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Cooper is home from the hospital and is slowly rehabbing his shoulder. The prognosis for his future is grim, but he’s been absolutely dedicated to his rehab, and his attitude through everything has been amazing.
“He’s starting to, but I’d rather he didn’t. Plus, her school is on the way home for me.”
“All right. See you tomorrow. Don’t forget to look at that stuff I sent you about the new program they’re starting over at This Week in Football. I think it’s an option for Cooper. They’d be excited to bring him on, and their timeline seems like it might work with his rehab schedule,” Madison reminds me as I gather my purse.
“I’ll let him know.”
Once we’re home, Lizzy’s off to talk to her friends in her room about her latest idea she was working on today while Cooper helps me make dinner in the kitchen. As I toss the onions and peppers in the frying pan, he comes up behind me, kisses my cheek, and then makes his way down my jaw.
“You and Madison plot to take over the world today?” He grins as he snags one of the leftover peppers on the counter and pops it into his mouth.
“I wish. Mostly, we just filled out paperwork, answered emails, and watched the coverage for Ramsey’s pretrial stuff.”
“I talked to him today. Told him to keep his head up, and we’d do whatever it takes. I reminded him we got the best lawyer money could buy, and the best PR team too.” He smiles at me.
“I’m just so worried for him. I wish I could promise him it would all be fine, but that video was… ugly. They play that for a jury, and it’s going to be hard to explain away.”
“That’s what we’re for,” Cooper reassures me.
“At least we’ll get to speak on his behalf.” We’ve agreed to be character witnesses for him, and it gives me some comfort that I can try to fight for him.
“You’re doing a lot more than that, Trix. You’ve got to stop blaming yourself. You know what the therapist said.” Cooper gives me a knowing look, and I nod in response. We’ve both been in therapy since the shooting, and I’ve been working hard on letting things go, but the anxiety of Ramsey’s trial has ratcheted all my old fears and insecurities back up again.
Cooper must see it on my face because he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me away from the stove. He kisses me softly and then holds my eyes with his.
“Ramsey doesn’t blame you. I don’t blame you. No one blames you for what happened. James did this,” he says firmly, and his hand rubs a small circle on my lower back. “You and I are doing everything we can to help. Which is all we can do.”
“I know.” I close my eyes, and he kisses my forehead.
“So let’s talk about something else then.” He moves to the fridge to pull some more of the ingredients out.
“Madison brought up the This Week In Football opportunity again. She wants me to talk to you about it because we need to give them a response.”
“Tell her I’ll call them tomorrow.”
“Really?” I drop the spoon I’ve been using to stir the pan and turn back to look at him. I’d expected a no. Because a yes meant he was accepting that he might not play again.
“I might as well. Even if I could somehow miraculously play next season, I’m getting close to my last anyway. I need to figure out what’s next after this. That was the goal when we started this, right? You were going to help me with my image, and I was going to plan for the future.”
“Yes, that was the plan.” I study him because he seems like he’s in a good mood, and discussions about his future have understandably had a mixed reception in the last couple of months.
“Well, this is my future.” I can’t quite read his tone, and I worry he’s keeping up a good show for me.
“And you’re okay with it? Be honest.”
“I’ve got a gorgeous and insanely clever live-in girlfriend who runs her own business and finds me jobs where people still want to hear me talk football even if I can’t play it. A kid who’s doing amazing in school and is probably going to conquer the gaming world. And my image went from playboy to hero overnight thanks to you—not to mention a badass scar that gives me one hell of a story to tell for the rest of my life. So yeah, Trix, I think I’m pretty happy with it.” He flashes a bright grin.
“Good. Because I love it.” I smile in return. “A lot.”
“Me too. Now we just gotta plan our next checklist. Unless you’ve already got one going on that phone of yours,” he teases and pulls me close, wrapping his arm around me before he kisses me one last time, and I melt into him.
EPILOGUE
Beatrix
The Next Summer
We’ve just finished having a delicious picnic lunch Coop’s mom made for us, and I’m ready to crash on one of the loungers and fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves on the lake when Coop grabs my hand.
