For the Game (8 page)

London

It was hard when Cooper went back to school after Thanksgiving break, but at least I knew Christmas was right around the corner. Plus, the weeks leading up to the holiday were chock full. We released a holiday edition of the paper, and we had finals at school. Between studying, writing and editing, I hardly had time to think about how much I missed Cooper. But I was grateful for the busyness because the time flew, and before I knew it Cooper was back.

“How is it possible that you are even more beautiful than a few weeks ago?” Cooper threaded his fingers through mine, linking us together. Our arms swung between us as we walked through the tree lot, the scent of pine needles encircling us.

Unsure of what to say to that, I just smiled and squeezed Cooper’s hand tighter. Dad walked up ahead, his gaze scouring the rows of dark green trees. Cooper had wanted to be with us when we got our tree this year, so we had waited for him. Besides, Dad said it would be easier to set up the tree with a guy’s help. At first I had scoffed at that, a little offended. But then I remembered all the years we had a crooked tree because I had held the tree at an angle while Dad screwed it into the stand. I was sure Cooper would be more competent than I was. However, I wasn’t stupid. I knew Dad’s decision had less to do with having a crooked tree, and more to do with the fact that he didn’t want me to over-exert myself. I may have been healthy now, but it would be awhile before Dad stopped treating me like I was as fragile as a thin piece of glass.

“What about this one?” Cooper stopped at a tall tree with branches that were sparse and far apart.

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s like a Charlie Brown tree.”

“It is not.” He ran his fingertip over one of the fragrant branches. “This is the kind of tree we get every year.”

I bit my lip, feeling a little bad. Truth was that I kind of thought he was teasing when he pointed at it. Then again, I’d been so sick last year that I never went to his house during the holidays. I guess I had wrongfully assumed his family got the same kind of tree as us. Now I wished I had kept my mouth shut. “Oh, well…it’s nice. I like it.” I hoped my feeble attempt to fix it had worked, though I suspected the damage was already done.

Cooper grinned. “I like seeing you squirm. It’s adorable.” He snaked his arm around my waist and tugged me forward. Our chests bumped. “But it’s fine. I know you don’t like the tree.”

When I blew my breath out, a puff of white air floated between our faces. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was the kind of tree you got.”

“It’s all right. Today isn’t about me. It’s about picking out the perfect tree for my girl.” He stole a quick kiss on my cheek, his lips hot against my frigid skin, and then released me. “So point me in the right direction.”

His hand found mine again, his fingers warming my cold ones.

“I think I found the one,” Dad’s voice boomed from behind a wall of trees.

“Coming!” I smiled, tugging on Cooper’s arm. We wove through the trees to meet Dad. Prickly branches caught on the fabric of my jacket, some of the needles falling. When we reached Dad, he stood next to a bushy Douglas Fir. It was exactly the kind of tree I loved, a tree so full I couldn’t even see the trunk. Dad spun it around so I could inspect every angle. There was one spot that was a tad out of proportion, but I figured that could go against the wall.

“I love it,” I said, nodding in approval.

“I knew you would.” Dad set the tree back down. “Okay. You two wait here, and I’ll go grab someone to help us.”

“I guess I should’ve left the tree hunting to Dexter from the beginning.” Cooper drew me to him.

I circled my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I chose his tree over yours. It’s just that Dad and I have been doing this together for a long time, so he knows the ones I prefer.”

“I get it.” Leaning in, he nuzzled my face with his nose. It was cold and I shivered. “I love that I’m always learning new things about you.” He ran his hands up and down my arms in an attempt to warm me up while his own teeth chattered. “Damn, it’s cold today.”

I nodded. “It must be jarring for my So Cal boy, huh?”

“Oh, it gets cold in So Cal too.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close.
“The only difference is I don’t have my girl there to keep me warm.”

“Oh, I’ll warm you up all right,” I said coyly, surprised by how seductive my voice came out sounding.

Cooper cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t tease me, baby.”

