Chapter Twelve

I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m actually going to the place I said I would never go to. I’m stepping foot into the Lobster Trap after seeing James sucking face with her. I vowed to never go back.

I have decided that I will also never say never. I have also decided that I’m going to dress up tonight, because let’s face it, if I’m running into the ex it’s always better to do it looking good.

So I put on some makeup, some brown liner, and mascara to make my green eyes pop out. I’m also wearing a new dress. Got to bring out the guns if you’re going to war.

It’s a white little number one piece dress. It is tight-fitting on the breast area with a gold spaghetti belt and comes down to hug all my curves, falling just above my knees. I’ve curled my hair a little to give it volume. The gold accessories I have added complete the package. Actually, my strappy gold stilettos seal the package. Yes, they are super high, and yes, my feet pinch in these shoes, but they are sexy, and I’m wearing them, pain be damned.

Cooper shows up right on time, and I’m excited to see him dressed up for once. I spray my perfume on me before heading out of the bathroom.

I’m at the stairs when I see him, and holy fuck is he fucking hot. He is standing at my front door, holding Allison in his arms. She is in her favorite white dress with pink sparkles all over, folded over white ruffled socks, and her pink glittered Mary Janes.

But what gets to me is this man, standing there wearing charcoal pants that are molded onto him, his Hugo Boss black belt, and a light pink buttoned-up shirt. His hair is just freshly washed and styled like he just ran his hands through it. I would like nothing more than to have dessert right now, and as if he senses me there, he looks away from Allison and finds me. His mouth goes from a smirk to a smile and that look, it’s a look that I know is filled with lust.

I make my way down the stairs, calling out for Matthew.

“Hey, babe. Allison, isn’t Mommy beautiful like that?”

“I habe a dress, too,” she says, running her hands down her dress. “I habe pink shoes with sparkles.”

“I’m one lucky guy that I get two beautiful girls with me tonight.”

“Can I habe ice cream?” She leans in and tries to whisper, but if you have ever had a five-year-old, that whisper is never whispered.

Matthew comes out dressed in his Sunday best, and he is hating every single second of this.

“Next time I vote pizza!” I know that he is nervous about tonight. I would be lying to say I’m not. But let’s be honest, what is the worst that can happen? At least I’m showing up with a hot dude.

The kids walk outside in front of us while I lock the door, feeling heat at my back.

“Babe, I don’t see any panty lines in that dress.”

I look over my shoulder, smirking. “Really? Well, that could be because”—I lean in—“I’m not wearing any.” I don’t have to stretch much to get to his neck before I walk off to the car. I’m dragged back by my hand.

“Give me your fucking keys, open that door, and go put some fucking panties on. I’m having a hard time trying to not walk around without wanting to pound into you, so get your pretty little ass into that house and put some motherfucking panties on now.” He is hissing and growling all at the same time, and if he wasn’t spitting fire I would totally prolong this fight.

“Calm down there, Hulk, they are called seamless thongs. And it’s skin color so you wouldn’t tell. I promise you my pussy is covered.” I snicker at him “At least for tonight, but I can’t guarantee tomorrow night!” And with those parting words I walk to his car, swinging my hips just a tad while he curses right behind me.

When we get there, I scan the parking lot for James’s car. So far we are in the clear. We are almost at the door. Allison has opted to be in the middle of the boys, but I’m sure it’s because she asked if they can swing her up while walking. Which they do twice before her giggling stops them.

I’m on the other side of Cooper with our hands intertwined when I hear someone call Matthew’s name, and I feel my spine stiffen. Cooper feels it also. When we turn to the right, we are face to face with James and her.

James leans in to give Matthew a hug, but you can tell he is nervous as he doesn’t do anything but stand there.

“Hey, buddy, and is that my beautiful princess?”

“Daddy, look, my shoes habe sparkles. Cooper said I’m beautiful just like Mommy.”

Allison looks at James while smiling up at Cooper.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Let me introduce myself. I’m James, and this is Tiffany.”

Tiffany. Just her name makes me want to stab her in the eyeball with my shoe. Ugh.

“Hi, I’m Cooper, Parker’s boyfriend.”

Um, WTF, did we not discuss this?

“Boyfriend,” he says, surprised.

Why the fuck is he surprised? Dude, I’m fucking hot.

