And it was delicious.
“Whoa! This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had in my life,” I gushed. “How’d you do it? This must have taken forever.”
Ivy blushed, her eyes bright with pleasure. “Two days. I made the cake part at Mom’s house. Dad picked us up from school and we had to go back to the house to get it and bring it here. I made the frosting a couple of hours ago and put it in the fridge to cool. I was worried it might taste stale, but it’s not.”
“Not at all. It’s really really, really amazing. Thank you.”
“I helped with the burgers,” Chase said.
“You helped eat ’em, huh?”
He offered a high five and a goofy grin. I laughed, my heart swelling in my chest with so much sweetness.
I insisted on cleaning the kitchen with Cooper while the kids decided what game to play or movie to watch. It was a Friday, so they were allowed to stay up later than they were on school nights. Honestly, the fact that I knew shit like that was sort of weird, or…not. I couldn’t tell, and I wasn’t about to overanalyze potentially worrisome details on my birthday.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” Cooper asked, drying his hands on a dish towel.
“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I grabbed two glasses from the shelf, inhaling his masculine scent as our arms brushed. “Mmm. You smell like the forest.”
His lips tilted in amusement. “Are you drunk already?”
“Nope. Just…happy. It’s been a nice day. Thank you.”
We stared at each other, and yeah, we were probably standing too close. I wished I could kiss him or touch him. But this was good too.
Cooper stepped aside to pour the wine. “You’re welcome, but…truthfully, I didn’t do much. It was all Ivy.”
“I’m honored. Truly.” I clinked my glass to his. “Her mom must have had a few questions.”
“Oh, she did.” He gave a humorless half laugh and sipped his wine. “Sarah thought it was sweet, but…definitely odd. She’s worried the kids are becoming too attached to my new neighbor.”
“Ouch. Did she tell them that?”
“No. That was aimed at me.” Cooper worked his jaw angrily but seemed to swallow his angst, his features evening to neutral.
Look, I didn’t know enough about Cooper’s situation with his ex to weigh in or?—
No, scratch that. I didn’t knowanythingabout them.
He’d inferred a communication breakdown of some kind. However, he’d never shared specifics and I hadn’t pressed. I could argue that made our dynamic a bit one-sided, but I wouldn’t snoop.
Okay. That was a lie. I’d tried to snoop. I’d asked the occasional question about Sarah and Frank, how he felt about his ex remarrying, what he thought of Frank’s relationship with Ivy and Chase. They obviously liked the guy—and that was a good thing, right?
Cooper’s replies were always vague and almost calculated. So much so that I didn’t dare ask the one thing I was dying to know. What had happened to his marriage?
He’d built a high wall around the subject and wasn’t willing to divulge any details. On one hand, I understood. I’d been on the other end of those questions too, and hadn’t appreciated the scrutiny. I mean, divorce was tough. With kids, it got even more complicated. Ivy and Chase were incredibly well-adjusted, which probably meant that both parents worked extra hard to make living in two separate houses easier for them. But I got the feeling, it came at a cost. A price only Cooper was paying.
“Oh. If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”
Cooper jolted slightly and pinned me with a shrewd stare. “I appreciate that, but…there’s nothing to talk about.”
See?
“Okay. Then get ready for me to kick your ass at Monopoly.” I pointed at the game being set up on the table in the adjoining dining room.
Cooper groaned, swiping the wine bottle from the counter. “We’re gonna need this. Let’s go, birthday boy.”
I licked frosting from my fork, admiring the cake once more before following him.
