Page 96 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

Chapter fifty-nine

COOPER

THEN

“Cooper.” Sophie’s dad, Jack, gets my attention as I walk by where he’s manning the grill at our family’s annual end of summer barbeque.

“Hey, Mr. Porter.” I abandon my mission to get another drink.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.” His usual laid back demeanor is nowhere to be found, replaced by a seriousness I’ve never experienced from him in my almost twenty-one years of life. My heart thuds in my chest. I always imagined the day I ask for his permission to marry Sophie, I’d feel as calm as I would be asking my own dad for something important. But an indescribable fear washes over me as I wait for his next words.

“What’s up?” I try to keep my cool.

He glances around as if he’s making sure no one else is close enough to eavesdrop before closing the lid to the grill, blocking the heat that was warm against my face. Setting the spatula on the side table, he locks his eyes on me. My stomach bottoms out. “It’s about Sophie.”

I figured. “Is she okay?” I ask with urgency, as if I wouldn’t be just as likely to know anything about Sophie as Jack would. I scan the party for her, finding her right where I left her a moment ago, smiling in conversation with Chastity, to get her a Squirt and a plate of cheese and grapes.

“That’s what I wanted to talk with you about. You need to break up with her.”

“Excuse me, what?” I chuckle. He must be joking. Our families have been team Sophie and Cooper since we were old enough to show any sort of favoritism to another person. Even when we broke up before there’s always been conversations about us finding our way back to each other. Now that I’m thinking about it, though, maybe it was just my family.

He shakes his head slightly, as if recalling a memory. “You have to remember how young you both are. There’s no rush to be together and Sophie is about to start college. This is the time for her to figure out who she is, what she wants, and have experiences that won’t come later on in life.”

I take a breath in an attempt to eradicate any anger from my voice. “You’re saying she can’t do that if she’s with me?”

“I’m telling you that from experience I know how crucial this age is for anyone–not just Sophie, for you too, Cooper. I’m sure it’ll be hard now, but you’ll thank me for this one day, when you realize how important it is to discover who you are without someone else first, to make sure you end up with the person who truly compliments you.”

“I don’t understand.” Frustration builds in the fists clenched at my sides. “You don’t think Sophie and I are good together? We’re meant for each other,” I argue. “I can tell you that right now.” The only thing keeping my voice low is not wanting to draw Sophie or anyone else’s attention to this argument.

“I know you think that now, but I was naive at your age too.”

It clicks what is happening here. “It’s bullshit for you to project the ramifications of your decisions onto my life, onto Sophie’s.” I’ve respected this man my entire life, but that respect is fading with every word that comes out of his mouth.

“Think about Sophie. This is why you two broke up the first time, isn’t it? Because she believed you should experience college on your own, your own way. Don’t you think she’ll want the same for herself?”

“No. Why would she want to do things alone when I can help her?”

“She’ll be distracted by you, blinded to potential opportunities she should experience.”

“Opportunities or people?” I spit.

“I’m not implying what you’re thinking, but whatever comes her way, I want her to be able to make the most of this time.

“No. I don’t hold her back. If anything, I encourage her. She can still do whatever she wants and be with me. I’m not breaking up with her.”

“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

“You’re telling me to break your daughter’s heart? Some fucking dad you are.” My filter is nowhere to be found, the million thoughts zipping through my head taking up all my brain power.

His hand lands firmly on my shoulder, and it takes everything in me not to pull away, to save a sliver of respect from the man who practically helped raise me. “If you care about my daughter, you’ll do what’s best for her. She’ll ultimately realize this is what’s best for her too.”

Shrugging his grip off my shoulder, I glare at him. “Don’t make me do this.”

“I can’t make you do anything, but I know you’ll make the right decision.” He ends the conversation by lifting the lid of the grill and grabbing the spatula, turning away from me. I’m aware he’s trying to distort my thoughts, yet his conviction has me genuinely considering that he could be right. I am young, and Sophie is even younger. How can we be so sure we are each other’s endgame? Am I being selfish not wanting to give her up when it might be what she needs?

No. What she needs is me. I spin to see my girl no longer where I left her. Assuming she went to get her own plate of food since I didn’t come back, I storm toward my parents’ kitchen. As I step into the house, soft voices from around the corner in the living room stop me in my tracks.

It’s Chastity. “Sophie, this wasn’t the point of the list. The point was to have new experiences, with new people.” Tempted to crash their conversation and add my own two cents, I take a step. I freeze again when Sophie cuts in.

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