“It sounds pretty bad when you say it that way,” I said, frowning.
“Em, you and I have been friends since we were eighteen. We would be sitting here having a drink together even if you hadn’t seduced me into your bed,” he said with a playful wink.
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t be molesting my leg under the table,” I said.
“Probably not,” he agreed. “Do you want to take off? I just assumed you might not want to be alone right now, but let me know if I was wrong. I’ll drive you home.”
I make a quick decision. “I don’t want to go home, but I don’t want to stay here. I want to go somewhere where you and I can be together and not have to worry about who might see us.”
“That’s a little tough, Em. We’re likely to run into resort employees anywhere in town.” He hesitated. “There is something I wanted to ask you. I have a family event to go to tonight. Is there any chance I could convince you to go with me?”
“A family event?” I narrowed my eyes. “You want to introduce me to your family? That’s a big step, Cooper.”
“Honestly? I’d happily introduce you as my girlfriend to every single person in my life. But since we can’t do that, I’ll settle for my family.” Luke put his hand on top of mine. “What do you say?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, still unconvinced. “We’ve only been dating for two days, Luke.”
He shrugged. “I plan on being with you for a very long time, Em. Might as well get this over with now.”
“Very long time, huh?” I gave him a playful smile. “How long are you thinking?”
“At least a month,” Luke joked. “I need someone to kiss on New Year’s Eve.”
“A month?” I nodded. “That sounds like a reasonable goal.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Luke said.
I looked down at where his hand was still touching mine. “Yeah, okay. Let’s make this official.” I gave him a stern look. “Don’t make me regret this, Cooper.”
“You are so damn cute,” Luke said with a grin. “This place has a storage room behind the bar.”
“I think we could do better than a storage room,” I said.
“You said you don’t want to go home,” he reminded me.
I shrugged. “We could go to your home.”
“Oh yeah?” His grin grew. “Inviting yourself over? I like a woman that takes charge.”
“I know what I want,” I said. “Unless you are nervous about letting me inside your home. Do you need to hide your porn collection?”
“No, but I should probably get rid of my other girlfriends’ things.” Luke tipped his beer back, finishing it. “Drink up, Scott. If we leave now, I can satisfy you at least three times before it’s time to go see my family.”
“Satisfy me? Never.” I finished my drink with a big swig. “But I’m sure we’ll both have fun while you try.”
CHAPTER NINE
“Nervous?” Luke asked.
I nodded and reached for his hand. “Absolutely. That’s an entire house of Coopers in front of us.”
“We’re not that scary,” Luke said.
It was hard to believe him when I was looking at a house that was the size of a small castle. “What does your brother do again?”
“Makes a lot of money,” Luke joked. “If you’re thinking that you picked the wrong brother, David is happily married with five kids.”
“You own a successful ski resort, Luke. You’re not exactly a pauper.” I moved closer to him as we approached the house. “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here? This seems like a pretty intimate gathering.”
“It’s my mother’s birthday, Em. The best gift I could give her is the hope that I’m not going to die alone.” Luke put his arm around me before knocking on the door. “Relax. They are all going to love you just as much as I do.”
I sucked in a breath. It wasn’t the first time that Luke had casually referenced his love for me and I still hadn’t returned the favor. He showed no signs that it bothered him, but I still felt terrible.
“Brother.” The man that opened the door bore a striking resemblance to Luke. They had the same eyes and smile.
“David. Thanks for hosting this shindig.” Luke turned to me. “This is my girlfriend, Emery. Em, this is my much older and less attractive brother, David.”
“Hi.” I smiled shyly.
“Emery? Welcome to the madhouse.” David stepped back. “I have no idea why your self-esteem is so low that you would date a member of this family, but we’re glad to have you here.”
I laughed and instantly felt more relaxed. “I’m a former convict trying to lay low. Your family seemed slightly safer than rejoining the mafia.”
“She’s funny, Luke,” David said, punching his brother’s arm. “Take off your coats and come join the fun. Macy has already finished off a bottle of wine.”
“Macy sounds like my kind of people,” I said as I shrugged out of my coat.
Luke took my coat and hung it up for me. “Macy is David’s husband. Since she isn’t a pure Cooper, she’s still kind of cool.”
“I’m sure she’d be flattered by that glowing review,” David said.
A sudden shriek pierced the air. Neither David nor Luke were fazed by it. “Did you bring me here to murder me?” I asked Luke.
“The scream? That’s just one of the kids.” David shot me a smile that was quite similar to Luke’s. “Don’t worry. They are unlikely to murder you, but I wouldn’t rule it out completely.”
We followed him down a long hallway and into a large, open room. To our right was the largest kitchen I had ever seen. In front of us was a table that seated at least twelve people and on our left was a family room. Despite the large space, we were suddenly swarmed by people.
“Lucas!”
The next thirty minutes were a blur of introductions. Luke hadn’t been lying when he said he had a big family. In addition to his five siblings, I also met five siblings-in-law, fourteen nieces and nephews, his mother, and three aunts and two uncles.
“Don’t worry, we won’t quiz you,” his mother said with a laugh. “Luke must really like you to have brought you to a family function.”
