Dancing Hearts

by Heather Dahlgren

  After I close and get everything cleaned up, I go back upstairs to start putting the wheels in motion. First, I call Roy to make sure he can take care of everything while I am gone. I then call Emma’s boss, Terry, and tell her my idea. She loves it and told me that Emma can have the days off. I take care of everything that needs to be done and before I know it, it is almost two in the morning. Fuck, I didn’t even get to talk to Emma again. I send her a text telling her that I love her and to call me tomorrow. I take a shower and make my bed on the couch. I fall asleep more excited for the weekend than I usually am.

  I wake up early to a silent apartment. I slowly sit up and stretch the tightness out of my muscles. Sleeping on the couch sucks, but I’m sure I’ll be here most of the week. I grab my phone when it buzzes on the coffee table.

  Emma: Good morning. I’m sorry I fell asleep so early last night. I’ll call you on my break. I love you.

  My heart nearly skips a beat I’m so happy. I can’t wait to surprise her later. I don’t respond because that would ruin my surprise. Instead, I get up to brew a pot of coffee and make some breakfast, pancakes and bacon. After I eat, I take my second cup of coffee into the living room. I give Levi a call and fill him in on everything that happened yesterday, including my plan to take Emma away. He promises to keep an eye on my mom for me which makes me feel a hell of a lot better. I asked how everything went with Rain and he assured me she had a good time. I just laugh because he obviously doesn’t want to give me too much. I understand though, he’s not sure where it’s going to go and I respect that. After we hang up, I sneak into my room to grab some clean clothes. When I do, my mom is sitting up in bed. She looks over at me, but I don’t say anything yet. “Cooper, thank you for letting me stay last night. I’ll be going home in a little bit though.” She starts to get out of bed and I’m torn between being pissed and confused. This is completely out of character for the way she normally behaves after an episode.

  “Mom, why don’t you come eat some breakfast? I made pancakes and bacon, your favorite.” She spins around angrily to look at me.

  “Did you make them for me or for Emma?” I bite my tongue taking a deep breath.

  “Are you hungry, Mom?” She pushes her way past me heading for the kitchen. What the fuck? I follow behind her still trying to keep control of my temper. She opens the oven, pulling the plate I made her out of it, and throwing it onto the floor. She grabs the coffee pot next, smashing it to the ground, causing not only glass but coffee to spray all over the kitchen. When she goes to open my cabinet, I wrap my arms around her lifting her up and carrying her to the living room. I not so gently toss her onto the couch.

  “Mom, what the fuck are you doing? Why are you breaking my shit?” I’m in her face yelling. Since I’ve been taking care of her, I’ve never even raised my voice, never mind yelled. But I’m furious at this point. She starts crying and I don’t even feel bad. I’m starting to think that this whole episode has nothing to do with my dad and everything to do with me being with Emma. She’s not her usual sad self, she’s pissed.

  I still have my face close to hers, so she finally looks at me. “You have become one disrespectful, ungrateful son, you know that. I’ve done nothing but help you since you lost your father and now you have the nerve to get loud with me. Clearly, Emma is a bad influence here. She’s turned my sweet boy into an asshole.” It’s like a punch to my gut, knocking the wind out of me. She can’t be fucking serious. I’ve been the one taking care of her all these years and this is the thanks I get.

  “Mom, you know I love you, but I’m starting to think you’ve been taking advantage of me. Do you really miss dad or do you just want someone to take care of you, because the way you are acting right now tells me you are the selfish one. Emma is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love her, I’m going to be with her, and more than likely, Mom, I’m going to marry her. If I were you, I’d get used to the idea of Emma being around permanently.” She is actually breathing heavily with anger at this point. I sit on the coffee table in front of her, hoping to try to defuse the situation. I put my hand on hers and smile. “Emma really likes you, Mom, give her a chance.” She rips her hand out from under mine.

  “Make your choice, Cooper, me or that whore.” I stand up so quickly I knock over my coffee table.

  “Get. The. Fuck. Out,” I growl. She looks at me but doesn’t make a move off the couch. She actually has a small smirk on her face, infuriating me further. “GET OUT NOW!” I boom out and she finally gets up and makes her way to the door. She opens it but makes sure she leaves with the last word.

