Page 55 of Enticed

“I don’t need you to intervene! I will tell her when I’m ready! See this,” I gesture to the floor with my hands and the blood left there from Amy’s hand, “This is what happens when you force people to talk about stuff before they’re ready!” That sentence doesn’t even make any sense in the grand scheme of things, but right now it was all I could come up with.

“No, Clara. This mess,” she points down at the floor as well and then up at my face, “This is what happens when you keep secrets.”

I swallow and lock eyes with her, hearing her warning loud and clear. But if there’s anything I’m stubborn about, it’s being forced to do things before I’m ready. I will tell Olivia when I feel the timing is right, and not a second sooner.

I throw the sponge in the sink and turn to walk away from her, gathering my purse before storming out of the house.

Great. Now one more person knows about Cooper and me, and one more person thinks they knows what’s best. I’ve got this handled. I know what I’m doing.

Sure you do, Clara. Keep telling yourself that.

I finish the drive home, wallowing in my anger and self-doubt. Once I pull in the driveway, I shoot a text off to Cooper to come over—knowing if anyone or anything can make me forget all of my thoughts, it’s him.

Chapter 19

Cooper

“Damn! If that Jake Calhoun keeps knocking balls out of the park like that, he’ll take the OC Rays to the World Series again two years in a row!”

My dad is smiling from ear to ear as he, Kane, Drew, Cash, Luke, and myself all sit around the TV in my parent’s garage. It’s a beautiful Saturday in June and my dad is one of the biggest Rays’ fans on the planet. So when he invited me over to watch the game with him, I suggested we invite Kane and a few other people to join in on the fun.

My mom has been busy inside prepping snacks for us, which she honestly loves to do. I don’t think the woman ever leaves her kitchen. She shows her love by filling your belly and making your pants tight. I know I’ll have to run an extra mile or two tomorrow to burn the extra calories off, but it will be worth it.

“Yeah, his first season back on the Rays and he’s on fire. Maybe those three years in Seattle were worth it. He seems to be more focused than ever.” The camera pans to the crowd, zeroing in on a blonde in the stands right behind third base, her smile lighting up as she waves to Calhoun on his way back in the dugout.

“Yeah that, or he’s found the love of a good woman,” my dad nods to the screen. “Wasn’t he seeing that blonde when he was in Irvine before?”

“You follow all the drama with the players, too?” Cash chides my dad, as the rest of the men snicker in humor.

“Hey. When you’re happy in all aspects of your life, it translates to how well you do your job too. The right woman beside you makes your entire world spin smoothly, gentleman. Words of wisdom right there,” my dad points a finger at his temple and then to the rest of us, taking a swig of his beer like a metaphorical mic-drop.

“I’ll second that,” Kane leans forward to clink his beer with my dad and then settles back down in my seat. “Life is much better with Liv in it.”

“Well, boys, sorry to break it to you, but I’m more of a taste the rainbow kind of guy,” Cash spits out before shoving a taquito in his mouth.

“Yeah, you think that now, until the right one comes along and knocks you on your ass,” my dad chimes in.

“They’re right, Cash,” Luke interjects. “When I met Hannah, I knew she was the one for me. I don’t know that I’ll ever feel that way again, but when it happens to you, you’ll understand.” Luke takes a long drag from his beer and then excuses himself to the restroom.

“Fuck. He was supposed to be having fun today. He got his mom to take his kid and his late wife wasnotsupposed to come up in conversation, gentlemen,” Cash chastises the group as I sit silently, still absorbing the banter around me.

“He’ll be alright. Luke knows what love feels like guys, and he lost it. That can’t be easy to bounce back from. Give him a break,” my dad advises just as Rocky Perez hits a double and the sound of the crowd cheering booms through the speakers. “Hell yeah, Perez! That boy’s only got a few more years on his contract. I hope he decides to sign on for a couple more seasons.”

I take the change in topic as my opportunity to leave before I get roped into talking about my feelings and women.

Today was supposed to be about baseball and beer—not life advice and love. But fuck. Listening to my dad talk about how the right woman makes everything click in your life instantly made my thoughts veer to Clara. It’s been almost two months since we started seeing each other and the longer this continues, the more I’ve fallen for her. There’s no doubt in my mind how I feel about her. I want to spend every waking moment I can in her presence. I want to sleep with her next to me every night. I want to take her out to dinner and do all the things couples do together but can’t because she insists we keep things between us.

So with each day spent with her, not only are my feelings growing—but so is my frustration. I need to find a way to convince her that our world will not spin off its axis if people know about us, especially my sister. Liv has her own life to worry about, a baby on the way, and a wedding to plan. Surely the last thing she should be concerned about is whether or not we are together, particularly if we’re happy.

And I am happy with Clara—happier than I’ve ever been with another woman. She gives me purpose, the first time I’ve felt that for something or someone other than my job. She’s the person I can’t wait to tell about my day, and the one I want in my bed at night. My chest aches when we’re apart and feels whole when she’s wrapped in my arms. She makes me laugh, I love learning every detail about her, and when she lets me pleasure her and hold her after—it makes my chest ache with a serendipitous feeling that she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.

I’ve fallen for her, and now I feel hard pressed to find out if she feels the same way. I can’t keep doing this in secret anymore. And I feel the frustration building to the point I’m afraid that I might blow up.

“Hey, son,” my mother greets me as I hold open the door to the garage for Luke to go back through, and then I make way across the dining room and into the kitchen to give her a hug.

“Hey, mom. Are you still cooking?” I inhale deeply, smelling the scent of buffalo sauce and homemade ranch dressing.

“Yeah, just some buffalo wings and potato skins. You know how your father loves his wings,” she beams as she gracefully moves around her kitchen.

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