“Even if you weren’t here, I’d sleep with her tonight.”
“All right.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for being here, Cooper. I don’t know how I could have gotten through this without you.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
Later, as she lay beside Livie, she thought about the man sleeping in her bed. That he was in her life again was something of a miracle. If she hadn’t seen that article with his picture, she would have been alone through the horror of the past two days.
He’d dropped everything to come as soon as she’d called him. Instead of questioning that Livie was his as she thought many men would, Cooper had trusted her. Although she’d only known him for that one night, she had sensed his inherent goodness. That wasn’t even taking into consideration that the man was yummy. Gorgeous face. Hot body. Full lips that knew how to kiss. And his smile. That was the thing she’d loved best about him. When he smiled, his eyes did, too.
Now that he knew about Livie, he’d be in their life, maybe on a regular basis. She hadn’t dated much since finding out she was pregnant. The few times she had, she’d compared the men with Cooper, and they’d come up lacking. Now she was going to be seeing the man who’d rocked her world one night, a man she’d never forgotten, and how was she supposed to ignore these fluttery feelings she got whenever he was near, and especially when he touched her.
Did he have a wife or girlfriend? He must not if he was taking her home with him, but what if he did? And if he didn’t, how was a man like him unattached? She shifted slightly, careful not to disturb Livie. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, willing sleep to come.
It took a while, but she finally dozed off. It was still dark when screaming penetrated her sleep. Heart pounding, she shot up in bed. Livie was thrashing and crying. She gathered her daughter in her arms.
“Shh, baby. It’s okay. Mommy’s here. You’re safe.”
“What happened?”
Cooper’s voice coming out of the dark startled her, and she yelped.
“It’s me,” he quietly said. “Is she okay?”
“Nightmare.” Livie quieted as Kendall rocked her. “She didn’t wake up, so maybe she won’t remember it in the morning.”
He stepped out of the room, and the hall light came on, then he returned. There was enough light now to see him, and all right, then. He wore sleep pants that rode low on his waist and no shirt. His short hair was mussed…bed hair. Sexy. She had the urge to smooth it down. He eased down next to her, and she also resisted the urge to lean against him and soak up his warmth.
“Can I touch her?”
There was longing in his voice. Livie’s rejection had hurt him, but he’d understood the reason for it and hadn’t blamed Livie. She nodded, giving him permission. This would be his first time touching his daughter, and wonder lit his face as he gently trailed the tips of his fingers over Livie’s cheeks.
“She’s so soft.”
“I’m sorry you missed so much of her life.”
His eyes lifted from Livie’s face to hers. “Me, too, but no one’s to blame. We never considered that we’d create a babythat night. I’ve thought about you a lot over the years, always regretted not finding out your name.”
Her heart did that fluttery thing at hearing he’d thought about her. “Me, too. Thought about you, that is.” There was that smile that kicked up her heartbeat.
“I like hearing that. I better go before I decide kissing you is a good idea.” He left as silently as he’d arrived.
“Wish you’d kissed me,” she whispered.
She fell asleep reliving the time he had kissed her.
Thankfully, Livie wasn’t as clingy as she had been the day before. The aroma of coffee drifted into Livie’s room as Kendall got her daughter dressed. Anticipation at seeing Cooper this morning had her smiling. She carried Livie into her room so she could get dressed. If she took a little extra time with her hair and choosing an outfit, it didn’t mean anything.
It was probably better to prepare Livie for Cooper still being here. She sat on the edge of the bed and turned the TV off.
“I was watching that, Mommy.”
“Well, I need you to listen to me for a minute. You remember my friend Cooper?” Livie nodded. “He’s going to spend the day with us.”
She shook her head. “No bad mans.”
“Cooper’s a good man. He helped me find you. He wants to be your friend, too.”