He takes a moment to look my way, and even his eyes are shocked. That’s right, buddy, I rock this outfit.

“Parker, you look, wow. Um...” he stammers.

“Hi, James, Tiffany.” I nod at them. I was totally going to ignore her, because, well, I hate her guts, but my guy is way hotter than hers, so.

“Parker, you look lovely and you, princess Allison, you’re just as beautiful,” Tiffany says, and I’ve heard her voice before, but I just noticed how whiny it is.

“If you guys can excuse us. I promised my woman a night out, so we’ll see you tomorrow when you get the kids,” Cooper states before turning to walk away.

“Bye, Daddy. Bye, Tiffany,” Allison says cheerfully as she drags the boys to the front door. Matthew just looks at the ground not knowing what to do or say.

“Hey, buddy, it’s over. You can breathe. It’s all good,” Cooper whispers over to him.

“Mom?” he asks, but I don’t answer because he sees me with a huge ass smile on my face, and I know he knows I’m okay.

We are luckily seated on the other side of James and Tiffany, so we all ease out of our nervousness.

Cooper has ordered a beer, I have my martini, the kids have their Shirley Temples, extra cherries for Allison, and we toast to new beginnings.

The boys talk about hockey while Allison is coloring the placemat when I get a text message. I’m not even thinking about it before I pull out my phone and see that it’s from James.

Meet me near the washrooms!!!

What the ever-loving fuck is this all about? I look over at Cooper and notice that he saw the message when I excuse myself. Walking to the bathroom, I take in the sight of Tiffany looking at the menu. And for the first time I don’t have the bitterness anymore. Am I pissed that she broke up my family? Yes. But, if he was actually a man, he would have never gone there.

I see James leaning against the wall near the bathrooms and brace myself for what is to come.

“What’s up, James?” I ask, not really caring if he actually needs anything. I’m annoyed if I’m being completely honest.

“Parker, I wanted to ask if maybe you wanted to have dinner with the kids and me tomorrow. Tiffany is going away for the weekend, so I was thinking we could grab some pizza. I could maybe come over. We could eat outside or we could go out.”

“Excuse me a second. Let me see if I got this straight. You want to have pizza with me and the kids tomorrow night because your girlfriend is going out of town. You did not just text me while I was on a date to ask me this, did you?”

“Parker, seeing you here, it stumped me a little. I wasn’t ready for you to come back here. I wasn’t ready for me to see you with someone else.”

“Get used to it, because from what I’ve heard the kids love it here,” Cooper’s voice interjects, and he’s angry. “I also admit I like when Parker dresses up for me, but truth be told it’s what is underneath that I love more. Of course I don’t have to tell you what a good thing you threw away.”

He leans down, kissing me with tongue, not long but just enough for James to know that this isn’t just a date.

It’s a statement that it’s more than just one night.

“Now if you will excuse us once again, the kids are waiting for us, and if you’re wondering about tomorrow that would be a no, she isn’t free. She’ll be with me. All weekend. I’ll give Matthew my number, so if he or Allison need anything they can text me directly.”

I’m standing here blinking, my cheeks flushed from the martini and the kiss, more so from the kiss than from anything else.

“Bye, James,” I say, walking past him, holding hands with my man.

When we are far enough away, this is when I get mad. I can’t believe the fucking nerve of him. I can’t believe what a fucking idiot he is. Well, I know what a fucking idiot he is, I just can’t believe he would do that. Did he really think I would just jump at the chance to have dinner with him and the kids? Did he expect me to fall to my knees and thank him? He probably did, that is the funny thing. He probably thought I would jump at the chance.

“Babe, you can relax now, it’s over.”

“I can’t believe he would pull that. I mean, I’m on a date or whatever this is, and he’s sitting at a table with the woman he cheated on me with. That he is engaged to!”

He stops me right where we are, in the middle of the restaurant halfway from James’s table and halfway to ours, spinning me into his arms.

“Babe, it’s over. Whatever play he thought he had to make he made it. I am giving you a warning. He tries that again, it’s not going to be so nice next time.”

And with that, he kisses me again, this time without tongue but with the same intensity of the other one.

“Cooper, you are always kissing Mommy,” she says aloud, breaking up our kiss, making us look over and smile at her.

