Trying to Get Over You Page 17

  “That’s good news.”

  “Look, there is something we need to talk about.”

  “I know,” he said in a rude tone. “I’m just waiting on you to say it.”

  Just when I was about to speak, something near the hostess booth caught my eye: Cooper looking right at Ben and me. He just shook his head, looking disgusted. I tried to convey with my eyes that he had nothing to worry about, but he turned around and stormed out of the restaurant.

  Should I go after him and explain why I’m here with Ben or finish what I came here to do? It’ll be best to finish this conversation with Ben and explain everything to Cooper later.

  “Hello? You were going to say something before your attention was drawn back there.” Ben gestured behind him.

  I looked into his eyes, “Right. I’m sorry. Look, I’m just going to spit this out, okay?”

  “I’m waiting.”

  “When you asked me out, I had just broke up with Cooper, my ex-boyfriend. I decided to date you to get over him, because I figured that once I started showing, you would dump me. I’m so sorry. I know that was completely horrible and wrong.” I cleared my throat and kept going. “The truth is, I haven’t gotten over Cooper and no matter how hard I try I will never get over him because he’s the one I’m supposed to be with. After spending time with him this weekend, I decided I want to give him and me another chance. I’m sorry that I led you on and used you.”

  I took deep breaths, waiting on him to respond. I wanted the conversation to be over with so I could rush to Cooper and explain why I was there with Ben.

  “Wow. I’m not really sure what to say to all of that. I mean, I expected you to break up with me tonight and take your ex back, but for you to admit you used me the entire time is just… Wow. I had no clue you were such a bitch.” He got up, threw his napkin down on the table, stormed off.

  What should I do? I would have to stay and pay the bill for the drinks we had ordered, but after that… Even though I would have to rush to Cooper and explain, I couldn’t help but feel calm and relieved that I had told Ben everything and ended it.

  I flagged a passing server and asked if I could get my check.

  A few minutes later, I was signing my name on my credit card receipt and running out the door. I jumped in my car and sped to Cooper’s apartment.

  I knocked on Cooper’s door. He didn’t come, so I took out my keys and searched for the key I still had to the apartment. I opened the door and entered the living room to see Cooper sitting on the couch, with his elbows on his knees and face in his hands.

  “Cooper?” I asked carefully.

  He slowly looked up at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I came to explain—”

  “I thought things were going good. We were on the right track to getting back together.” He grew angrier with each sentence. “What the fuck was that, this weekend? Do you just like to give me hope and then watch me crumble?”

  “No. What you saw tonight was me ending everything with Ben. I want to be with you. I want us to be a couple again.”

  He raised himself up off the couch and pulled me close to him. “You want to be a couple again?”

  “Yes.”

  Before I could say anything else, his lips were crashing into mine. He grabbed both sides of my face and stared into my eyes. “You’re really mine again? All mine?”

  “Yes. If you will take me back.”

  He kissed me again. “We’re going to Vegas right now. Come on. Let’s go to Jen’s and get you a suitcase.”

  “What?” Why did he want to go to Vegas?

  “I’m not ever going to lose you again. We are getting married.”

  “But… I don’t have a ring, and I want my parents to be at our wedding.”

  “Wait just a minute.” He released me then went into the bedroom. I heard him open and close a drawer before he came back into the living room.

  He stood in front of me. “This isn’t how I imagined doing this, but I can’t wait another second.” Then he lowered himself onto bended knee. “Emily Reynolds, I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t ever want us to be apart again. Will you marry me?”

  He opened up a black velvet box with a beautiful square cut diamond ring inside. It was exquisite and exactly what I would have picked out for myself.

  Tears of happiness ran down my cheeks. I choked out, “Yes.”

  He stood up and placed the ring on my left ring finger while he kissed my lips. I didn’t know if I had ever felt so happy before in my life.

  “That was one of your problems. The other was that you wanted your mom at your wedding.”

  “And I want my dad to walk me down the aisle,” I added.

  “Okay. I seriously want to do this quickly. What type of wedding do you want?”

  “I don’t know. I had always imagined getting married at the park in front of our bench.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to arrange everything in the morning, but first you better come here.” He picked me up, kissing me while walking us into the bedroom.

  I hadn’t felt so content and excited in a long time.

  The next morning, I woke up naked, wrapped up in sheets, and completely alone. If I hadn’t been naked in Cooper’s bedroom, I would have thought I had dreamed the night before.

  I looked at my engagement ring, and the biggest smile broke out on my face. I was going to marry Cooper Thomason.

  I found a T-shirt of Cooper’s in one of the drawers and went out into the living room. Cooper was sitting on the couch, talking on the phone. I sat down next to him, listening to his side of the conversation.

  “This Saturday, really?… Yes. Two o’clock is perfect… You will handle all of the decorations and the cake, correct?… Okay, thank you, Mrs. Beasley.”

