Page 19 of Summer Nights

My eyes stung with unshed tears. What he'd said had hit hard. I wasn't fair to Cooper. I should give him a chance. But I couldn't help but listen to the voice in my head reminding me that everyone always left.

Cooper was different than Shepard. He felt things deeply, and he was insulted that I continually questioned his motives.

I should be grateful for what he was doing and not distrustful. It was so hard. I'd been going to therapy on and off since I graduated from college. There was a lot to unpack from my childhood and my lifelong beliefs about the world. I wasn't sure I'd ever be fully healed. Maybe I was further from that goal than I thought.

I treated Cooper like he was one of my mother's boyfriends. In fact, I was starting to wonder if I painted every guy I'd ever dated with the same brush. If you went into a relationship with the belief that the man would leave, then that was exactly what happened.

What if I let go of those thoughts and let this thing with Cooper play out? The thought was scary. He could leave. He could hurt me. He could disappoint Duncan.

I could handle the pain, but I wasn't so sure about Duncan. He still believed that people were good. Or at least I hoped he did. I didn't want my negative beliefs rubbing off on him.

I watched them play for a bit and then headed over to the playground to spend time with Rae on the swings. When the boys walked away from the court, I rushed to talk to them in the parking lot.

"Duncan invited me to get ice cream with you." Cooper's face was pinched. He was prepared for me to say no.

Could I say yes? What would it hurt to spend a little time with Cooper? "Okay."

"Cool. I'll get Rae." Duncan ran into the playground to tell his sister we were ready to go.

Cooper shifted his ball from one arm to the other. "Are you sure? I don't have to go. I know how you feel about me getting too involved."

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

He chuckled. "So your first inclination wasn't to say no?"

I sighed. "It's hard to forget how life treated me. That someone might not be the same as everyone else."

"I'm bound to disappoint you or Duncan at some point. That's human nature. But I don't want to hurt you."

"That's not a great promise."

"All I'm asking is for you to give me a chance."

I blew out a breath. "Okay."

He raised a brow.

"It's just ice cream. Don't get too excited." I started walking toward the path that would take us across the street.

Cooper rushed to keep up with me, and I could see Duncan and Rae following us. Beside me, Cooper was grinning widely.

"Why are you acting like you won a prize when we're just getting ice cream?" I asked crankily.

Cooper grinned wider. "You know it's huge."

I scowled. "I'm fairly sure you invited yourself along."

"Tell yourself whatever you want. But I'm going on an ice-cream date with Ivy Buckley."

I opened my mouth to protest, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Thankfully, he'd thrown on a shirt.

He gazed down at me, and something fluttered in my stomach. "Enjoy the moment, Ivy. No worries or what-ifs. Not everyone is here to let you down."

I lowered my shoulders. "It's hard to remember that."

"Lucky for you, I'm a patient man."

Duncan ran ahead of us, and Rae chased him. It was the perfect Saturday. I was spending time with my siblings and Cooper. For once, I didn't feel so alone.

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