Luke had been pulled away and I was alone with his mother, Annie, in the family room. The adults were all hanging around the kitchen knocking back drinks and the kids were running around aimlessly.
“Luke usually shows up to these things alone?” I said.
“Always. You are the first significant other that he has ever introduced to us.” Annie looked toward her children, a content smile on her face.
“Ever?” I said, surprised. “What about the girl he dated during college that was from Starlight?”
Annie shrugged. “He always said that relationship wasn’t serious. I guess that means your relationship is very serious.” She turned her eyes back to me. “How long have the two of you been dating?”
“Not long, actually,” I said, feeling uncomfortable. “But we went to college together and we’ve been friends for the last seven years, so it feels like we’ve been together longer.”
“Seven years?” Annie laughed happily. “You ought to know by now if my son is the type of man you would want to marry.”
“Marry?” I cringed. “I don’t exactly trust my opinion on that.”
“Oh, were you married once before?” Annie asked, eyes widening.
I shook my head. “No, no. But I was engaged and let’s just say, it took me far too long to realize that he wasn’t the kind of man I wanted to marry.”
“Does my son remind you of that man?” Annie pressed, not at all embarrassed to be prying so deeply into my private life.
“No. Not one bit. Luke is a superior man in every way.” I smiled kindly at her. “You’ve done an excellent job with him.”
“I can’t take credit for that.” Annie smiled at someone over my shoulder. “You always were my easy child.”
I turned as Luke slid onto the couch nex
t to me. He handed me a beer and then put his arm along the back of the couch behind me.
“Please tell me you aren’t scaring her away, Mother,” Luke said dryly. “I like this one. A lot.”
I smiled at him and put my hand on his leg. “Your mother is delightful, as is the rest of your family.”
“I’m sorry, you are talking about the Coopers, right?” Luke pretended to be confused. “Because my mother would’ve already been asking you questions about marriage and children.”
“I think I have a right to know,” Annie exclaimed loudly before I could sell her out. “You are my son. I’m allowed to take an interest in your life.”
“Mom is prying again, isn’t she?” one of Luke’s sisters asked when she came into the room. I remembered that her name was Shelly. She looked at me. “She hasn’t asked you how regular your cycle is, has she?”
“Um, no.” I squirmed a little as Macy came into the room and Luke coughed uncomfortably.
“You’re lucky. I think she asked me that about five minutes after I met her.” Macy grinned. “She stopped bugging me after I popped out the third grandkid.”
Annie pretended to be offended. “It’s not a crime to want grandchildren.”
The other adults were migrating in our direction and suddenly everyone was talking at once, telling their own horror stories about meeting Annie for the first time. She gave up her protests and we were all laughing when David recalled the time he brought his prom date over and Annie grilled her about her family’s medical history.
Luke’s arm went around my shoulder at one point and I saw two of his sisters exchange a smile. It seemed that Annie hadn’t been the only Cooper worried about Luke’s bachelor lifestyle.
“So, Emery, why did you move to Starlight?” Shelly asked.
“Oh. I was just ready to get out of the city, I guess. I had some big life changes that refocused my priorities,” I said, aware that I sounded like I was hiding something.
I saw a flash of understanding pass over Macy’s face. “Oh my. You’re the one whose fiancé died, aren’t you?”
Everyone stopped talking at once as my heart thudded in my chest. Luke’s hand gripped my shoulder and Shelly turned to Macy, “Seriously? Shit, Mace. How rude can you be?”
“It’s okay,” I said quietly.
“No, it’s not,” Luke said.
I squeezed his leg as I composed myself enough to smile. “I’m fine. I’m just going to excuse myself for a second so you can all talk about me and my tragic past. I’ll be back in a bit.”
I heard Luke scolding Macy as I left the room. I thought that I had handled things fairly well considering the circumstances. It wasn’t until I found a bathroom and ducked inside that the tears started to fall. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying. When someone knocked on the door, I assumed it was Luke.
“I’ll be right out,” I said, hurrying to wipe away the tears.
“Emery, honey, I’m coming in.” It was Annie.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “I’m sorry I ran off like that,” I said as I struggled to compose myself.
“You don’t need to be sorry about anything, dear.” Annie handed me a tissue. “I’m very sorry that you lost your fiancé and I’m even more sorry that it was brought up in such a casual way. I’m sure that was incredibly painful.”
“I don’t even know why I’m crying,” I said before shaking my head. “That’s not true. I came to terms with Eric’s death a while ago. I’ve moved on. It wasn’t what Macy said that bothered me, it was that I’m afraid your family will hold it against me.”
“Why would we do that?” Annie asked, alarmed.
“Because I was going to marry someone that wasn’t Luke. Because I was too blind to see how amazing he is and I chose someone else.” I finished dabbing my cheeks. “I just really want you and the rest of the family to know how much I love Luke.”
The word slipped out so easily. I hadn’t been able to tell Luke that I loved him, but I’d just confessed it to his mother in the bathroom. She smiled, delighted. “That’s all we care about, dear. We just want Luke to be happy and no one can deny that he is happy with you.”