I giggled. “Who said I’m teasing? I fully intend to warm you up.”

Cooper shrugged. “Okay, I’m game. Show me what you got.”

The sound of shoes crunching on pine needles caught our attention, and we turned to see Dad returning with a man wearing overalls and a red knit hat. I pointed out the tree we picked, and the man snatched it up carrying it to the front of the lot. Dad trailed behind him, but when I turned to follow them Cooper stopped me. His hand clamped around my wrist.

“We weren’t done,” he said, yanking me back toward him.

My lips curled at the edges. “We weren’t?”

“I believe you promised to warm me up, and you better do it fast because I think I’m pretty close to freezing to death out here.”

A chuckle escaped through my lips. “Freezing to death? I don’t think so. It may be cold, but I don’t think it’s possible to freeze to death in 40 degree weather. In fact, water doesn’t even freeze unless it’s below 30 degrees.”

“Okay, Ms. Brainiac.” His face held a teasing gleam. “I’m off school this week. I don’t want a lesson on the weather. I want my girlfriend, so get over here and warm me up.”

“Bossy.” I smiled, stepping toward him. “But you’re right. I promised to warm you up, so I will.” Heart hammering in my chest, I was acutely aware of Dad just feet away paying for the tree. But the knowledge that we were hidden behind a row of trees caused boldness to rise in me. Slipping my hands under Cooper’s shirt, I trailed my palms up his chest.

“Shit.” He jumped back. “Your hands are like ice.” Smiling, he reached for me. “Clearly you were confused about the challenge. I wanted you to warm me up, not freeze me.” He laughed, and I felt stupid. I didn’t know what I’d been thinking. Mostly I just wanted to touch his chest, and usually he liked it. But obviously I hadn’t taken into account how cold my hands were right now. “Let me show you how it’s done.” Amused, I allowed him to lift my hands up to his mouth. Cupping them around his mouth, he blew hot air onto them and it skated over my skin. Then he gently folded my fingers down, covering them with his warm hands. After pressing a kiss to my forehead, he guided my hands under his jacket, careful to keep them outside of his shirt. He placed my hands on his chest and cinched his jacket around my arms. My hands warmed up as his heart thumped beneath my palms. “That better?”

“Much.” I smiled up at him.

“Ready?” Dad asked from over my shoulder, breaking into our intimate moment.

Cooper released the hold on his jacket, and I extracted my hands. Face flushing I turned around. “He was helping me get warm,” I mumbled.

Wearing a bemused smile, Dad nodded. “Yeah, I could see that.”

Tucking my hand in his, Cooper stood beside me and together we followed behind Dad. When we rounded the corner, a flash of pink caught my attention. An overpowering floral scent smacked me in the face.

“Oh my god, Cooper Montgomery!” A shrill voice rang out.

I snapped my head up and my stomach tightened. Madison stood in front of us wearing that damn pink jacket she always wore. The fur around the edges framed her pale face. She pursed her pink lips and batted her long lashes as she stared at Cooper as if he had hung the moon. It was like she didn’t even know I was with him. As if she thought he was in this lot specifically for her.

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Cooper said, and I felt my lip twitch. Staring at the ground, I willed my face to stay neutral.

Madison, on the other hand, had more difficulty with that. Her eyes widened, her jaw slacking. “It’s me.” She pointed at her chest, as if that was clarification enough. “Madison Smith,” she spoke slowly, enunciating every syllable.

Cooper shook his head. “Sorry. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

She narrowed her eyes. “We met several times. We even talked for awhile at one of Calista’s parties.”

“You’ll have to forgive me, but Calista did throw a lot of parties, and I did meet a lot of girls at them.” I stiffened at his words, but he tightened his hold on my hand. “But don’t feel bad. None of the girls were that memorable.” He turned to me, and Madison’s gaze followed. It was the first time she’d looked at me at all. “Not until I met this girl, that is.” Leaning over, he planted a tender kiss on my lips. “She’s the only girl in this whole damn town worth remembering. In fact, I couldn’t forget her even if I tried.” He kissed me again. This time harder and longer. “Not that I’d ever want to.” With an apologetic expression he turned to Madison. “I’m sorry, but I really have to get going. I only have two weeks here, and I want to spend all of that time with my girl.”

