Epilogue
Jade
“Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it.”
~ Nora O’Sullivan
“Thanks for not going with overalls.” I yawned as I patted Coop’s arm and escorted him to the back holding area of the ballroom to await the silent auction announcements.
This morning he’d texted me a picture of himself in denim overalls, shirtless, with one of the straps hanging down and a piece of hay sticking out of his teeth with the caption reading: I’m ready for the ball.
I hadn’t really believed that he’d show up like that, but it was Coop. He was a wild card. Needless to say relief washed over me when he showed up wearing a stylish black suit and tie.
He held the door open for me. “You look tired.”
“Thanks, Coop.”
“You look gorgeous, don’t get me wrong. But you just look tired.”
I was tired.
The past few weeks had been exhausting. In the best way possible. My days were long and busy. I’d been waking up before sunrise and not going to sleep until well after sunset. My business had started booming in a very short amount of time. I’d acquired five new clients and hired two part-time employees to keep up with the workload. That accounted for why my days were nonstop. And my nights had been just as taxing, in the best way possible.
As far as my nights…well, Hayden and I were making up for lost time. We’d spent every night together since he’d hijacked my date with Cooper. Our activities didn’t include a lot of sleeping, we probably averaged only a couple hours a night.
Except the last two nights. His actor-cousin, Kyle Austen Reed, had invited Hayden to come and speak about Hero Rescue at a charity golf tournament he was hosting. So Hayden had flown to California two days ago.
I would’ve gone with him but the event was this afternoon and I wouldn’t have made it back in time for the gala. The past two nights I’d thought I would catch up on sleep, but there were so many last minute details to take care of, I’d barely shut my eyes.
I couldn’t think about that now, though. I had work to do. Miranda, one of my new employees, handed me the envelopes for the MC. I knew that she was smart and capable, but the control freak in me had to check her work. Maybe someday I would be able to delegate tasks and live in the peace that they’d be handled correctly, but I wasn’t there yet.
“Jade.”
Coop’s voice was serious, a tone I wasn’t used to hearing from him, and my stomach dropped as I lifted my head, ready for a problem. “What?”
“Who is that?”
I followed his gaze to the far corner of the room where Vanessa was chatting with Pete, her mixer, who waiting to go onstage for the auction portion. I was fairly certain that Coop wasn’t inquiring about the heavyset thirty-year-old man so I said, “That’s Vanessa. You know, my college roommate. You’ve met her, haven’t you?”
“No.” He spoke with a certainty that left no room for argument.
My mind did a mental data search for the keywords “Coop” and “Vanessa,” but I couldn’t think of a time that their paths had crossed. I was sure that they must’ve. But for the life of me, I couldn’t come up with one. Coop went to college out of state and when he came back to Texas, Vanessa had been on a semester abroad.
“You’re right. I don’t think you have. Come on, you have to meet her.” Excitement bubbled inside of me in anticipation of these two very important people in my life meeting for the first time.
I started to move in their direction but quickly realized that Coop wasn’t following me.
I turned my head and saw that he was standing stock still, staring across the room like he was in a trance. “Coop? You don’t want to meet her?”
“No…Yes…No…” Coop was flustered.
My eyes widened at what I was witnessing. I’d never seen Coop unsure of himself. Then it hit me. He liked her.
“No!” My finger pointed right at his chest. “No, Coop. Not Vanessa.”
“Why not?” The challenge in his eyes made me immediately regret my disapproval. Telling Coop no just made him want to do whatever it was more.
I decided to plead with the human side of him. “She’s sweet, Coop. Really sweet. She doesn’t play games. She’s not like the girls that you…date.”
“I know.” His eyes met mine and they were filled with so much certainty and intensity it took me back.
“How do you know? You don’t know her.”
“Maybe not. But I know me.”
“What does that even mean?”
He didn’t answer, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. And I didn’t like it.
His eyes cut to the table where I’d been reviewing the envelopes for the auction. “Do you have my envelope?”
“What?”
“My envelope.” He was scanning the table. “How high is the bid?”
I grabbed his envelope so he couldn’t do something crazy. “Why?”
“How high is it?”
I knew the answer. His was the first I’d checked. “I can’t tell you that.”
“How high is it, Jade?”
His serious tone was back. “It’s fifteen hundred.”
“Good.” He got out his wallet, pulled out his credit card, and started filling out a bid slip. “I’m bidding two thousand.”
“You’re bidding on yourself?” He wasn’t making any sense.
“Yes. I’m anonymously bidding on myself and gifting myself to Vanessa.”
“I don’t think that’s legal.”
“Are the bid police going to arrest me?” He continued writing and when he finished, he handed the slip to me. “What’s the point of an auction? To raise money. This is five hundred more than you had a minute ago.”
Not sure I was doing the right thing, I replaced the original bid with Coop’s. “Are you sure you don’t want to just meet her?”
