Page 57 of Final Goodbye
“Yup. That’s me. The old babysitter,” I said awkwardly when Declan chimed in.
“Yeah, Dad, let’s not bring that up. It sounds weird considering Paige and I are… seeing each other.” He got choked up on his words, taking him a moment to finish what he was saying—like he was speaking before he could think and didn’t quite know what to label it as when he got to that point.
“Uh-huh,” Mr. Cooper responded and looked between the two of us, eyebrows raised.
“Your mom and I were once seeing each other too. No need to explain yourself to me.” He chuckled as he began making a plate of snacks for himself.
“And that’s our cue! Not sure I need to hear any more on this subject. Come on, Paige, let’s go out back for some fresh air.” Hehauled me into his large frame, pulling me toward the sliding back door.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Cooper!” I called as I was being pulled in the opposite direction.
“Call me Mark. No need for formalities around here,” he shouted back before Declan closed the door, separating his family from us.
I laughed at the stern expression on Declan’s face. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” I admitted.
“Nah, just my dad being awkward as usual,” Declan answered sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t be dramatic. He’s just being a dad.” I giggled, reaching my hands out to find the woolly blond hairs that hung at the nape of his neck. The view in the backyard was stunning. I wanted to soak up every moment alone with him as much as I could before my family arrived and we were forced into more conversation with everyone around the dinner table.
The backyard looked endless. I looked out to tall mountain peaks and pine trees that seemed to extend miles long. The sun was already starting to go down for the day, just moments away from sunset, making for the perfect view.
Declan had me caged in. I leaned against the wood beams on the patio, his muscular arms wrapped around me, keeping me warm. It was the perfect view until the sun actually set, then we’d have to make our way inside so we wouldn’t freeze to death. Until then, I’d soak every bit of it up.
“I didn’t see Myles downstairs. I assume he will be spending Thanksgiving with your family, right?” I asked, treading lightly.
“Yeah, he should be here. I’m sure he’s just upstairs sleeping off the hangover from last night,” he forced out before he changed the subject.
“We should head inside. I’m sure your mom and Chase will be here shortly.” He leaned over, giving me a kiss on the cheek,followed by a peck on my shoulder before guiding me back inside.
Mom was right on time. We weren’t even inside for five minutes before we heard a knock on the door. Unless they were expecting anyone else, it had to be mom and Chase.
Together, we made our way to the front door. Sure enough, when we pulled it open, Mom and Chase were on the other side. I greeted my mom with a hug, rocking back and forth, like it had been days since I last saw her. Truth be told, I’d been keeping busy and so had she. She’d been working a lot and even picking up extra shifts. We didn’t see much of each other around, especially with me staying at Declan’s a lot more recently.
“If you squeeze me any tighter, I might break before I get the chance to taste Laura’s cooking,” Mom teased.
“Sorry, just feeling a little emotional today. Glad you guys could make it, and we could all spend Thanksgiving together,” I admitted. Letting up, I gave Chase a big hug just like I had Mom. I guess you could say with my dad not being here today, and it being the first holiday without him, had me feeling a bit sappy. Change was hard, and lately, my whole life had been turned around. In some ways more positive than others.
Declan approached Chase, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Sup, man? Happy Thanksgiving.” They clapped hands before giving each other a slight pat on the back. Making his rounds, he found my mom, giving her a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. “It’s nice to see you, Lisa. Glad you guys could make it.”
My stomach flipped upside down at the sight of him being so comfortable around my family. He was so sincere and real. Nothing about him was fake. He wasn’t one to put on a show to impress. What you saw was what you got with Declan. Just anice, sweet guy—one of the good ones. The type of guy that didn’t come around often.
Maybe I was falling for Declan harder than I originally thought.
“Thank you for inviting us. I take it you’re one of the reasons I haven’t seen my daughter around the house as much lately,” Mom joked with Declan as if they’d known each other for years. Most of all, I noticed her playful behavior—she was smiling. Mom had some pep back in her step. She may not be fully healed on the inside, but she was brightening up on the outside.
Originally, I was worried about blending our families for the evening, but Declan made everything feel at ease. He was telling me the truth when he said I didn’t have anything to worry about.
“Mom.” I gritted my teeth. I loved that she was joking around, but Declan and I hadn’t put a label on anything, and I didn’t want people making a big deal about it. I didn’t want either of us to feel the pressure.
“What? He’s a nice guy and we are all here spending the holiday together. Is it wrong for me to assume he’s been taking up your extra time lately? Plus, why else would you be wearing aCooper Constructionsweater around the house?” she shot back obliviously.
Declan, being the charmer that he was, chimed in, “Paige and I have been spending a lot of time together, and I assure you I’ve been taking really good care of her.” Yeah, my mom had no ideahow good, but there was no need to dive into that.
Her hand reached out for Declan’s arm, giving it a subtle squeeze with an appreciative look on her face. “It’s about time someone took care of her the way she’s been taking care of everyone else.” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, slightly emotional that my mom had noticed the little things I’d done around the house to make her and Chase’s life easier.
Chase stood by looking through his phone, most likely getting the latest updates on the football game. “Hey, I think Declan’s dad is watching the game in the living room. Feel free to join him if you want.” I pointed in the direction of the open sitting room.
