In Dreams (14 page)

“Why do we have to talk about Cooper? I don’t want to talk about him. I just want to be with you.” She scooted closer to him and dropped her head into his shoulder. He wrapped his muscular arm around her waist and held her tight. His lips brushed against the top of her head as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“A stronger man would walk away from you and let you live your life.”

Her breathing quickened as fear ripped through her. “Clearly I’m not that strong.” He brushed his hand down her cheek, as calm quickly replaced the fear. “We can’t ignore the fact that Cooper’s a big part of your life.”

“He doesn’t have to be,” Katherine hastily retorted. She was so terrified at the thought of losing Austen she’d do whatever it took to keep them together.

“I know that. But he’s there for a reason, Katherine.”

“So,” Katherine whined.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you about our other lifetimes? I know it’s affected you deeply and I never meant to confuse you. I just couldn’t keep it from you. But maybe that was selfish of me?”

“Don’t say that. I needed to know why you affected me the way you did. Nothing made any sense before you told me about our history. Everything clicked once you did.”

Austen stared at her and she returned his gaze. She longed to stay in that place with him forever. The blue of his eyes pierced right through her.

“You know how much I love you, right?” he asked.

That was one question she never needed to ask. Even if the words had never left his lips, she still would have known. That’s how deeply they were connected.

****

Those were the last words Katherine heard before her eyes fluttered open.

“You’re coming to class, right?” Taylor studied her from across the room.

“I’m getting up now.” Katherine tossed off the covers and crept out from the warmth of her bed. She walked slowly into the bathroom.

“If you don’t hurry, we’re gonna be late,” Taylor shouted through the closed door.

Katherine finally emerged and grabbed her bag as Taylor rushed out the door.

“The guys have a game tonight. You’re coming, right?” Taylor asked while she speed walked.

“I guess so.”

“Katherine,” Taylor groaned out her name with a huff.

To avoid conflict, Katherine quickly recanted, “I’ll go. Of course I’ll go.”

“Good,” Taylor smiled.

From the moment Kat’s eyes opened her thoughts consumed her. Her mind constantly compared the two guys competing for her heart. She loved being around Cooper and appreciated the way he made her feel. Her pulse raced whenever he looked or smiled in her direction. When he reached for her hand, or kissed her softly, her knees buckled and she prayed she wouldn’t fall. Butterflies flapped recklessly in her stomach whenever Cooper was near. He made her feel alive, special, and wanted.

But with Austen it was all very, very different. He filled her entire being with a sense of serenity, calm, and her soul soared in his presence. There was a trust between them that existed beyond words. No love could be more genuine or pure.

“Snap out of it, girlfriend. Cooper’s straight ahead.”

Katherine unscrewed her twisted thoughts and looked ahead. God, he was gorgeous. Even in jeans and a sweatshirt, he took her breath away. She figured he could probably wear a paper bag and still look good.

“Morning, ladies,” he said before he looked in Katherine’s direction and asked, “How do you feel this morning?” He tossed an arm across her shoulder and leaned in close.

She tilted her head toward him and said, “Much better, thanks for asking.”

Her defenses weakened when she looked in his eyes. Cooper Donovan seemed perfect. His personality— the way he treated her— not just his words, but his actions as well— they all added up to one unbelievable guy.

When they took their seats in the back of the classroom, Cooper focused on Katherine’s eyes without saying a word. She could barely catch her breath when he did that and the smirk on his face told her that he knew the effect he had on her. He laughed softly and she jabbed at his arm.

“Ouch,” Cooper winced playfully.

“As if. Don’t do that to me,” Katherine whispered.

“Don’t do what?” he feigned innocently.

She glared in response as he just laughed.

****

Katherine opened the door to her room and Taylor shouted, “That better be you, Katherine Johns!”

Katherine snickered, “Who else would it be?”

Taylor peered around the bathroom door and grimaced, “My boyfriend’s going to look up in the stands and when he doesn’t see me, he’ll probably cry. Right there on the ice. You ruin everything,” Taylor joked.

Katherine shook her head as she hurried to change tops. She hesitated for only a moment before Taylor pushed her out of the door.

“Come on! We can’t be late. Danny will kill me,” Taylor whined.

