Say You Won't Let Go Google(7)

I’m getting so far ahead of myself.

For all I know, Cooper just wants to get laid and be done with whatever this is between us. That would be great to delude myself with, but I don’t believe that’s the case.

“What’s on the agenda?” Cooper asks, pulling me away from my doom and gloom thoughts.

“Oh, you’re going to love it.”

He laughs. “I’m sure I will, but I’m a little scared.”

I hook my arm in his, and we head down the street. It’s only a few blocks away. Neither of us says much as we stroll along. It’s a beautiful day. The sun shines through the clouds providing a shadow.

“Scared of me?”

“Weren’t you the one who organized putting food dye in the shower heads?”

I’d almost forgotten about that. Each year, the boys would prank the girls right before homecoming. It was always something lame and never actually did any damage, but there was no way I was letting them get the edge on us. Presley, Grace, and I snuck into the boys’ locker room with medicine capsules filled with food dye. Once they were in there, it was like a ticking time bomb.

Whoever turned the shower on when the capsule melted enough was going to get a surprise.

Of course, the poor kid who turned red wasn’t our target, but it stopped them from even attempting anything that year.

“Whatever do you mean?” I feign innocence.

Cooper laughs and jerks his arm out, causing me to sway. “I know better. Presley got double the barn duties that month. I know you all were behind that mess.”

I grip his thick arm a little tighter. “It was meant for Zach and Wyatt. Those bastards always got us. I did feel bad for Mason. He didn’t deserve to be red for a week.”

“His mama was mad.”

I giggle. “Oh, I know.”

We walk a little farther, and I start to get excited. I’ve never been here, but I thought the irony was just too perfect to pass up.

We make it to the entrance of Pioneer Plaza, and Cooper bursts out laughing.

In front of us are hundreds of cattle sculptures. They line the park and walkways, cutting through the water and grass as we enter.

“This is incredible.”

I look up and smile. “A little of you is right here in Texas. Cows and all.”

Cooper throws his arm around my shoulders, tucking me against his side. “Look!” He points over to the sculpture of the cowboy riding alongside the roaming cow.

“It’s you!”

He kisses the top of my head. “I don’t wear chaps.”

“You could totally pull them off.” I joke, sort of.

“Not since my rodeo days.”

My hand runs down from his chest over the hard planes of his abs. “I think you should try them on the next time you move the cattle. I bet your ass would look mighty fine in some chaps.”

His eyes glimmer with amusement. “Only if you agree to ride with me.”

“Do you remember me ever riding a horse?”

So not my thing. My parents weren’t in the same crowd as the Townsends, Henningtons, and Rooneys. My father was the town drunk, and Mama was always making excuses for him and doing God knows what with other men. Daddy tried to quit once, but then he lost his job at the stables. Instead of going out and finding another job, he decided to drink more and sleep all day. My childhood was the opposite of my friends.

I didn’t have nights at the creek or long horseback rides. I had driving to the bar, helping Daddy in the car, and then going to pick up Mama from waitressing three towns over. Not to mention the fact that Rhett Hennington gave me a job at night cleaning stables so we could afford to eat. There was never any money for a horse in my life.

Sad little poor girl with the crumbling house and a drunk for a father.

No one ever said it to me, but I was side eyed a lot.

“You know, I don’t remember all that much about you as a kid.” Cooper looks off and rubs his chin. “I know you were around, and we talked, but you never spent the night at the house, did you?”

“There were never many sleepovers in my childhood. I didn’t spend all that much time around your house especially. Grace and I hung out here and there, but it wasn’t until after my daddy passed away that I started hanging out with Presley more.”

A frown forms on his lips, and I have a feeling he’s remembering why now. “I forgot about that. I’m real sorry ’bout your dad.”

“I’m not,” I say with no hesitation. “Good riddance.”

Cooper looks down with surprise.

“Don’t get me wrong, I loved my daddy just fine, but he didn’t make life easy on me or my mama. I didn’t enjoy workin’ at night on the farms just so we didn’t have the electric shut off.”

“I never knew.” He stops walking and puts his arms around my hips. “Why didn’t any of us know?”

“I never wanted you to.”

I became a professional at hiding things. I was lucky I had Grace and Cooper’s sister Presley as my friends. They would pass me clothes so I didn’t have to wear the tattered jeans and shirts that were falling apart. Since Grace was always in pageants, she was slipping me makeup and beauty products. I never looked poor, but I was.

“It wouldn’t have mattered.”