Stolen Breaths (13 page)

Ms. Sophie and I went and sat down at the table Joe set up for us.

“How have you been?” Ms. Sophie asked.

“I’ve been…” I said, thinking back to my first lunch date with Cooper several days ago and all the time I’d spent with him since, “really good.” I found myself studying the scratches on the tabletop, not wanting to look directly at Ms. Sophie for fear she could read me like a book.

Ms. Sophie reached across the table and patted my hands. “That’s wonderful, dear. I see the light in your eyes. I haven’t seen that light before. Oh, you’ve always been a beautiful girl – nothing could ever change that— but you light up the whole room when you walk in now.”

I looked up at Ms. Sophie shyly. “Thanks.”

Ms. Sophie stole a glance at her grandson before looking back at me. “I couldn’t be happier, dear. And in case you didn’t notice, Cooper lights up the room now too.”

Just then a waitress came over and brought us drinks. She handed Ms. Sophie a glass of water and set down a bottle of Corona in front of me. I looked at her quizzically and she said, “Cooper ordered it for you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Sure. I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”

Looking over Ms. Sophie’s shoulder I saw Hayden walk in and Joe motioned him over to our table. Joe came over and sat down with us, bringing with him a shot of tequila for me. “Here you go, Lily. Just for you,” Joe laughed.

“Ah, you remembered,” I quipped, wasting no time drinking it.

“You don’t want to drink too much of that before getting on stage,” Cooper said chuckling as he sat down next to me. “Take my word for it.”

“Oh? Sounds like there might be a story there.”

Cooper laughed. “Of course there is, but I’ve learned my lesson.” He leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose. If he wasn’t sitting so close to me, in essence keeping me grounded, acting as a buffer between my nerves and our surroundings, I may have been tempted to drink more. I certainly wanted to.

I scanned the bar and was surprised to see how quickly the place filled up. Loud conversations were all about, the clinking sounds of bottles and glasses penetrated through the loud chatter, and the music coming from the speakers seemed to echo off the walls. It was getting harder and harder to hear the people sitting at our table without having to shout. It wasn’t like that when we were there a couple of nights before. Friday nights were definitely a whole different vibe and a whole different scene.

Without warning Joe stood up and walked onto the stage. He motioned for someone in the back to kill the music and he grabbed the microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen, for your listening enjoyment tonight please welcome Cooper Hudson!”

Clapping, whistles, cheers, and even some shout outs from the crowd that I couldn’t quite make out ensued all around me. These people were here to see Cooper, and I was wishing I was invisible. Sensing my uneasiness, Cooper put his hand on my thigh, squeezed and whispered in my ear, “I’m going to go up by myself, and I’ll call you up when it’s time. You have a few minutes, so relax.” He stood up and walked to the stage.

He took a seat on the stool and pulled the guitar strap over his head, then adjusted the mic stand. “How is everyone doing tonight?” he said in that charming way of his.

The audience got louder.

“I’m sorry, what? I can’t hear you.”

The crowd cheered and applauded and more shout outs came from the back.

“That’s better. Glad to see everyone out tonight and having a good time. Are y’all ready for some music?”

“Hell yeah!” was shouted from somewhere in the back and people applauded at that. Cooper smiled a smile that could melt hearts. “Okay then. Let’s do this.”

Cooper sang a couple of fast songs with a good beat and I was in awe of his stage presence. He made it look so easy. I was sitting there watching Cooper perform when I felt a hand reach behind me and then a hug. Spinning around in my seat I looked up and saw Beth’s face smiling back at me.

“Beth! You made it!”

“Of course I did, silly.” She slid into the seat next to me that Cooper had occupied. “Oh my God, Lily, he is so good! You haven’t sung yet have you?”

“No, not yet.” On cue, my hands started shaking in anticipation.

Beth squealed and did that fast clap thing she did when she got excited. “I can’t wait!”

“Did you come by yourself?”

“Yeah,” was all she said, and then smiled.

Cooper’s song ended and another round of applause ensued. Everyone at our table joined in. He was making this night so much fun.

