But as tough as I pretend to be, do I necessarilylikethe thought of Cooper being with other women? No.
But that’s not realistic. I’ve been with other men. We all have lives before the people we marry one day.
I’m not naïve, and I’m not a prude. But I also don’t want the reminder in my face.
Cooper Henry chased me almost my entire life… until he didn’t. It may not have always been romantic. But we were two twin souls growing up in a beach town, wild and free.
Sometimes, to this day, I think that I know him better than I know myself.
As much as I stare at myself in the mirror, pointing to myself and beating my hate for him into my head as a painfulreminder of everything I’ve felt, I know that on some level, he still cares.
You don’t go through all of that and come out heartless.
Not him.
I’m making breakfast when Cooper’s buzzer goes off, and I still, looking at the time.
The crew is here.
I buzz them up before finishing my eggs, shoveling them down, and burning my tongue in the process.
They set up as Cooper and I get ready, and by the time an hour is up, the two of us are sitting on the couch, as close as we can muster, with smiles on our faces.
The matchmakers, Joanna and Dylan Day, are sitting in chairs across from us.
They’re lucky I’m feeling extra nice today.
“I’m so glad that you two have seemed to reconnect since the wedding,” Joanna smiles.
I bite my tongue in an attempt to keep myself from sneering.
“We sure did,” is what I say instead.
I watch out of the corner of my eye as Cooper’s lips twitch.
“We heard that there was quite a big reaction at the wedding. How did your friends take the news?” Dylan asks.
“They were shocked,” Cooper says before I can stick my foot in my mouth.
Thank you.
“Apparently, none of them had a single clue. It wasn’t until the girls started walking down the aisle that it clicked for them.”
Lindsey studies me as if waiting for me to spill that he’s lying.
I give her a nonchalant shrug. “You guys made them all sign NDAs. I’m not sure why you’re shocked no one spilled, and if they did, why would we tell you?”
Cooper places his hand on mine, calming me.
Calming me.Why is he calming me?
My heart starts fluttering, and I hate it.
Joanna’s face pinches, and she simply looks down at her notes, ignoring me. “You guys clearly have history, as we’ve seen. Do you care to share any of that?”
I tense, my fist tightening under Cooper’s hand.
“No,” he says firmly before I can. “I think we need to come around to that on our own time.”