“Mommy always wants me to kiss her,” he informs her while we walk back to the table.

I look over at Matthew, and he finally has a smile on his face. I’m not sure if he is relaxing with me or if it’s from the open-mouthed couple that has just witnessed our kiss. Either way, all I know is that it settles both of us.

We end up laughing the whole time, with Cooper telling us tales of the NHL, then Allison’s take on why men are stinky after hockey. James and Tiffany do stop by our table to say goodbye. Cooper takes the high road, which means he makes sure he has one hand on my neck while nodding at James.

We finally leave the restaurant with plans to come back again soon. When we make it home, Allison is half asleep, so Cooper carries her inside while I prepare her PJs for her to slide into, tucking her in with promises to make pancakes tomorrow morning after skating.

Matthew disappears into his room to play his video game, and Cooper leads me to the back yard to sit outside. He pulls me down into his lap, kissing my neck softly.

“See, babe, it wasn’t so bad,” he says, tucking my hair behind my ear.

“Only because you were there. My big hero.” I cup his cheek, leaning in, kissing his lips, my hair falling onto his face. “I’m going to have to repay you, but I’m not sure I know how.”

“Oh, I can think of a few things you can do for me.” His hand slowly makes its way under my dress. “I know Matthew is still up, so I’m just going to make sure you really are wearing those panties before I go.” Inching his way up, luckily we’re in the dark, so even if Matthew does come outside he can’t see anything. When his fingertips finally reach the satin of the underwear, I hear him curse.

“Baby, already all wet.” He rubs up and down.

“Hmmm,” I say, nodding my head up and down. I want to tell him yes, but it’s almost as if I’m in a trance.

He leans up, licking my bottom lip, slipping his tongue into my mouth, devouring me. Before it goes any more down the road. “Okay, I gotta go to bed. I have an early ice time with this NHL diva,” I say, walking him inside to the front door.

“Diva eh, I can guarantee you I’m no diva.” He grinds his erection into my ass, making me push back on him.

“Bye, Cooper.”

He kisses my neck. “Bye, babe, lock the door, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Pack that bag, babe.”

“Okay, honey.”

I close the door when I see his retreating taillights.

I make sure I turn off all the lights downstairs. Walking upstairs, I stop at Matthew’s door.

“Hey, you’re still up?”

“Um, yeah, I was just going to head to bed.”

“Did you pack your bag for Dad’s? I know you have your ice time tomorrow, and then you have a game so there isn’t going to be a lot of time between.”

He nods his head yes. “Um, Mom, how much longer do I have to go to Dad’s?”

“What do you mean, honey?”

“I mean, I don’t want to go there anymore. I want to stay here. The only reason I go is because of Allison.”

“Buddy, your dad will miss you terribly if you stop going there. Imagine me not seeing you. It would kill me.”

“I guess I’ll go. I had fun tonight, Mom. You think we can go back to the restaurant again with Cooper?”

“I could ask him and see what I can do.”

“Okay, Mom. I’m glad you’re happy now.”

“Honey, I was always happy.”

“No, Mom, you’re really happy now.”

I look at my boy, thinking he is growing up way too fast. “Matthew, you know we really haven’t talked about what is going on with Cooper and me.” I wring my hands, suddenly nervous. Why, I have no idea. It’s almost like I’m asking my parents for permission to be with him, and in a way I am. “This with Cooper and me, I don’t know where it’s going. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but I know this. I smile more with him. I feel happy, I feel calm with him, but most of all I feel like myself. No pretending. No sugarcoating who I am. But I need you to know that if you or your sister are not comfortable with having him here, you need to tell me, and I’ll make sure we don’t stay here. This is your house as much as it’s mine.” I look at him, hoping he understands that I’ll never make him feel like he’s second choice to a man.

“Mom, he’s cool. I like him. In the end I just want you happy.” He smiles a crooked smile, showing me his one dimple. My boy is almost a man. “If he hurts you, I’ll kick his ass.”

I tip my head back and laugh. “I’m sure you could, and to answer your question I really am happier. Good night, baby. I love you.”

I think about how much happier I’ve been lately, and there is really only one reason. Cooper Stone. Which scares the ever-loving shit out of me. If there is one thing history has taught me, it’s not to count on happily ever after.