“Do you want to run, or what?”

“I should make you carry me.”

“Oh yeah, we’ll definitely get there faster if I carry you,” Katherine chortled.

When they walked into the rink Katherine noticed the lack of available space. It was packed full. “Sorry Taylor, I didn’t realize how crowded…”

Taylor cut her off, “Come on. Kristie saved us seats. Thank God.” Taylor pulled Katherine down toward the row filled the player’s girlfriends.

“Thank you so much. Sorry we’re late. Did we miss anything?” Taylor asked while she scanned the players on the ice.

“It just started. You didn’t miss anything,” Kristie responded.

Idle chit-chat filled the air as Taylor blamed Katherine for their lateness. “She hates Cooper, that’s why we were late.”

Katherine suddenly found all eyes focused on her. “She’s kidding! I mean, yes I made us late, but I don’t hate Cooper,” she thwacked Taylor in the arm, “Brat!”

Taylor stuck out her tongue and mimicked her voice, “Brat.”

Katherine still didn’t understand everything about hockey but admittedly, she loved watching Cooper on the ice. She respected and admired how passionately he played the game. Her insides warmed with pride as she watched him lead the team to yet another victory. When the game ended, he glanced up in the stands and smiled at her. She couldn’t help but smile back as her cheeks flushed.

“He is so into you,” one of the girls beamed.

Katherine didn’t know what to say in response so she just smiled. The girls waited by the locker room door for the guys to exit. Cooper and Danny burst through the door and Danny grabbed Taylor and kissed her. He teased, “You were late!”

She pointed at Katherine, “It was her fault.”

Danny sauntered over to Katherine and squeezed her, “You both owe us.”

Cooper grabbed Katherine’s hand and ushered her outside. “I agree with Danny. How are you girls going to make it up to us?”

Taylor and Katherine looked at each other, “With kisses?” Taylor suggested.

Danny laughed and said, “I’ll take that offer.” He leaned down to kiss Taylor.

“Yeah, works for me.” Cooper dropped his hockey bag and lifted Katherine up. She wrapped her legs around him and threw her arms around his neck. Thoughts of Austen rushed in and she instinctively pulled back. “What’s wrong?” Cooper placed her feet back on the ground.

“Nothing. Sorry,” she lied.

She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him toward her. He hesitated at first before slowly giving into her. Their mouths met and everything else faded into the background.

Taylor cleared her throat and interrupted, “Gonna kiss all night or do you guys want to go to Dom’s? You’re hungry, right?”

“I could eat a horse,” Danny said.

“Don’t say that! I love horses and you know it!” She punched him in the arm. He mimicked her words and she chased him around the parking lot.

“You hungry?” Cooper asked Katherine while he secretly crossed his fingers.

Katherine looked into his eyes and answered, “I could eat.”

He exhaled in relief, “Good.”

Cooper and Danny tossed their hockey bags in the back of the Jeep and hurried toward the restaurant. “Are you cold? Here, take my jacket.” Cooper removed his jacket and placed it around Katherine’s shoulders. He nuzzled her body into his and she sighed at how comfortable it was to be with him.

Dom‘s face lit up as he greeted the girls with a kiss and patted the guys firmly on their shoulders.

“Who won?” Dom asked.

“We did,” Cooper responded.

Dom nodded his head and his face scrunched up as he smiled, “Good-ah!”

Cooper still had his arm around Katherine as she scooted into the booth. He leaned into her ear and whispered, “Are we okay?”

Concern filled his voice and her stomach dropped. She felt terrible that she was doing this to him. Cooper treated her wonderfully and she wanted to push him away. The worst part was, he sensed it and she knew it. She noticed the eye with the speck in it and smiled, “I’m sorry if I’m being distant. It’s not you.”

His eyes narrowed, “Then what is it?”

She shrugged her shoulders and then responded, “I’ve just been kind of out of it since we got back from Taylor’s. Don’t worry, I’m just...” she paused to find the words, “I don’t know…distracted, I guess.”

“But we’re okay? You still think I’m the best thing to ever happen to you and I still have my girlfriend from California who makes me crazy, right?” he smiled, his tone serious.

