-Oliver-

I knew I had made the right choice.

My first day here with Cooper was like living in a dream. After we got out of bed, he helped me bring all of my stuff in from my car and find a place for it. He happily pushed his clothes into one half of his closet and consolidated the stuff in his drawers so that I had room for mine. It was a small gesture, but it made me feel welcome and wanted. When I had moved in with Brad, he acted like my stuff was an inconvenience and complained about what little I did have.

We managed to make dinner together and eat most of it before ending up in bed again. I couldn't get enough of Cooper. This big bear of a man was so affectionate and attentive to me, and he let me do whatever I wanted with him. Making him feel good was quickly becoming one of my favorite things.

I was tired from two days of driving and the excitement of being with Cooper again, so I fell asleep in Cooper's arms and didn't wake up once, not even when he got out of the bed the next morning. The scent of syrup and bacon finally woke me, and I sat up to see Cooper making his way into the bedroom with a plate in each hand.

We went for a short hike and then spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along Ruby Beach, hand in hand. As I breathed in the scent of the salty ocean air and glanced over at Cooper, I almost couldn't believe this was my life now. I was in a beautiful place with a beautiful man, and it couldn't be more perfect.

Shortly after the sun went down, we pulled into the driveway of Cooper's parents' house. They had dinner as a family every Sunday. I was looking forward to seeing all of them again, but I was also nervous and couldn't help feeling like I was intruding. They'd been nothing but welcoming when I crashed their Thanksgiving dinner, but showing up at every Sunday dinner going forward was different.

"Annabelle's going to be so excited," Cooper told me, grinning. "She always asks about you."

"She's adorable," I replied, smiling back at him. "I'm hoping that she can help me improve my baking skills. I'd love to be as good as her someday."

Cooper laughed and squeezed my hand. "That would make her day to hear you say that."

When we walked into the house, I could hear laughter and voices coming from the kitchen. I stayed behind Cooper as we made our way over to the kitchen entrance.

"I have a surprise!" Cooper called out.

He stepped to the side, and I saw Annabelle's eyes light up as soon as she saw me. "Oliver!" She ran over and hugged me tightly.

I gave her little shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I missed you, and all of your delicious cookies."

When I looked up, Andy and Eileen were smiling at me, and Rhett looked a combination of confused and wary.

"What a great surprise!" Eileen said, coming across the room to hug me. "Are you back for another visit already?"

Cooper looked over at me, and we smiled at each other. "No, I'm here for a temporary job so that Cooper and I can give a relationship a shot. If he doesn't get sick of me, I'll make the move permanent."

Eileen's reaction was almost instantaneous, and tears sprang to her eyes as she brought her hand to her mouth. Annabelle tugged at my arm, her eyes shining with excitement. "So you are Cooper's boyfriend now?"

"I am."

She looked back and forth between Cooper and I, not able to stop smiling. "I hoped it would be you. You make him happy and he talks about you a lot."

I laughed. "He makes me happy too."

"We're all happy," Eileen cut in, regaining some of her composure. "All I've ever wanted is for Cooper to find a nice man, but it's tough to do out here. I can't put into words how overjoyed I am that someone has decided to move here for my boy."

"I guess we need another place setting at the table now," Andy said. "Rhett, go ahead and get that for Oliver."

I glanced over at Rhett, not knowing what his reaction would be. He stared at me, and then gave me a nod, which I supposed was the best I could hope for.

Dinner was even more than I could have hoped for. I never felt like my presence was unwanted, not even for a second. Andy asked me about the job I was interviewing for, and Eileen asked what some of my favorite meals were so she could make them for future dinners. It was so easy to talk to them, and I finally felt like I was with a real family. It wasn't at all like the cold, stilted conversations I would have with my own parents whenever I had dinner with them.

I felt Cooper's hand slide into mine under the table. He had been beaming the entire dinner, and I'd felt his eyes on me the whole time. I never wanted him to stop smiling like that, and I was going to do everything I could to keep that smile on his face. He deserved the world, and I was going to do my best to give it to him.

As usual, Rhett was quiet during dinner. When we all began to clean up, I joined him at the kitchen sink where he was washing dishes, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms. He wasn't as big as Cooper, but I noticed he had more scars on his arms. I assumed they were from logging, but then again, I didn't know much about Rhett. I got the feeling he was going to be a challenge to get to know.

"I'll dry," I said, picking up one of the towels near the sink and holding out my hand for the plate he was rinsing.

