Sometimes, Forever (Sometimes Moments #2) (16 page)

T
hree weeks.

That was how many weeks it had been since Cooper had yelled at his girlfriend, Peyton. Three weeks since he had made the biggest mistake of his life. He had never raised his voice to a woman before, let alone the love of his life. But her silence killed him. She tore his heart out and shredded it as if he meant nothing to her.

They had made love and she had regretted it.

She had kept her distance instead of letting him help her work through her grief.

Cooper didn’t blame her, though. He had said the words he would never forgive himself for saying. Words he wished he could take back.

He was jealous of Callum.

Jealous of a dead man.

The same man that Peyton had loved.

Cooper had been scared to lose her, but he had said all the right words to ensure he would. He had wanted her love. He had wanted Peyton to love him. Wanted her heart, but the truth was, there was no room left after Callum.

He knew that.

And Cooper had to stop denying it.

The piece of paper he held had taken him all night to write. He owed it to his boss to do the right thing. Graham Scott had become his friend, and Cooper had to properly say goodbye to him. His hand shook as he formed a fist and knocked on the office door.

“Come in,” Graham called out.

Cooper entered the office to find his boss reading over the new sprinkler system plan for the farm.

“Hey, Graham, I just thought I’d hand in my resignation now before you finished work,” he said.

His boss’ attention snapped from the plans to Cooper. “What?”

“You’ve got things here sorted. You don’t need an operations manager with Trent doing a lot of the manual work since you got back. There’s no need for me to stay in Daylesford. I’m gonna head back to Warren Meadows tonight. I’m sorry I can’t stay for the rest of the contract. It would be a waste of your finances if I did.”

Graham shook his head. “You can’t just leave.”

“There’s no work here for me anymore—”

“Screw the work!” Graham roared as he got out of his chair. “I’m talking about Peyton. You can’t just leave. Have you even talked to your girlfriend about this?”

Cooper leant forward and set the resignation letter on the desk. “I’m pretty sure for the last month she hasn’t been my girlfriend. If not, then I definitely screwed that up for myself three weeks ago. So, no, I didn’t talk to my girlfriend about leaving. There’s no point. She’s done with me.”

“Coop …” His boss sighed. “You gotta be patient with her.”

“It’s been three weeks. If I were her, I wouldn’t forgive me for what I said either. I had better go. I have some packing to do before I leave tonight. It’s been good working for you, Graham.”

“You sure about this?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s time I left Daylesford.”

Graham pressed his lips together. The disappointment flared in his blue eyes. “All right,” he said as he rounded the desk and held his hand out to Cooper. “I think you’re making a mistake, but all right. If you ever change your mind, just come back, okay?”

Cooper shook his now ex-boss’ hand and gave him a reassuring smile. “Thanks, Graham.”

It was almost 7 p.m. when he took a swig of Sprite and set the can on the kitchen table as he began to pack away some of his plates.

“Are you sure you want to leave tonight?” his little sister asked.

Cooper glanced down at his phone to see Margot’s concerned expression. They had been FaceTiming for almost ten minutes. He had needed someone there to keep him occupied. Choosing Margot was a mistake since all she wanted to talk about was Peyton.

“I’m sure. I already handed in my resignation letter. I’ve vacuumed the entire house. Scrubbed the benches and cleaned the bathroom. This place is ready for the next renters. I just gotta pack my stuff and I can head back.”

Margot groaned. “It’s a long drive, Coop. You’ll get lonely. Phil and I can come down to Daylesford in the morning and drive back to Warren Meadows with you. Your house is still being leased. So you can stay at our place instead of Mum and Dad’s. We just need time to get the guest room ready.”

He knew what she was playing at. She was stalling him in hopes he’d change his mind. But he was ready to leave the small town and Peyton behind.

“You have like three hours, Margot. That’s plenty of time. I’ll probably stop by somewhere and have dinner.”

“Please, Coop?” his sister begged. “Please leave Daylesford in the morning. One night won’t kill you.”

He was tired. And he didn’t really want to make the three-hour trip on his own with only the radio to keep him company. Once again, his sister was right.

“All right, I’ll leave in the morning. You and Phil better be here first thing.”

She smiled at the camera. “That’s what I thought. So stop rushing with your escape plans. Rest up because we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Marg—” A knock on his front door had him stopping. Several knocks were then made, but he kept his eyes on the screen filled with his sister’s face.

“Someone’s at your door,” Margot pointed out.

“I’m aware.”

“You should answer it. Isn’t that small town etiquette, to answer the doors and be polite? Don’t be rude, Coop.”

“Pretty sure that’s a stereotype. I’ll see what they want and we’ll talk about Megs’ birthday—”

“Uh, no,” Margot cut him off. “I’m going to go to the pub with my boyfriend because I cannot handle you
and
Meredith’s problems right now.”

He flinched in surprise. “Meredith’s back?”

She shook her head. “No, but I think she misses home. I’m trying to convince her to come home. So if she does decide to come back, things here in Warren Meadows will get interesting. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Does Sam know …” he began to say, knowing that if those two ever saw each other again, Warren Meadows was in for a shakeup. She shook her head once again. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. Now, go answer the door. Mother never taught you to be rude.”

He laughed. “No, you and Megs did.” Then he hung up her FaceTime call and got out of the chair. The knocks continued, and he sighed in annoyance. God forbid if it were Mrs Peterson and her rabbit problems. If White Rabbit got out at this hour, there was no hope of finding him. Cooper reached the door, flicked on the porch lights, exhaled heavily, and twisted the doorknob open.

He winced.

