first arrived, it was clear to me just how much I already adored this family. I had been so focused on the wrong things before we got here that I hadn't given myself the opportunity to even dream of feeling this good so early into the party.

With everything I'd learned from Cooper about his family, the way they'd welcomed me with open arms from the moment he introduced me, the garden, and their willingness to give me a tour of the grounds, I felt something wash over me. There was a comfort I couldn't quite describe or even fully understand, but I felt it all the same.

The only thing I could think was that this might have hit me the way it did because of what Cooper had said when he dropped me off last night, about what he wanted to see happen between us.

I'd convinced myself that Cooper and I were opposites, that we were far too different, and maybe when it came to the superficial things, we might have been. But when it all boiled down, when I looked at the things that really mattered, we were very much the same. There was a big part of me that couldn't dream of walking away from something like that.

So, I was eager to see what the rest of the day would bring and if I'd be able to wait until Cooper took me home to give him one or two more gifts.