“Thank you. Thank you. Listen, I’ve been trying to convince this beautiful girl sitting down here,” he pointed to me and everyone looked in my direction, “to sing with me. But it hasn’t been easy, let me tell you.” The audience laughed. “I’ve come to realize that the best things in life don’t come easy, so that’s okay. My persistence paid off because she’s finally agreed to join me tonight and sing a duet for y’all.” The crowd gave a congratulatory clap. “Y’all please welcome Lily Grayson!” The audience whistled and cheered as I stood up to take the stage next to Cooper. Beth, Ms. Sophie, Hayden, and Joe were all clapping. I walked on the stage, and when I got close to him, Cooper said in my ear, “Focus on me, Lil. Just me.” His breath in my ear made chill bumps appear on my skin instantly.
Every. Time.
I sat down on the stool next to him and adjusted my mic.

“We’re going to do a duet,” Cooper said, speaking to the audience again, “‘To Whom It May Concern’ by the Civil Wars.” He looked over at me. “You ready, Lil?”

I nodded tentatively. His eyes stayed focused on mine and he counted off…1…2…3….and just like that music was playing.

I’m not really sure at what point the bar patrons got quiet or when they started their applause because all the time in between the only thing I could focus on was Cooper. For me, it felt like we were the only two people in the room. The only thing I could see was Cooper’s face, the only thing I could hear was his soulful voice, and the only thing I could feel were his eyes. They were on me, in me, and looking right through me.

The words to the song encompassed all the things I wanted to tell Cooper so I made sure I sang to him – straight to his heart with all the feeling I had. Music for me had always been a sweet release of feelings and thoughts. The lyrics, the strum of his guitar, and the energy that emanated from his body, speaking a language my body responded to and understood – was all made perfect as our voices danced together in perfect harmony. The richness of Cooper’s voice and the softness of mine was a perfect combination that illuminated the intent behind the words. It really was perfect.

The look on Cooper’s face when he removed his guitar strap over his head made me almost lose it. He was seductive and sexy, yet sweet and protective. He kept his eyes locked on mine, and my blood turned to molten lava. The song had ended, yet we were still the only two people in the room.

I felt someone touch my arm and all the sounds of the room came back to me like someone had turned up the volume. The cheers and applause were palpable and for a moment I wondered who they were clapping for, until I felt Cooper’s arms hug me at the waist, lifting me off the ground.

“You were wonderful, baby!”

I looked around the room and saw people on their feet, whistling and shouting for another song. I turned back toward Cooper and he leaned in so I could hear him. “They want another song. Whadaya say?”

I shrugged my shoulders shyly and looked at Cooper, telling him I’d rather not, and he seemed to understand. He took me by the hand and gestured for me to sit back on the stool beside him. He took the mic and said, “Thank you, thank you. She’s wonderful isn’t she?” The audience cheered. “Thank you, that’s what I’ve been telling her.” He turned to look at me and smiled that heart stopping smile. “I feel like doing a little serenading, so Lily, your job is to sit there and listen.” The whole place erupted with thunderous applause and whoops and hollers from all directions. He gave me a wink and then got comfortable on his stool. Speaking into the microphone he said, “Lily, this song is for you.”

‘
David Livingstone’ by Jon Bryant was the song Cooper sang to me. I felt like someone hit the mute button because you could hear a pin drop when Cooper opened his mouth and the first words left him with fluid eloquence. Again we connected to each other in a way that was almost indescribable. I was breathing in the words and finding it hard to keep the tears that threatened to escape from falling. Cooper looked very controlled, but I could also tell he was using that self-restraint of his when I saw the muscles in his jaw tighten. The expression on his face was sincere and contemplative. I did as he asked me to do, I listened. I could feel all eyes on me, but I only had eyes for the man sitting right here in front of me. If he wanted me to fall in love with him… he succeeded.

And then, like the evanescence of the morning mist, the beautiful song faded and what was left was the sound my heart made as it beat hard against the wall of my chest.

Cooper set down his guitar, stood up and reached to pull me up so that we were standing face to face. He moved in and wrapped his arms around me for a warm embrace. It wasn’t like we weren’t standing on a stage in a bar filled with lots of people all looking at us. Then I heard the words I was afraid to hear and the words I was afraid I would never hear.

