Chapter Twelve

 

The next two weeks seemed to fly by and drag on at the same time. Sarah had three nights of call, which led to some exhaustion from lack of recovery time, but as she closed her computer down on Friday afternoon, she knew she had the next two weeks to just relax and enjoy her family. Sarah was spending Sunday with Coop and his family for their Christmas celebration. They were having it early since his siblings were alternating years, and they were with their spouses’ families this year.

Sarah wanted so badly to spend Christmas Day with Coop as a family, but she knew if she told him now, that all hell would break lose and everyone would be miserable. No, she just had to stick to her plan and wait until after the New Year. Sarah tried to mentally calculate what presents she had left to buy. She had bought a few things for Coop, but they weren’t exchanging presents until Christmas Eve, Harry was done unless she made an impulse buy. Her mom was done, so she had to buy a few things for Coop’s family. Thankfully, he was going with her tomorrow afternoon to help her shop for those last few presents. She smiled as she thought of the present she bought Coop that he was only going to find when he unwrapped her. As she pulled into her driveway, she suddenly remembered what she needed to ask Coop for. It was a little risky but she had devised a good cover story if she needed it. She wanted to get Harry an autographed bat, ball and jersey if possible. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted the jersey autographed because she knew Harry would wear it whenever he could. Sarah picked up her phone and called Coop while she was still in her car.

“This is a pleasant surprise, sweetheart. Did you just get off work?”

“Just got home is more like it. I’m so excited to have two weeks off. Listen, I hate to ask you for a favor, and don’t worry I’ll make it up to you, but I needed a couple of things from you. I was wondering if I could get you to sign a bat and ball, and get me a number 13 Cooper home jersey.”

“Sure. I’ll have them for you tomorrow. Are you sure that I can’t entice you to come over for dinner?”

“I’m sure. Don’t want mom to think I’m abandoning her. We haven’t spent much time together this last month. I wanted to spend tonight with her, since you have me tomorrow and Sunday. Don’t forget we have to go shopping tomorrow.”

“How could I forget. You know how much I love shopping.”

“You love anything that gives you time with me.”

“True. I have to run. I’m going to be late for dinner with Rhett. I love you. Have a good evening.”

“I love you, too. I’ll try. See you around lunch time tomorrow.”

Sarah tried to never miss family night, but unfortunately the wedding and her work schedule, had precluded her from being around much the last month. She walked through the door to an exuberant hug from Harry and then her mom.

“Harry, are you glad school is out for vacation?”

“Yes, two weeks of sleeping late and playing video games. Plus, a little baseball practice.”

“Well, we’ll have a lot of time together. I’m so glad to be on vacation for a couple of weeks. Where do you want to go for dinner tonight? We can go anywhere you want.”

“Let’s go to the Hard Rock.” Harry said with a smile.

“Okay, Hard Rock it is. Go change clothes and give me a chance to get more presentable and we’ll go. I imagine Nana will want to change as well.” Sarah went upstairs and changed her clothes before taking the family out to dinner.

As Sarah drove them downtown, she let her mind wander to all the family nights they had in the past, and wondered how many more they would have in the future. Would she be dropping Harry off every other Friday for a weekend with his dad, or would they be going as a family of three or four.

The night was crisp and cold. Finally, the weather was reflecting the season. They walked quickly from the parking deck to the Hard Rock warding off the chill in the air. Sarah wrapped her arms around Harry as they walked the last block. She couldn’t believe how big he was getting. She feared she was going to have to get a second job just to pay for shoes at the rate he was growing.

Harry was so excited, he was talking to the hostess a mile a minute. Sarah just smiled as she let him be the man of the house for the night. She and her mother followed Harry and the hostess to the table.

Just as they sat down, Sarah watched Lincoln and his family along with Jennifer walk up. “Hey, boss. Enjoying a night out?”

“The girls asked to come down here, since Cole and Marcie are due back tomorrow. We figured a night out was well deserved. We don’t want to intrude on your evening, but we just wanted to come by and say hello before we left. I hope you enjoy your vacation, and are ready for your meeting after the New Year.”

“I’ll be ready. I think things are a lot clearer now than they were a few months ago. If I don’t see you again, have a Merry Christmas.”

“You too, Sarah. Enjoy your dinner.” Lincoln and Nicole said goodbye to everyone as they walked away.

“What meeting do you have mom?”