  “You made your bed. Now lie in it.” She slams the door hard as hell. I pace the living room. I’m so fucking confused. She is never angry, never gets over an episode this quickly. Could it be possible that she’s been doing this on purpose? I sit down on the couch grabbing the back of my neck. No fucking way, she’s a sick woman. This is just a new way of her expressing her grief. She feels like she’s losing me now too. As pissed off as I am, I’ll make sure she is good before I leave for the weekend. I’ll bring her dinner tonight after I surprise Emma. I will need an apology though, she needs to know that.

  I spend the next hour cleaning the mess she made in the kitchen. There was glass, food, and coffee everywhere. I jump in the shower to try and rinse off the shit morning I had. I let the hot water pound on me, and the longer I stand here the more relaxed I get. I think more about my weekend with Emma and that turns my mood around. We are going to have three days of just us. No responsibilities, no interruptions, no worries. And if all goes as planned, no clothes.

  I pull up to Emma’s work right on time. She should be calling me any minute on her break. I turn off my truck and drum my fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the song I’m working on for Emma. I wish I’d have more time to get it done before our trip, but with everything I need to take care of at the bar, I won’t have time. It’s alright, I’ll surprise her with it another time. Like clockwork, my phone rings. “Hello?”

  “Hey, how are you?” I quietly open the door and jump out.

  “Good. How are you?” I know she’s out behind the back of the building because that’s where she sits and talks on her break.

  “Alright. It’s been slow today, so it’s dragging. How’s your mom?” I want to tell her everything, but I’m sure as hell not going to. I want them to get along, telling her would only upset her further.

  “She’s better. So, are you sitting outside?” She giggles and it warms my heart.

  “Yes. Why?” I turn the corner and she nearly drops her phone. I smile at her still walking toward her.

  “I have something I want to tell you.” She puts the phone down, so I hang up, putting mine in my pocket. She stands up looking a bit nervous. I reach her and gently kiss her lips. “You look beautiful.” She blushes shaking her head.

  “Cooper, I’m in my work clothes.” I wink at her looking her body up and down.

  “Mmm … yes, I see that.” I need to focus back on the task at hand. I sit down with her on my lap. “Emma, I brought you a card.” She raises her eyebrows when I give it to her. “Open it, doll.” She opens it and looks at the picture of a cabin on the front. She looks at me again and I nod for her to open it. She does and starts reading.

  “Oh my God, Cooper!” She throws her arms around my neck and I can’t help but chuckle at her excitement.

  “Does this mean you want to go?” In the card I simply wrote, ‘This weekend it’s just you, me, the woods, and music.’ She looks up at me with that brilliant smile.

  “Yes, I want to go. I just need to talk to Terry and … ” I put my finger over her lips cutting her off.

  “All taken care of. It’s only a two-hour ride, so we will leave early Friday and come home Sunday night.” She smiles under my finger.

  “Perfect.” The back door of the salon opens and Terry sticks her head out.

  “Hi, Cooper. Emma, I’m sorry to interrupt, but your appointment is here.” She
gives me her pouty lip and I suck it into my mouth before we share a kiss. Damn, I get just the slightest taste of her and I want to take her home with me now to taste more. Someone clears their throat, so we break apart. “Sorry lovebirds.” I hug Emma close to me and whisper in her ear.

  “We have the whole weekend, doll. Just us.” With that she is off to work and I am off to check on my mom.

  I knock on the door and walk in. “Mom?” She comes walking out of the kitchen with a huge smile on her face.

  “Cooper, what are you doing here?” Sometimes I am more confused than she is.

  “I came to see if you were alright. You left pretty pissed off this morning.” I raise my eyebrows and she finally looks ashamed.

  “I’m sorry, Cooper.” That’s all I wanted to hear. I hug her and she squeezes me tight. “Looks like I have my boy back.” I let go of her and step back.

  “Mom, I’m here to check on you. I’m not choosing you over Emma.” She crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows at me.

