Claiming Cooper

by A. F. Crowell

  Cooper turned to look at me, unfazed by my weak attempt at beating him. “I’m sorry I worried you but I’m not sorry I did what I did.”

  My blood ran cold. “What did you do?”

  He reached out and tucked a strand of hair that had escaped my messy ponytail on top of my head. “You don’t need to worry. I took care of everything. The person texting you won’t bother you again.”

  My heart stopped. “Why? Who was it?”

  “That’s not important-”

  “Yes, it is. I want to know who did this to me.” I motioned at my leg.

  “I had a friend at NSA hack into your phone and figure out the number the text came from.”

  “Who, Cooper?” I was getting impatient.

  “From there, we were able to triangulate the person’s location.”

  “Who?”

  “Some girl from your school, Jillian Hutson. She followed you up here. She had been staying at a hotel near the interstate but after you got hit, she went to her parents’ house in Fogelsville. She admitted to texting and calling you.”

  “What? My roommate? Jillian?” I fell back into the swing, shocked at the revelation. My stomach climbed up my throat. I knew she liked Julian, but to stalk me. “Was it her that took the picture of Ash and me?”

  “Yeah, but-,”

  “And she admitted to hitting me with the truck?” I held my breath, in complete disbelief. Someone I had once considered somewhat of a friend had betrayed me. What is with me and girlfriends betraying me. Instantly, I feel like an idiot for trusting anyone. I should have learned after Sam, but if I had, I wouldn’t have Anna in my life.

  “No. She swears it wasn’t her and she didn’t know anything about who did it.”

  “What about the text today?” I asked frantically. She had to be lying. I couldn’t wrap my head around the alternative.

  “She said she read about your accident online.” Cooper sat back and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his side. “She called your friend Nicole and got your new number.”

  I picked my head up from his shoulder. “Nicole?” I wondered if Nicole had been a part of it the whole time.

  “Yeah, Anna had called Nicole to tell her that she wouldn’t be back for a few weeks since you were hurt. She gave her your new number. Jillian told Nicole that she was going to call to see if you needed anything since she was close,” Cooper explained, rubbing the top of my arm. I knew that Nicole had given Jillian my new number.

  “What did I ever do to Jillian? I mean, she wasn’t my favorite person, but this.” I had no idea she hated me so much that she would stalk and torment me like she had.

  “Apparently, she was crazy, fucking obsessed with Julian. In her mind, she was going to marry him and be set for life but when he attacked you and took the plea deal you screwed up all of her plans. She couldn’t marry someone who would be on the sex-offenders’ registry because, and I quote, he would never make enough money to support her. In her mind, it was all your fault. She wanted to fuck with you.”

  “What the hell is wrong with her? Wait . . .” I was almost scared to ask. “What did you do to her? She would never have confessed to all of this . . . if you didn’t . . .”

  He cocked his head, stunned. “She’s in police custody.”

  “That doesn’t tell me what you did to make her talk, Cooper.” My eyes bored into him.

  His mouth twitched. “Let’s just say in the Army I’ve learned how to be persuasive.”

  “Oh God.” I pulled away. “You didn’t hurt her, did you?” Even though the question sounded like I was concerned for her, I wasn’t. I was worried about the backlash for Coop.

  Frowning, Cooper looked at me with disappointed eyes. “You should know me well enough by now to know that I’d never hit a woman. It’s not what you think. I didn’t torture her, although the thought did cross my mind.” He pulled his arm away from my shoulders and turned his body to face me. “She fucked with you for the last month and a half. She deserved a hell of a lot worse than she got. If it would’ve been a man, I would’ve beat him black and blue and left him for dead in the middle of a swamp.”

  The constant back and forth was going to give me an aneurism. First, he didn’t want me, then he would kiss me, then he pushed me away, and now he was talking about killing for me.

  “Thank you.” Even though I said the words, I had no idea why I said them. Should I really be thanking him for torturing the truth out of someone? Should I thank him for making me worry all day? Or was it the fact that he claimed he would kill for me?