“Nothing important, Harry. Just work. Dealing with the residents and how we’re going to swap chief residents.” Sarah really was going to hell for lying to her son.

Sarah looked at the menu trying to decide what she wanted, but she always went back to her favorite and ordered the fajitas. Sarah watched as Harry walked around and looked at all the memorabilia. She swore, if he wasn’t such a great baseball player he would end up being a singer.

Their food arrived, everyone ate like they were starving. When they finished, Sarah knew that they would be eating the fudge brownie sundae for dessert. By the time, they were finished, Sarah felt like she was going to have to waddle back to the car, but she wouldn’t trade the time together with Harry.

When they arrived back home, Harry took off to the basement to play video games, her mom headed to bed, and Sarah wasn’t far behind her. Her plan was to spend some time Facetiming with Coop before she fell asleep. Sarah got ready for bed and crawled under the warm blanket waiting for Coop’s call. Somehow, all the food and driving had exhausted her more than she had realized and fell asleep waiting for Coop to call. When the phone rang, she was startled awake and fumbled for the phone. She groggily answered the phone. “Hello.”

“Hey, baby. I’m sorry to wake you up.”

“That’s okay, Coop. I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep waiting for you to call. I guess I was more tired than I thought I was and definitely full, from dinner.”

“I don’t want to keep you then. Why don’t you just get some rest so you’ll be fully energized for our time this weekend. I have plans for you, and you’ll need your energy.”

“Okay, Coop. I think I’ll take you up on that. I love you. See you tomorrow.”

“I love you too, Good night.”

Sarah easily fell back to sleep with a smile on her face and dreamed of Coop all night long.

When Sarah awoke the next morning, she felt well rested and ready to face the day. She got dressed and headed downstairs in time to see Harry before he left for practice. Sarah walked over and ruffled his hair before kissing him good morning. “Have fun today and remember to mind Nana. I’ll see you tomorrow evening and we’ll plan something fun for Monday. I was thinking we could go to Six Flags and have some fun.”

“That’ll be great, mom. I’ll mind Nana as always and I wish you could come to practice, but I understand you have things you need to do.” Harry hugged his mother and ran to get in the car.

Sarah hugged her mom and headed to the kitchen to grab some coffee and get ready to meet Coop. She had already packed her overnight bag complete with Coop’s surprise. After her breakfast of coffee and a couple of fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts, she grabbed her things and went to her car and headed to Coop’s.

When she got to Coop’s, she let herself in with the key that he had given her. She searched the house and found him still asleep in the bed. Sarah figured what the hell, and stripped out of her clothes and slid into the bed next to Coop. She was instantly pulled against his strong, chiseled chest. He murmured something about loving her and fell back a sleep. Sarah was lulled back to sleep by the warmth of Coop’s body and his even breathing.

Sarah woke up a little while later on her back with Coop’s mouth working wonders on her sex. Sarah arched her back pushing her womanhood against Coop’s talented tongue. She was ready to explode from the dreams she had been having, but it seemed now like it wasn’t a dream. When Coop’s teeth nipped her clit, Sarah came off the bed and exploded with a powerful orgasm, but Coop didn’t let up, he continued his strokes and drove her straight into a second more powerful orgasm. Sarah finally had to push him away because she had become too sensitive. She watched Coop slowly climbed up her body, and as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he thrust into her.

Coop, couldn’t believe his luck when he woke up to a naked Sarah in his bed. He thought he had been dreaming her scent and the feel of her body against his, but to his surprise she was in bed with him. Coop took full advantage of the situation and after tasting her, he drove himself home. He moved in and out of her tight channel, feeling his own release building to an explosive climax. With one final thrust he spewed his release into her and collapsed on top of Sarah holding her tightly to his chest.

“Love you, but I…can’t breathe.”

Coop rolled over pulling Sarah with him so that she was straddling him and looking into his eyes. “Thanks for getting into bed with me.”

“Thanks for the wake-up call. Not a bad way to wake-up from my own erotic fantasy.”

“I like waking you up like that. Come on. Let’s get ready. We have shopping to do.”

Coop took Sarah to lunch at The Tavern at Phipps where they enjoyed a delicious steak salad. He knew it would be a hit because Sarah talked about going there all the time. After dessert, they walked around Phipps Plaza trying to find the perfect gift for his family members. They ended up at Tiffany’s where Coop helped Sarah pick out a couple of charm bracelets and charms to go with them. After Tiffany’s, they found themselves at Toys-R-Us for the kids.