  He disconnected the call, placing his cell phone on the coffee table and pulling me closer to him. “We’re getting married this Saturday at two o’clock at the park. I just talked to a lady that works for parks and recreation, and she said she would set everything up.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, “What? This Saturday?” It seemed rushed, but I wasn’t upset.

  “Yes. I told you I wanted to marry you as soon as possible. You’re just lucky the park was available and the lady is married to a pastor.”

  It was hard to think that, in a few days, I would be married. “Oh my gosh. I have to call my mom. I have to buy a dress.”

  “We’ll need to file for a marriage license and all that stuff.”

  “Okay, but wait. What about your work?”

  “I took this week off because of my dad. I called them this morning and updated them on the situation. I’ll just take today off to do the license stuff, and then take next week off so we can have a honeymoon.”

  “Okay. I’m going to call my mom.” I gave him a quick kiss and walked into the kitchen.

  I dialed my mom’s number. While waiting for her to pick up, I cleaned the counter with a disinfectant wipe.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  I kept wiping off the countertop as I spoke, “Hey, Mom. How are you?”

  “I’m great, dear. How are you?”

  “I have something I need to tell you.”

  “Oh, goodness. Is it bad?”

  “No, it’s not bad. It’s just that, um, Cooper and I are getting married on Saturday.” I waited for a reply. “Mom, are you there?”

  “I’m here. I’m just shocked, that’s all. When did the two of you get back together?”

  “We officially got back together last night.” I told her as I threw the disinfectant wipe in the trash.

  “That is wonderful news! How can I help?”

  “Would Dad be able to take tomorrow off and drive you here? I need a dress.”

  “Of course he will take time off for you, or he can work from a hotel room there. We’ll find you a dress.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Mom.”

  I disconnecte
d the call and walked into the bedroom to get dressed and text Jen.

  Me: Cooper and I are getting married on Saturday at the park.

  Jen: OMG!!!!

  Me: Mom is coming tomorrow to help me with a dress. You wanna help too?

  Jen: Yes! Of course I do!!

  Me: Okay, great! I’ll see you tomorrow.

  Saturday arrived fast, since I was busy finding a dress, filing for a marriage license and getting last minute details ready. We found my dress on Wednesday, the first day of looking. We had all known it was the dress as soon as I stepped out of the dressing room into the waiting area. I felt as if it had been designed for me, an A-line with beautiful beading. I had to get a size bigger because my belly was starting to grow a little, but luckily my mom was a wonderful seamstress.

  Saturday before the wedding, I was standing in the tent that we had rented for me to get dressed in with my mom and Jen. Jen was awesome with makeup and hair, so I looked flawless. I stepped into my gown, and Jen zipped me up.

  I turned around to find my mother crying. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

  She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “It’s just that you look so beautiful, and I can’t believe my baby girl is getting married.”

  “Mom, it’s okay. Nothing is really changing except my last name.”

  “I know, it’s just you’re getting married and having a baby. You’ll have your own family now.”

  “Trust me, Mom, that might be true, but we will visit like crazy, and you will still have to host Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. Look at me, ruining your big day. You look beautiful. I’m glad you decided on this dress. The style looks gorgeous on you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Are you ready, sweetheart?” My dad asked from the other side of the tent.

  It was time to get married.

  “Yes, Dad. Come in.”

  My dad came in. Everyone else cleared out of the room.

  Dad told me how much he loved me and how beautiful I looked. Tears filled my eyes, but I was able to hold them back for the sake of the makeup that Jen had worked so hard on.

  We went to the tent entrance and waited for the music to indicate it was my turn to walk down the aisle. I felt so happy in that moment, knowing that I was going to marry the love of my life and that our parents supported us.

  The music started. My dad nudged me and gave me a look asking “Are you ready?” I was very ready. I nodded.

  We turned and stepped out of the tent, into view of all the guests, but all I could focus on was Cooper.

  He looked amazing in his rental tux, which was black with a red vest and tie. He had trimmed his hair, and his face was clean-shaven. His smile took up his entire face, and it made me smile even harder than I already was. He looked just as happy as I was in that moment.

  My dad and I walked slowly down the aisle, which was adorned with red and white flowers. We had placed all of the chairs facing the park bench that Cooper and I had shared the night he asked me out. It was directly in the middle, right behind the pastor.

  The park had flowers in bloom, which made me feel as if I were in a fairytale. But I couldn’t really focus on the decorations or our family and friends. All I could focus on was Cooper.

  I was going to be his wife.

  We walked to the front of the bench where he stood with the pastor and Chris at his side. The pastor asked who was giving me away, and my dad answered with, “Her mother and I.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and I stepped up in front of Cooper and beside Jen.

  Quietly Cooper told me that I looked gorgeous, and I couldn’t help but smile and feel a little shy. I hoped everyone was noticing how amazing Cooper looked in his tuxedo. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, because my about-to-be husband was ridiculously handsome.

