Page 28 of Summer Nights (The Kingston Brothers #3)

Chapter Twenty-One

Ivy

Cooper set an omelet in front of me. "I'm working on the flower boxes at the senior center today, and I could really use your advice."

I glanced up at him. "You could use my advice on what to plant in flower boxes?"

Cooper nodded as he wiped his hands on the kitchen towel. "You have an eye for colors and design."

My forehead wrinkled as I picked up my fork. "Wouldn't a landscaper be a better person to ask?"

"We've always worked on their flower boxes. It's a little out of our wheelhouse, but we never say no to helping Phyllis." Cooper turned away from me to pour coffee into two mugs. He'd taken to brewing decaf, and I'd almost convinced myself that it was the same as regular.

"And you think I'm the best one to ask for help?" I cut into my omelet. This time, he'd made it with mushrooms, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.

"You don't have any appointments scheduled for the day, and then we can spend more time together." The last few weeks, he'd been trying to spend as much time with me as possible. He'd said he wanted to get to know me better. That it would make him a better father.

I wasn't so sure about that as an effective plan to be a good dad, but it was sweet, and I was enjoying the attention. "So you want company?"

"Yes, I would like to plant flowers with my baby momma," he said with a sweet smile.

I pursed my lips. "You know I don't like that phrase."

He sighed. "How about roommate?"

"Much better." Anything but baby momma . That reminded me too much of my mother and the gossip surrounding me and my siblings about our absent fathers.

He picked up my hand, holding it between his. "Ivy, will you please join me this morning? I could use your help and wisdom planting flowers. Will you make a few old people happy? And me?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Yes."

He kissed the top of my hand before he let it go, and tingles erupted on my skin. I felt a little flustered as I pulled back.

He grabbed the toast and placed it on a plate between us.

The fact that he cooked for me was nice, but I was worried it would be tough to go back to living on my own, especially when I had a baby to take care of. But I'd vowed to stop worrying about the what-ifs and enjoy my current reality which came with tasty meals and earth-shattering orgasms.

The least I could do was help him with whatever he needed at the senior center.

"It's going to be fun." He arranged his omelet on top of one of the slices of toast,

I savored the flavor of the mushrooms as I bit into the fluffy eggs. "I don't have a green thumb."

"It'll be fine," he said between bites.

I never let anyone commandeer my life, but I had to admit it was nice when I was less scheduled and more open to the possibilities.

Last week, he'd taken me to an art festival that had handmade jewelry that I loved.

He'd bought a set of earrings that I'd spent a lot of time admiring.

I didn't need something like that, especially with a baby on the way, but Cooper had insisted that I should have something pretty.

He finished his omelet, rinsed off his plate, and placed it in the dishwasher. Then he leaned a hip on the counter, lifting his mug. "I'm going to make you love spontaneity."

"I prefer to plan ahead." I had a hard time switching gears, but I'd found myself less likely to schedule things for myself now that I was living with Cooper.

I'd arranged more appointments during the weekdays when he was working.

Nighttime and weekend appointments were inevitable, but I'd managed to keep them to a minimum.

It was good practice for when the baby arrived.

Childcare wouldn't be available at those times unless I found a nanny with a flexible schedule. Maybe a student who was taking classes.

I'd need to work on interviewing possible candidates. The baby would be here before I knew it. Cooper had been working on the nursery and Dalton's house in his spare time.

I stood. "I'm going to take a shower. Should I wear gardening clothes?"

"Wear a sundress so we can go to lunch afterward," Cooper said.

That seemed a little odd, but Cooper didn't want me to overdo things, so maybe this was his way of getting me to take it easy. "Okay."

I still showered in the guest bath and kept my clothes in the spare bedroom. I didn't want to get too used to being in Cooper's room. When the baby came, things could change. We'd fall into our respective roles as parents. He might not see me the same way.

I quickly showered, putting a longer dress on that skimmed my heels. Then I slid my feet into comfortable sandals. My feet ached if I wore heels or was on my feet too long, even though my bump was still modest.

I figured I had a few more weeks before my belly got bigger and I was more uncomfortable.

So far, Cooper hadn't been repelled by my changing body.

He seemed to revel in the subtle changes, and he never missed an opportunity to touch my stomach, wanting to know when he'd be able to feel the baby kick.

It was sweet, and it made me think he'd be a great dad. But I didn't have much experience with one of those.

Downstairs, Cooper was already showered and dressed in a polo shirt and cargo shorts. They weren't work clothes, but maybe he intended to do light work before we enjoyed lunch.

We took his work truck to the senior center. "I need to talk to Phyllis before we get to work."

"Okay," I said as he took my hand, holding it all the way to the front door, which opened automatically.

When I'd asked why he wanted to hold my hand, he said it was in case I lost my balance, which he'd read was common with pregnant women. I was a little suspicious that it was a couple move. But I enjoyed it too much to put a stop to it.

We walked into the cool lobby which was fairly empty for the time of day.

"I think she's in the common room," Cooper said as we continued walking to the room toward the right of the building. This one had large windows that showcased the side garden. He paused in the doorway, and a bunch of people yelled, "Suprise!"

I looked at Cooper in confusion. "It's not my birthday."

He grinned. "It's your baby shower."

I followed his gaze to the sign that said Baby Shower. There were balloons and streamers everywhere, including the lanterns we'd assembled for Brady and Hazel's recent engagement party.

"This wasn't necessary—" I began, as a few older women approached: Mabel, Blaire, Edith, and Sofia.

Mabel clapped her hands together. "We love any chance to have a party. When we heard that you needed a shower, we were happy to host."

I didn't ask for a shower, but all I could do was look at Cooper for assistance. He was no help because he'd covered his mouth with his hand, and I was fairly sure he was hiding a laugh.

