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“No, but we can call them.” Dad reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out his phone. “You want them to come over?”
“Yes.”
“Wait.” Mom holds her hand up, and Dad stops what he’s doing. “Tell us what this is about.”
“Reese.”
“Is she okay?” Mom asks. There is true concern in her voice. She loves Reese like her own. They both do. If I have my say about it, she will be mine, ours, a part of this family for the rest of her life.
“I’m in love with her.” I blurt the words, needing to get the truth off my chest. The room is silent as my eyes dart between my parents. “Say something.”
They look at each other and at the same time say, “We know.”
“What do you mean, we know?” I ask.
“We’ve known for years. It wasn’t our place to interfere, so we kept it to ourselves,” Mom explains.
“Son, it was something you needed to realize on your own. You needed to feel it here,” he says, laying his hand over his chest.
“Everyone keeps saying they knew,” I mutter under my breath, causing them both to laugh.
“I take it you have something to do with Reese running out on her wedding yesterday?” Mom asks gently.
I nod. “I told her that I’m in love with her at the rehearsal.”
Dad whistles. “Talk about timing.”
“Yeah. Anyway, I know Garrett and Eve have questions, and I feel as though I owe them answers.”
“Does Reese know you’re going to talk to her parents?”
“No. She’s… out of town with Tessa.” Mom nods, which tells me she already knew.
“You know what? I’m just going to go over there.” I stand and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans.
“What exactly are you going over there for?” Dad asks.
“I need to explain why she walked out, that should fall on me. I’m the one who dropped this on her the day before her wedding.”
“Reese is her own person, Cooper. You didn’t make her walk out of that banquet hall,” Mom says gently.
“No. You’re right. I didn’t make her, but I’m damn glad she did. I think they need to know that as well.” Dad nods, and Mom has a small smile tilting her lips.
“We’re proud of you, Cooper.”
“For destroying a wedding?” I ask.
“No. For following your heart.”
“I love her. I’m going to fight for her.” It feels good to say it aloud.
“Show her, son. That’s all you can do is show her,” Dad says.
“That’s the plan.” I give them a wave before heading out the front door and across the yard to Reese’s parents’ place. I march up the steps and knock on the door, not giving myself the chance to change my mind.
“Cooper,” Eve says, opening the door. “We didn’t know you were home. Come on in.” She pulls the door open wider. “You know you don’t have to knock. You’re always welcome here.” She smiles warmly. “We just had a late breakfast. Are you hungry?” she offers.
I’m starving but didn’t come over here to eat. “No, thank you,” I say politely, following her into the living room.
“Look who I found,” she tells Garrett.
“Cooper, good to see you. How long are you in town?”
“A while,” I say vaguely. I don’t want to leave until she’s home and I have a chance to see her. Hell, I don’t want to leave her at all. Technically I don’t have to. I have a few engagements with the team I have to go back for, but it’s a three-hour drive, so that’s manageable.
“Not that we’re not happy to see you, but what brings you by? I’m sure you know that Reese isn’t here. She and Tessa went to Mexico for a week,” Eve says, not knowing that I didn’t know where she was.
“Yeah, I knew they were out of town.” I don’t bother to tell her she just spilled the beans. “I actually wanted to talk to the two of you.”
“Oh, what’s going on?” Eve asks, her motherly concern shining through.
Here goes nothing. “I’m the reason she ran.”
They both stare at me with blank expressions.
“I’m the reason Reese walked out on her wedding, and I’m so sorry. I’ll repay you for everything—” I start when Garrett holds his hand up to stop me.
“There will be no talk of you paying for anything.”
“Cooper, you didn’t make Reese change her mind. Furthermore, we’re not upset that she did. All we want is for her to be happy. We’d much rather her walk away now than live a life of misery or go through a nasty divorce later,” Eve explains.
“It was me though. I saw her at the rehearsal dinner. I passed you in the hall, remember?” I ask Eve, and she nods. “I went to her and told her I was in love with her. I begged her not to go through with it.”