It surprised her that he could sense things she tried to hide. She wondered how strong their connection truly was and pondered what it was about Cooper that made her feel so secure. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she knew she couldn’t tell him the truth either. It wasn’t the right time or place for her to get into the details about Austen.

“Definitely. We’re good. You’re still amazing and I’m still crazy.”

“Perfect.” He kissed her cheek and rested his hand on her leg.

****

The days that followed were more of the same. Cooper tried to behave as if everything was normal but Katherine pushed him further away. He stopped asking her if she was
ok
. He didn’t want to annoy her, but he sensed that something was off between them.

Stupidly, he thought it was something he had done. Or something he hadn’t done. He wondered if maybe she wasn’t into him any more. He couldn’t figure out what had changed.
Maybe we got too serious too fast
, he asked himself.
Maybe I scared her?

He wanted to figure out what was wrong between them so he could fix it. More than almost anything else, he wanted this girl by his side. She completed him. He knew how cheesy that sounded, but it was the truth. Something about Katherine Johns affected him in ways no girl ever had.

Cooper decided to wait it out. If there was something that distracted Katherine, that distraction would eventually have to go away. He’d simply wait until it did.

Chapter Eleven

Kylie picked up Blake and they headed toward the college. She contemplated telling him that Katherine dreamed and talked with Austen. She felt betrayed that Taylor had sided with Katherine and needed to feel as though
someone
was on her side. But she couldn’t bring herself to involve Blake. He had been devastated beyond repair when Austen died and she refused to put him through any more pain. Instead, she talked to him about school and girls and his friends.

Whenever Kylie’s thoughts drifted to Katherine and Austen, her heart pounded out of control. She decided that if anyone was dreaming about Austen, it should be her… or at least a member of Austen’s family. Not some stranger no one even knew before this past summer. Pain and bitterness consumed her.

“Think we’ll go to any parties?” Blake asked.

“Probably,” Kylie responded with a smile as her mind raced. She wondered if
Little Miss Perfect
had told her equally perfect boyfriend what was going on. A party would be the perfect place to confront Cooper and find out.

“Cool. Have you met Katherine’s boyfriend?”

“I was there when they first met. He’s really great; you’ll love him.”

Her thoughts drifted back to the party where she first saw Cooper. She remembered thinking how ridiculously good looking he was and how she was just about to go talk to him when she noticed him staring at Katherine. Envy and jealousy coursed through every inch of her body. The way Cooper stared at Katherine was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was like no one else was in the room. Kylie shook her head to rid the images from her mind.

“What about Tay’s boyfriend? Have you met him?”

Kylie was thankful that Blake seemed oblivious to the emotional war that raged in her mind.

“Uh-huh. Same party.”

“I’m excited to meet them both.”

“I think you’ll like them a lot.” She glanced toward him, “And they’ll love you.”

“Cool.” He turned to look out the passenger window.

“Thanks for bringing me, Kylie. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s nice to get away, huh?” She reached over and touched his shoulder.

“I didn’t really realize that I never leave my house. It’s funny because I sort of hate being there, but I never go anywhere else.”

Kylie’s face crinkled, “What do you mean you hate being there?”

“It’s just not the same. You know, since Austen. It’s hard living there,” Blake’s voice softened.

“Well you always have me. I’ll come steal you away anytime you want.” She knew how close he and Austen had been and she wanted to be there for him too. Especially now since Taylor had moved away.

“Are we almost there?”

“It’s just up around the bend over there,” Kylie pointed through the windshield.

****

Taylor was excited to see Blake but nervous to see Kylie. The two girls had barely talked since the big blowout at Thanksgiving. She appreciated that Kylie brought Blake to visit but also wondered what she might have up her sleeve. Taylor knew that with Kylie, nothing was ever simple.

“Do you think she’s over the whole Austen thing?” Katherine asked with trepidation.

“I don’t think she’ll ever get over it, Kat. She didn’t say anything to me about it, but we should avoid that entire subject if possible,” Taylor warned.

She didn’t appreciate having to run interference between her friends for an entire weekend. That kind of stuff irritated Taylor and she lacked the patience for it. She just wanted to have a nice calm weekend with her brother, but Kylie coming pretty much nixed that idea.