by J. Sterling
Katherine laughed and continued to be pleasant despite the nastiness that surrounded her.
“I’m not kidding. Saying ‘hi’ isn’t going to make them like you. It’s only going to make them hate you more.”
Katherine stopped walking. “Well, that’s stupid. And I’m not going to stop being nice so they can feel better.”
Cooper sauntered up and took Katherine by the hand as he pulled her tightly against his chest. “Morning.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She immediately felt the heat rise inside of her.
“Geez, Cooper, are you trying to start a riot?” Taylor glared at him, jutting her hip out.
“It has to happen sooner or later,” he said before looking at Katherine. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
“Oh, it’s okay, I have my bodyguard Taylor over here.” Katherine caught herself thinking about the boy from her dream. She looked at Cooper and knew she should focus on what was right in front of her, but her heart wouldn’t let her.
“That’s right,” Taylor said sharply.
Cooper laughed and asked, “Coming to the game tonight?”
Taylor looked at Katherine. “No, I think there’s a new show on we wanted to watch. You don’t mind, right?”
“Oh yeah, that show looks amazing. Can’t miss it, sorry.” Katherine smiled at him.
“Ladies, you’re breaking my heart here.” He pressed his hand against his chest with an audible thud.
“Well, that was a stupid question. Of course we’ll be there. You think I want to see my boyfriend cry?” Taylor teased.
Cooper smirked. “True, true. It’s not pretty, I’ve seen it.”
****
“Come on, Katherine. Hurry up! I want to get to the rink early,” Taylor whined.
“I’m coming. What’s the rush?”
“I want to watch Danny warm up. And I also want to get a good seat. People on this side of the country actually like hockey, you know.”
Katherine appeared out of the bathroom. “Okay, I’m ready.”
At the rink, Katherine followed Taylor into what she considered perfect seats and sat. She breathed in the cold air and smiled.
“I just love being in here,” Taylor told her with a smile. “Oh, I see Danny!”
Katherine scanned the ice for Cooper. When she spotted him, she noticed him wink at her through his face mask. Her insides fluttered.
The seats quickly filled up and before Katherine knew it, they had formed the “girlfriends section.” It was the area of the rink where all of the girlfriends of the guys on the team ended up sitting. All the other girls knew exactly who Taylor and Katherine were, and exactly who they were there to watch play.
“Hi, I’m Kristie,” one girl said. “I’m dating Tommy. He’s number thirty-nine.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Katherine.”
“Hey, I’m Taylor.”
Introductions went all around and Katherine thought to herself that it was the first time other girls were actually being nice to her when it came to Cooper. She relaxed her shoulders and attempted to watch the game she knew nothing about.
The crowd went crazy when the team skated onto the ice, but nothing was louder than the cheers for Cooper when the announcer introduced him over the loudspeakers. Katherine felt a glow of warm pride surge through her.
Cooper skated around on the ice effortlessly. The way he moved and halted abruptly was as easy for him as walking. This was a side of him she didn’t see every day. Being a hockey player brought out his tough edges. He couldn’t walk around and punch people on campus, but on the ice it was a different story. He could be rough, aggressive, and powerful. And he was. She watched him slam people into the sides of the rink and wondered how they didn’t get hurt.
She noticed the other team was always very aware of where he was and they tried their best to stop his every move. But no one could stop Cooper Donovan on the ice. He made goals, assisted with goals, and led his team to victory. Now she understood why people treated him the way they did. He was like a god when he played and it was incredible to watch. People wanted to be part of it because it was special.
After the game, the girls followed the other girlfriends downstairs into a secluded tunnel area. There was a door that led to the locker room and it was the only way in or out.
Katherine turned to Taylor and whispered, “Do you think Cooper’s parents are here?”
“I didn’t even think about it, but I bet they are.” Taylor looked around.