  “Kinsley, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  “That’s not true.” I sighed. He would never put his feelings above Ashton’s. I reached over and pulled the crutches off the wall, standing up. “I need to go use the bathroom and take pain meds.” I had overdone it today. My leg throbbed, and I had a sharp pain in my side.

  “Kins, wait.”

  “I can’t, Cooper. I cannot sit here one more time and listen to all of the reasons you don’t want to be with me. I just can’t.” I hobbled away.

  In my wake, Cooper’s phone rang. “Hello?” He groaned. . “What the fuck do you want, Maggie?”

  Hearing her name stopped me in my tracks. Why would she be calling him?

  “I’ve told you I have nothing to say to you. I don’t want anything to do with you.” He sounded annoyed. “Don’t call me again.”

  In the silence, I almost turned around to check on him, but I didn’t. I managed to get myself into the house as I heard his boots crossing the wooden front porch, getting quieter as he walked away.

  Anna and Ashton left shortly after I got in. I asked Ash to fill Anna in because I was spent. I promised Maria that I would explain the next day. I just wanted drugs and sleep.

  Sleep, however, eluded me that night. I chased it hopelessly for hours. As soon as I would get close, I would see headlights and wake up, fighting the blankets to get away. Not once, did Cooper come to save me and it crushed me.

  I wasn’t sure what kept me up more; walking away from Cooper or the fact that someone out there hit me with their truck and didn’t care enough to stop. Those thoughts made me consider the possibility that maybe it was just a hit and run; not someone after me.

  Cooper was the last fleeting thought as I finally fell asleep that night. I had a decision to make and I needed to make it with my mind. I couldn’t listen to my heart anymore. If I did, I would always have hope for something that would never be.

  THE NEXT DAY I WOKE up and made the decision that I would go back home. It had been two weeks since I got hit and if I had to sit on my butt and go up the stairs backwards, one at a time, then I would do just that.

  Lying in bed, I sent Anna a text.

  Me: I’m gonna come home today.

  Anna: What happened last night on the porch?

  That was an excellent question. One, I wasn’t sure I had the answer to.

  Me: I finally faced reality. Cooper will always protect me, but he’ll never love me the way I love him. I think I finally accepted it.

  Typing the actual words out felt like someone took a dull knife to my heart and twisted.

  Anna: I’m on my way over. We need a girl’s day. No boys.

  Anna always knew exactly the right thing to say or do. I pulled myself out of the bed and hobbled down the hall to the bathroom on my crutches. Closing the door, I grabbed the big black trash bag and slipped my leg in, protecting my bandages. I would go back to the orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday and hopefully, I would get to move to a boot.

  In true Anna fashion, she showed up thirty-five minutes after she said she was on her way. I was sitting at the dining room table, alone, when she came in with Ash.

  “Where’s the chair?” she asked, walking back toward Ashton’s room.

  “In front of the closet. Why?” I dipped my spoon back into the oatmeal I had just microwaved.

  “We’re going out,” she announced loudly from the first bedroom on t
he right.

  “I don’t want to.” I pouted, taking another bite of oatmeal. Ashton came in right behind Anna. “Hey, Ash.”

  “Hey, Lizzy. Did Cooper talk to you?” he whispered before Anna came back into the room.

  “Tough. You need some fresh air and I need Starbucks, cheesecake, and shopping,” Anna informed me, wheeling the black chair out of Ashton’s room, before I could answer Ashton.

  “Fine.” I learned not to try to fight it. She would eventually wear me down and get her own way. I looked at Ashton and nodded. “He did.”

  “So, why are you rushing out of here? I thought you’d be-”

  “You thought what, little brother?” Cooper questioned, appearing from the hallway. His tone was almost as harsh as the look he gave Ashton. Dressed in black basketball shorts and a plain, red t-shirt, he crossed his arms, daring his brother to answer wrong.

  “Nothin’.” Ashton glared back at his brother then turned to Anna, who was standing between the dining room table and the back of the couch in the living room. “I’ll be in the barn.”