As they walked around the store, Sarah spotted a few items she wanted to come back and get for Harry. She cleared her head and focused on the task at hand. Finally, they picked out a couple of Barbie Dolls and a new Tonka truck.

Sarah had everything except a present for his dad, and she had no idea what to get him. She took Coop’s suggestion of a few Davidoff cigars from the Buckhead Cigar Club. They drove down into Buckhead to get them. After buying a few cigars Coop picked out a couple for them and they sat down in the lounge to enjoy a nice afternoon smoke.

Coop watched Sarah light up her cigar and was impressed that the girls had gotten her to start smoking. He was happy this was going to be something that they could share instead of him having to go outside and smoke alone. “When did you start smoking cigars?”

“At Marcie’s bachelorette party. Nicole raided Lincoln’s stash and had something for each of us. I tried Nicole’s, but it was too strong for me. I might have turned a little green.”

Coop laughed. “What was it that she was smoking?”

“Something called and Opus X Shark?”

Coop was bent over double laughing. He finally caught his breath. “Sweetheart, that is one of the strongest cigars on the market. Very hard to find, and she just raided Lincoln’s stash for them. I need to spend more time at the boss’s house.”

“Well, Lincoln gives a lot to the charity, and Mr. Fuente keeps him well stocked with whatever he likes. For me though, this is the one that I find suits my palate the best. It doesn’t give me a headache, and I can enjoy the essence of the cigar.”

“You picked a fine cigar. You can never go wrong with a Davidoff. I usually like mine a little stiffer, but the Dominican Puro has just the right balance.”

They sat in companionable silence, watching the other people come and go. Even though Coop liked being around people, he found he was most comfortable these days just sitting beside Sarah relaxing and contemplating their future. He felt naked without the engagement ring around his neck, but since he planned on getting naked later he didn’t want to have to explain the ring. Coop enjoyed coming here, because he could have a sense of privacy from the rest of the world. He was hardly ever bothered for an autograph, but he never refused when asked. As they sat there smoking and commenting about cigars, since Sarah had her nose in a Cigar Aficionado, Coop was surprised to look up and see his manager standing in front of him. “Skip, good to see you. How’s your off-season going?”

“Much better with the new owners. Thank God, they don’t mind spending money, but you already know that. So, who’s the lovely lady with you.”

“Skip, this is Dr. Sarah Buckley.”

“Sarah, Skip, or Coach Peter Davis as he known to the outside world.”

Skip took Sarah’s hand and shook it while his eyes never left Coop. “So, this is THE Sarah Buckley?”

Coop was a little embarrassed at the statement but just nodded his head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Dr. Buckley.”

“Please call me Sarah. It’s nice to meet you too, Coach Davis.”

“You can call me Skip or Skipper, whichever you like best. Not big on formalities. Well, it was good to see you and to meet you, but I’ve gotta get home and cook dinner for the rest of the coaches. Cooper, I’ll see you at the stadium Monday or Tuesday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

As soon as Skip was out of ear shot, Harrison knew he was going to get drilled like a virgin oil field in Alaska.

“Care to explain ‘THE Sarah Buckley’?”

“Well, you see what had happened was, Skip has been with me since I started, so he knows about you and” Coop mumbled, “my rules”.

“Did you just say he knows about your rules? What rules would those be, pray tell.”

“Umm…well…I never ever dated brown eyed brunettes, brunettes in general, and no doctors for that matter. Honestly, when I started in pro-ball I was like the United Nations for women trying to get you out of my head. Didn’t care, as long as they knew it was one night only and no strings or commitments. I would never date anyone who remotely resembled you. You haunted my dreams and thoughts so much, I couldn’t risk the fragile peace accord my mind and body were waging war with.”

Sarah looked at Coop with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry that I did that to you.”

Coop pulled Sarah into his lap. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I don’t know what happened and perhaps in a couple of weeks you’ll enlighten me. As the time has passed I finally accepted that it wasn’t our time, but I believed in our love and knew a time would come when we would meet again. I have a feeling that it’ll all work out. After all, I love you and you love me. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

His words caused Sarah to burst into tears, because she knew the truth. The worst was yet to come. Sarah sat on Coop’s lap allowing him to sooth her, blissfully unaware of the pain she was going to inflict upon him later. When her tears dried, Sarah continued sitting on Coop’s lap and picked up his cigar to give it a try. “Not too bad. I could grow to like that one very much.”

