AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Come on, come in.” Christine gestures for us to follow her, the smile never leaving her face, her eyes dancing.
And I can’t help but feel a pang of guilt that none of this is real.
CHAPTER 4
WESLEY
“So, Cooper, fill us in,” Mom says as we sit down to dinner. “What’s been going on with you?” She and Dad are on one side of the table and Cooper and I are on the other. There’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and salad spread out in front of us, and Cooper’s eyes are bugging out of his head as he fills his plate, like he hasn’t eaten in days. I’m pretty sure he’s salivating. “I have to say, you sure have grown up handsome.” She’s smiling widely, and, oh my god, somebody kill me now. I mean, she’s not wrong, but still, somebody kill me now. I’m flushing, and trying to crawl under the table from embarrassment, and she’s still going on about how attractive Cooper is! “Not that I’m surprised. You were always a good-looking boy.” Holy shit. She’s like a broken record. Make it stop. “You and Wesley always looked so adorable together.”
Fucking hell. “Mom,” I groan, and Cooper flushes, smiling. Goddamn that smile. It’s full, and beautiful, and my skin tingles. And now I’m pissed again because, damn him. But I can’t glarebecause we’re supposed to be dating and who glares at their sexy boyfriend for being sexy?
“What?” Mom says. “You did. It makes my heart so happy to see you both here.”
I do my best not to roll my eyes. And then I have to keep from flinching when Cooper reaches over to take my hand. I swallow as his thumb brushes against my skin. “Yeah, this guy is pretty hard to resist,” he says, looking at me. Fuck, he looks so sincere, saying this shit while staring into my eyes, and I don’t know if I want to cry or vomit knowing what a load of bull it is. Shit, Cooper can really lay on the charm when he has to. Kudos to him. Maybe I should be paying him more because he’s a damn fine actor. “I only wish we could have gotten back together sooner, but I guess we just had some growing up to do first. Either way, we’re together now and that’s all that matters.” I smile back, my heart racing and my stomach churning. I feel bile rising in my throat. Hearing him say stuff like that, and knowing he doesn’t mean a word of it, it makes me sick. I didn’t realize just how much it would hurt to hear him say all the things I wished were true and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they aren’t. That he doesn’t mean any of it, and that he’s only doing it for the money. It’s like pouring lemon juice on an open wound.
“Aww,” Mom says, completely fooled. “So, back to my question, Cooper. What’s been going on with you? Are you a pilot now like you always dreamed of?” She has a smile a mile wide and I try to keep the scowl off my face as I slide my hand away from Cooper’s subtly.
“Um, no, actually.” Cooper glances down at his plate as he plays with his napkin. I look over at him at the same time that both of my parents’ brows furrow. The light is gone from his gorgeous brown eyes and his shoulders are slumped.
“Oh,” Mom says, the sadness evident in her voice.
“That was the plan,” Cooper continues, still not making eye contact with any of us, “but it didn’t work out.”
I can’t help it. I blink and stare at him, dumb struck. What? Cooper has wanted to be a pilot since we were little kids. He had model airplanes of all kinds decorating his room, and magazines and books littered his bed and floor whenever I came over. Posters of Trainer planes, Gliders, Sports Planes, Aerobatic Planes, Warbirds, Jets, and Float Planes adorned his wall. We’d spend half our summers lying out in the open fields on top of my dad’s pick-up truck, or on the grass just staring up at the sky waiting for airplanes to fly overhead. Cooper would get excited every single time and I would tease him endlessly for it. And even though I never understood Cooper’s obsession with planes, or his desire to fly them (in fact, it terrified me to no end) I’d always done my best to support him. He’d talked about taking private lessons for years and then hopefully getting his commercial license once he got older. That had always been the plan. I couldn’t imagine him being anything other than a pilot. It was his dream. One that he’d pursued above everything else. Including me.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” My mom’s words bring me out of my thoughts.
“Thanks.” Cooper gives a sad smile.
“Is that still the plan, or are you pursuing something else?” Dad asks. And damn it, I’m curious, too.
“I’m not sure,” Cooper says, still fiddling with his napkin, and I notice his leg bouncing up and down again. “Still figuring things out right now.”
My mind is racing a mile a minute, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t because I actually care about Cooper a whole lot, but I really do want to know why he hasn’t done whatever he had to do to make this dream of his a reality. Especially when he didn’t seem to have any problem shoving me aside to make it happen.
“How’s your mom doing these days?” Mom asks, and a cloud descends over Cooper’s face. She immediately frowns. Jesus, this evening is going swimmingly. Why don’t we just see if he has a pet we can run over and be done with it?
“Um, not so good,” he says, shoving a bite of salad in his mouth. “She has cancer.”
I almost choke on my food. What? I try not to act surprised, but holy shit! Cancer? Assuming I’m supposed to have been dating Cooper for at least a couple of weeks now this is technically something I probably should have already known, so I shouldn’t be responding in shock, but, what the actual fuck? I try to think of what a good boyfriend would do, while at the same time trying not to look shell-shocked. Natalie has cancer? I settle on reaching over and taking Cooper’s hand. He looks at me and gives me a soft smile that actually seems quite genuine. But my heart is pounding. Natalie is sick? Shit. I can’t believe I didn’t know that. What the hell else am I going to find out about Cooper during the course of this evening that is going to fucking floor me? Is he married, too? Does he have kids hiding somewhere? You’d think Cooper could have filled me in on these important details the other day at the restaurant so I wasn’t taken so off guard hearing about it now. Jesus, my head is spinning.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Mom says.
Dad lifts his glass to take a drink and then asks, “How’s she doing?”
“Not well, unfortunately,” Cooper says. “It’s been on and off for a few years now. She’s a fighter and she was doing okay for a while, but the doctors said she’s not responding to treatment anymore and she’s terminal now. They gave her six to ten months about 4 months ago.”
I swallow and try to ground myself, but I don’t say anything, because I don’t know what to say. What is there to say whensomeone’s losing the only parent, the only family they have left, and you didn’t even know, because you were ignoring them for the last nine years? Suddenly, I feel like a gigantic asshole. Fortunately my mom speaks up again and for the first time in my life, I’m pretty sure, I’m thankful for her ability to talk non-stop.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” she says, reaching over to take Cooper’s other hand. “Is she still living at home? Does she have help?”
“She’s living with me,” Cooper says. “We make it work.”
“Well, I’m sure she appreciates it,” Mom says.
“Thank you,” he replies. “After everything she’s done for me, it’s the least I can do.”
“Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Dad adds. “Really, anything at all. I’m sure you have your hands full. And we’d love to come visit her and just keep her company if she’s up for that, or bring her meals, or help around the house.”
