“Are you ready to leave yet? He’ll be here any minute!” I yell, leaning down to pull out my latest creation from the oven.

After everything that happened with Annamarie, I took a hard look at what I wanted out of my life, and I knew I needed to make some changes. Ever since Imani and Dad passed away, I’ve been doing what needs to be done. I took care of everyone, did everything everyone needed, but I stopped doing things for myself. I’m not being dramatic when I say I could’ve died that day. People are trampled by crowds and even die from being chased by the press. While I was working through everything that happened with my therapist, she asked me if I had died that day, would I have been happy with the life I had lived. I couldn’t answer her right away and that got me thinking about my life.

Alise was right all those months ago when she said I was just living life, but I wasn’t thriving. Not until I met Cooper. Cooper showed me I could want things in my life. That doing things for myself doesn’t mean I’m taking away from my family, but I’m helping all of us thrive.

“Almost. I just need to finish this round.” Darius yells from the office, no doubt playing one of the million video games Cooper has stocked for when he comes to visit.

I place the baking sheet on the stovetop before heading right for the den. Darius is sitting on the couch, hunched forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes remain focused on the television screen.

“Now, mister. You know how much he hates being late.”  I step in front of him, blocking his view of the television.  

Darius leans to each side, trying to see around me just as the telltale sign of a character dying comes through the speakers. Darius sighs loudly, flopping backwards onto the couch. “Just like someone else I know.”

My eyes widen, and my head swivels toward the door to see if Cooper is coming in this direction. “Shhh. It’s bad enough he doesn’t know who is coming to pick you up.”

I know what you’re thinking. I’m not lying to Cooper by not telling him. This is Darius’ story to tell. Especially since he was the one that requested this.

“I want this, Mona. If I’d have told Cooper who I chose to be my Big Brother, he’d lose it.” Darius stands up, his eyes imploring me to understand. “Besides, I told Beau, and he’s cool with it.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation because this is going to be a big deal for Cooper. Cooper wanted to start this program because of kids like Darius and himself. Giving these kids a male role model that can be there for them in place of their missing loved one. We spent weeks coming up with a proposal for Henry, the owner of the Timberwolves. He wanted to start the program with men he trusted. Men that he knew would do anything they could to help these kids through one of the worst times in their lives.

It didn’t take long for Henry to sign off on the program. He even went as far as forming a partnership with the local Boys and Girls Club in the city to help find the right kids for the program. A part of me thinks he’s going above and beyond for this because of what happened with his daughter, Annamarie, but I know in my heart he has a genuine desire to help people just like Cooper.  The group Darius is a part of is hopefully the first of many to come through this program. That is, if it doesn’t all come tumbling to the ground when Cooper finds out who Darius’s Big Brother is.

“That’s a problem for a different day.” I mumble, knowing there’s no way this is going to end the way Darius thinks.

Beau was all for Darius’s choice for a Big Brother from the members of the team. I have my suspicions that he was the one that put the bug in Darius’s ear on who he should choose.

“Are you ready for your first meeting with your Big Brother?” Cooper comes strolling into the den, plopping on to the couch next to Darius on the couch.

“Yeah. I can’t wait to meet him.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be amazing, but it would’ve been even better if Beau was your Big Brother..”

Cooper has been working through his own depression and feelings of guilt about his father’s death. He attends virtual therapy sessions three times a week and has even had some sessions with Beau and his mother as well. Cooper has come far in a short amount of time, but he still has a long way to go. When he proposed this program, Henry asked if he wanted to take part in the program, but he declined. I know a part of him wants to be there for these kids, but he knows he has his own demons to tackle before he can help anyone else handling them.

“That kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?” Darius chuckles, his eyes flicking to mine before returning to Cooper. “I wanted someone to talk to that I didn’t have to worry about ratting me out to Mona or Alise.”

“We’d never rat you out,” Cooper says in mock surprise before they both burst out laughing. “Okay, but in my defense, I really have a hard time lying to Mona.”

“Me, too.” Darius agrees, winking at me over Cooper’s head.

“Neither of you should be lying. It’s bad for your soul,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

Although this whole thing would have been easier for all of us if Darius had chosen Beau to be his big brother, I agree that this could be better for all of us in the long run. The one thing that could bring this family back together for good.

“You’re one to talk, Mona. I’m gonna bet that you haven’t told Cooper that Ollie asked you to come work in his restaurant after eating your take on Shepherd’s pie.”

