hands at my sides to keep from pulling her away from him.
“Have a safe trip,” my mom says, leaning into me. She looks up at me and subtly motions her head toward Reese and her parents.
“Thanks for coming,” I say, my voice tight. “Merry Christmas.”
“You know we love watching you play,” Eve says, coming over to give me a hug. On autopilot, I wrap my arms around her. “Follow your heart, Cooper,” she whispers before pulling back.
“Cooper.” Garrett holds his hand out for me. “It’s an honor to watch you play, son.” He shakes my hand, and there is something in his eyes, but he moves away before I can describe it.
Then there she is. Reese is standing in front of me, Hunter beside her. “Great game, Coop.” Standing on her tiptoes, she hugs me. I close my eyes and memorize this moment. I don’t know how long it will be before I get to hug her again.
“Thank you,” I choke out.
“Good to see you again, Cooper.” Hunter sticks his hand out for me to shake. I stare at his offered hand for several heartbeats. It’s not until Reese clears her throat that I push my hand toward his and accept the shake.
“Yeah, you too,” I say, and the words feel like sandpaper in my mouth. With another round of waves and promises to see each other soon, the four of them disappear, leaving just me and my parents.
“Cooper.” My dad’s deep voice pulls me from staring at the closed door. I turn to face him. “When are you going to man up and face the facts?”
“What?” I shake my head. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re in love with her.”
“Who?”
“Reese,” Mom says, laying her head against Dad’s shoulder. “You’re in love with her. We can all see it.”
“She’s my best friend.”
“Your mother is mine.” He gives me a pointed look.
“You guys ready to head out?” I ask, ignoring him.
“I’m going to run to the restroom before we go.” Mom gives my arm a soft squeeze as she passes me.
“I’ve watched you with her for years,” Dad says. “We all have. Your mom and I as well as Garrett and Eve. The four of us always hoped the two of you would end up together.”
“What? We’re best friends. It’s never been like that between us.” Except that one night in my room. The one night I’ve replayed a million times since.
“You can be more than that, Cooper. You’re miserable, and, son, I hate to see you like this.”
“I just missed her, that’s all.”
“If you say so. Just think about this. How are you going to feel when he’s more than just her boyfriend? You can’t go pulling her out of the room and disappear with her. You need to listen to your heart. Decide what you want and go after it. I never want you to have any regrets.”
“It’s fine, Dad. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen her. I wanted a minute with her.”
“You keep telling yourself that, and your fists might explode.” He motions to my hands, and I look down to see them tightly gripped at my sides. I release them and stretch out my fingers.
“Ready,” Mom says cheerfully.
“Let’s go home. I’m beat.” I lead them out of the hotel and to my Jeep. The drive to my place is quiet while I think about everything he said. I’ve had people tell us for years they thought we were more. We spent just as much time defending our friendship as we did actually having one. However, it’s never been our families. I’ve never heard my parents talk about Reese and I like that. And Dad telling me they all wanted us to end up together. Have I been wrong all this time? I mean I overheard our mothers a few times. But this… this is different. My heart rate accelerates as I let my mind drift to a dream of living the rest of my life with Reese by my side. She’s all I’ve ever wanted. I always knew, but living without her, well that makes you realize that she’s more than just my best friend. She’s my heart.
At my condo, I say goodnight and disappear into my room. I stare at the ceiling for hours, as thoughts of my time with Reese is on a loop. Every moment I’m dissecting and looking at it from a new angle. I know that I love her, she’s always been special to me. Could we be more than just