Page 13 of Cooper

“I’ve heard you sing backup. You have a nice voice.” I smile.

He blushes. He’s adorable. “What do you need for tonight, darlin’? What can I get you?”

“I think I’ll sleep with Bean if it’s all the same to you. That way she isn’t scared when she wakes up.” I suggest, not letting the guilt of tonight set in. Yes, we made love, yes, he’s helped me tremendously tonight, but my daughter comes first, and I think if he’s who I think he is, he’ll understand completely. After all, that’s half the reason why he insisted that I stay with him; to keep Bean and I both safe.

“Absolutely. I’ve got another room, plus, like I said, I’ve got an in-law suite in the basement if you both want to stay down there. It’s small but it’ll be perfect for just the two of you.”

There. He is who I thought. I grin warmly again. “Thank you. You’re very sweet.”

He purses his lips into a tight smile. “The house isn’t much, but the neighborhood is sure a lot safer.”

“No, the house is beautiful. I’m surprised you can afford the rent.”

He shrugs. “The landlord doesn’t charge me much. I keep the place up to snuff, inside and out, pay on time, and he only charges me five hundred a month.”

My jaw drops. “Really? That’s it?”

“That’s right. That includes utilities. I don’t have cable though, love. And no landline.”

I wave. “I never did, either.”

“Anyway. I’ll call him in the morning and let him know that there are two more occupants in here now. See how much more he’ll charge me. But if I know him well enough, I’ll say he won’t charge a dime more. He’s been telling me to bring a lady friend in here for ages.” His face changes. “That’s not what it sounded like. He’s got a big family is all. Married young. Figures everyone should be that way. And I’ll be sure to let him know that you’re not staying here for romantic reasons. I’d never mislead like that, love.”

His voice is so sincere, it makes me smile. This man, this lovely man, he’s got a heart of gold. It’s so refreshing. “I trust you.”

He smiles warmly and walks over to me. He plants a soft kiss on my forehead. “Why don’t you go on to bed? Bean’s going to be up, and you’ll be in no condition to be a good mama if you’re a wreck.” He points up the hallway. “My bedroom’s the first door on your right. I’ll leave the door open in case you need anything.”

“Thank you.” I kiss him on the mouth chastely. He kisses me back and makes a playful smacking noise, which makes me smile. He knows that now isn’t the time to reminisce about our earlier lovemaking. And I appreciate that. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, love. I’ll help you go through all your stuff in the morning.” He says with a wink.

“Okay. Thanks.”

I climb into bed next to Bean, without bothering to brush my teeth, not realizing how exhausted I am, until I hit the sheets. I’m still in my clothes when I wake up in the morning to voices coming from the living room. It’s Bean out there, talking to Cooper. “But our house has a Christmas tree.” Bean complains.

“Well, what’s say we take care of that today, hm? In fact, how about we go down to the basement right now and get the tree and decorate it?”

“Okay!” She gushes.

I smell pancakes coming from the kitchen. Who knows how much sleep Cooper got. He must have been up for a while to have made breakfast already. A moment later, I hear him wrestle something up the stairs, and Bean is dragging something behind her. “There, darlin’. You open that bag and pick out which decorations you want, while I put this up, okay?”

“Okay!” She says, and I can hear the excitement in her voice.

I lay there, listening to them working together, and I drift off again. I’m not sure what time it is when Bean trots into the bedroom, bringing a plate of pancakes and a glass of orange juice on a tray, and she sets it on the dresser. “Morning, mommy.” She says when she sees my eyes open. “I like this house a lot better than the other one.”

“Yeah?” I ask groggily, as she climbs up on the bed with me, sitting next to me, cross-legged.

“Uh huh. Cooper says that there’s horses that live up the street, and the old man that lives next door is really nice. He has a grandson about my age. He said the man that owns this house loves kids and he’ll let me live here for free.” She nods emphatically.

“He said that?”

“Uh huh. And we put up the Christmas tree and all the decorations, and Cooper is going to teach me how to play the piano.”

“Well, you know, he is a music teacher.”

A ‘v’ forms between her brows. “Well, of course, mommy. He is my music teacher.”

“I know that.” I drape a lock of hair over her ear. “And it’s not weird that you’re living with your music teacher?”

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