The door swung open as Danny and Cooper walked out together, smiling widely. Cooper’s eyes scanned the crowd as he looked for familiar faces. He spotted Katherine and his face softened. She started to walk toward him when she noticed a couple motion him over. He kissed the short, dark-haired woman on the cheek and gave the older, gray-haired man a hug. He looked back at Katherine and waved her over. Her legs started to tremble with each step.
“Mom, Dad, this is Katherine.”
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan. It’s nice to meet you,” Katherine said sweetly.
Cooper’s dad welcomed and greeted Katherine with a warm hug. “It’s nice to meet you too, Katherine. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Katherine shot Cooper a surprised look.
“Yes, Katherine. Nice to meet you.” Cooper’s mother reached out her hand to greet her with a firm handshake, but her tone was cold and unfriendly. Cooper’s eyes narrowed slightly in disapproval.
He turned to Katherine before his mother could do any more damage and said, “I’m going to grab some dinner with my parents. I’ll call you later. Thanks for coming to the game.” He bent down and brushed a kiss across her lips.
Katherine blushed. Embarrassed, she quickly responded, “Of course. It was a lot of fun. ’Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan. It was nice to meet you.” Relieved, she spotted Taylor and rushed over.
“Oh, hey. Dad, this is Taylor’s roommate, Katherine. She’s also Donovan’s girlfriend.”
“So, you’re the lucky girl? Nice to meet you, kid.” Danny’s dad shook her hand and then pulled her in for a hug.
“Nice to meet you, too. Are you sure you’re not Danny’s older brother or something, you look so young!” Katherine tilted her head to one side.
“Oh, I like this girl.” He winked, nudging Danny against the shoulder.
“You can have her,” Taylor joked.
“I’ll take you both.” The girls giggled and Danny’s eyes widened in horror.
“Dad!” He punched his dad’s arm lightly before turning toward Taylor. “We’re gonna get some food. Do you want to come?”
“No. You two go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Taylor offered.
“Are you sure?” Danny asked again.
“Of course I’m sure. Plus, you guys need time alone. You can see me anytime. It was nice to meet you, sir.” Taylor smiled.
“You too, beautiful. I’ll make sure he takes good care of you.” He threw his arm around his son and squeezed him tightly. “And if he doesn’t, I will.”
Danny pretended to choke and his dad just squeezed him harder. He squirmed out of the choke hold and ran over to Taylor, giving her a quick kiss before he headed out of the rink with his dad’s arm draped over his shoulders. Katherine and Taylor walked toward their dorm.
“So, did you meet Cooper’s parents?”
“Yeah. His dad was so nice, but his mom…” Katherine frowned, unable to hide her hurt feelings.
“What about her? Was she mean?”
“She was kind of mean,” Katherine admitted. “She was super cold and not very friendly.”
“Don’t read into it, Kat. A lot of the moms out here are overly protective of their baby boys.”
“Really?”
“Oh, I’m not kidding. They all claim they want their sons to find good girls, but the truth is…no girl will ever be good enough.”
“So, she hates me because her son likes me?”
“First of all, she doesn’t really hate you. She just doesn’t think you’re good enoug
h for her precious Cooper.” Taylor laughed.
“Well, that’s a relief.” Katherine understood, but she wanted Cooper’s parents to like her. She jumped when her phone rang.
She looked at the screen and answered, “Hey, Coop. Aren’t you at dinner?”
“Yes. I just wanted to apologize for my mother’s behavior and tell you I’m sorry. She’s like that with everyone. I think it’s an Irish mom thing. It just takes awhile before she warms up to people. I should have warned you. I just didn’t want you to feel bad or take it personally, okay?”
The phone was quiet. “Okay? Katherine?”
“Okay. It just sucks,” she said sadly.
He let out a quick laugh. “I know. But it’s not you. I have to go.”
“Okay. Hey, thanks for calling.” Katherine hung up and looked at Taylor. “Well, you were right. Some sort of crazy Irish mom thing.”
“Told you. But that was really sweet of him to call you.”
“Yeah. He’s good like that,” Katherine said.