“You know, I have something with a much larger ring gage if you need to satisfy your oral fixation later.”

Sarah blushed but didn’t miss a beat. “Really, here, I thought that was just a petite corona. I was really hoping for a gigante, but a girl’s gotta live with what a girl’s got.”

Coop tickled her and said, “I’ll show you that gigante later tonight.” No matter what, Coop much preferred her laughter to her tears. He just wished he understood what was causing her so much heartache. They continued to smoke their cigars with Sarah sitting in his lap. He could just imagine them sitting under the stars at his house doing this exact same thing. When they finished, Coop led Sarah back to the car to drive her to dinner. He had chosen a fun place for dinner and then a place to challenge her to some games of skill. They headed down to Twin Smokers near the GA Aquarium for dinner. Coop just hoped they had some brisket left by the time they arrived.

Luck was on their side, and they were able to get the brisket and macaroni and cheese. Coop loved the food here and remembered Sarah’s love of good bar-b-que. They also had an excellent selection of craft beers to choose from featuring local breweries. As they ate, Coop reached over several times to wipe away a little sauce from Sarah’s lips savoring the sweet tangy sauce when he licked it off his thumb. Even ten years later, he could still make her blush with that one simple move. By the time they finished dinner, Coop was ready to skip the rest of the evening and head straight back to the house, but he wanted to continue the fun they were having.

When they left, Coop took Sarah’s hand and turned right which confused her because the car was back to the left. They walked to the end of the block and enter Game-X. Sarah smiled because she loved playing games and she could concentrate on beating Coop and not worrying about where Harry had run off to. “So, you think you can bring me here and beat up on a poor defenseless little girl, big man?”

“There is absolutely nothing defenseless about you, but I did think we could come here and have some fun.”

Sarah smiled as she pulled him through the entrance and up to the counter to get some X-cards for the games. “Just so you know, your ass is grass when it comes to air hockey. I’m the queen of the air hockey table.”

“Well, then your highness, lead the way.” Coop followed Sarah to the nearest air hockey table and commenced to getting his ass kicked. He found it difficult to play watching Sarah jump up and down and squeal each time she scored. It made him so happy to watch her smile and laugh. After losing four games in a row, Coop decided he would try Connect Four, but he couldn’t manage a win there either. Not wanting to appear frustrated he decided that they should try basketball, he finally found her Achilles heel.

“You couldn’t take losing to a girl so you had to pick the most macho game in here. Next thing I know you’re going to drag me to the stadium to the batting cage just to show me how much harder you can hit the ball.

Coop’s ears perked up at that thought. It would be quiet on a Saturday afternoon. No one else would be around, and he could ravage her in the shower or where ever else he wanted to after a little batting practice. Coop took Sarah’s hand and led her to the car.

About half-way to the stadium Sarah turned to him and said, “You know I was kidding, right?”

“Sorry, babe. I need to do something to reclaim my manhood. I mean, you beat me at almost every game we played, called little Coop a petite corona, and I may add, never apologized to him. So, batting cages it is.”

Shaking her head, Sarah figured there was more to this than just hitting balls, but she was willing to play along. She had never seen the locker room and it would be a treat.

They pulled into the players parking garage and she watched as Coop rolled down his window and showed his ID to the security guard.

“Have a nice day, Mr. Cooper.” The guard said.

That simple statement sent Sarah into a fit of giggles. “Mr…Mr…Mr. Cooper. That just sounds so old on you. I suddenly pictured your dad sitting there trying to get through the gate.”

“Very funny. You know we’re the same age.” Coop pulled into his parking space and led Sarah into the locker room. He stopped by the equipment room first and grabbed Sarah a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He wanted her to be comfortable while they played around. He also grabbed a few bats belonging to the pitchers, because they were the lightest and should be easiest for her to swing.

“Wow. My very own Braves shorts and shirt. How was I ever going to survive without them?”

“Okay smartass. Just get changed and we’ll hit the batting cages.”

