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Then I watch as he squirts sunscreen on his arms and starts lathering it in, and holy hell, arm porn. His shoulder and arm muscles are rippling like nobody’s business and I can’t look away. Fuck, that’s hot. Cooper has the perfect amount of arm muscle. It’s not ridiculous, like a bodybuilder, but it’s certainly noticeable even without him flexing.
“Hey, Wes, you want a towel to wipe off some of that drool?” my brother asks, holding one out to me, and I damn near take it before I realize he’s just being a prick. I glare at him instead. I notice Cooper glancing at me, and he smiles but doesn’t say anything. Fuck, he can’t catch me perving on him.
“I might need a towel,” Macy says, and I laugh. Derick smirks at his wife, and she giggles.
Once we’re all finished with the sunscreen Macy grabs the volleyball out of the bag and tosses it in the air. “Let’s make this interesting. Losers have to cook dinner tonight for Derick and me.” She looks at me and Cooper and grins widely, then tosses the ball up again.
“Very funny,” I reply, jumping up and snatching the ball out of the air. It earns me a playful jab in the ribs from Macy, and a snide remark from my brother.
“Ooh, way to go, short stack. I didn’t know you could reach that high.”
“Hey,” I reply. “First of all, bite me, and second, we can’t all be tall. Some of us have to be attractive.”
Macy laughs and gives me a high five. Derick gives me the finger. When I turn to Cooper, he winks at me, smiling.
“No, but for real though, whoever loses cooks dinner tonight for everyone else,” Macy says. “Deal?”
“Okay,” I say, with a shrug. “But I hope you know how to make peach cobbler and Mom’s famous casserole, cuz that’s what I’m in the mood for.”
An hour later I’m showered and in the kitchen, writing down the ingredients for Mom’s casserole while I mumble about the game being rigged, and Derick and Macy stand near me, gloating.
“Happy shopping,” Macy says with a grin, holding up the keys to my car.
I grab them out of her hand and stick my tongue out at her because apparently I’m a five-year-old. She just laughs. I turn to Cooper who’s sitting on the couch, also freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a clean T-shirt. “You coming, babe?” I ask.
He glances out to the back porch where his mom is visiting with my parents.
“She’ll be fine,” Derick says. “She seems to be enjoying herself.”
Cooper watches her for a moment longer. She’d had a nap and has been visiting for a short while now. She seems content. Happy even, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, and the company. Her scarf blows in the breeze and she even laughs now and again.
“Just let me tell her where I’m going,” he says, and stands up, the rest of us exchanging glances as he heads out to the back porch. He places a kiss on his mom’s cheek, and rubs her back. He says something and she smiles, squeezing his arm, and then he’s back inside.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s go.” He gives me a smile but I notice it’s a forced one.
“I’m sure I can manage on my own, if you’d rather stay,” I tell him. “Or I can take Derick with me.” I smile at my brother.
“No, no,” Cooper hurries to dismiss my offer. “I’m coming. Let’s go.”
I nod and grab my wallet off the counter. He does the same and we head out to the car. I’m sure to put the top down again because Cooper won’t let me not. I can’t help but chuckle a little as I do, and he smirks at me.
“There are some advantages to being short,” I say.
“I’m sure there are.” He gives me a smile. A gorgeous, knee buckling smile. Well, it would be knee buckling if I wasn’t already sitting down. Thank god I am.
“Can I ask you something?” I say once we’re on our way. I have to talk loud to be heard over the noise on the road and the sound of the wind blowing by as I drive through town. It’s a short drive to the grocery store with a few stop lights between here and there but I can’t sit in silence the whole way. It’ll drive me crazy.
“Sure,” Cooper says, a little hesitantly.
“Do you always get this nervous about leaving your mom?”
He wrings his hands together. “Probably,” he admits, looking down at his lap. “I’m all she has, you know?” His gaze meets mine for a moment before I’m watching the road again, but that’s all it takes for me to see the pain behind those big brown eyes. It cuts me. Shit. I can’t imagine what he must be going through. What he’s been going through. For years. Taking care of his mom on his own, while trying to hold down a job. God. I wish I could have been there for him. I would have been, if he had wanted me to be. I would have done anything for him.
“Not right now, you aren’t,” I say. “Let us help you this week. Take a break. What do you do when you go to work?”
Cooper scoffs. “Worry a lot. Spend a lot of time texting her to make sure she’s okay. She’s got a medical alert button if there’s an emergency. Fortunately she’s able to do most things for herself, like changing and feeding herself, and showering, but it does wear her out really fast, so she spends most of her time sleeping anyway. I used to spend a good deal of my time driving her to appointments, but...” He shrugs. “You’re right. I should let you guys help. And I do think being here is good for her. It’s just hard to break a habit, you know?”
“Can I ask you another question?”