He handed it to me, and for a few minutes we worked without saying anything. I was thinking about the best way to start a conversation when Rhett finally broke the silence.

"I was wrong about you," he said. "Didn't think we'd ever see you again."

"I couldn't stay away. Washington is great and I enjoy spending time with you all, and Cooper's here. I hated saying goodbye to him when my vacation was over. He's everything I didn't know I wanted."

Rhett gave me a sideways glance. "You mean that?"

"Absolutely. I'm in love with him and I want nothing more than to make him happy. It made sense for me to move here, because I don't have much keeping me in San Diego, and Cooper's entire world is here in Washington."

Rhett grunted and focused on scrubbing a pan. He took his time before he spoke again. "You hurt him, and no one will ever find your body. There are places in these mountains where no one's been."

"Right. Got it," I replied, taking the pan he held out to me. "I have no intention of hurting Cooper." I knew it was going to be an uphill battle with Rhett, but I was determined to win him over eventually.

When the dishes were done, I turned around to see Annabelle and Cooper at the island in the kitchen, where all sorts of baking ingredients and equipment were spread out on the counter.

"We're going to make cookies!" Annabelle said. "Do you want to help?"

"I'd love to."

Cooper watched as Rhett walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. "How did things go with him?" he asked me.

"Well, he threatened to kill me and dump my body in the mountains if I hurt you, so I guess that means he's giving me a chance," I said, shrugging.

Cooper cracked up, his booming laugh filling the room. Alongside him, Annabelle giggled.

"Rhett won't kill anybody," she said confidently. "His bark is worse than his bite."

"I figured. What kind of cookies are we making?"

Annabelle began explaining, talking a mile a minute as she detailed what would be in the cookies and how she wanted them to look. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I got to work right away, combining the dry ingredients while she blended butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Cooper was leaning against the kitchen wall, watching us with a smile on his face. "You two seem to have it covered."

"Maybe, but you need a job to do," Annabelle said.

"My job is going to be eating the cookies."

Annabelle and I both laughed, and I rolled my eyes at Cooper. True to form, he spent most of the time telling dumb jokes and making Annabelle laugh, rather than helping us bake. 

When the cookies were out of the oven and cooled enough to move, we put them on a few plates and took them into the living room. There was a fire going in the fireplace, softly crackling and warming the room as it cast a gentle golden glow on everything. Andy and Eileen were sitting on one small couch, and Rhett was sitting on the floor on a blanket and a nest of pillows. Annabelle sat on the floor with Rhett, leaving the other small couch empty.

I sat down with Cooper and he put his arm around me as soon as we settled in. I nestled against his side, melting into the warmth of his solid body. I couldn't remember ever feeling this content, but this was also the first time I'd sat in front of a fire with homemade cookies, surrounded by a kind family and an incredible man who loved me and had no problem showing it. It was the relationship I'd always wanted.

-

An hour later, Annabelle started falling asleep and we took it as our cue to leave. Cooper held my hand the whole way on the short drive home, keeping one hand in mine and the other on the steering wheel.

"This is how I want every Sunday to be," I murmured. "A hike or walk on the beach, hanging out with your family and then the two of us hanging out at home after."

Cooper squeezed my hand. "It makes me so happy to hear you say that. It's what I want too. It's everything I want."

When he pulled into his driveway and parked the truck next to my car, it felt like I was home. I didn't understand how all of this could have happened so quickly, but it felt right.

I gazed up at the night sky when I got out of the truck, noticing how much brighter the stars looked out here. I heard Cooper walk around the truck, and when I turned to face him, he had a soft, wondrous look in his eyes. He stepped closer to me and cupped one side of my face in his hand, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. "I can't believe you're here. It's like I dreamed you into my life."

I smiled and pressed my forehead against his. "And I never saw you coming. Back in November I thought I was just going on vacation, not meeting the man I can imagine spending the rest of my life with."

"You mean that?" he asked quietly, a hopeful lilt to his voice.

"I do. Obviously we need to get to know each other more first, but I can see a life with you. I think I'm going to love living here, and I already love you."

Cooper closed the distance between our lips and kissed me, his arms wrapping all the way around my lower back and pulling my body against his. He didn't need to say the words back. I could feel them in the way he kissed me and could see them in his eyes when he looked at me, and I knew I'd never have to question or doubt his love.

He was everything love should be.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading! I don't think I'll ever write a sequel for this, but I've thought about writing a few bonus chapters about Oliver and Cooper's life together. If anyone is interested in that, please let me know. As always, any feedback is welcome!