“Peyton,” he breathed. Just her name alone mended one of the thousand cracks his heart had.

“I’m sorry,” she said through her tears.

What?

Cooper stood there, taking in the trail of moisture each tear had left on her cheeks. His heart ached at the sight before him. The heartbreak in her eyes could bring him to his knees.

She sniffed and swallowed a deep breath. “I’ve been so selfish,” she mumbled. “I should have told you … Graham told me you were leaving …”

“Peyton, I’m busy—”

The shake of her head had him shutting his mouth.

“Please don’t go, Cooper. Please.”

“I can’t—”

She took a step forward. Her body close to his. “Please, listen to me. Please. That’s all I ask. Please listen.”

He sighed, hoping that exhale could extinguish the heat in his chest. “All right,” he agreed.

Peyton swept her light brown hair behind her ear. He saw the flash of fear in her eyes, and he was sure that good news wasn’t about to leave her pretty lips. The same lips he had missed in the last month. She sucked in air through her nose as she brushed her tears away.

Then she looked him in the eye and said, “
I love you.
”

Shock.

Disbelief.

Both filled his entire body, rendering him speechless. Cooper had no explanation as to how he felt. Sensations overwhelmed. Sensations that started in his chest. And sensations he had never felt before.

Peyton Spencer loved him.

His reply had been slow blinks as he processed her three words.

The fear had doubled in her eyes as tears accompanied them. She was scared that he’d reject her.

Impossible.

He already knew what to say. He had been dying to say it for months.

Without reserve, he said, “I love you, too, Peyton.”

Her sharp inhale was all he needed to know that his confession had caught her off guard. Surely, she had to have known that he loved her. But now, she knew for certain. She began to cry once more as she reached up, cupped his face, and smashed their lips together.

The explosion in his chest from her mouth on his was one he had missed.

The Peyton who loved him was his.

Just as much as he was hers.

He loved her.

Fell in love with her the moment she had laughed on the day they had met.

Her lips had fluttered over his once more before she pulled back and whispered, “Please don’t leave. Please stay, Cooper. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Cooper reached up and held her wrists. “I said things …” He panted. “I said things I wish I could take back.”

“Can we talk? I’d like to tell you everything if you’d let me.”

“
Everything?
” he breathed.

Peyton’s lips curved into a small smile. “Everything. Do you have time? It’s a long story.”

He nodded as he pulled her hands away from his face and tugged her into his house. Once Peyton was inside, he closed the door and then faced her. The relief that consumed her face had his heart beating fast in his chest. She loved him. She loved him enough to be honest with him.

“Coop,” she said softly, her eyes never leaving his. “If you leave Daylesford …”

Just the thought of leaving her had his stomach churning. He couldn’t leave.

Not now.

Not when she had said that she loved him.

“If you leave, I’ll follow,” she revealed.

“But the hotel—”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I never left and chased after Callum. And sometimes, I regret that. I’m not gonna make the same mistake twice. If you leave Daylesford tonight, I’ll leave with you.” Tears filled her eyes. “After we made love … I woke up and saw his name on my wrist. And it reminded me of the last time I was in his arms in my bed. I love Callum. I’ll always love him. I have my hotel because of him. But being with you exposed parts of me, vulnerable parts, that I didn’t think I could experience.”

Cooper closed their distance and cradled her face. “I should have taken things a lot slower.”

“No, I should have just told you why. Mads said I had a mental and emotional snap. What she doesn’t know is that being with you made me realise how much more I love you than I do Callum. I got the chance to love you more. And it made me feel so guilty. All those promises I made felt like lies. I felt like I was cheating on him, which I shouldn’t feel because he’s gone. But I did. I was processing it all wrong,” she said; tears skimmed her face and landed on his thumbs.

“No, Peyton, you weren’t. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I should have just been patient and waited,” he said.

The makings of a smile tugged at her lips. “I didn’t know how to tell you I loved you after you left. I knew I had screwed things up between us if I made you feel that way. I was ashamed that I couldn’t get past the guilt and be the girlfriend you deserved.”

“I’m the one who should be ashamed. I love you, Peyton, and I promise never to treat you like that ever again. I will never yell at you. I will never doubt your love or affection ever again,” he promised.

“So you’ll stay?” she asked in a small voice.

He nodded. “Of course.”

Peyton’s lips pressed to his. “You have no idea how happy and relieved I am to hear you say that. When Graham told me you were leaving, I felt like my heart was being ripped out slowly. I couldn’t imagine my life without you. I can’t imagine not having tea with you. I can’t imagine not being carried by you when my feet hurt. I can’t imagine the rest of my life with anyone but you, Cooper. I know Callum is the elephant in the room. Tonight, I’ll tell you everything. From when we were seventeen to when he left and then came back. When the hotel burned down … and when he died in my arms. I’ll tell you everything.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll go make you some tea. Sit down and we’ll talk.”

She nodded as Cooper kissed her forehead. Then he dropped his hands from her face and made his way to the kitchen. Just as he made it to the door, he heard her say, “Coop.”

He stopped instantly and spun around. Peyton wore a smile. One that wasn’t too large or small. It was perfect. A smile that was natural and had a sense of freedom in it.

“I love you,” she said. Then she took a deep breath. “For the rest of my life, I will.”

His heart clenched at her confession.

The vulnerability in her voice was stunning.

He felt her love. Saw it in her eyes and heard it in her voice.

It was real.

“I love you, Peyton. All my life, I will love you,” he promised. When she smiled, he made his way to the kitchen. Noticing his phone, he picked it up and began to text Margot.

Cooper:
I’m staying in Daylesford.

Margot:
I knew you would.