Sarah watched as Coop smacked ball after ball. She was impressed with his power. Watching his muscles flex with each swing was a thing of beauty. She hadn’t seen his swing up close since college, and it was so much more powerful than was ten years ago. She felt it every time his hands held her. His strong fingers that stroked her to orgasm so easily, flexed around the handle of the bat. The smack of the bat on the ball brought Sarah back to the here and now.

“Your turn sweetheart. All you have to do is get five out of ten, and we’ll call it a win. I set it to fifty miles per hour to make it easy for you.” Coop stood back and watched as Sarah took a few practice swings, and waited for the pitches to come. She swung and missed at the first couple then finally got a hit and did a little happy dance that made Coop smile. He watched as she hit another and another one. It all came down to the last pitch though. A hit and she won and a miss and Coop won. The machine wound up and Coop watched as Sarah swung with all her might and hit the ball back where it came from. The joy in her eyes was infectious, and Coop didn’t mind losing.

Sarah came out of the cage and jumped up on Coop hugging him tightly. “I did it. I won. I can’t believe it.” Sarah kissed him hard on the lips.

“Wow. You certainly get excited when you win. Great job.” Coop said as he swatted her ass. “Now let’s go take a shower and get dressed. After all, I don’t get a chance to cross an item off the bucket list very often, and this is a hard one.”

“Are you sure we won’t get caught, because I really don’t want to go through that again.”

Coop laughed. “I’m sure. Nobody ever comes to work out his late on a Saturday afternoon, especially this late in December.” Coop took Sarah’s hand and led her to the showers where he quickly stripped off her shirt and sweat pants leaving her in only her bra and thong. Coop watched as Sarah slowly stripped off the rest of her clothes and tossed them in a pile off to the side. He didn’t need too much encouragement, he got rid of his clothes quicker than he could remember. He pulled Sarah into the steaming showers. He was already turned on and pushed her up against the wall devouring her lips. Coop felt Sarah jump up and wrap her legs around his waist begging for him to thrust into her. Just as Coop thrust into Sarah and began to work her into a frenzy, he thought he heard someone walk into the locker room.

“Cooper. You in here? I saw your car outside,” Rhett said.

“Shit,” Sarah whispered. “I thought you said that no one would be here.”

“I don’t have a fucking clue as to why Rhett’s here.”

“Buddy, you in the shower?”

“Just stay here and duck behind the partition,” Coop said before turning to hide his erection behind the partial wall. “Rhett, buddy, what are you doing here?”

“I took advantage of both my girls napping and ran down to get some batting practice. You just finish up?”

“Yep.” Coop said in a strangled voice as he looked down to see Sarah sucking his dick. She was so going to pay for that later. Coop kind of tilted his head toward the pile of clothing hoping that Rhett would see Sarah’s clothes and take a hint.

Rhett finally got the hint and looked over at the pile of clothes and smiled back at Coop. “Sorry, buddy. I guess you’re busy. Hi Sarah, I mean Dr. Buckley.”

“Hi Rhett. You can go now.” Sarah said.

“Right. You guys have fun. See you later.”

“Thanks for that, Coop. I really needed to get caught in the shower having sex with you. But you tasted really good. I loved the taste of my pussy on your dick. It turned me on so much. Can’t wait to get home and finish what we started.”

Coop pulled Sarah out of the shower and they got dressed and left the stadium heading to Coop’s house. Sarah wanted to think of it as home, but it wasn’t yet or maybe it never would be. They had so much more to work out than Coop knew.

Coop pulled into the driveway and parked the car. He hated that he took the Porsche, because he wanted to pull Sarah across the console and kiss her but that wasn’t going to happen. He was going to have to get something bigger for a family. Maybe a Tahoe or Suburban. Maybe he could get Sarah something bigger, and he could keep the Porsche. Nothing mattered about the future until they worked out whatever in their past was making her skittish. Coop walked around and helped Sarah out of the car and collected all their packages.

Sarah opened the door for Coop, since his hands were full and it felt like the most natural thing for the two of them to come home from shopping. Get out of your head Sarah. She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. “What do you want for dinner? I can cook for us if you want or we could just order pizza.”

“Pizza would be fine, but how about I take you upstairs and fix you a nice hot bath and relax with you in the tub.”

“Mmmm…that sounds heavenly. I haven’t found much time lately to just relax in a hot bath and you have that huge tub that was made for relaxing.”

