Even though I could tell Cooper was serious, I laughed. "Makes sense."
"What's yours?" he asked, grinning.
"Delta, after my grandma."
"The one who helped you get to New Hampton?" Once I nodded, Cooper leaned back and studied me. "When we have a girl, we should give her that middle name in honor of the woman who brought us together."
Gazes meeting, we shared this weird moment where we imagined a future beyond the next month. I realized Cooper needed reassurance that I saw him in my future.
"I like the name Lily. Does that go with Delta?"
Cooper gave me a cocky grin that said he had me hooked. "Lily Delta Johansson sounds perfect. Even if it didn't, who the hell would complain? Our girl could be named something stupid like Apple and people would tell her it was awesome."
"But you'd prefer a boy, right? I mean to carry on the family business."
"Sure, but who says my sons would be smart enough? Tucker's a fucking idiot, but Sawyer's smart. Maybe Lily will be my heir? Maybe she'll make men cry when she enters the room and not just because she's hot like her mom."
"A real shitkicker, huh?"
"Hell yeah."
Grinning, I took his hand. "I like the name Colton for a boy."
"That's a man's name for sure."
We smiled, and something clicked. We weren't Farah and Cooper dating. We were something else now. Feeling the change, I was suddenly more connected to this day instead of my ugly past. Cooper's anxiety also faded.
The rest of lunch was casual with Cooper telling me stories about his summers and all of the times he smacked Tucker upside the head. By the time we drove to the movie theater, I was beginning to wonder if Tucker's stupidity was genetic or simply from Cooper's roughhousing over the years?
The moment we entered the theater and I smelled popcorn, I was in a state of euphoria. For so many years, Tawny and I talked about movies we wanted to see. First as kids and then as teens, we would dream of saving up enough to go. Yet our money always went into our parents' pockets until I talked my dad into letting me keep my tips. Then everything went into my nest egg. Plenty of times, I thought to take out a little money to splurge on my sister. Instead, I panicked at how I might waste too much and lose my chance at college. Now I wished I had used the money to give Tawny more joy in her otherwise crap life.
Cooper kept smiling at me, and I finally realized I was grinning like a mad woman. I remembered how big and amazing everything felt when my grandma took Tawny and me. We had even gotten snacks and Tawny drowned our popcorn in butter. Giddy about how great this day was and at remembering the one with Tawny, I drowned a huge bucket of popcorn in the runny butter. When someone complained I was taking too long, Cooper gave the guy a look that shut him up. Soon, I finished and walked with Cooper to the theater showing an action film.
Based on the time we arrived, our choices were a depressing drama or an action film with no plot and lots of explosions. It was a no-brainer. Waiting for the film to begin, I kept laughing. Seeing me smiling so much, Cooper laughed too.
"My girl is so fucking hot when she's happy."
"Then I must be super fucking hot right now."
"Hell yeah," he said, kissing me so the buttery flavor in my mouth mixed with his Milk Duds.
"Yum," I mumbled when he let go.
"You're like a little kid."
"You can't know how much this means to me."
"I'm getting a pretty good idea from the look on your face."
Leaning my head against his shoulder, I smiled at Cooper who watched me like I was amazing and could do no wrong. I felt the same way about him.
The movie was stupid, yet really great. I was startled by how loud and bright everything seemed compared to when I was a kid. By the end, I would have been sad to leave except I could enjoy this kind of thing now. I was no longer under the thumb of my parents who always had other uses for our money. Even if I didn't have the money, Cooper clearly planned to make the movie thing a habit. He was even talking about what to see the next weekend as we walked out of the theater.
After a quick stop at Whiskey Kirk's to pick up my notes from Tucker, we drove to my apartment. Amy was inside with Tex, and they were clearly fooling around when we entered. Like two kids caught by their parents, they played it cool but kept giggling.
