AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Murph, who’s single? I mean... somebody here has to be down for some fun?” Leave it to Chloe to be blunt.
The wedding is small, just the way Aiden and Sabrina wanted it. But with some extended family from both of our sides and the few people Sabrina’s father had to invite. Small is a relative thing. There’s still probably about ninety people who have flown in over the course of the week.
Aiden leans down between us and starts giving Chloe the lowdown on a few cousins from both sides of the family, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to lose her for the rest of the night.
I stand, and then he and I are engulfed by our mother. “I love when all my babies are under one roof.” Callen’s on her hip, wrapping his arms around me. “You’ll understand when you’re a parent one day. We take this for granted. All those years of running you guys from one thing to another. All the late-night dinners. All those family movie nights...”
She fights back tears.
“Don’t cry, Momma.” Callen looks at Mom with big, concerned eyes, and Aiden mimics him.
He tugs Mom and me into a big hug as his eyes water. “Don’t cry, Momma. We love you.”
“Oh my God. If you cry, I’m going to cry.” I laugh at them, but in reality, I’m on the verge too. It was the three of us for so long.
“Life goes by fast.” Mom’s green eyes scan over the three of us. “Enjoy every minute.” She kisses us each on the cheek, and then exaggeratedly kisses both of Callen’s cheeks as Coach joins us and takes Cal from her. He rests an arm on her shoulder, and she leans her head against him.
“And love hard, my babies. Love hard and don’t let go.”
My eyes find Cooper, who’s watching me with brooding intensity from across the room, and my heart fractures a little more. Loving hard is easy. Not letting go is a whole other thing.
* * *
The party is still going late into the night, but one of the things I’ve learned over the past few months since I’ve been diagnosed is to watch out for my triggers and to know my limits. Too much sun is definitely a trigger for me, so I use an abundance of sunscreen and never walk out of the house without it on now. Another trigger is lack of sleep. I’m much more likely to feel run-down now than I’ve ever been. So, knowing that tomorrow is the big event and it will probably be a long day and longer night, I decide to call it a night a little earlier than everyone else.
I hug my brother and say goodnight to everyone, then make my way down the stone path from the main hotel winding through the garden. A thousand stars light up the humid night’s sky. The sweet scent of tropical flowers surrounds me as I walk toward my hut. I’m paying more attention to them than to what’s around me when a hand clamps down over my lips, blocking the scream that tries to escape.
Cooper comes into view, and I relax as he takes his hand away. “What are you doing out here?”
“We need to talk, Carys. We’ve needed to talk for months, and you’re avoiding me. That ends tonight.” He takes my hand and tugs me behind him. “Come with me.”
“Where are you taking me?” I don’t put up a fight. I probably should, but I’m tired of fighting. “Cooper...”
He doesn’t answer and instead, just guides me down the path away from the huts to a stone grotto surrounding one of the pools. When he finally stops, he spins me so my back is against the stones and his hands are caging me in on either side of my head.
“Are you done yet?” His baby-blue eyes beg me to give him the answer he wants, but I can’t.
“Done with what, Cooper?” My blood starts to warm at his insinuation. “Do you think this is a game for me?”
He crowds me with his big body, but I don’t back down. “We were making plans for our life together. I went back to Virginia Beach after New Year’s and talked to my commanding officer about switching teams when their sniper retires.” His jaw clenches, and I fight an internal battle.
Do I want to soothe him or scream at him?
Anger wins because it’s an easier emotion to deal with right now.
“My whole life has changed since then.” My voice raises as my muscles shake. “What my future looks like and how I live my life are completely different now than they were six goddamned months ago, Coop.”
“And what, Carys? You got sick, so you don’t love me anymore?”
He could have slapped me and it would have hurt less.
Everyone has tiptoed around my diagnosis. My mom, my friends, our family... all of them have treated me like glass, but none of them have come out and admitted that I’m sick. But not this man. He never treated me like I was someone who needed to be protected. He treated me like an equal who needed to be cherished.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I whisper, allowing my anger to build from deep inside me. I know it’s not fair, but anger is easier to deal with than pain, so I embrace it.
“What’s wrong with me?” He slams his palm against the rock next to my face, and I jerk away. “I love you. I want to spend my life with you. I want to tell everyone here this weekend that you’re mine and they can get on board or get over it because you’re worth everything. And you threw me away.”
He drops his hands and takes a step back. “You threw us away like we were nothing. I was ready to give up everything for you.” Then Cooper turns away from me, his broad shoulders tight with rigid muscles.