  “Cooper, I refuse to have you treat me so poorly.” I pinch the bridge of my nose trying to relieve the headache I feel coming on.

  “Listen, Mom, I’ve done nothing but help you the last four years. I haven’t treated you with anything but love and respect. I expect the same from you.” She turns away from me going back to the kitchen. I follow her for the second time today into the kitchen. “Mom, you need to make peace with this. I already told you Emma isn’t going anywhere. I’d like it if you could accept that, but if you can’t, you are going to have to understand things will change with us. I won’t let you do this to her.” She doesn’t turn around, but she answers me anyway.

  “Fine. I’ll try, Cooper.” I walk over and kiss her head.

  “Thank you.” I stay for a while, but need to leave to get the bar open. Everything seemed normal again when I left and I’m so damn thankful.

  It seemed to be the longest week ever. When I picked up Emma last night at her place, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. We spent most of the night talking and for once we both fell asleep early. We got up early, had some pre-game sex and got everything ready to leave. Once we got on the road, I stopped at a drive-thru for some breakfast and thankfully, it’s been an easy ride. There’s hardly any traffic, plus we are playing ‘guess that song.’ I sing a part of a song and she has to guess and vice versa. We pull up to Levi’s parent’s cabin exactly two hours from when we left. “Let’s get in and I’ll grab the bags in a little bit. I want to show you how beautiful this place is.” We walk up the slate walkway to the tongue-and-groove log cabin. It is surrounded by lush trees almost hiding it, but once it comes into view, it’s stunning.

  “This is gorgeous, Cooper.” I unlock the door and hold it open for her. “Thank you.” The cabin is not big; it’s a living room, eat-in kitchen, and two bedrooms, but hell, it’s just the two of us. We could be in a damn box and I wouldn’t care. I give her a quick tour before I go get the bags. I bought her a present and I don’t want to wait another second it give it to her. I carry the bags to the bedroom and call her in.

  “Have a seat.” She looks at me with an eyebrow cocked, but does as I ask. “I wanted to take you away, show you how much I love you, but I also wanted to give you something.” She gets a huge smile on her face.

  “Cowboy, you didn’t need to get me anything. Just spending the weekend with you is more than enough gift.” I kiss her quickly.

  “Close your eyes.” My girl once again does as I ask and I pull a Blueridge BR-43 guitar out of its case. “Okay, open them.” She does and nearly falls off the bed.

  “Holy shit. You got me a guitar?” She is looking from the guitar to me and back again. I smile and hand it to her.

  “Yes. I thought it would be fun if we started playing together, instead of one at a time. Do you like it?” She is strumming it, completely consumed in the sound. After a few more times, she finally puts it down, launching herself on me knocking us both to the ground. We are both laughing and I move the hair out of her face. “I guess you like it.” She shakes her head.

  “No, I love it. Thank you so much, Cooper. We just got here and this is already the best weekend ever.” I kiss her, running my hands down her body. She grinds her pelvis into me causing my cock to take notice. I roll us so I’m on top.

  “You trying to tell me something?” She blushes and bites her bottom lip. I slowly unbutton her shirt while looking her in the eyes. Once it has fallen open, she lifts up a bit so I can take it off. Next, I slip her shorts down her legs. I pull off my shirt and jeans leaving us both breathing heavily with need. I wrap my arms around her, rolling us so she’s on top again. I unclasp her bra, watching as her nipples pebble. I pinch each one and she throws her head back letting out a moan. “Emma, stand up and take those panties off, then come sit on my face.” My cock gets even harder when she does exactly as I asked. When her wet pussy is close to my face, I get lost in the scent of her arousal. I grab her thighs and begin teasing her clit with my tongue.

  “Oh, Cooper.” She begins to rock her hips a bit, rubbing her pussy on my face. I pick up the speed of my tongue on her. The faster I lick at her, the faster she rocks her hips. I growl when I lick my way to her entrance.

