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Cooper
Thanks to Lizzy practically begging Trix every hour, on the hour, for the last week, Trix has agreed to go with us to the lake house for the summer family trip. I can tell she’s not thrilled about having to see Rob though. I’m not excited about having to worry about how he treats her while we’re there, not to mention having to pretend we’re just friends for everyone else’s sake is going to make it difficult. Though we’ve had plenty of practice with Lizzy being home from summer camp and having to retreat to our separate rooms every night she’s not at her mom’s.
Not having her curled up next to me at night or being able to walk up behind her and kiss my way down her neck when I get home from practice has been torture. But it’s been fun watching her and Lizzy play video games and dragging them both into the pool a couple of nights a week. Fuck, even just grocery shopping with the three of us has been an adventure. So while I’m wary about the circumstances, I’m still thrilled she’s coming.
A thing I grow to regret the first night we’re there, and Rob and his girlfriend arrive.
Rob’s eyes fall on Trix when he walks in the door. There’s a flash of panic in them before it’s erased by a schooled attempt to remain looking calm. Then I hear the sound of kids in the distance. I can’t tell whether they’re laughing or fighting by the sound, but a moment later, they’re tumbling in the door behind him. I watch them navigate the kitchen, running and jumping through the hall and into the living room. I can tell Trix is trying to do the math of how they fit here, and it’s quickly answered when their mom, his girlfriend, comes in.
“Bailey! Heather! Knock it off and take off your shoes!” she yells at them, and they come to a halt, one of them pouting at her before she complies with the order. Then she turns to Rob. “Babe, did you bring their bag in already? I didn’t see it in the back.”
“Yeah, I’ve got it right here.” He pats the duffel hanging over his shoulder, and I watch in real time as Trix comes to the conclusion this is his new girlfriend and he’s playing caretaker to her kids. She blinks and pulls her glass up to her lips, looking like she’s doing her best to fix her face.
My mom and dad hear the commotion and join us in the room. They’re busy greeting the kids and Rob’s girlfriend, Carly. Trix looks frozen, and I wish I could put my arm around her right now and claim her as mine because I can see Rob watching her and Carly trying to make sense of who she is and why she’s here. The tension in the room mounting the whole time.
Carly finally gives up wondering and reaches out a hand.
“Hi! I’m Carly. Rob’s girlfriend. Are you here with Cooper?” She flashes a grin to me before she turns it back on Trix. Before she can even answer, Rob interjects.
“Yeah. This is Beatrix. She’s a family friend.” Rob’s eyes meet Trix’s, and I can see her avoid them deftly and turn her smile back on Carly. I’ve dragged her into this mess and now he’s going to use it to belittle her.
Fuck that. All our careful plans go out the window because I’m not having Trix dismissed.
“We’re actually dating now.” The words come out before I can stop them.
Trix’s eyes flash to mine, and I see Lizzy look puzzled for a moment before an understanding grin spreads across her face. I get a smirk and a nose scrunch that tells me she knows what I’m doing. My parents both flash a look at us and my mom’s eyebrow raises in question but drops when I flash a bright smile.
Trix, on the other hand, has more trouble recovering. Rob’s eyes land hard on me, but I refuse to meet them. Ignoring him to watch her look flustered and recover with her own smile as she looks at Carly again.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Trix takes Carly’s hand and shakes it.
“Oh, I’m so excited Cooper brought a girlfriend. We’ll have so much fun!” Carly’s free hand waves in the air in excitement, and the ring on her finger sparkles in the light. The kind of blinding light that my mother doesn’t miss. Suddenly Trix and I aren’t the most interesting thing in the room anymore.
“Something to tell us?” my mom asks Carly, and she immediately looks guilty, pulling both her hands back and looking to Rob.
“We planned to tell you at dinner.” Rob looks awkward as fuck. He shifts on his feet and his brow furrows as he looks between our parents for their reaction. They won’t be thrilled with that development but they also won’t let it show if they can help it.
“I forgot to take it off before we got out of the car. The kids were so excited to get in, and I got distracted. I’m sorry,” Carly apologizes as much to Rob as anyone else in the room. Interesting that Rob wanted her to hide it.
“Don’t apologize.” My mom regains her usual inner calm. “But I do need to see the ring. It looks gorgeous.” She reaches her hand out and takes Carly’s in hers.
Trix takes a step backward and then several more in my direction. Her face is calm, with a serene smile, and her hands are clasped like she’s witnessing the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. But I can see in her eyes that it’s killing her. She loved my mom, and the two of them spent a lot of time in the kitchen together during holidays and the summer. My mom used to tell Trix that she was going to get her grandmother’s wedding band someday, and she couldn’t wait for her to have it. So I can imagine that this feels like a gut punch, even if she doesn’t want the marriage or the man anymore.
I reach out and grab her hand, squeezing it tight so she knows I’m here. At least my little verbal outburst claiming her meant I could do that much for her.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us!” My mom shoots Rob an admonishing look, and he looks sheepish.
“Should we tell them the rest?” Carly grins at him.
“Uh…” Rob’s eyes land on Trix and then hit the floor in quick succession before he looks back up at Carly and smiles. “Sure. Why not?”
I can tell in my gut that whatever is coming next is going to hurt Trix, even if I don’t know why.
“We’re pregnant!” Carly announces brightly.
My mom squeals with delight and even my dad lets out a little yelp of surprise, patting Rob on the back as my mom pulls Carly tight into a hug. Lizzy, meanwhile, looks like she might throw up. I give her a look, telling her to fix her face. A thing she does after briefly sticking her tongue out at me.
But then I feel Trix’s hand squeeze mine again, and when I look at her, she’s still smiling. The picture of serenity minus the tears forming in her eyes, and now I feel a punch in my gut. She blinks a moment later, clearing the sadness from them, and turns and smiles at me.
