by April Wilson
“No. It’s casual. You can wear whatever you want. I just felt like wearing this.”
I’m wearing my favorite ripped jeans and a T-shirt that says I’m With Him, with a finger pointing to my right. Cooper raises an eyebrow at my clothing selection, but says nothing.
“Do I look okay?” I say, holding my hands out to my sides.
He nods. “Yes, you look fantastic.”
* * *
We grab a taxi outside our building, and Cooper and I slide into the back seat. Cooper rattles off an address to our driver.
It seems like everyone is out this evening. The sidewalks are filled with pedestrians, many of whom are dressed in green for the holiday, and the traffic is practically bumper-to-bumper.
“So, where are we going?” I ask.
Cooper shrugs. “You’ll see.”
I laugh. “You’re not going to tell me?”
“No. It’s a surprise.”
I settle back in my seat. “Okay, fine. Be that way.”
He lays his left hand on my thigh, and I lay my hand over top of his, stroking the back of his long fingers. I can’t get over the change in him since we came back from Sweetwater. He’s so much more comfortable in his own skin now—much more comfortable owning his sexuality. As traumatic as the trip was—and the ensuing aftermath—I’m grateful that it happened. I’m grateful he was willing to confront his past and begin to let go of the horror he experienced.
I’m so focused on him that I’m not paying attention to where we’re going until the taxi comes to a stop. I glance out the window and am surprised to see we’re parked in front of Rowdy’s—a neighborhood bar that’s popular with the McIntyre Security crowd. I can see through the front windows that the place is packed tonight. That’s not surprising as it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Tonight all of the bars are bound to be filled to capacity.
Cooper takes care of the fare, and then we hop out. When we reach the entrance, he opens the door for me—the perfect gentleman—and motions for me to step inside. Sure enough, it’s standing room only. That’s no surprise, given the holiday. It seems like everyone’s out to party tonight. But that’s okay. I’m just excited to be out with my guy.
Cooper follows me inside, and as the door closes behind him, there’s a sudden hush in the room as everyone turns to look at us.
“Surprise!” Everyone in the bar jumps to their feet and shouts, “Happy birthday!”
That’s when I start to pick out all the familiar faces in the crowd. Beth, Shane, Lia, Jonah, Erin, Mack, Mateo, Philip, Liam, Miguel, Gabrielle, Jake, and so many more friends and colleagues I can’t even begin to count them all. Everyone’s here. I swear, half of the Chicago office is here tonight. I’m floored that he would do this for me… something so public.
I glance back at Cooper, who has a big smile on his face. “Did you do this?” I ask him.
He nods, then he stuns me even more when he reaches for my hand, linking our fingers. “Isn’t this what boyfriends do?”
My eyes tear up, and I wrap my arms around Cooper, squeezing him tight. He hugs me back, fiercely and completely, without reservation, and everyone in the joint starts cheering. My throat closes up so tightly I can’t even speak. I just bury my face in the crook of his neck and hold on for dear life as I struggle not to bawl like a baby. I knew he was trying, but this? This is insane. I never dreamed he’d put himself—put us—out here like this.
When I lift my head to look at him through tear-filled eyes, he smiles and brushes his thumb across my cheek catching a tear. His expression—part terrified, part exhilarated—says it all. This is what I needed from him. This is everything. It’s beyond anything I ever dreamed possible. I’m so his for the rest of my life.
Cooper takes my hand and leads me up to the bar where the bartender has two glasses of champagne ready for us. He hands Cooper a microphone.
Holy shit! Now what?
Cooper turns to face the crowd and clears his throat. He hesitates for a moment, taking a deep breath as if he’s trying to psych himself up, then clears his throat again. “Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight to help me celebrate Sam’s twenty-ninth birthday.”
The place erupts in cheers again, and I reach for Cooper’s free hand, squeezing it tightly. My heart’s pounding, and all I can think is that I hope I don’t have to say anything, because I don’t think I can speak right now.
Cooper hands me a glass of champagne and picks up the other one for himself. “I’d like to make a toast,” he says into the mic. “To Sam Harrison. Happy twenty-ninth birthday, Sam. May you have many, many more.”
That’s when I notice that everyone is holding a glass of champagne, and they all raise their glasses and drink to Cooper’s toast. Beth smiles at me over the rim of her glass of orange juice.
After taking a sip of his champagne, Cooper sets his glass on the bar and takes my hand. Then he turns to face the crowd. “As some of you know, Sam is my better half. And in case there are any of you who don’t know…news flash, I’m gay, and I love this guy right here.”
He raises our joined hands above our heads, and the crowd erupts in more cheers accompanied with some hoots and hollers.
Beth launches herself into my arms and squeezes the breath right out of me. “Happy birthday, Sam!” she says, releasing me just long enough to pull Cooper into a group hug. “Two of my favorite guys. I couldn’t be happier.”
Shane moves in behind Beth and claps Cooper on the back, nodding with approval. “Well done, my friend.” Then he claps me on the back as well. “I’m happy for you both.”
For the next half hour, we’re bombarded with well-wishers coming up to shake our hands and wish me happy birthday. Cooper takes it all in stride, never straying from my side.
