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“Yeah. You should have started with this plan.”
“Noted,” he says with a low chuckle.
“It’s so nice out here. I forgot what it’s like to have a backyard this peaceful.”
“We had the house in college,” he reminds me.
“Peaceful, Coop. There was always so much going on, it was hard to just sit and chill like this.”
“So, when we look for our place, a big quiet backyard is a must. Got it.”
“Our place?”
“Yeah, I mean eventually, we’re going to need more space. My condo is just a stepping-stone.”
“You live in Indianapolis,” I remind him.
“About that. I was hoping that maybe you could move there with me?” We’re both quiet for a few minutes, and he keeps going. “I could keep my condo and stay there during the season, and then come home to you when I can, but that’s long-distance, and I just don’t think that I could do that with you.”
I don’t say anything as I process what he’s saying. He’s planning our future together. Not as my best friend, but as the love of my life. Not once since the day he walked into that banquet hall has he wavered on his feelings for me, and what we are, or what he wants us to be.
“The only other option is for me to walk away.” I tense at his words, and his arms tighten around me. “You weren’t listening to a damn thing I said. I’m not walking away from you, baby. If you were listening, you would have heard me say I would walk away from football.”
“What?” I sit up and turn to look at him. “Cooper, are you crazy? You’ve worked your entire life to be where you are. This is your dream. To play in the professional league. You can’t just walk away. Not without good reason, and by good reason, I mean an injury or your health.”
“Or the love of my life.” With one hand still around my waist, he places the other against my cheek. “I mean it, Reese. I would give it all up if it means I get to be with you every day. To come home to you at night, to lie next to you as we fall asleep.”
“Cooper, do you hear what you’re saying?”
“I hear it, and I feel it. If that’s what you want, for me to stay with you in Columbus, I’ll do it. I spent a year of my life without you, and I never want to do that again. Never. If it takes walking away from football to achieve that, then so be it.”
“You can’t just walk away.”
“Then come with me.” Gently, he pulls my face to his. “I want it all, Reese. Every single moment life gives us, I want to spend it with you. I don’t care what that looks like, or where we live, as long as we’re together. You are what’s important to me,” he says before softly pressing his lips to mine.
I allow myself to get lost in the kiss. In the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms, knowing he wants me. Just me. It’s a feeling of bliss I want to chase, and it’s getting harder and harder not to. We spend hours, if I had to guess, in that chair, kissing and touching one another. Nothing overly sexual, but something you might do when you first start dating someone. When the dew and the chill of the night air set in, I know we need to head inside. Cooper pulls back from the longest kissing session in history and rests his forehead against mine.
“You should get inside.”
“Yeah,” I agree. Reluctantly, I untangle my body from his and the blanket and stand. He does the same, and we both stretch before Cooper turns off the fire pit.
He wraps his arms around me in a hug, burying his face in my neck. “Sweet dreams, beautiful. I’ll see you in the morning.” He pulls back and takes a hesitant step back.
“Coop.” I hold my hand out for him.
“Yeah?” he asks, placing his hand in mine.
“Come with me.” I begin to walk toward the house, the blanket in one hand, and Cooper’s warm hand in the other. Quietly, we step inside, and he follows me upstairs to my room. I drop the blanket on the floor, pull off my hoodie, and climb into bed. Cooper just stands there in the moonlight, waiting for me to tell him what I want.
“Will you hold me?” I whisper into the dark quiet of the room.
I hear him exhale. “Nothing I want more,” he murmurs. The bed dips and I’m in his arms, snuggled under the blankets.
I don’t think about what it means or how our parents are going to react when they find out we stayed together. No, the only thing I’m thinking about is how tonight has been one of the best I’ve ever had. Just me and Cooper. Together. Not hanging with my best friend, but a man who loves me. With each passing day, with each tender caress, my heart begins to heal, and the love I have for him grows.