  Ash walked up to her while she smiled like he just told her Christmas was tomorrow. “I’ll come in before we leave.”

  “You better,” he warned, playfully, then leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Ash looked to me. “Be careful.”

  “Always.” I smiled back at him.

  “Kins, before you leave, can I talk to you?” Cooper asked, passing by the table on the opposite side on his way into the kitchen, his hazel eyes on me.

  Before I could answer, Anna piped up. “Nope. We have appointments, which,” she pulled her cell out of the back pocket of her white linen shorts, “we are going to be late for if we don’t get moving.”

  “Fine, then when you get home tonight,” he said, opening the refrigerator, breaking eye contact.

  “She won’t be here tonight,” Anna told him, helping me to my feet. I knew what Anna was doing. She was pissed at him for hurting me again and she was going to make him squirm.

  The refrigerator door slammed and shook the whole house. “Kinsley can answer for herself.”

  “I won’t be here. Once we get back from whatever Anna has planned, I’m going home.” Anna slid the chair around for me to sit down. “But if you’re around when we get back, we can talk while I pack.”

  “You’re going home? How are you gonna get up and down the stairs?” Sounding dejected, Cooper looked like he had been kicked in the gut.

  “Yeah. I’ll figure it out.” I almost felt bad. Almost. He couldn’t have it both ways.

  * * *

  After manicures, facials, shopping, The Cheesecake Factory, and lots of tears, Anna and I finally made it back to the farm around eight o’clock that night. Leaving the chair in the back of her SUV, I grabbed the crutches we took with us from the back seat.

  Ashton met us on the front porch, wearing dirty jeans and a green button-up, mostly unbuttoned. “Did you leave anything in the store?” he teased.

  “Yes,” Anna and I said in unison.

  “Do you need help?” Ever the gentleman, Ash hopped down the three steps and over to Anna, who was helping me from the car.

  “We’re good,” I assured him, getting my balance then hobbling to the wooden ramp to the right of the stairs.

  “While you’re packin’, I’m gonna run over to your place and grab the stuff I left over there.” His eyes went to Anna. “Wanna drive me over?”

  “Sure,” she smiled, “just let me help Kins get in.”

  “I’m fine. Go. Will you guys take my two bags in when you go, please?” I had picked up a few pairs of baggy shorts that I could wear until I was out of the contraption on my leg.

  I made my way inside and found Maria on the couch in her pajamas. “Hey, sweetheart. Ash said you’re moving back to your place.” She stood and padded over to me on bare feet.

  “I am. I thought it might be easier to be in my own place,” I lied, and she knew it.

  “Don’t run away from him, Kinsley. He needs you more than ever right now, even if he won’t say it.” She stretched out her hand and pushed my hair behind my shoulder. “Be patient. He’s just like his father. Stubborn to a T, but once he gets there, he’ll never walk away again. Give him a chance, honey.”

  I wanted so badly to believe he loved me like Scott loved Maria, but I just had not seen it. I had not experienced it. There were a few fleeting moments that made me feel hopeful, but it felt like each time the rug got pulled out from under me.

  “Scott loved you so much,” I told her, tears welling in my eyes. They had a deep, abiding love, much like my parents. I wanted that same love, more than anything.

  “I know he did.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around me. “Do you want me to help you pack?”

  “I got it, Mom,” Cooper said coming down the hallway from his and Ashton’s side of the house. All of the air in the room vanished. He was freshly showered and shaved, wearing a pair of snug blue jeans and a faded red and brown plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

  “Don’t be a stranger.” Maria released me.

  “I won’t. As soon as they get me in a brace, I’ll be back teaching lessons,” I assured her, wiping away the tear that escaped.

  “Don’t rush it, honey. You just do whatever the doctor tells you. This place will be here waiting for you when you’re ready. But I wanna see your gorgeous face well before that. I’m gonna miss havin’ you here.”

  “I’m gonna miss being here too,” I admitted.