“I’ll meet her.” The grin on his face was the same one I’d seen before every basketball championship and baseball playoff that he’d played in and subsequently dominated. It was the grin of a conqueror, but this time his sights were set on one of my best friends.
“Don’t hurt her.” I knew that my admonishment was useless and he wouldn’t take me seriously, but I made it anyway.
“I won’t.”
Before I could come close to processing the exchange that we’d just had, I was pulled aside for a catering emergency. The next half hour passed in a blur as I put out some small, theoretical fires and I lost track of Coop.
When I was finally able to take a breath again, I saw that he was lined up with all of the other bachelors as they prepared to go on stage.
I tried to get his attention but was sidetracked once again when the doors opened and Brent walked in with someone I wasn’t expecting to see. Hayden.
Brent gestured toward me and Hayden thanked him before heading in my direction. Brent lifted his hand in a friendly wave as he went back out to the main ballroom. Always a gentleman. I’d declined another date with him, and after he’d heard my final podcast recounting the date that I was supposed to go on with Cooper but ended up being with Hayden, he’d known why. He sent me flowers to congratulate me on reuniting with my first love and he wished me all the happiness in the world.
I felt my jaw drop as I watched the man I loved walk toward me in a tux, looking like James Bond if he was being played by Charlie Hunnam.
“What are you doing here?”
He pulled me into his arms and his head nuzzled against my neck. “I missed you.”
It was the same greeting I got every night, even if we’d seen each other for lunch that day and had only been apart for a few hours. And I loved it.
“Did I just meet Hot Tie-Guy?” His breath fanned my neck.
“Yes.” I smiled.
Out of all the guys I’d dated, Brent was the only one that Hayden had asked about. I’d assured him that my entire date with Brent, to my great frustration and dismay, I’d been thinking about him.
“And next we have Cooper Briggs!” The MC announced.
Both Hayden and I turned to the stage. “Looks like I’m just in time.”
“You have no idea.” I threaded my arm through Hayden’s and leaned against him.
As Cooper walked toward center stage, the MC read his bio, which Coop wrote himself. Cocky as he was, I felt it undersold him. He didn’t mention half of his academic or athletic accomplishments or that he’d patented three athletic performance training devices that were in development.
“Oh, this is unusual.” The MC stopped as he pulled out the paper and looked to read it again. “It looks like our highest bidder was anonymous, but whoever it was they gifted the bid to our very own Dr. Vanessa Cupid.”
There was a huge swell of applause and I looked to the corner of the room where Vanessa still stood. Her face looked toward the stage in sheer shock and horror. She was shy by nature, despite the fact that she hosted a national podcast.
“Paging Dr. Cupid. You’re wanted on the stage.”
I watched as Vanessa passed by, her skin losing color with each step.
“Is she going to be okay?” Hayden sounded concerned.
“I hope so.”
“Do you know who the anonymous donor is?” he asked, whispering in my ear as Vanessa took the stage.
“Coop.” I answered.
Hayden chuckled. “Yeah. She’ll be fine.”
I watched as Coop lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. I had no idea what the future held for those two but I was excited to find out.
Thinking of futures made me appreciate the man beside me and I leaned into him, happier than any person deserved to be. “How did you do this? You’re supposed to be in California.”
“Well there are some benefits to having a movie star for a cousin. Kyle was on his way to Miami aboard his private plane and he offered me a ride.”
“Wow. Must be nice.”
“Not as nice as this.” He pulled me into his arms once again and held me tightly.
Something sharp dug into my hip. “Is there a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?” I teased in my best Mae West voice.
He dropped his arms and took a step back, but his hands remained on my waist. “Do you have a second?” his tone was sober and weighted.
I looked around. Everything was running smoothly. All of the fires had been extinguished and the MC was still announcing the winners. “Yes.”
“I was going to do this later tonight, but I don’t want to wait another minute.” He dropped down on one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket. When he opened it, there sat a sparkling diamond solitaire.
I gasped and my hand clasped over my mouth.
“This might seem sudden to other people, but you and I both know that this moment is years in the making. Jade Elise O’Sullivan, you are the first girl I ever loved and the only woman I’ll ever love. The years we were apart, there was always something missing and now that we’re back together I don’t want to waste another month, another week, another day, another hour, another second not asking you to be my wife. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life showing and telling you how amazing you are. How much I love you. And how lucky I am to be by your side as your husband. Jade, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry—?”
“Yes! Yes, yes.” I was answering before he even got the full question out.
He slid the ring on my finger and wrapped me up in his strong arms once more. I melted against him as we both repeated, “I love you,” over and over again.
When he finally set me back on my feet, he nuzzled against my neck and I rested my head against his shoulder as his hands slipped down over my backside. This was everything I ever wanted.
I sighed in complete and utter bliss, “I could get used to this.”
His deep voice vibrated through me. “That’s the plan.”
THE END