Madison huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at us as we stepped around her.

“Did you really not remember her?” I whispered as we headed toward Dad’s car.

“Vaguely.” He shrugged.

“Did you and she…you know…” I didn’t really want to know, but for some reason I had to ask.

“No.” He tugged me toward him as we walked forward, our feet crunching on pine needles and bark. “I was never interested in younger girls.” I craned my neck in his direction. “Until you, that is.” He winked, and I smiled. Glancing over his shoulder, his expression sobered. “She’s been harassing you, hasn’t she?”

I hadn’t told Cooper about the things Madison had said. There was no point. It’s not like he could’ve done anything about it. “How did you know?”

“I could tell by the way your body tensed when she showed up. It was the same way you used to react to Calista.”

It was amazing how well he could read me. “Thanks.” My heart swelled when I thought about the way he put her in her place.

“You don’t have to thank me. I meant every word I said.”

The tree was already strapped to the top of Dad’s car when we reached it. We all piled inside, and Dad turned on the engine, his oldies station floating through the speakers. Rubbing my hands together, I anxiously waited for the air that spilled from the vents to get warmer. The tires bumped over rocks and gravel until we pulled out of the lot onto the asphalt of the street. We lived only a few blocks from the lot, so we were home quickly.

Once we arrived, Dad and Cooper untied the tree from the car and carried it inside. Dad and I had already gotten the tree stand ready. It sat in the only empty corner in our family room, between the couch and the wall. The space wasn’t very large, so we had to cram the tree to fit every year. Still, we made it work.

It was impressive to see how quickly Cooper and Dad worked to get the tree up. When it was just Dad and me it took quite a bit longer. But the two guys were really efficient, and before I knew it, it was time to put on the lights. Excitedly, I pulled out a few strings of white lights and started wrapping them around the tree. The scent of pine and sap wafted under my nose. Dad clicked on some Christmas music, and it filled the room.

“Want some hot chocolate, baby?” Cooper came up behind me, speaking so close to my ear that his breath fanned over it.

Joy welling up inside me, I nodded. Emotion rose in my throat as he left the room, and I swallowed it down. Last year the day we set up the tree had been a tough one. I hadn’t been feeling well, so I wasn’t much help. We did get the tree in and decorated, but it was a long, grueling afternoon, and Dad ended up doing most of it while I rested on the couch watching. And it was so disheartening since this was my favorite part of the holiday. Before Mom died, decorating the tree was a huge event in our home. Mom would make hot chocolate and sing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs while she hung the ornaments. She had the nicest singing voice, and I used to listen with awe.

Also, she had a story for each ornament, and she enjoyed sharing them with me. I loved hearing the stories, knowing the reason behind the ornament. After the tree was all decorated, I’d stare up at the tree, recalling each tale, the significance of every individual ornament. The tree took on new meaning to me then. It was no longer just a tree. It was more like a novel to me. Like the books I read every day.

When Cooper returned with hot chocolate, I’d finished the lights and they sparkled, illuminating the tree. I stared at them as they twinkled in the dark green branches. Stepping back from the tree, I took the mug in my hands, wrapping my palms around it. Warmth seeped into my skin.

Cooper’s arm slid around my shoulders. “Looks beautiful.”

“Thanks.” I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Tired?” He asked.

“Not at all.” I swiveled my head to look at him. “And you better not be either. We’ve only just begun.” With my free hand, I pointed to the two large boxes near the couch. “Those are filled with ornaments, and they all need to get up on that tree.”

He smiled, holding his own mug of hot chocolate. Steam rose from it, and I inhaled the sweet scent. “I can’t wait to get started.”