Page 116 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

SOPHIE

NOW

“Soph, I don’t think we have time to take two days of vacation right now.” Cooper looks up at me from where he sits on his couch, the soft yellow glow from the sunrise shimmering through the window behind him. I let myself in the front door after waking him up with a phone call and bouncing into his living room more than excited about my idea.

“Sure we do. School doesn’t start for four more days. I already talked to Troy. He said he knows for a fact you don’t have any fraternity things in the next 48 hours, and he checked with his uncle. The cabin is all ours. I planned everything for us so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Did you forget I failed my test last week? I need to study before school starts and I hardly have time.”

Reaching for his hands, he takes mine and stands. My arms link around his neck and he pulls me closer by the waist. God, I missed this so much. I missed him so much. “I’m so happy we’re back together, Coop. I just want to take a few days alone before we have a million things to do. You can even bring your books, and I’ll quiz you if you want.”

His brow quirks. “And you’ll reward me for each answer I get correct?”

I roll my eyes but can’t fight a smile. “Go pack your bag. We have a full day planned!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he teases, kissing me on the lips before obeying my command.

Twenty minutes later, Cooper is in the driver’s seat, hand on the back of my headrest as he backs out of the driveway. I open our shared playlist and scroll through to set up a queue instead of a random shuffle. There are at least ten more songs on here than the last time I added some.

“What’s that smile for?” Cooper asks, flashing his eyes back to me when I look up before they are locked on the road again.

“Nothing. I just love you.”

He reaches over the center console, sliding his hand between my thighs. “I love you.” He squeezes my leg, a jolt of happiness rushing through me.

Cooper makes the two and a half hour drive to Sunriver, Oregon in just over two hours, despite my insistence to slow down. He said it’s my fault because he can’t wait to see what I have planned. It occurred to me this is our first vacation alone. We’ve been on a few family vacations, we’ve even been to the cabin before, but never just the two of us.

We drop our bags in the entryway of the A-frame log cabin. The first level is an open floor plan with a kitchen on the right and a movie room past it. On the left is the massive A-shaped full wall window shining light onto the entertaining room. There’s a fireplace on the left with a curved row of sitting chairs and a dining room table on the wall opposite.

“I love it here.” I sigh, already thinking about curling up in one of the oversized leather armchairs with a book later.

Cooper's arms link around my waist from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder. “I love you.”

I twist in his grasp, my hands falling to his chest. “You’ve said that at least seven times since we left the house this morning,” I tease.

“Are you tired of hearing it?” He tucks a curl behind my ear before sliding his hand in to grip the back of my neck.

“Never.”

“Good.” He kisses me in a way I know I’ll never tire of, but I pull away anyway.

“Okay, go get your swimsuit on!”

He grins before grabbing both our bags and taking them upstairs. I follow closely behind, unzipping my pink duffel when it’s on the bed and pull my hot pink bikini from it. Cooper slips his solid black shorts on so quickly I hardly get a good look as I’m stepping out of my dress. It’s so strange having this level of comfort with someone, but Cooper knows every part of me. He’s the only one I never have to hide from. Even though we haven’t had sex since we officially got back together a few days ago, I don’t even think twice about stripping in front of him to change, and no part of me cringes or wants to retreat as he shamelessly takes in the view. I’m both anxious and patient when it comes to us being intimate again. It will happen when it’s right.

We make it out of the cabin surprisingly quickly and hand in hand make the fifteen minute walk to the marina. It’s peak season and even though it’s only eleven in the morning, it’s almost 80° out and the boat lined dock is packed. There’s way too many people around for my liking, but once we’re on the water, it’ll just be Cooper and me, and I can’t wait.

Check-in is a breeze since I thought ahead and reserved a kayak. We walk down the tan floating dock that splits like a plus sign, and Cooper guides me to the quadrant in the back right, where a marbled orange boat awaits us. I shimmy out of my white jean shorts and toss them into the front compartment along with Cooper’s T-shirt and our bag of snacks. He grips the side of the two person kayak with both hands to balance as I slide into the front seat. Looking up at him I say, “You know what Dad told me once?”

“What’s that?”

“That before I date any guy, I should kayak with him first. It takes enough communication to know if you’ll be able to make the relationship work.”

Cooper chuckles, but there’s not as much lightness in his voice as I had hoped for. I hope someday Dad can believe in us the way we do. “Of course he said that. He must not have known that we are more than capable of making it six miles downriver.”

“Guess we’ll find out right now,” I joke. Whenever we come with everyone else, we get canoes or paddle boards, so Cooper and I have never kayaked together.

He unties the rope and tosses it inside the boat before hopping in the back, making it sway a little in the dark water. It’s shallow enough here I see a few fish swimming through the seaweed below, sunlight reflecting off their scales. Pushing off the dock, Cooper guides us into the open river. Once we’re in the middle of the open water, I scan the scene, my blue paddle resting across my lap. “It’s so peaceful here.” The tree lined banks on either side of us are at least a hundred feet apart, and away from shore the water is much more clear than it is by the dock. The sun glitters across the surface, my shoulders already warm from the rays. Up the bank a few hundred feet is the Mexican and Peruvian place we’ll eat dinner at later. All the seats along the windows have a perfect view of the river. The thought of one sip of their killer margaritas through a salted rim already has my mouth watering.

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