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Jess didn’t spend every night in his bed The ti shift at the inn she usually spent the night there Soo to her; soh And for the past four tiht with hihtmares

Nightmares she wouldn’t talk about

Well, Cooper was done not talking about it “Tellon”

To his disappoint shaking hands through her hair “Nothing is going on”

He tried not to let that burn

But fuck, it burned

The only spare time he hadn’t spent with Jess since she’d moved to Hartwell per his alone time with his nephew The kid had been despondent since his audition for the fancy tutor in Dover hadn’t gone so well To all their surprise Joey had gotten a severe case of stage fright and mucked up his piece The tutor had been kind, told Cat that he saw great potential, but said that Joey needed to be exposed to more public perfor hiuy in a year

But kids were kids and they were impatient Joey was crushed

Joey needed his between them were intense and it was hard not to want to spend every moment with each other

It just reinforced everything Cooper already knew: Jessica Huntington was the opposite of his selfish ex-wife in every way She was kind, considerate, and generous

And he’d never felt this way about anyone before

He couldn’t stop thinking about her, he wanted to touch her all the time, and he just feltfull of her

The problem was that the independence and self-reliance that he’d so ad her fro each other that not having to be responsible for her would be refreshing Now Cooper realized he was just that guy Caretaker guy He didn’t want her to give up who she was, but he wanted her to let him at least look after her a little To let him in so he could help hatever the fuck it was that was bothering her

But she wouldn’t let him

And that shit stung

He tried to rein in his annoyance “It’s not nothing, Jessica I htmare in a week And that’s only when you’re with me”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her expression completely closed off Her voice was flat when she said, “I told you I’d stay at the inn tonight, that I didn’t want to bother you”

His annoyance hit full-on anger “It isn’t about fucking botheringyou” People didn’t have these kinds of continued night in Jess’s past that she was hiding, but noas really starting to worry about it She’d refused to be e to hold on to back in Wilton; her e to bother hi him

“Nothing is bothering me,” she said in that same flat tone

“You’re lying”

She sighed and looked away He saw the ” She stared back at hiot cold and hard and he didn’t like it, not one bit “Not so I want to share with anyone”

“Fuck’s sake, Jess” He threw off the covers and got out of bed “I’m not just anyone” He reached for his underwear and sweats He needed space He needed to run

“Coop” He heard the desperation in her voice, felt her hand curl around his wrist to stop hi, sad, tired eyes “IIt’s just about my sister, okay?”

At the confession, relief began to h him “What about your sister?”

She tugged on his wrist and he lowered down onto the bed beside her Jess i her cheek to his bare chest

Just like that, all his anger drained fro Cooper held her close, brushing a thumb over the silky skin of her upper arm “What about your sister?” he repeated

“II get these bad dreams around the anniversary of her death But I don’t want to talk about them”

“Co about it htmares”

She shook her head against hi his chest “I don’t want you to think I’ you out I don’t talk about this with anyone” She pulled back to look at his face, her expression pleading “Pleasethe nighto away Trust me”

Disappointment flooded hi her If she couldn’t trust hi off her touch as she tried to pull hi for a run”

“Cooper,” she pleaded

It took everything within him not to look back at her

Jessica

Overwhel panic

That hat I felt as I watched Cooper walk out of his bedroom

I didn’t want to lose hi away every day I held things back froht in his bed The ti shift at the inn she usually spent the night there Soo to her; soh And for the past four tiht with hihtmares