“What’s that suppose to mean?” Iris looked to me with a confused look as I shrugged my shoulders.

“I think that when people are lucky, they can look at each other to remember why they made the promises that day.” I took her hand into mine and kissed it gently, “I got lucky.”

Iris smiled brightly and looked directly into the camera, pulling her hand away from me. “Yeah. But a big wedding wouldn’t hurt.”

“And, cut! Let’s take a break, everyone.” The director yelled, as the camera crew stopped rolling. Iris’s makeup artist came over and started powdering her face.

“What the hell was that, Cooper?” Iris harshly whispered in my direction. Pushing her makeup artist away, she stood up, walking to her dressing room. “We have to reshoot that now because of you. Just stick to the damn script they gave us, all right? And next time I would rather you not make me look like a raging bitch, asshole.”

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.

Well, if the shoe fits.

Chapter Twenty-Three

AS WE PULLED up to Michelle’s property, I slid my sunglasses down, taking notice of the other car in the driveway. “What are Mom and Dad doing here?” I hissed at my brother. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Did you really think Mom wouldn’t want to see her daughter? Come on.”

I mumbled to myself and sat back in my seat. “Overbearing much?”

Eric watched as I slid my headphones back into my ears, and I heard him as he whispered to Ladasha. “She’s a lot ruder than I remember.”

“Oh. That’s because you’re not holding up any money.” Eric’s face instantly lost color. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I watched my brother’s face turn to horror, probably thinking of me collecting money from nasty men.

Ladasha stepped out of the car and gasped. Her brown eyes widened in amazement as she stared at the mansion in front of her. The property had everything she had seen in movies. There was an indoor swimming pool, a tennis court, fireplaces in bathrooms, a private coach house…Everything. The newly fallen snow added to the magical moment my friend was taking in. The home had over twenty-five rooms, holding within it over seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a built-in home theater.

“Holy shit. People live like this?” Ladasha smiled widely, looking around in complete awe. I stepped out of the car, rolled my eyes, and joined my friend.

“No. They don’t. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

Ladasha went to help Eric with the bags, but he assured her he could handle it. She smiled to him, and still picked up two pieces of luggage.

“You coming, Michelle?” he asked his girlfriend. Michelle was standing perfectly in her pair of heels. The sunlight kissed her blond locks, yet her blue eyes were hidden behind her large sunglasses. With her cell phone attached to one hand and her Michael Kors bag attached to the other, I was instantly reminded of Iris and her stupid Michael Kors bag. Did I mention I hated her?

Michelle’s loud laugh echoed through the air as she held her gut from the conversation she was having on the phone.

“I see she still has that unique laugh.” I smirked.

Eric shot me the dirtiest look. “Really? You really think you have the right to judge anyone right now? Don't start, Anders.”

I shut up.

Before we even had a chance to enter the foyer, I was attacked by my mom, who wrapped her arms around me. The lack of air filling my lungs was uncomfortable, but I didn’t push her away.

“Anders!”

“Hey, Mom.”

Mom stood back and looked at me. I noticed a level of alarm form within her eyes. “You look skinny. You’re so skinny.” She was right.

“I’m not. This is my friend, Ladasha.” Perfect. Change the subject away from me.

“Nice to meet you, honey. I always forget how huge this house is. I got lost trying to find your father earlier!” Mom squeaked as she poked me in the side, frowning at my recent weight lost.

“Where is Daddy?”

“In the study. Well, one of the studies. This place, I tell you!” As if cued, Dad entered the room, holding a glass bottle with a ship crafted inside it.

“It’s a nice place.” He stared at the ship through his thick glasses. “How does anyone do these? I might have to try it.”

Seeing my dad made me sigh with a breath of relief. I was a lot of things, but first and foremost I was a daddy’s girl. I loved the feeling of calmness he had with his personality. He balanced out my ‘always on edge’ mother so well. Dad walked over, and gave me a hug and kissed my forehead. His hug wasn’t as tight as Mom’s, yet it was the exact kind of hug I needed. Not too overbearing. Yet not nonexistent.

“Come on, let’s all go into the family room to catch up.” Mom ushered everyone into the other room. I could feel my mom’s eyes on me as I tried my best to blend into the couch cushion. “Andrea. I really do hope you’re hungry. They are preparing a big dinner for us tonight.”

She was overly concerned with my weight. I was pretty damn happy actually that ever since I’d met up with Cooper I’d started to gain a few pounds back. But she didn’t know that. She saw me as an extremely skinny girl who’d lost her fiancé. I bet she had nightmares at night about the life I’d been living in New York. I guessed she had good reason to have the nightmares; I wasn’t exactly making Mama proud out there.

Michelle came bouncing inside and joined us with the biggest grin I’d ever seen in my life. Eric asked her what was up, and she smiled even wider. “I have a surprise for you all! But you’ll have to wait until dinner tonight!”

“Perfect, maybe I’ll go rest for a few hours.” I faked a yawn to get out of there and headed to what was to be my bedroom for the next few weeks. This sucked.