****
Katherine walked into the loud dining hall on campus and looked around frantically for her friends over the noise. She hated standing alone in a crowded room. Her gaze darted from table to table before she spotted Taylor waving her arm wildly in the air.
Cooper elbowed Danny. “Slide down a seat so Katherine can sit next to me.”
“So bossy.” Danny yawned before moving over.
Cooper pulled the chair out slightly and Katherine sat down. He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before returning to his food.
Katherine looked at the plate in front of him and her eyes widened. “How can you eat all of that?”
Cooper looked down. “I’m hungry.”
“How are you not five hundred pounds?” Katherine shook her head.
“Oh, Kat, speaking of food—I keep meaning to ask you, are you going home for Thanksgiving?” Taylor asked as Cooper instantly perked up.
“Huh? Oh no. I can’t fly all the way to California for Thanksgiving. But I’ll go home for Christmas. Why?”
“Were you ever going to tell me that?” Taylor chastised her.
“Um, probably when it got closer,” Katherine told her politely as she spooned some rice into her mouth.
“Katherine, it’s in two weeks! How do you not know this?”
Katherine swallowed hard. “Okay, sheesh. Taylor, I’m not flying home for Thanksgiving. I’m staying here. Happy now?”
“I’ll only be happy if you agree to come home with me.” Before Katherine could answer, Taylor added, “It’s not really a question because you don’t have a choice.”
“She could always come home with me,” Cooper offered with a shrug.
Cooper Donovan had just invited her to his house for a holiday meal. She just about choked on her damn food. “Oh yeah. I’m sure your mom would love that,” Katherine blurted out. She tried to recover and quickly added, “I mean, I really want to meet Taylor’s family.” Realizing she was just making it worse, she added, “Not that yours isn’t great, it’s just that I think I’d feel more comfortable at Tay’s house, you know?”
Laughing at her discomfort, Cooper said, “It’s fine, California. I get it.” He threw his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “My family isn’t good enough for you. It’s okay.”
“Don’t say that. That’s not what I—” He cut her off with a kiss.
“I’m teasing,” he assured her. “And what did I tell you about my mom?”
“That she’s like that with everyone.” Katherine sighed.
“Exactly. So please don’t take it personally. She’ll love you soon enough.”
Katherine smiled, but she wasn’t so sure.
“Don’t worry, Kat. My mom will be nice to you,” Taylor said snidely, and looked in Cooper’s direction. Cooper made a face at her and she stuck out her tongue.
“Don’t look at me like that, Donovan. It’s not my fault your mom’s mean,” Taylor said through her laughter.
“My mom just loves me more than your mom loves you,” Cooper noted.
“Well, that’s probably true.”
The laughter faded into the background as Katherine’s thoughts drifted. She found herself excited at the idea of leaving campus for a while. Plus, she longed for a change in scenery.
“I’m really excited, Taylor. Thank you.” Katherine beamed, elated at the thought of meeting her roommate’s family and seeing more of the East Coast she was growing to love.
Chapter Seven
Cooper and Danny came over to see the girls off and say their good-byes. This was going to be the longest they’d been apart since they had started to date. Katherine was amazed at the noise and activity in the dorm’s parking lot; it almost felt like the first day of school. She looked around and noticed that no one glared in her direction, thankful that Cooper Donovan having a girlfriend didn’t appear to be front page news anymore.
Danny squeezed Taylor. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“You can’t miss me if I’m dead,” she choked out. He loosened his grip and then kissed her gently.
Cooper and Katherine were engaged in their own public display of affection. They looked into each other’s eyes, and didn’t speak a word. She put her hand on the side of his face and rubbed her thumb near his eye with the speckle.
“I’ll miss this eye,” she said and then kissed just above it.
“Only this one?” He smiled at her.
“Uh-huh. I totally play favorites.”
“Me too.” Cooper picked her up and kissed her. His soft lips brushed against hers. “I’ll miss you.” The words came out so sweetly that she knew he genuinely meant them.