  Maria’s thin lips curved up then she turned and went to her bedroom.

  “I got all of your stuff from the bathroom and set it on Ash’s dresser. I wasn’t sure what you were gonna put everything in.”

  My stomach rolled. He had packed my stuff. I think deep down, I still held out hope, despite what I told myself, that he would tell me to stay. He stood there in the doorway, watching me. When I lifted my gaze to his, there was so much conflict in his eyes, a storm brewing. He said one thing, but his eyes told me a totally different story.

  “Thanks.”

  “Before we go in there, will you take a walk with me?” Cooper stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his pants.

  I looked at him like he had three heads then looked down at my leg. “Can’t really walk, Cooper.”

  “Where’s the wheelchair?”

  “In the back of Anna’s SUV. I didn’t think I’d need it again tonight.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “I’ll carry you.”

  “Where?” I asked, looking at him like he was crazy. He closed the space between us in three long strides. His cologne wrapped around me like a blanket, making me lose all sense of purpose.

  “I wanna show you something.”

  COOPER SCOOPED ME UP IN his strong arms and carried me out of the house, down the driveway, and out toward pool. Glancing up at him, his eyes were focused ahead until he realized I was looking up at him. He didn’t take his eyes off the destination, but a sexy smirk curled on his kissable lips.

  “Where are we . . .” I finally looked ahead, my muscles going slack. Whoa. I missed this when I came in.

  In front of me was the pool, transformed. Soft white lights glowed in the Crepe Myrtle trees that lined the far side of the pool. As Cooper climbed up the small hill, I got a full view of what he had done. I sucked in a breath. “Oh my God, Cooper.”

  My heart swelled and stretched in ways I never knew it could. It felt like it might pop, like an overinflated balloon, inside my chest. I had no idea he could be so romantic. He never seemed like a hearts and flowers kind of guy and I was okay with that. That scene at the pool was every dreamy fantasy I had never had, but realized I had always wanted. “What is all of this?”

  I needed to hear the words. My heart and bruised ego couldn’t take another blow.

  The pool was lined with white candles of all sizes, but their glow matched the lights in the trees. The flames danced and flickered as Cooper held me a little tighter. W
hen we reached the concrete decking around the pool, I could hear soft music in the background. Closing my eyes, I tried to make out what it was. Getting closer, I realized it was Russell Dickerson’s Yours.

  “Coop?” My nose burned as tears filled my eyes.

  Cooper didn’t say anything as he placed me gently on the cushioned chaise. He took a deep breath and sat down at the end, his eyes finally meeting mine. He slid his hands up and down his denim-clad thighs. He looked like he was silently freaking out.

  “I know that I’ve screwed up more times than not when it comes to you, Kins. I’ve told you one thing but felt another. For years, I’ve lied to myself and to you. I always had Ash as my excuse, but the truth is, I was scared.” He took a deep breath and continued looking into my eyes. “I was scared that you’d break me forever. That if I let myself feel the way you make me feel, that I’d never be able to move on once you figured out you really didn’t love me like you thought you did. You pull me to you and I can’t fight it anymore. I’m tired of fighting it. Losing Dad made me realize that life is too short not to go after what you want and be happy.”

  I lost the ability to hold back the tears. “So, this is me claiming my happiness. This is me, telling you, that I do love you. I think I’ve always loved you.” His hand found mine and our fingers entwined. “I know I’ve hurt you in the past, but I swear, if you give me just this one last chance, I won’t hurt you again. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe and make sure you always know how much I love you.”

  The tears rained down and Cooper slid forward, stretched out his hand, and wiped my tears away. “Babe, don’t cry.”

  “I can’t help it.” I gulped back the tears. My heart slammed repeatedly into my chest. “Is this real?” Releasing his hand, I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his. Terrified at any minute he would take it all back. While I wanted to, I couldn’t believe it was real. I was scared I would wake up from yet another cruel dream.

  Cooper ran his hand up my arm to my shoulder then around and down my triceps, pinching the skin.