Coop led Sarah upstairs and sat her on the bed while he ran the bath for them. He had picked up a few essential bath oils and the lavender seemed to be the best for relaxation so he poured some in as the water filled the tub. Coop lit the candles he had purchased and walked back downstairs to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. When he returned to the bedroom, he found Sarah sitting on the bed naked with her legs crossed looking very proper and very sexy. He took the wine into the bathroom before returning to get Sarah. As a last thought, he hit the button turning on the music. Coop helped Sarah into the sunken tub and sat down behind her enjoying the feel of her body against his. He reached over and grabbed the glasses of wine, handing her one. “I thought you would enjoy a nice Riesling while we enjoyed the bath.”

“You know me so well. Thank you for this. How often do you use this gargantuan tub?”

“Honestly, I’ve only been in this tub a few times and it has usually been with bags of ice poured over me. I think this is the first time I’ve taken a hot bath in here, and taking it with you makes it so much more special.”

Sarah sighed at his words, snuggling even closer. Sarah chastised herself for thinking that this would go on forever. Sarah sipped her wine and relaxed in the water, as Handel’s Water Music played over the speakers. She supposed that was one thing she knew about Coop that most people didn’t, he loved classical music.

“So, I have plans for you tonight. It’s a surprise, so we may have to order our pizza early to make it on time. I bought you a present since this was a surprise.”

“I’d ask what the surprise is, but I know you well enough to know that you won’t tell me so whatever you planned will be great.” Sarah continued to relax into Coop, and as they finished their wine she felt Coop help her up and out of the tub. She loved the way he took care of her and gently dried her off.

“I just wanted you to know how much fun I had today, and that I’m sorry about Rhett in the locker room.”

“I had fun too. Don’t worry about it. It’s not like Lincoln or Skip walked in on us.” Sarah followed Coop into the bedroom and watched as he walked into the closet and came back out with a beautiful black cocktail dress and a pair of matching shoes. Her mouth fell open seeing that it was a Vera Wang dress and Jimmy Choo heels. “That’s so beautiful Coop. I’m going to need something to wear under it though.”

“No problem,” he said as he went back into the closet and came out with a bag from Agent Provocateur. He watched Sarah’s eyes light up as she pulled the black lace thong and bustier out of the bag.

“Still want that pizza or something a little fancier?”

Sarah looked at Coop and saw the excitement in his eyes and the joy from giving her the gifts. She couldn’t deny him anything at this point. “Something fancier please.”

“Okay then. Get dressed.” Coop walked back into the closet and pulled out his black Armani suit. Coop got dressed and walked downstairs to wait for Sarah. As he was waiting in the family room, he turned around to watch his vision of an angel descend the stairs. She was utterly radiant in her dress, and she honestly glowed as she came towards him. He slowly walked to the base of the stairs and took her hand in his. “I made dinner reservations at Bistro Niko and then we have box seats for the Atlanta Symphony’s performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony along with the Atlanta Choral Society.”

“Oh my God, Coop. You remembered that I loved Mahler. Thank you so much.” Sarah kissed Coop on the cheek as he continued to walk them out to the car. Sarah couldn’t ever remember them having such a romantic night out together.

By the time the night was over Sarah was exhausted, but she had the time of her life. She hadn’t been to the symphony in so long, but the music infused her with peace and tranquility. Sarah wanted to make love to Coop, but when they made it to the bedroom, she just wanted to fall asleep in the big comfortable bed. “Coop, I’m so tired. Will you just hold me tonight while I sleep?”

“Anything for you, baby,” Coop said as he unzipped Sarah’s dress and watched it pool at her feet. He wanted her so badly, but he respected her wishes and helped her into bed. He stripped out of his suit, crawling into bed, and pulling Sarah against his chest. It didn’t take long before Coop felt Sarah relax against him and her breathing even out. These were the moments that Coop loved. Holding Sarah and being able to visualize their future together. He hoped that this was what life had in store for them. They had spent ten years apart, and if he had anything to say in the matter, they wouldn’t spend any more time apart. Coop ached to just drop down on one knee and beg her to marry him. He didn’t understand why she was still holding back. What did she think he had done? He’d never been anything but respectful and loving towards her. He’d never taken her for granted, or even looked at another woman when they were dating. No matter what, a couple more weeks and this would all be settled. Coop finally fell asleep breathing in Sarah.

Coop awoke the next morning to Sarah straddling him, riding him slow and easy.