“I love you, Lily. I absolutely love you.”

Three years
. That’s how old I was when I lost my mom.

Twenty-five years
. That was the amount of time I had with the most amazing daddy anyone could ever ask for.

Five years
. That was the amount of time I spent living my life inside a bubble refusing to let life in for fear of the unknown – and the known.

Three seconds
. That’s the length of time it took for Cooper to make me realize that I was capable of feeling something other than grief or fear the first time he looked at me.

Five days
. That was all it took for him to crack open my heart, burst that impenetrable bubble, and make me fall in love with him.

Five. Days
.

I could feel the heat rising inside me, making my cheeks burn scarlet. I could feel the room getting smaller and the air burning my lungs. I could hear drumming in my ears as my pulse raced uncontrollably.
Did he just tell me he loved me?
I looked at him and tilted my head like he was speaking a foreign language and I needed an interpreter. I looked down at our table and searched for Ms. Sophie’s eyes hoping to find an answer there. Her eyes were wet and her cheeks stained with tears. I looked at Beth and she sat with her hands over her mouth in a state of surprise. When I looked at Hayden he was leaned back in his chair, arm draped over the back of the chair beside him, looking down at the table and smiling at his napkin. Joe just seemed cool and collected but obviously waiting for someone to say something.

I forced my gaze back up to find Cooper’s eyes and what I found were his lips on my neck, his hands sliding underneath my hair and a whisper in my ear. “You don’t have to say anything, Lil. But I couldn’t go another second not telling you how I felt. Not another second.”

“Cooper…” I whispered. I was afraid to say it out loud. Saying it out loud made it real. My throat felt tight and I almost choked when I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I closed my eyes and stopped thinking, and I let my heart speak for me. Cooper’s breath was on me and I could feel his heart thumping through his shirt. For a moment, his heart and mine were beating in time together. I opened my mouth and let the words fall out.

“I love you too.”

Tears stung my eyes and I thought my heart would burst. I wasn’t prepared for this. I really hated myself right then for being such a girl. But I all I wanted to do was hold on to Cooper so tight that air couldn’t pass between us.

“You love me?” Cooper asked, searching my eyes intently.

I nodded my head yes and murmured, “Mmm-hmm,” and choked down my tears.

He wrapped his arms around me so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. Almost. “God, Lil, I love you so much.”

“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!” the crowd chanted.

“Oh my God! Cooper we’re on a damn stage,” I said, and laughed in his ear. Realizing what he had done, he laughed too.

“Sorry about this, baby. I promise you, this wasn’t my plan. It just sort of… happened.”

“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”

“What do we do?” I asked him, honestly hoping that the embarrassment I felt encroaching on me at this moment would dissolve with his answer.

He pulled back to look at me. “I guess I need to kiss you now.” A sweet, impish grin tugged along the corners of his mouth. Without warning, he swooped me down in his arms with me looking up at him and landed a chaste kiss on my mouth. Then he pulled me back upright into his arms. “That’s all these fools are getting. We’re not giving them a show.”

The crowd seemed satisfied with that as they clapped and whistled. Together, we walked off the stage to take our seats at our table.

“Well, that was new,” Joe cracked.

“Shut up, Joe,” Cooper said, trying to contain his beaming smile.

Beth removed her hands from her mouth. “That was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this. Ohmigod.”

Ms. Sophie got up and made Cooper stand up so she could hug him. Before she did, she swatted him on his arm. “Cooper Hudson, did you plan to do that, and if so, why didn’t you tell me so I could have least been prepared? I’m sitting here crying like a blubbering idiot.” She swatted him on his arm again and smirked at him. I saw then where Cooper got that particular brand of smirk.

Cooper held up both his hands in defense. “I swear I didn’t plan any of that.” He turned to look at me – brown eyes searching brown eyes. “I wanted to tell her so many times before…”

Hayden patted him on the back. “I think it’s great, man. But I don’t think anyone here is surprised that you love her or that she loves you. Hell, if it was obvious to me, it was obvious to everyone.”