“Hey, red!” Lia says, making her way up to the bar. She bumps me with her hip. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, shorty.”
“Hey, be nice,” she says. “My boyfriend’s providing the entertainment tonight. Show some respect.”
At her gesture, I spot Jonah setting up a microphone stand and a stool on the small stage off to the side of the bar.
“Jonah’s playing tonight?” I say, rather unnecessarily as the guy’s sitting on the barstool now and tuning his acoustic guitar. After fiddling with the microphone stand, Jonah nods to someone off stage, and the lights go down in the bar. A spotlight shines on Jonah, and the crowd goes quiet with anticipation.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Jonah Locke.”
Applause and cheers fill the air, and Jonah smiles.
“Thank you. I’m going to start with a special request,” Jonah says, looking our way.
Cooper lifts our joined hands and kisses the back of mine. “Sam, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
The room starts spinning, and I feel light-headed. And fuck, now I have even more tears obscuring my vision. He’s going to make me cry in front of a room full of people.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’” Cooper says, and everyone laughs.
Jonah starts strumming a few opening chords, and then he starts singing one of our favorite songs, Somewhere Only We Know. This song is our anthem.
Cooper leads me to the small dance floor, which is currently vacant and surrounded by a ring of people standing several deep. He pulls me into the middle of the open space and holds my hand and my waist and leads me in a slow, shuffling dance. Everyone moves to surround the dance floor, couples with their arms around each other, holding hands. I can’t help noticing that I’m not the only one who’s tearing up.
“This isn’t so bad, is it?” I ask him.
He nods, giving me a rueful smile. “I think I can get used to this.”
Cooper pulls me close and leans in to whisper. “I love you, Sam. I don’t deserve you, but I’m yours for the rest of my life, if you’ll have me.”
I pull back to stare at him, honestly more shaken than I’ve ever been in my life.
He pulls me close once more, bringing his
lips to my ear. “Sam, will you marry me?”
Shocked, I pull back and search his gaze as if I’m afraid this is all a big prank. But his gaze is earnest, if a little wary as if he’s not sure of my answer. Swallowing a choked cry, I throw my arms around him and bury my face in the crook of his neck. I just can’t deal right now. He draws me close, his big hand gripping the back of my head, holding me securely against his strong body. “Is that a yes?” he says, chuckling.
“Yes,” I manage to get out, holding him tightly. “God, yes.”
Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I look down into Beth’s teary-eyed face. “Can I cut in?” she says, her voice wavering as she reaches for me.
Cooper smiles as he hands me over to Beth, and she wraps her arms around my waist.
“He asked me to marry him,” I tell her.
“I know,” she says, her voice breaking as she rubs my back. “He asked for our permission. Shane’s and mine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. What did you say?”
“I said ‘yes,’ of course! What did you expect?”
Beth and I dance for about half a minute before Cooper cuts back in.
“I want to dance with my fiancé,” he says, pulling me into his arms. “That’s what fiancés do, right?”
I smile at him through tear-filled eyes. “Right.”
The end… for now.
But it’s just the beginning for Sam and Cooper.
Coming Next
Stay tuned for more books in the McIntyre Security, Inc. series! I have a lot of exciting new books planned for this series, including a new story for Beth and Shane; as well as stories for Jake, Erin and Mack, Liam, Chloe, Cameron, Tyler, and many more!
Here are the next couple of books on my publishing schedule:
Hostage, book 7 (Beth and Shane), summer 2018
Redemption, book 8 (Jake’s book), fall 2018
… with more to follow!
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Acknowledgements
So many wonderful people supported me on this journey.
As always, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my sister, Lori, for being there with me every step of the way. She’s read Ruined so many times, she must surely be sick of it by now. Her support and encouragement are priceless.
I want to thank Rebecca Morean, my dear friend and writing buddy, and author extraordinaire, for finding Sam for me. She found my cover model after I’d spent countless hours searching and came up empty-handed. Thank you, Becky, for your amazing friendship and camaraderie.
I want to thank fellow author Damien Benoit-Ledoux for his invaluable feedback and kind support. His generous guidance helped make Ruined a better book – plus, he’s just an all-around awesome guy!
I want to thank Sue Vaughn Boudreaux for taking pity on me and volunteering her many excellent skills in support of my work. You’ve quickly become a trusted and valued confidant.
I want to thank my awesome beta reader team for all of their love and support: Sue Boudreaux, Julie Collier, Sarah Louise Frost, Lori Holmes, Keely Knutton, Tiffany Mann, Becky Morean, and Brooke Smith.
Finally, I want to thank all of my readers around the globe and the members of my fan group on Facebook. I am so incredibly blessed to have you. Your love and support and enthusiasm feed my soul on a daily basis. Many of my readers have become familiar names and faces greeting me daily on Facebook, and I feel so blessed to have made so many new friends. I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for every Facebook like, share, and comment. You have no idea how thrilled I am to read your comments each day. I wouldn’t be able to do the thing that I love to do most—share my characters and their stories—without your amazing support. Every day, I wake up and thank my lucky stars for you all!
With much love to you all… April