“Good morning, Coop,” Sarah said in her husky morning voice. “Sorry, I fell asleep last night, but I wanted to wake you up in a manner befitting a king. You deserve it, after all you treat me like a queen.”

Coop’s hands moved to Sarah’s hips and helped guide her as she rocked her hips in time with his thrusts. Coop was struggling not to finish too soon, because he really loved being woken up this way. He could die a happy man right now. He may still have a lot of questions to be answered, but he’d be happy. Coop reached down and used his thumb to apply pressure to Sarah’s clit hoping to hasten her completion. He heard her breathing speed up, and she began to move faster and faster. He felt her muscles start to clench around him and milk him as she called out his name collapsing on top of him, as he found his blessed release. Coop stroked Sarah’s back and kissed her temple. “Thank you. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too” Sarah murmured with her face still buried in Coop’s chest. Sarah raised her head and looked into Coop’s eyes. Mesmerized by the love she saw in his eyes. “Want me to make you some breakfast?”

“Why don’t we make it together.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sarah said as she crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take care of her morning ritual. She stood in front of the mirror looking at her body, thinking of all the changes it had gone through over the years. She wasn’t dissatisfied with her body, but her hips had filled out and her busts was certainly larger. Thankfully her bust remained perky, and hadn’t taken a journey south. Coop certainly appreciated her body. At least he loved it like he did. Finishing up, she threw Coop’s dress shirt on and walked into the bedroom to find Coop wearing his boxer briefs and nothing else.

They walked down stairs and fixed breakfast. They didn’t want to fix anything too big, since they would be having a large lunch with his family. Sarah went to work cutting up fruit for breakfast, while Coop made coffee and toasted bagels. This domestic scene made Sarah sigh with pleasure, but her heart caught thinking that it could soon end all because of her selfishness.

After breakfast, they got dressed and headed to Lawrenceville. Sarah had meticulously wrapped all her packages and hoped that everyone liked their gifts. To say she was nervous, would be an understatement. Even though she had been around Coop’s family lately, except his dad, she knew they were still weary of her return. She didn’t let go of Coop’s hand the entire drive, and it wasn’t until he tried to get out of the car that she finally let go.

They walked up to the front porch and went in to see his family. Sarah received hugs from everyone, especially from Coop’s nieces and nephew. She smiled inwardly at her reception hoping that the worst was over for the time. As they sat in the living room, they exchanged gifts and talked about plans for Christmas. Sarah was happy that everyone liked the gifts she had selected. She was nervous about the cigars she picked out for Dan, but he was ecstatic that she had gone to the trouble to find his favorites. She thought that she would have to thank Coop later. His parents had given her a nice sweater and a gift card to Soma, since Coop had mentioned that she liked their pajamas. His sister had given her a bottle of Chanel no. 5 and his brother had given her a gift card from Victoria’s Secret which she assumed probably was more his wife’s idea than his.

Before lunch, Sarah enjoyed sitting back with Coop on the couch, since his mother refused any help, watching the kids play with all their new toys. She remembered Harry when he was that age, and the fact that he was often more excited with the boxes than the actual toys.

Lunch was delicious, and Sarah realized how much she missed the atmosphere of a large family, and how much fun being with a group like this could be. For the longest time, it had just been her, her mom, and Harry, but hopefully that would change soon. She just hoped that Alice and Dan would be thrilled at having a new grandson, they would eventually forgive her for the ten years she deprived them of Harry.

With lunch done and their goodbyes said, Coop and Sarah headed back to Cumming.

“You okay? You seemed really tense before we got there.”

“Everything is great. I was just nervous, because I think your siblings don’t trust me enough to be comfortable around me, but even if they don’t, they masked it well today. It was good to see your dad again. He hasn’t really changed that much.”

Coop laughed. “You should have seen him a year ago, he was fifty pounds heavier and diagnosed with high blood pressure. Mom, put him on a diet and with her help and my personal trainer, he has slimmed back down, and is healthier than he has been in a long time.”

“Good for him. I can’t help but think that’s what you’ll look like when you are his age, and I can say you’ll still be a hottie.”

“Are you crushing on my dad?”

Sarah let out a gasp and blushed. “No…I was just saying you’ll still look damn good at his age. That’s all. Geez, insecure much?”

“Just making sure I don’t have any competition. Anyway, I think mom might fight you for him,” Coop said with a laugh.

