Upside Down (Breaking the Rules #3) - A.M. Madden Page 0,71

wanted to hang Cooper’s happiness on me.

Problem was I had no faith I could be all that for him, and it went beyond the constant worry I carried over his prior confusions. Watching Cooper recklessly dive into our relationship headfirst seemed too perfect to be true. Besides that, what if somewhere along the line I screwed up? My experience with relationships sucked ass.

Then there was the tiny issue that August was quickly approaching. Cooper would be going back to his life, and what would become of us wasn’t cut-and-dried. Cooper didn’t have an end game, not that he should. His life was in Jersey. Mine was here. And for obvious reasons, it would make more sense for me to uproot rather than Cooper… but did I want to?

It was all conjecture at this point; the man had only just come out. And as quickly as that thought popped into my mind, the obvious that he had only just come out left gray area that still needed to be navigated.

“I sure know how to pick ’em,” I said to no one.

A few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the children’s store in town, welcoming the distraction.

Two steps through the door and a salesperson approached. “Can I help you, sir?”

“Yes. I’m in search of a giant giraffe, and your store was listed as having it in stock.”

A cunning smile spread over her ruby-red lips. “Oh, yes. The eight-foot mechanical giraffe. We have one left.” She motioned for me to follow deeper into the store, where we came upon just what I’d been looking for. “By downloading an app on your phone, you can control its neck, have it blink, stick out its tongue, and even have it hum just as a live giraffe would. It is a bit pricey, however… listed for fifteen hundred, but I can offer a ten percent discount.”

Little did she know I would’ve paid the original price. “Can you have it delivered today?”

“Yes, sir. Provided the address is local.”

“Perfect. I’ll take it. Now can you tell me about that giant elephant?” That’ll show that little minx to mess with me.

I hadn’t heard from Cooper all day, not that I expected to. My guess: the moment I left their discussion got heavy. And the more I thought about his experience compared to mine, the more I felt he was moving way too fast.

After dinner, bored and antsy, I headed to my favorite hangout, D & R’s Pub. Still too early for the place to be crowded with their normal nighttime partiers, I strolled through the dozen or so patrons scattered among tables and the bar. Taking a seat at the farthest end, away from any people, I mindlessly focused on the Marlins game playing on the big screen, waiting for Damon to spot me.

It didn’t take long before he called out, “Hey, cuz. Long time no see. Where’ve ya been?”

“Here and there,” I said, clasping his outstretched hand for a few pumps. “What’s new with you?”

“Not much. Business is great.” My cousin always felt the need to inform me of that. Damon was practically the only family I had. His mother and mine are twins, and his move to Florida a few years back had been with the goal of owning his own place. I was there for him when he needed an investor. When I became a silent partner, it had nothing to do with making a profit. Little did he know every check he sent me ended up in an account in his name.

Damon slid my preferred whiskey with a twist toward me. “Hey, have you talked to your mom lately?”

The look on his face caused the blood to drain from mine. “A few days ago. What’s wrong?”

Picking up on my panic, he raised his hands in defense. “Oh… nothing, man. I just wondered,” he said, not meeting my eye and looking like a cat that swallowed the canary.

“Bullshit. What do you know?”

“Shit. I assumed she told you.” My raised brows and bulging eyes had him rushing on. “Apparently, she’s in love.”

“What?!” Seriously… the fuck? Love?

“Yeah. Some dude named John. They met online.” My mouth hanging open in shock caused him to chuckle.

“When?”

“Like six months ago… I think. I assumed you knew she was seeing someone.”

“No. I didn’t. She’s too old to be meeting people online.” Or screwing a man. Bleh.

“Dude, she’s only fifty-four. I think it’s great. She’s been single far too long and needs someone to make her happy again. My parents