  “Rub this delicious pussy on my face while I fuck you with my tongue.” I shove my tongue inside her, and she rides my face like it was my cock. I need this pussy on my cock. I remove my tongue and replace it with my fingers. I curl my fingers and suck on her clit. She explodes and I lick her clean. I remove my boxers, letting my heavy cock out of its confines. Emma moves down my body and I grab the condom out of my jeans and quickly roll it on. “Doll, I want you to ride my cock the way you just rode my face.” I position myself at her entrance and grab her ass. She starts to slowly sink onto me, and I lift my hips quickly slamming into her.

  “Mmmm,” she moans while holding onto my shoulders.

  “Sit up and hold onto my legs.” Once she is in that position, my cock is so much further in her. She starts moving and so do I. It starts out slow, both of us trying to enjoy how fucking amazing it feels, but I can’t hold back. I dig my fingers into her hips and move her to the speed I want. “Fuck, Emma, you ride my cock so good.” She sinks her nails into my legs and throws her head back, letting out a loud moan. I know she is close and damn, so am I, so I rub her clit.

  “Oh yes, Cooper!” I thrust my hips once more before I call out her name. She collapses on top of me and we lay holding each other until we both recover.

  “Fucking perfect.” I kiss her head and she rewards me with that smile of hers. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Cooper.”

  We spend the next few days playing music, eating, and having sex. That is all we do and holy shit, it is amazing. I can honestly say that I feel like we are closer than we ever have been. Not having to deal with anyone interrupting us has be like a fucking dream. I think the best thing was having no cell signal. It sucks that we are packing up to go back home, back to reality. It’s been amazing living in a world of just the two of us.

  “Cooper, this has been the most unbelievable time. Thank you for everything. I’m actually sad to be going home.” I hug her, kissing her head.

  “Me too, doll.” I take all the bags out to the truck and a half-hour later we are on our way back to reality.

  “Terry just texted me and said tomorrow is going to be slow, so if I want another day off, I can have it. I told her yes. Want an overnight guest?” I look over at her and wink before turning back to the road.

  “Damn right, I do.” One more night with my girl in my arms, I’ll fucking take it. My phone rings but I’m trying to merge onto the highway. “Emma, can you grab that? It’s probably just Levi.”

  “Hello?” She is quiet so I glance over at her. She has her hand over her mouth and tears rolling down her face. “Oh God,” she whispers making the hair on my arms stand up.

  “What?” She looks over at me and starts to cry. “Emma, what the fuck is it?�
�� I’m getting a really bad feeling.

  “It’s your mom. She’s in the hospital, she slit her wrists. I’m so sorry, Cooper.”

  COOPER HASN’T SAID A WORD since I hung up with Levi. I’ve asked him several times if he was alright, which is the most ridiculous question you can ask at a time like this. He just nods his head, never taking his eyes off the road. I tried to hold his hand, but he put two hands on the steering wheel. My heart is broken in half for the pain he is feeling right now. I would do anything to take it away. We don’t even turn the radio on. We sit in absolute silence the rest of the ride home. I think back to the amazing weekend we had. I still can’t believe he got me a guitar, my own fucking guitar. I’m obviously not great, but I can now practice even when I’m not at Cooper’s and that is so exciting. I think back to the romantic lunch we had by the lake. We packed lunch, a blanket, and our guitars. We spent the afternoon playing songs, eating, and watching the sun reflect off of the crystal clear lake. When the sun started setting, Cooper made love to me telling me over and over again how much he loves me. It was like a fairytale.

  “We’re here. Come on,” Cooper whispers, pulling me out of my thoughts. I look around, realizing we are at the hospital. I jump out of the truck and rush over to make sure I am by his side the entire time. I grab a hold of his hand and thankfully, this time he doesn’t pull away. I look up at him and want to fall to my knees at the pain I see on his face. He looks completely helpless, and damn it, that is not a look I am used to seeing from him. He has always been strong, protective, and in control. As we start walking toward the entrance, he starts picking up his pace and it’s becoming difficult to keep up with my short legs. We make it to the main desk in the lobby, and I feel like Cooper might jump over it if someone doesn’t help us. “Excuse me.” Finally, a sweet elderly woman comes over smiling at us. “Mary James,” Cooper rushes out and the lady types it into the computer. She looks up at us, her smile now vanished.