“WHAT’S THE MATTER with you?” I asked to the distant Derrick. He shrugged his shoulders as he lay in my dorm bed.

“Just thinking.”

“About?” I questioned. He ignored me, staring at the ceiling. Ever since he arrived that weekend, he was off. “Answer me.”

He sat up on the bed, rolling his eyes. “Andrea, I’m just off, all right? You have your days, let me have mine.”

“You don’t have to be an ass, Derrick.” I hissed. I hated when he closed himself off to me like this, and it seemed to be happening a lot more since the engagement. “Do you not want to marry me?” My eyes moved to the floor, not willing to meet his eyes. Fearful of his response.

I felt his arms wrap around me from behind. He buried himself into my shoulder and shook his head. “Of course I want to marry you. It’s just…”

I turned to him, feeling ill. “It’s just what?”

“You’re doing something with your life. You’re getting a college degree. You’re preparing for your future. And I’m just here.”

“You have your music, Derrick.” He was amazing at his music, and I never looked down on him for not going to college. It wasn’t for everyone.

“What if I’m not enough for you? What if I end up f**king all of this up? Screwing us up?”

I wrapped my legs around him and held on tight.

“Don’t talk like that, all right? You’ll always be good enough. We’re in this together, okay? You and me.”

“You and me,” he sighed into my neck. “You and me.”

THE MOMENT DINNER was being prepared I had my mom barging into my bedroom to wake me up. Personal space was not something she believed in. And there we were again, waiting in the living room. She could have let me sleep for a little while longer.

“I’m so happy you decided to come!” Perfect Michelle grinned as she walked into the house with a guest.

“Holy shit!” I screamed as my eyes connected with Cooper’s.

“Language!” Mom scolded.

“Sorry Mom. Excuse me. I—I have to use the bathroom.” I shot up from my seat and hurried away. How dare he.

How dare he come here. Hasn’t he done enough already? It was because of him I was in this damn situation. I turned on the faucet in the bathroom and started splashing water against my ghost white face. Breathing was becoming a problem.

“We should talk.”

The sound of his voice sent chills down my spine, and as I turned to look at him, my heart started pounding against my chest. He was unshaven, wearing a button-down shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Dammit. He looks good.

He closed the door behind him and stepped near me. I stepped back. This continued until I was up against a wall and he was staring me in the eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed. I’d left him in New York. I’d called him a dirty, disgusting, vomit-worthy as**ole and left him in New York.

“I can explain.” He put his hands up as a sign of peace, but my body was still ready to defend myself from his smooth accent and strong arms.

“I hope you know what you’re doing is a form of stalking, Cooper.”

His green eyes smiled with his lips as he chuckled and reached into his back pocket. “No. You don’t understand, I was invited. I’m staying in the coach house here for a few days until the party.” He pulled out the invitation to Michelle and Eric’s Christmas party and I was sure smoke was coming from my ears. I was fuming.

“This is my life, Cooper. This is my life you are playing with. And I don’t appreciate you taking it as a joke.”

“You think I would screw with your head, Andrea?” He was sincere in his words, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d lied to me.

“Your wife is pregnant.”

“Yeah, I know. With another man’s kid.”

Oh no. His hand somehow found mine and I felt my warrior stance fading away. I spoke softly as I avoided eye contact. Those eyes would be the end of any form of dignity I was trying to hold on to. “You got me fired. And Ladasha.”

“From a strip club. Not to be rude, but I think y’all can do better.” I could feel him getting closer to me.

“Says the man who showed up to the strip club in the first place.” I shut my eyes. I tried to fight away the feeling of wanting his lips connected to mine, but I kept hearing the words soda pop running through my head.

Fight it.

I began to nervously twiddle my fingers as Cooper spoke. “You want the truth? My manager said I would get over it. That I should have a lap dance. A one-night-stand to clear my mind of all of it. Probably not the best idea, six hundred dollars later.”

“Well I’m sorry you wasted your money.”

“I didn’t mean it in a rude way. It’s just, that’s not who I am.”

“And you think that it’s who I am!?” I hissed.

“Of course not, Andrea. You know how I feel about you.”

My breaths were heavy, I was ashamed of what had happened between the two of us the first night we met and the guilt of being home, in this town, was weighing heavy on my soul. I needed to make myself clear to Cooper that I had no plans to be with him. “Listen, shit happens. People go through things and people make mistakes. What happened between us these past few weeks was a mistake and it’s probably best we never talk about it.”

Cooper agreed with his words but his actions spoke differently. He lightly brushed the side of my face with his hand.

“Okay, so it never happened,” I whispered. My eyes landed on Cooper’s hands, which were holding mine. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a glimpse of comfort.

He whispered back. “What never happened?”

My skin began to heat up as I continued trying to stay strong. I missed his lips. I wanted his lips to miss mine, too. I wanted them to first kiss my bottom lip, followed by my top. My knees were slowly going out on me. His face was hairy—out of his norm. I wondered what his unshaven face would feel like against my face. Against my chest. Against my stomach. Against my…