  The pastor went through the entire wedding spiel, though I couldn’t remember what he said. I was thankful that we had opted not to say our own vows, because I was so nervous that I wouldn’t have remembered them. I didn’t notice much of anything until the pastor said, “You may kiss the bride.”

  Cooper took me in his arms and dipped me back, giving me the biggest single kiss he had ever given me. It wasn’t the most traditional first kiss of a married couple, but I loved it.

  He set me upright. “You’re my wife now, Mrs. Thomason.”

  “And you’re my husband now, Mr. Thomason,” I said back.

  He took my hand and walked me back down the aisle to the tune of Randy Travis’s “Forever and Ever Amen”. I had heard of a famous actor walking down the aisle to that song and decided I had to do the same. It was the perfect song for us, because we were made for each other and we were both going to love each other forever and ever, even through the hard times.

  Six months later, I was standing in the kitchen of Cooper’s and my beautiful new home, looking over my list of things to take to the hospital. Our baby girl had decided she didn’t want to come into the world on her own, and I was scheduled to be induced in an hour. I was a little sad that I wouldn’t get to experience the excitement of going into labor, but I was so miserable.

  Cooper came into the kitchen with a duffle bag over one shoulder, looking relaxed. I wished I could share his calm, but my nerves were going crazy. The thought of pushing the baby out of me had really set in two days ago, and I was going back and forth between wishing I could just keep the baby inside me forever and getting her out as soon as possible.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He looked me in the eyes, pulling me close to him. “It’s going to be okay. I promise, it will all work out.”

  “You can’t promise me something like that. Besides, you aren’t the one pushing a huge body out of you. It’s going to hurt.”

  “That’s what the pain-killers are for. I’ll be there right beside you through all of it.”

  “I know, thank you. We better go.” I gave him a quick kiss, then turned out of his embrace to get my luggage.

  I had been in labor for ten hours, and the baby did not want to be delivered. Nothing was progressing, and the epidural hadn’t worked the first or the second time. I was in a lot of pain.

  All Cooper could do was hold my hand and offer me ice chips. He obviously felt awful that he couldn’t do more for me, but I couldn’t offer up any sympathy for him.

  The doctor walked in and advised me that a C-section was in order. I was ready for the labor to end, so I agreed.

  They wheeled me into the operating room and started giving me the numbing medication. One nurse pinched and pulled on my stomach, asking if I could feel anything, and after a small amount of time, she was satisfied that I was numb.

  They blocked my view with a curtain, and the doctor started the surgery.

  I was glad I couldn’t see the doctor work. I had no desire to see anything. Cooper, on the other hand, would have loved to be next to the doctor, watching everything. Luckily for me, that wasn’t an option, so he had to sit next to me.

  For the entire surgery, Cooper stroked my face, telling me how “amazing” I was to be going through this. All I could do was stare into his eyes. They gave me a comfort that I couldn’t describe.

  All of a sudden, the nurses bore down on my stomach. One of the nurses had warned me about that feeling, but she hadn’t mentioned that it would feel as if an elephant had sat down on me.

  As suddenly as it came, the pressure was relieved, and the doctor was holding up my small dark-haired little girl. She was beautiful. She began wailing, and tears flowed down my face. I was her mother.

  The doctor handed her to a nurse and they took her to another area of the room.

  The feelings from seeing my baby for the first time could not be described.

  I looked for Cooper, but he was standing next to where they were cleaning our daughter up and taking all her measurements. Pure joy lit up his face as he cut the umbilical cord.

  T
he nurse wrapped her in a blanket then gave her to Cooper to hold. Watching Cooper hold our child for the first time had me crying even more. He had never been more attractive to me than in that moment.

  He brought the baby over to me, lying on the operating bed, and placed her near my head.

  “Isn’t our little Isabella beautiful?” he asked.

  Through my tears, I said, “She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”

  He smiled at me. “Yes, she is. She is just as beautiful as her mama.”

  I’d thought marrying Cooper was the happiest day of my life, but that moment topped it. We were a complete family, and we would be forever.

  First I have to thank my wonderful husband that always encourages me. Without him I would have never decided to give writing a try. I also need to thank my two boys that understood that sometimes mom needed to lock herself in the home office and write.

  I have to give a huge thank you to Emily Mah Tippetts, Kimberly Knight and L.D. Davis. I can’t express my gratitude enough for answering all of my questions.

  I could have never finished writing this book without the help of Tessa Teevan. You read one of the worst rough drafts and still decided to help me. Thank you so much!

  Also, I need to thank the few friends and family that took the time to read the story and encourage me. Thank you: Angela, Cheryl, Donna, Jenny, Jessica, Theresa, Tiffany, Valerie and Vickie. I love you all!

  J.D. Rivera lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two boys. Her life consists of school projects, homework, cartoon shows, and little league sports. She loves Diet Mountain Dew, the OKC Thunder, costume jewelry, the beach, and reading.

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  Trying to Get Over You

  Copyright © J.D. Rivera 2013

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