Page 24 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

“I’m going to teach you how to drive.”

“What? No. You can’t do that. I don’t know how to drive.”

I chuckle. “Exactly the point. You have to learn somehow.”

“I don’t know, Coop.”

“Don’t you trust me?” The magic words that get her every time.

She sighs, knowing their power too.

“Come over here,” I wave her over as I step out of my car. She hesitantly makes her way to me, kicking up dust as she drags her not-so-white-anymore Chuck Taylor’s through the dirt. I can’t help but chuckle as she reaches me. I pat the leather seat, and she climbs onto it. “We’ll go slow. Don’t worry.” The road in front of us is two car lengths wide and straight as far as I can see. I also don’t spot any other cars. I’m not concerned.

She nods but bites into her lower lip as she takes in everything on the dash.

“You don’t have to stress about all of those lights. Right now just focus on the steering wheel, and the gas and brake.” I point. “That pedal on the right is the gas. The one on the left is the brake. But you’ll use your right foot for both.”

“Why don’t you use your left foot to brake?” This girl questions everything.

Chuckling, I adjust the seat forward a little. “I have no idea.” Jogging around to the passenger side, I get in and turn off the music. “Okay, so when you’re ready to go, press down on the brake. Then you’ll move this.” I lightly toggle the shifter. “Into drive. That little ‘D.’ We might move a tiny bit when your foot comes off the brake even before you press the gas.” I try to proactively think of anything that might freak her out. “It also doesn’t take too much pressure to go forward, especially since we aren’t going fast.”

She nods.

“Are you ready?”

She stares at me, eyes wide, then they soften as she smiles. “I need a kiss first.”

Wetting my lips, I grin, leaning over the console to give her what she wants. “Okay, are you ready now?”

She nods. Looking at her feet, she makes sure her foot is perfectly positioned over the brake before she presses down. Once she’s satisfied we won’t move, she adjusts the shifter into drive. She hesitates, and I don’t rush her. A moment later, I watch her foot slide toward the gas. Before she even presses on it, my car moves ever so slightly. Her foot flies back to the brake, the urgency in her movement rattling us more than anything. I bite back a laugh, not wanting her to think I’m making fun of her.

She looks over at me, the contrast stark between my black steering wheel and how white her fingers are from gripping it so hard. “You got this, Soph. Try again.”

Eyes back on her feet, she moves from the brake to the gas, this time completing the task. We jerk forward when she presses too hard, her body tensing with panic as she slams on the brakes again. This time the whole car shakes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, her hands shaking.

“It’s okay. Hey. Look at me.” She looks at her foot again first to make sure it’s on the brake. I push the shifter into park and she relaxes a bit before letting her gaze meet mine. “Come here.” I hook my finger and curl it toward me, motioning her closer until she twists in her seat. When she’s close enough, I kiss her, holding my lips on hers until I can feel her body relax. This past week, I realized love kisses seem to work even more quickly than love hugs.

“Okay. I’m ready,” she says confidently as she returns to the correct position. Shifting back to drive, this time when she presses on the gas we crawl forward without jerking at all.

“See!” I try to contain my enthusiasm so it doesn’t distract her. She smiles, biting into her lip, not taking her eyes off the dirt road.

“I’m doing it! I’m driving!” she squeals, her grips still tight on the wheel and her focus locked on the road.

“Told you you could. Proud of you.”

She continues down the road, consistently between ten and fifteen miles per hour. After about a mile, we come up to a house, and she stops. “Okay, you turn us around. And then I want to know what all these lights are for.”

“Okay.” I grin.

“Thanks for this, Cooper.”

Experiencing life with this girl just became my favorite thing. “Anything for you.”

Chapter fourteen

SOPHIE

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