"This is lovely, thank you."

Edith touched my stomach. "Everyone knows that carrying high is a boy."

Blaire waved a hand. "You carry your first baby high. Then your muscles get weaker and more stretched out, so your second one is lower. It has nothing to do with the sex."

The women bickered about the sex of our child, and I poked Cooper. "Did you know about this?"

"Of course I did. I was tasked with getting you here." He pulled me close, and I looked up at him. "I didn't ask for a shower."

He lowered his head. "But everyone wanted to celebrate us and this sweet baby you're carrying."

Tears sparked in my eyes because this baby wasn't even born yet and so many people supported us.

It also touched me how Cooper spoke about our child.

He always had a positive thing to say, and he'd speak to the baby, saying how he couldn't wait to meet him.

How could my dad have thought the opposite?

I tried to remind myself that his leaving had nothing to do with me, but it was hard.

"Hey, stop hogging our girl," Elena said, grabbing my hand and tugging me away from Cooper.

I wasn't a fan of being the center of attention, although I couldn't ever remember a party that was thrown in my honor. This had to be a first.

"Were you part of this?" I asked her.

Elena grinned. "Well, the ladies"—she pointed in the direction of Mabel, Blaire, Edith, and Sofia—"took the lead, but we helped."

I held myself stiff, looking around the room at the sheer number of people who were there. "I want to be mad at you."

Elena pulled me in for a hug. "Get over it."

Then Daria hugged me. "You deserve this."

"Yeah, you're always doing so much for us," Hazel added, and I knew she was talking about how I helped her plan a party to get Brady back. Surely, I could get through the shower without too much trouble.

They directed me to a large chair by a table piled high with gifts. A smaller table off to the side had a pink and blue frosted cake.

"We're here to celebrate you and this precious baby. Everyone wanted to get you something," Mabel said to me.

"We're going to open presents now?" I just remembered I'd never been to a shower before.

As she handed me a box, Elena said, "You open, and I'll write down who it's from so you can write a thank-you."

My palms were clammy as I opened the first one. I held up a yellow onesie that took my breath away. How was I going to be responsible for something this small?

Joy sat close by. "I wasn't sure of the gender so wanted to get you something that could work for either."

I sniffed. "Thank you."

Hazel appeared with another chair, and Cooper sat next to me. I smiled gratefully at him. I wasn't sure that men attended baby showers, but I could use his support. It took some of the focus off me.

We quickly went through the presents, which included the things I'd listed on my spreadsheet and tons of clothes and diapers. It was overwhelming but also nice. I was worried about the cost of everything a baby would need. This would go a long way to setting us up for success.

When we'd opened the last present and Mabel had directed staff to cut the cake, I leaned over and asked, "How did they get me all the things on my list?"

Guilt crossed over his face. "Remember? I created a registry from the list you made, and then I shared it with everyone.”

"It feels weird that so many people want to buy us things."

"That's what you do when someone is getting married or having a baby. Your friends and family want to help you."

I blew out a shaky breath.

"You deserve this." He stood and held out his hand to me. We accepted a slice of cake and sat at one of the larger tables with my friends.

"Were you surprised?" Elena asked me.

"I had no idea. Joy had mentioned throwing a shower, but I assumed I would know about it and be involved in the planning."

Elena smiled. "We figured you'd tell us you didn't need one."

"You know me well," I said dryly.

"Everyone kept asking when you were having one. They wanted to come out and celebrate you and Cooper. You have a lot of friends on the island."

I knew a lot of people: shop owners, homeowners, contractors, and developers. But I didn't see them as friends. I thought of them more as acquaintances. Maybe I needed to rethink that.

"I'm impressed Cooper was able to keep it a secret," Hazel said.

"I thought it was weird he needed me to plant flowers, but I was supposed to wear a dress. But he's overprotective, so I figured he didn't want me on my hands and knees in the dirt."

"Aw. That's sweet," Daria said.

"See, it's sweet. Not overbearing," Cooper leaned close to say.

"It can be a little overbearing. A little bit." I held up my hand to show him some space between my fingers.

"I would love if a man was all overprotective. Any man at this point," Daria said as the girls rallied to offer suggestions, various dating apps, and blind-date options.

I tuned them out because I had my hands full with Cooper and this baby. "Thank you for keeping it a secret. It was a nice surprise."

"Yeah? You're not mad?" Cooper asked.

There was a crumb on his lip that I removed with my thumb. Cooper's gaze heated. "Not at all. It helped that you stuck around."

"I thought you'd like that."

I was outside my comfort zone in these situations. "I've never had a surprise party before, or any party for that matter."

"Not graduation, birthday? Nothing?" Cooper asked, his eyes widening.

I nodded, not meaning to make him feel bad for me.

He grinned. "We'll have to make sure we celebrate everything from here on out."

I gave him a look, and he chuckled. "Don't worry. You'll get used to the attention."

"I don't think I will."

"You're part of the Kingston family now, and you have a ton of friends. Just look around. They're here for you, not me."

There was a lot of people in the room. It was difficult to accept that my perception might be flawed. That I might have continued to think that people were around me because we were business partners or acquaintances, not because they truly liked or cared about me.

Cooper took my hands in his, resting them on his thigh. "I'd spend a lifetime proving that you're deserving of this and so much more."

My breath caught in my throat, and then Elena interrupted us.

"People are starting to leave. You want to stand by the door as they're leaving so you can thank them for coming."

"Of course," I said, moving to join her. As I thanked each person, I felt overwhelmed but not in a bad way. I let the love sink in. Maybe I'd had a bigger impact on this community than I thought. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't the poor girl from the trailer park anymore.