They drove home holding hands and simply enjoying each other’s company. They didn’t exchange gifts because they agreed to do that on the 23rd so they could spend Christmas with their respective families.

After arriving back at Coop’s house, they said goodbye with a long passionate kiss that made Sarah have second thoughts about leaving, but she wanted to spend time with Harry. She didn’t know how much time she had left with him by herself. Sarah kissed Coop one last time before heading home. She knew she’d see him in a couple of days.

Sarah walked in the front door of her house and found Harry and her mom sitting at the kitchen counter drinking cocoa and laughing about something. She stood there and watched them smiling to herself. She loved the sound of his laughter. She just hoped that he didn’t change from the loving kid that he was as he got older. Sarah knew the second he realized she was home, because he was off the barstool running over to engulf her in a hug.

“Hey, mom. Glad your home. I missed you. Did you have fun?”

“Yes, I had fun, but I’m so glad to be home with you and Nana. Did you have fun while I was gone?”

“Yep. Finally beat the game I was playing, and we went to the movie and had pizza. I’m ready for our trip to the Aquarium tomorrow and the zoo. Nana was sad she couldn’t go because she has to work, but we’ll bring her a treat back.”

“Yes, we will. Why don’t you run upstairs and get ready for dinner while I talk to Nana.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“So, how was your Christmas with Harrison’s family?”

“It was good. Less stress than lunch. I just hate that they still don’t know that they have a grandson they’ve never met. I think they’ll be thrilled to meet Harry, but I don’t think they’ll be too thrilled with me. His siblings are already weary of my return, and this may very well be that final nail in the proverbial coffin with them.”

“Well, I’m sure there’ll be some hurt feelings, but everyone will eventually come around. I’m sure Alice and Dan will be excited about having a new grandson when all the dust settles. Just remember to fight for what you want. Have you given any consideration to when you are going to tell Harrison about Harry?”

“I think, I’m going to tell him at our meeting. At least, he can’t yell at me too much in the conference room. I put together a picture album for him that chronicles Harry’s life from my pregnancy to the present. I can’t change the past, but I can at least give him a glimpse of what Harry’s life was like. I don’t know what his reaction will be, or if he will even want to see Harry, or when he’ll want to see Harry. We still have a couple of weeks before the meeting. I know he loves me, and I hope that his love for me will transfer to Harry, and he’ll be able to get over his anger.”

“I’ve told you before, he loved you then and I can see that he loves you now. Just be patient with him because it will be a shock to him and his family. If he needs space give it to him, but don’t let him have too long.”

Sarah was about to speak when Harry came bounding down the stairs.

“Ready to go, mom and Nana?”

“Certainly, where are we off to tonight? Before you say it, no pizza and no Dave and Busters.”

“How about Uncle Julio’s. Nana really likes those swirly things and I like their quesadillas.”

“Fine, Uncle Julio’s it is. Mom could probably use one of those swirly things as you put it as well.”

Dinner was great, but after returning home Sarah wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. She was exhausted from her day, and it seemed Harry was overly excited about Christmas coming up, and didn’t want to do anything but talk throughout dinner. As Sarah crawled into bed, her phone dinged with a good night text from Coop. She was honestly too tired to talk to him and simply sent him a text explaining her desire to sleep. He understood, and she went to sleep without anyone having to rock her.

Monday was another exhausting day for Sarah. Harry ran her everywhere. He was a bundle of energy at the Aquarium and the zoo. Thankfully the weather had cooperated with them, and it was somewhat balmy for the end of December. As much as she enjoyed watching Harry, she enjoyed sitting and watching the pandas play with their newborn. Harry insisted that they buy her mom a stuffed panda, since she couldn’t be there, and Sarah couldn’t say no, so she bought it. Not only was her day with Harry long, she had to finish her Christmas shopping after her mom got home, and that was what led to her standing in the toy game aisle at Toys-R-Us as they were getting ready to close.

Sarah made it back home with Harry’s last presents and her mom’s presents. She loved Christmas, but hated the crowds and the rude people. Sarah surveyed her room, looking at the gifts. She had to spend tomorrow wrapping everything, and then she’d have free time until Christmas. She was going to dinner with Coop, but not spending the night. She didn’t want to do the walk of shame on Christmas Eve.

Sarah went to sleep with happy thoughts of her family and Coop. She had to get ready for Christmas and the New Year, because changes were coming.