“Why? Did you want his number?”
“He gave it to me. But don’t worry, I’m in my lumberjack era.”
Cooper rolled his eyes. “He’s bi.”
“And you know that ’cause…oooh! You and the donut guy? I’m jealous and turned-on at the same time and?—”
“Keep your dick in your pants, ya perv. No, there’s never been anything between me and Dexter. And that’s the end of this discussion.”
I slid my foot along his calf. “Whoa. Dad mode kinda turns me on.”
“You’re a sick fucker, Anderson.”
“And a horny one.” I slouched on the stool and cupped my bulge. “Look at what you do to me. If your kids are coming tomorrow, I think you’re gonna need to do something about this.”
“Oh, I will.” Cooper covered my hand and squeezed.
I lowered my joggers and boxer briefs. “Be nice or I’ll tell on you. Remember, I’ve met your family now. And not to brag, but I think they like me.”
“They like everybody.”
“I want to be offended, but I can see it. How about your parents?”
“They’ve been gone for years. Dad died when I was twelve, and Mom passed away soon after I’d left for college.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” The elastic band of my boxer briefs snapped over my cock, abruptly ending any attempt at sexiness.
“Me too,” he said simply. “Rhona is Mom’s older sister. We moved to Wood Hollow to be closer to her and Uncle Harry. Mymom struggled without Dad, and I think we all needed a new start.”
“Oh. Right. That makes sense. Uh…do you have any siblings?”
“One older sister. Elle lives in Maine with her family.” He stood, squeezing my shoulder on his way to the fridge. “I see her once or twice a year. We’re close without being in each other’s pockets if you know what I mean. How about you?”
“I’m the middle child. My older brother lives in Kansas, my younger one is in Utah. Dad stayed in Oakland, and my mom remarried and moved to Idaho. I definitely wouldn’t call us close. It’s too bad. I think the divorce kind of ruined us. All the happy times got washed away, and all anyone remembers now are the sucky times where they fought like cats and dogs with no fucking filter. Sometimes I think…”
“What?” Cooper prodded, a package of chicken in hand.
“I think I jumped into marriage to prove I could do it better than they did,” I admitted, hopping off my stool to help organize dinner. “Alli’s an amazing woman. She’s beautiful, funny, kind, and smart. We were friends first, and everyone said marrying a friend would be a recipe for success. Not so much.”
I drizzled lemon on the chicken while Cooper chopped veggies.
“How long were you married?”
“Three years. It was great at first, and then…it fell apart.” I added salt and pepper. “Depression, frustration, lack of communication. Time passes, and next thing you know you haven’t had sex in a month or two and you don’t even really care. And no one’s smiling anymore or having fun. You’re proud of yourselves for minor wins, like not screaming at each other and taking the low road. It sucked.”
“Yet you’re still friends.”
“Yeah, we are. I wish things had ended differently, but I’ve stopped blaming myself for it. You can have all the right stuff and still be missing that extra something you need to make it in the long run. I hope she finds it.”
Cooper left his knife on the cutting board and draped an arm across my shoulder. “You’re a good man, Silas.”
He kissed my cheek and sidled by me, asking about quinoa or some shit while I blinked stardust from my eyes, wondering why I felt ten feet tall around him.
A good man. Me?
I wasn’t sure that was true, but I wanted to be…for him.
CHAPTER 12