Amy had made it obvious over the last few weeks how she wasn't interested in knowing me. She certainly didn't want me asking questions about her life. Questions like why was there always beer in the refrigerator if she's in AA? Or where did she stay until late at night, only to stagger in for a few hours of sleep before stumbling to work the next day? Those were questions for her life, and I wasn't part of it. I was simply the reason she had a nicer apartment. Oh, and I might be the reason she was drinking again because as she told Tex one night while I was trying to sleep, "Kids make life harder."
While Cooper waited in the living room, I packed up more clothes and necessities. I thought I heard his voice, but when I returned, everyone was silent. Yet I knew he'd said something.
"Your boyfriend is a real prize," Amy muttered, disappearing into her bedroom with Tex following close behind.
Tex didn't even glance at me, and I suspected he would never get caught looking at me. Not unless he wanted Cooper's fist colliding with his face. With the drama kept to a minimum, I took Cooper's hand and left the apartment.
When we arrived at the steakhouse, neither of us was really hungry after pigging out at the theater. Instead, we sat quietly in a nice booth by a window for decent lighting. For nearly an hour, we both focused on our required reading while people ate and talked around us. I loved how oblivious we were to everyone else. Yet when a few rough looking men arrived, Cooper switched positions with me without speaking. Soon, I was snuggly in the corner of the booth with him blocking me. Smiling, I kissed him softly and then returned to my reading.
After an amazing steak dinner where we ate so much that I was afraid to see the bill, Cooper watched me with a grin.
"It's been a great day, right?"
"The best. I'm getting used to amazing days with you."
"The fair is here. The whole family is going, and we're meeting Skye."
"I've never been to a fair."
"Fuck," he said, shaking his head. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you've checked off a list of fun shit to do."
"I really do love you, Coop. It's not fake or because you chase me or any of that. It's real, and I never want to let you go."
Cooper smiled wider. "That was hard to admit, wasn't it, baby?"
"Yep. What if you suddenly changed your mind and ditched me?"
"Still here and I always will be."
Cuddling against him, I wanted to go back to his apartment. The one bedroom tiny space felt like home now. A place where Cooper and I belonged and no one could interfere, not even bad memories.
"I really want you," I said, caressing his leg and making him sigh. "I feel a little logy from the huge dinner though, so I might lay there and let you do all the work."
"After watching you touch yourself, I think I can merely close my eyes, think of that, and instantly come. I doubt you'll need to do much."
"If you do feel like you need more help, I could touch myself again."
"Shit," he groaned, grabbing the bill. "We're leaving."
Grinning, I packed my school supplies while he hurried the waitress to charge his card. Once the bill was paid, I followed him out the door.
Teasing Cooper the whole way home, I nearly climbed into his lap at one point. He loved it but regretted not wearing sweatpants. Even though he was so horny that he nearly ripped off his clothes Hulk-style as soon as we were in his apartment, Cooper was careful. After our redneck fuck where he released hours of pent-up need, he slowed down and teased me until I was again seconds from an orgasm.
While I never pushed past the wall, I also didn't have bad dreams. We fooled around for a solid hour with another half hour of cuddling. Finally, there was one last round after I made the mistake of grazing Cooper's cock with my hand. Then we were asleep, and I dreamed of building a house in the river. I dreamed of pigging out at a trough. I dreamed of all kinds of silly things, but my mind never returned to Travis and the week with his friends.
Chapter Nineteen
The Westfield County Fair was a big deal in Ellsberg. Students and faculty talked about it all week and everyone I knew planned to enjoy the rides, food, music, and atmosphere. Even though I had agreed to pick up shifts over the weekend, Cooper had a conversation with Arnie, who miraculously remembered how someone with more seniority asked for the shifts. Now I was able to attend the fair.
Irritation felt like the right response to someone controlling my choices, but I really wanted to go to the fair. Plus, Cooper gave me a great Friday, and I knew he would be bummed if I refused to go to the fair with him. He was like a kid wanting to show me everything he loved. His favorite corndog. His favorite chili. His favorite rides. The band he heard when he was a kid, now consisting of senior citizens. He told me how he sat on his dad's shoulders, eating cotton candy while they played. Cooper shared it all with me, and I loved every moment.