Made To Love You (10 page)

MacKenzie perches herself on Hunter’s lap and wraps an arm around him. Cooper pulls me and then sits me on his lap where he wraps his arms around my middle.

“You guys good?” Cooper eyes the both of us.

Hunter speaks up first. “As long as you continue to take care of my sister we’re good.”

Cooper doesn’t hesitate. “Just like you take care of mine.”

MacKenzie is staring through the window. “Wanna bet that Eli is about to kiss Layla in front of everyone?”

I’m so glad that they decided to come to the wedding. She was afraid to leave her sister, Fallon, all alone on New Year’s but she’s with her mom. This whole time I thought I had issues but Layla beats all of mine hands down. I’m glad that Eli and Layla came though, Layla needs to let loose a little. She’s always so responsible and every once in a while you need to let your hair down and have some fun.

“Let’s go dance,” I say hopping off Cooper’s lap.

He groans climbing to his feet. “Can’t I change out of this stuffy tux?”

“Not yet, lover boy.” I grab Cooper by his tie and lead him to the dance floor. When we opened the door we heard Hailey hooting and hollering. I glance up just in time to see Layla lean up on her tip toes, wrap her arms around Eli and kiss the ever loving hell out of him.

“Well, look at that,” Cooper chuckles. “I don’t know why they insisted on hiding it. I mean it was pretty obvious at Christmas.”

I slap him playfully on the chest. “Leave them alone.”

When we reach the dance floor a slow song starts and we make our way over toward Layla and Eli.

“I told you so,” Cooper says to Eli with a smirk.

Layla raises her eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

“This guy,” Cooper nods towards Eli. “A long time ago when we were back in college and Eli was whoring around, he said that he’d never fall hard for a girl to the point where nothing else in the world mattered.”

Eli nods. “I didn’t just fall, I fucking fell face first.”

He did, he did exactly what Cooper said would happen and we were all lucky enough to see it happen.

Mason and Hailey say goodbye just after two in the morning and everyone else slowly trickled behind.

Cooper comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. “Ready to get out of here?”

I nod. “Yeah, let’s walk mom back to her room first, too.”

We make our way over to where mom is sitting at a table by herself with a smile on her face. She’s just sitting back watching Hunter dance with Olivia and MacKenzie dance with Ryder.

“Hey, Mom, Cooper and I are heading back to the room. Want us to walk over with you?”

Mom reaches for her purse then stands. “Sure, that would be great.”

We say goodbye to the few people left and walk back through the casino catching stares as to how we’re dressed. We stop on mom’s floor, one lower than ours, and walk her down to her room.

She slips her key card in her room and pushes open the door. She sways but catches herself. I instantly panic and reach forward. Mom glances down to my hand and covers it with hers. She sees the worry in my eyes. “I’m fine, just a little tired.”

“Mom…”

“I’m not used to staying up this late, sweetheart,” she glances behind me towards Cooper. “Take care of my daughter.”

“Always.”

Mom’s eyes return to mine. “Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I lean in and kiss her on the cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Then she steps back and the door shuts. I wait a second to make sure she locks the door.

Cooper tugs my hand. “You heard your mom,” he waggles his eyebrows. “I’m going to go take care of you.”

I laugh all the way back to the elevator. “You are something else, Mr. Cahill.”

He nuzzles into my neck after we step into the elevator and hit the up arrow. “I’m going to show you something else.”

Once again, Cooper has the ability to make me forget everything and just exist with him in the moment. He’s good at it and he knows when I need that distraction…he’s my one true love, my soul mate, my forever.

Cooper

It’s been two weeks since Mason and Hailey’s wedding and I keep wondering if enough time has passed before asking Jaylinn to marry me. I know I shouldn’t care about any of that because it’s not going to change the fact that I want her to be my wife, but, I don’t want anyone to doubt the reasons why I’m asking her. I don’t want them to think I’m doing it because Mason just got married, or that everyone else in our family is married, or even because her mom has cancer.

“Fuck!” I grumble to myself as I toss the ring back in my drawer. I’ve been hiding it here at Fierce so Jaylinn wouldn’t find it. The last thing I need her to do is stumble upon it.

I sit down in my chair huffing and puffing as I stare out the window towards the ocean. I can’t talk to anyone about what I’m going through either because it’ll make me look like a pussy.

“Damn it.” I clasp my hands over the top of my head.

“What the hell is your problem?”

I swing around in my chair finding Eli leaning against the door frame. “Nothing.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “That didn’t sound like nothing.”

I turn back around in my chair. “Just got something on my mind that I’m trying to deal with.”

“You suck at dealing with shit.”

I huff. He’s right. If something is wrong or needs to be dealt with I just do it. I’ve always been a do now, deal with things later type of person.

The chair squeaks as Eli sits in an empty chair. He’s not going to leave me alone until I tell him what is bothering me. Maybe I should lie and tell him it’s something about the paperwork scattered around on my desk. Then I think better of it because if there was a problem he’d know about it. Maybe I can tell him it’s about the upcoming season and starting with a new team is stressing me a little.

“I’ve got all day.” Eli kicks his feet up on my desk making himself at home.

I turn back around in my chair weighing my options of telling him.

Screw it.
“I want to ask Jaylinn to marry me.” I rush out the words and it feels like a weight has been lifted just by saying those words out loud.

Eli throws his head back and laughs. I pick up the nearest thing, which happens to be a pen, and throw it at him.

“This is what you’re in here pouting about?”

“I’m not pouting,” I cross my arms over my chest.

“You are.”

Shaking my head, “What are we, five?”