“I’m happy with him, too,” I said and then laughed when I saw my reflection. “Contrary to my current appearance.”
“You look just fine.” Annie patted my shoulder. “I hope you’ll join us for some cake. Macy has a big mouth, but she makes a delicious red velvet cake.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said. “Thank you, Mrs. Cooper.”
“It’s Annie, dear.” She smiled one last time and then left.
I wasn’t in a hurry to rejoin the others since my face was still red and splotchy from crying. Instead, I went the other way and found the room where the kids were playing. The older kids were watching a movie, but the younger ones were building a fort.
“This is impressive,” I said.
“Come inside!” a little girl with blond curls waved me forward.
I got to my knees and crawled through the small opening. Two more kids were already inside.
“I’m Cassie. Are you Uncle Luke’s girlfriend?” the blond girl asked.
“I am. My name is Emery.” I gestured to the fort. “Did you build this by yourself?”
“We did,” Cassie said. “Grandma doesn’t like us using the blankets and pillows for this, but she never tells us no.”
“That sounds like a grandma,” I said with a laugh. A boy that looked to be about three, crawled through the opening and straight into my lap. “Hi there,” I said.
“That’s Joey. He’s my brother.” Cassie wrinkled her nose. “Boys are gross and dumb.”
I laughed again. “Not all boys are gross and dumb.”
“They’re not?” Luke’s grinning face appeared in the fort opening. “Are you saying there is still hope for me?”
“You’re not a boy,” Cassie said. “You’re an uncle.”
“Ah, I see.” Luke looked at Joey. “Joe, I need to steal my girlfriend away. Any chance you’ll give her up without a fight?”
Joey laughed and shook his head. “Good man,” Luke said, smiling. He came a little closer and then reached out suddenly, tickling Joey in the side. He squealed and swung his legs, almost kicking Luke right in the face. “Alright, this wasn’t my best idea. What if I just promise you my piece of cake?”
“Okay.” Joey slid right off my lap without any further protest.
“Sold for a piece of cake?” I pretended to be hurt. “That’s a real self-esteem blow, but I can’t blame you, Joey. I hear it’s really good cake.”
“It is,” Luke assured me as he backed out of the fort. “Since I’m rescuing you from this castle, does that make me your Prince Charming?”
Cassie said, “No, Uncle Luke. Princes wear crowns.”
“Can’t argue with logic like that.” Luke was grinning as I joined him outside the fort. “Sorry to ruin your hiding place.”
“I wasn’t hiding,” I said. “I’ve just never been able to pass up a good blanket fort.”
Luke got to his feet and offered his hand. I took it and he pulled me up. “I think it’s official,” he said. “My whole family loves you.”
“Um, I think it’s more like pity,” I said, thinking about the looks they had each given me after Macy’s outburst.
“I’m sorry about that, Em. Macy didn’t mean anything by it, she just doesn’t have a filter.” Luke frowned. “I should have warned them.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said. “I think it would’ve been more awkward if that was the first thing they heard about me.”
“Well, my mom is completely charmed by you. I’m not sure what you told her in the bathroom, but she came out grinning as if you’d just performed some kind of sexual act on her,” Luke said.
I gasped and smacked his arm. “Lucas!”
“Oh my god. You even sound like her.” He mocked a horrified expression. “Am I dating my mother?”
“Cassie is righ
t. Boys are dumb,” I said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been promised cake.”
Luke was laughing as he grabbed my hand. “Let’s go, Scott. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the vultures.”
I had followed him a few steps before stopping. “Luke.”
“Yeah?”
“I told your mother that I hope she knows how much I love you,” I said. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said it to you first, I just... I told her.”
“You told my mother that you love me?” he said, sounding confused. “Why?”
“Because I do.” I took a deep breath and smiled. “I love you, Luke.”
He grinned and his eyes sparkled as he pulled me to him. “Are you telling me all I had to do to get you to profess your undying love for me was get my mother involved? I had just assumed she would be the one to make you run away screaming.”
“You should be nicer to your mother,” I said. “She’s pretty much my favorite person in the world.”
“My mother?” He stared at me. “Why?”
I put my arms around him and place my lips on his ear. With complete conviction, I said, “Because she gave me you.”
CHAPTER TEN
Things were oddly perfect for the rest of the week. Luke was swamped with work and I had added a lot of tasks to my list of responsibilities at the resort, preferring to spend time working rather than sitting at home alone.
We were both too busy for any romantic rendezvous in the storage room, but we made up for it at night. Luke and I took turns staying over with the other person and it was starting to feel like I had two homes in Starlight. Three, if you counted the resort.
When Saturday rolled around and Luke insisted on teaching me how to ski, I didn’t even bother protesting. I just wanted to spend time with him, even if it meant I spent the entire day falling on my butt.
“You’re doing great,” Luke said, even though I decidedly was not doing great. “Just remember to stay over your skis this time. Don’t straighten your back quite so much.”
“You’re allowed to give up on me,” I told him, straightening my goggles.
Home with You (Starlight Valley Book 3) Page 8