“I’ll miss you, too.” Even though part of her heart was somewhere else, other parts of it were reserved exclusively for Cooper Donovan and Katherine recognized that. She loved the way she felt when she was around him.
The guys grabbed the bags that were on the ground and packed them into the trunk of Taylor’s car.
“You have enough gas, right?” Danny peered in to look at her gas gauge.
Taylor swatted at his head. “I’m not an idiot. I know how to drive. God, you’re annoying.”
Cooper leaned into the passenger window and gave Katherine one last kiss before he paused to look into her eyes.
“Out of the car, Donovan, before you lose your head,” Taylor warned.
Taylor started to back out and was about to hit the gas pedal when she heard, “You know I’m totally in love with you, Taylor Dailey!”
Katherine’s eyes widened with shock. Danny had just yelled the “L” word…in a parking lot…at school…in front of a bunch of people. Taylor slammed on the brakes, put the car in park, jumped out, and hopped into his waiting arms.
“I love you too,” she said.
Cooper jogged over to Katherine and laughed. Her whole body tensed as he neared. She hoped and prayed he wasn’t going to tell her the same thing. She wasn’t at all ready for those words to come from his lips. Katherine knew she cared about Cooper Donovan, but she wasn’t sure she loved him…she wasn’t sure she could. How can you only give part of your heart to someone and call it love?
Please don’t say it, please don’t say it, please don’t say it, she repeated in her head as he slowed to stop in front of her.
“Danny’s crazy. That kid has no shame,” Cooper huffed, his chest heaving in and out with each breath.
Katherine found herself almost mesmerized with each movement it made. Sometimes she found it hard to get past that body.
“I just wanted to tell you one last time that I’ll miss you.” He hesitated. “And steal another kiss.” He put his head through the window and desperately clutched a fistful of her hair. He kissed her like her needed her, his mouth searching for comfort in hers, and she found herself feeling dizzy with desire.
Taylor hopped back into the car, stopping their kiss cold. Katherine’s lips suddenly felt cold and bereft. “See ya later, Cooper,
” Taylor said. Cooper backed out of the car as Taylor hit the gas. Katherine locked eyes with him as he faded into the background.
“So, how’s it feel to be in love?” Katherine teased.
“Ha! That was crazy! I can’t believe he did that. He’s such a dork. But I’m on cloud nine right now, if you want to know the truth,” Taylor added, her eyes practically glowing with glee.
The girls laughed, sang, and talked while they drove the mere hour and a half to Taylor’s house. Taylor didn’t say much about her family and Katherine didn’t press or feel it was necessary to ask. The whole “I love you” thing had sent her down a different path. Katherine sang along with a song on the radio as she felt the car slow. She noticed a long dirt driveway up ahead on the left. Taylor turned onto it and pulled the car behind the house.
“We’re here!” Taylor jumped out of the car as the screen door swung open.
An attractive older man with brown hair and twinkling blue eyes suddenly appeared. “Katherine, this is my dad, Jack. Dad, this is my roommate, Katherine.”
“Nice to meet you.” Katherine smiled and held out her hand.
“We hug in this family. Come here, girl.” Taylor’s dad gave her a giant bear hug. Katherine immediately liked him. “And you can call me Dad, too. Or Jack. Whichever you prefer.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She looked at Taylor and informed her, “It’s just easier to call him ‘Dad.’ Plus it’s more fun.”
“It’s totally more fun,” Taylor agreed.
“You never told me your dad was so hot. Why were you holding out on me?”
“Gross. You would know, you’re the one who was dreaming about him, remember?” Taylor joked.
“I’ll get your bags, girls…go inside and say hello to your mother and brother.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Thanks, Mr. Dailey!”
The girls ran inside the house and yelled for Taylor’s mom. They found her in the kitchen. Her light brown hair was pulled back from her face and her kind eyes lit up at the sight of the girls.
“Oh hi, girls! Taylor, you look too skinny. Have you been eating?” she asked.
“Yes, Mom. Jeez. I do eat, ya know. Katherine, please inform the woman of my eating habits.”