-Oliver-

I sat on the couch and put my feet up. They ached after I spent all day standing and walking around, so I made a note in my phone to get some better shoes. It had been a while since I'd worked a twelve hour shift in a hospital. My clinical research job in San Diego had been a healthier mix of desk work and patient care.

I glanced at the clock and guessed Cooper would be home soon. Usually when I worked a twelve hour shift, he beat me home by a couple hours, but today he texted saying they had a deadline to meet and he'd probably be working late. I was glad we had leftovers from the other night so neither of us would have to cook. That was something we split between the two of us - whoever was home first would cook dinner, except for a couple nights when we planned to cook together. I was slowly getting used to having a relationship that was an equal partnership, rather than the unbalanced relationship I'd had with Brad.

I heard Cooper's truck pull into the driveway and got up to greet him at the door. Seeing him after we'd both been at work was my favorite part of every day. He always put a smile on my face and his big bear hugs melted away any stress I had from my job.

I opened the front door and watched as Cooper trudged up the steps to the porch. He was typically more cheerful than this, so it must have been an exhausting day for him.

"Hey, Coop!" I called out.

When he looked up, I saw a small spark in his eyes and he gave me a tired smile. One of the things I loved about him was that he never seemed to be in a bad mood. Without saying anything, he pulled me into a hug and slumped against me, and I rubbed his back. "Did you guys get everything done?"

I felt him nod. "It was a hard day. My whole body hurts."

I gave him a squeeze. "Go take a shower and I'll heat up some of the leftovers for you."

Cooper walked into the house slowly, moving like his back was stiff. I hadn't visited him at work yet to see what he did every day, but I knew logging was a physically strenuous job.

I hummed to myself as I heated up the leftovers, making sure to take my time doing it. My guess was that Cooper needed a long, hot shower, and I didn't want his food to get cold. He and I had settled into a nice routine the first month I'd been living here, and I was happy things were going so well between us. I knew we were still in the honeymoon phase, but we hadn't argued once. Cooper was easy to get along with and he made everything fun, even the mundane stuff like going to get groceries or doing chores around the house.

When I heard the shower shut off, I plated the food and set it on the table. Soon after, Cooper wandered out of the bedroom dressed in a faded t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. I put my arms around his waist and kissed him before he sat down. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, rubbing his nose against mine. "Thank you for heating up my food."

For the first few minutes we ate without speaking. Cooper must have been hungry, because he shoveled his food into his mouth without stopping to breathe. When he was nearing the end of his meal, he looked up. "How was your day?"

"Good, but busy. I was on my feet for most of it. I'm going to need to get some more supportive shoes."

"I don't know how you do it," Cooper replied. "I'd be too afraid of screwing up and accidentally killing a patient if I was a nurse."

"You'd be good at it. You're a caring person and you'd cheer up the patients and make them laugh."

"It would be safer if I only provided emotional support for the patients instead of giving medication and doing medical procedures."

"I think everyone at the hospital could use emotional support," I said, laughing.

Cooper smiled. "At least I can be your emotional support. I still feel bad that your commute is so long."

"Don't. It's a really scenic commute, and there's no traffic. After dealing with California's awful traffic, this is like a dream."

"Maybe, but driving an hour each way is going to get old. And I worry about you driving and being tired after a long shift."

I reached over and took his hand. "I'll be okay. The job at the Port Angeles hospital is only two more months, and then I'm going to try getting a job at the community hospital here in Forks."

"That would be awesome. I know they need more help here, and I'll feel better knowing you're close to home."

Cooper squeezed my hand, and then slowly got up to take his plate to the kitchen. He still looked like he was hurting, so I took his plate from him. "I'll do it. You should go lie down. Is it your back bothering you the most?"

"Yeah. I don't know if I pulled a muscle or if everything is just seized up."

I cleaned up our dishes and then went into the bathroom to grab a bottle of lotion. In the living room, Cooper was laying facedown on the couch. I set the lotion on the coffee table and gently rubbed his shoulder. "Take off your shirt."

He complied, and I knelt on the couch with a knee on either side of his hips. I squeezed some lotion onto my hands and began to rub Cooper's back, my fingers exploring his muscles. Cooper groaned and buried his face in the couch cushion.

"You've got a ton of knots in your shoulders and back," I said. "No wonder you feel bad."

I took my time working out the knots and soothing his tired muscles. It made me happy to take care of my man. I hadn't admitted this to Cooper yet, but I'd discovered that dating someone who worked a physical labor job and came home covered in dirt and grease was a huge turn on for me.

The noises Cooper was making were also turning me on. He alternated between moaning and making soft, contented noises in the back of his throat. I tried to focus on what I was doing, and not what I wanted to do to Cooper. I massaged his biceps and continued moving down his arm, kneading the muscles in his forearms and then concentrating on his hands.

"You're too good to me," Cooper murmured, his voice muffled by the couch cushion.

I leaned down and kissed between his shoulder blades. "Am not. It's you who's too good to me."

"Thank you for this," he replied, turning his head so I could hear him better. "I've never had anyone around to give me a massage after work. Rhett won't do it."

I snorted. "I can only imagine what his expression was when you asked."

"Even if I'd been able to talk him into it, he probably would have been terrible at it. You're like a pro. This was amazing."

"I'm happy to help." I got off the couch and took the lotion back to the bathroom.

When I came back into the living room, Cooper was sitting up, a relaxed, happy expression on his face. He patted the couch next to him. "Sit."

I settled onto the couch, but Cooper pushed me back towards the other end and grabbed my legs. He put my feet in his lap and began to rub them with his large, strong hands. I was still getting used to Cooper doing nice things for me without me even having to ask. All I had to do was mention I was on my feet all day and he took the initiative to massage them.

"Thank you," I said. "This is nice of you. I've also never really had anyone to do this for me after a long shift."

Cooper raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who had a boyfriend."

I shrugged. "Brad would do it sometimes if I asked, but he usually complained and then fell asleep in the middle of rubbing my feet."

"Wow," Cooper said. "Thank God you're not with him anymore. You always deserved better."

"Thanks to you, I do have better." I smiled softly at him, and then we lapsed into silence as he rubbed my feet and massaged my calves. I hadn't known it could be this easy with a boyfriend, or that things could be this good.

I almost fell asleep there on the couch, but Cooper reached over and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

I got up and reached for Cooper's hand. That was another thing I loved about him - he was just as physically affectionate as I was. He never pulled away or got annoyed with me always wanting to touch him in some way.

He really was the perfect man for me.