Eli shrugs. “So, just ask her already. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“You wouldn’t,” I mutter as I lean back in my chair. “It’s too soon I think.”

Eli twirls the pen I threw at him between his fingers. “What does that even mean?”

I run a hand threw my hair. “Mason just got married—”

He cuts me off. “So?”

“She just found out her mom has cancer.”

“Again, so?”

I huff, this is exhausting. “I just don’t want people to judge us.”

Eli removes his feet from my desk and sits up in his chair. “Where the hell are your balls, Coop? And I’m not talking about the ones you hit with the bat. Why do you care what anyone else thinks?” He shakes his head in disbelief. “You’ve never let anyone stop you from what you’ve wanted in the past.”

“I know,” I answer honestly. If someone tells me I can’t do something it makes me only want to do it more.

“Then why are you letting that shit stop you? Life is to fucking short to care what other people think and you should know that first hand.”

I let his words sink in for a minute. He’s absolutely right. I’ve never let them stop me before and why would I let them now? And without knowing how long Sadie will be able to battle this cancer should just be one more reason why I don’t wait.

“Everyone knows that this is the next step for you and Jaylinn. No one knows when, how, or any of the rest of the details, and no one needs to know. If it’s Jaylinn you want to marry then fucking marry her.”

I smile at Eli. He’s got a way with his words. “When did you get so smart?”

“I’ll answer that,” Layla interjects.

My breath catches hoping that Jaylinn isn’t with her. If she heard it could ruin what I plan on doing.

Breathe in.

Layla steps into my office and takes the empty seat next to Eli.

Breathe out.

“I think I’m the reason he’s so smart. He won’t admit it yet though, so we’ve got some work to do,” Layla smiles sweetly at him.

Breathe in.

My eyes glance to the door and I hope beyond hope that Jaylinn doesn’t walk in any second.

“I’m smart without you,” Eli defends himself.

Breathe out.

I glance towards the both of them and they’re both looking at me like I’ve grown a second head.

“Do you want me to go?” Layla stands.

“No,” I mask the worry when I realize that she’s not here and my proposal hasn’t been ruined. “You’re fine.”

After that, our conversation switches to work and we go over marketing ideas for this coming summer and work on the schedule for entertainment. Layla’s got some good ideas and it’s then that I realize that we made the right move by having her step up to a management position.

When we get a good amount of the planning done we realized it was just after three in the afternoon.

Layla’s stomach growls loud and she giggles. “I’m starving.”

An emotion I’m not used to seeing slams down on Eli’s face. He’s on his feet and dragging Layla out the door the next second. He calls out over his shoulder, “We’ll see you tomorrow.

“Bye,” Layla yells.

I know from the stories that Jaylinn has told me that Layla had a really rough start in life. I’m sure her past still gets under Eli’s skin. I know it would mine. Layla is very independent and refuses to take any handouts unless she’s left with no choice. Hence the reason Layla and her sister Fallon have moved in with Eli. It was either that or live on the streets. Layla was smart enough to know that she couldn’t ask that piece of shit ex-boyfriend to help her anymore. Not when Eli stepped up and offered her this job and a roof over her head. It’s nice to see Eli, the man-whore that he was, so head over heels for a girl. I never thought the day would come for him.

I start cleaning up my desk, save a couple documents on my laptop and lock up for the night, since it’s Wednesday, and we aren’t open for business.

Climbing into my truck I sit here for a second. I reach for the ring that I set on the passenger seat when I got in. I flip the lid open and stare down at my future. It’s nothing fancy because that’s not Jaylinn’s style. It’s a simple two carat round stone with an infinity band with tiny diamonds. I purchased the matching wedding band as well. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the one. It reminds me of the infinity ring that I got her two Christmas’ ago. I can’t wait to see it on her finger, to see the smile on her face and to know that I put it there. I can’t ever see myself being without her.

I close the lid, toss it in the glove compartment and start up my truck. I’ve got the perfect plan but a little work that needs to be done first before I can make it happen. I send a quick text to Eli.

Me 3:48pm:
Cover for me this weekend and I got you for next weekend.

I feel bad bailing this weekend because I’m hardly around but this can’t wait.

Eli 3:49pm:
Deal. Must have found your balls.

Me 3:50pm:
Asshole.

I want to make a quick stop by Sadie’s house to let her know my plans. I know she had a treatment today because Jaylinn took her this morning. She normally just wants to go home and sleep but I don’t think she’ll mind if I bother her for this.

I make a quick U-turn and head towards Sadie’s. I know Jaylinn isn’t at her mom’s because she texted me during my meeting and said she was at home with Fallon and they were going to make me dinner tonight. Jaylinn loves that little girl and treats her like a little sister.

When I pull up in front of Sadie’s house the front door is open which is a little weird. She’s always been so secure, never forgetting to lock the door when she’s home or even setting the alarm at night or when she’s by herself. So a red flag immediately goes up when I see the door open.

I climb from the truck and walk up to the door. Her purse is lying on the floor and the contents are spilled out.

“Sadie?” I call out as I open the screen door.

Nothing.

I step into the house and listen. All is quiet.

“Sadie?” I call again.

Nothing.

I glance around the corner and into the kitchen but she isn’t there. I walk back towards the bedroom and that’s when I hear her throwing up.

We all knew this was a side effect from the treatments she’s getting. As far as I was aware everything was going good and she didn’t have any issues from the treatments aside from being tired. Apparently no one told me about this.

I step into the bathroom, reach for her hair and hold it back as she continues to get sick. I don’t say anything, just sit back on the tub and hold her hair. It’s all I can do right this second. I’d like to think that by me doing this that it’s helping, letting her know that she isn’t alone.