“You little fucking traitor,” I growl as Cooper pushes to his feet, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Why didn’t you want to tell me?” Cooper asks, his eyes searching my face for the answer.

It’s not that I didn’t want to tell him about this opportunity. Hell, this is only happening because of him.. After finding a brochure for Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland tucked into my bag, Cooper started his campaign to get me to go. I refused at first, but then he got everyone in on it. Soon Alise, Darius, Ma, and even Ms. Melanie started in on me about attending. They even created a schedule to make sure that there was always someone with Ma and Darius.

I had given up on my dream of becoming a chef when Dad and Imani died. I felt like I didn’t deserve to have my dreams if they couldn’t have their own, but Cooper and my therapist helped me realize that they’d want me to be happy no matter what. I applied the very next day.

I’ve only been attending classes for a few months, but I’ve learned so much. Sometimes it feels like Dad and Imani are there with me cheering me on to keep pushing toward my dreams, but I still don’t know if I deserve all of this.

“I seriously just got the phone call a few hours ago while you were at practice. I haven’t even decided if I want to do it or not. I still have a lot to learn before I can even imagine working at Ollie’s place.”

“Ollie doesn’t eat just anyone’s cooking, Beauty. He’s also picky. If he says your food is good, then it’s good.”

“I know but—”

“No buts, Beauty. You deserve this.” Cooper plants a kiss on my forehead before pulling me into his chest.

Darius pretends to gag loudly before throwing his arm over his eyes. “My eyes!”

“You’re going to have to get used to it, Big D. I love Ramona, and I want everyone to know it, even you.”

Darius opens his mouth to respond before the doorbell rings and he shoots off the couch, making a beeline for the door. “Have fun, you two.” 

“Hold on a second, Big D. I want to know who your Big Brother is since you’ve been so secretive about it.” Cooper unwraps himself from around me and follows Darius toward the door.

I don’t say a word as I watch Darius snatch his backpack off the dining room table and heads for the door. Cooper grips the top of his bag, pulling Darius toward him.

“I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s not like you don’t see him every day at practice.” Darius’s eyes lock with mine, begging for me to help him out of this situation, but I don’t say a word. I tried to warn him that Cooper wouldn’t let this go, but he didn’t listen. Now this is his mess to clean up.

“Yes, but that’s practice. This is different.”

“It’s not that different.” Darius’s head drops to his chest, his shoulders rounding forward as Cooper releases his bag.

Cooper moves around Darius, stopping right in front of him. He stares at him for a few moments before using his hand to raise his head and force Darius to look at him. “Why don’t you want me to know who your Big Brother is?”

I stride past Cooper, wrapping my arms around Darius. I know this isn’t how Darius expected this going. Knowing him, he probably thought he could run out of here and explain things to Cole before he had to come home and tackle letting Cooper know, but nothing ever goes according to plan. He’s put himself in the middle of a feud that’s lasted for longer than he’s been alive.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to know. It’s just I didn’t know how to tell you.” Darius whispers, leaning into my side.

I can see the moment Cooper realizes who’s standing on the other side of the door, but he doesn’t move. A bunch of emotions filter across his face-joy, sadness, apprehension, and then resolve-before he turns around and opens the door. Cole Hendrix is standing on the other side of the door.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Hello, Cole.” Cooper’s entire body stiffens as he takes a step back, allowing Cole enough room to step inside, but he doesn’t move a muscle. Cole just stands there, anger burning in his eyes.

“Why can’t you fucking leave me alone, Cooper? I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to make up for lost time. I want nothing to do with you other than what is necessary.”

“This isn’t his fault,” Darius says, stepping away from me and putting himself between Cole and Cooper. “I requested you as my big brother, Cole. The only person who knew who I was requesting you was Beau.”

“Of course,” Cole scoffs, “He was the one that talked me into signing up. I shouldn’t have listened to him.”

“It was a good idea and I’m glad you did,” I chime in, threading my arms through Cooper’s. Every muscle in his body is tight, as if they’re the only things holding him together. “This has nothing to do with Cooper. Darius wanted someone he could trust with his secrets; someone he knew Cooper and Beau couldn’t intimidate into telling them whatever he said. Can you think of someone better than you?”

Cole thinks about it for a moment before nodding his head. “As long as I don’t have to talk to him, I’m willing to support Darius in any way I can.”

Darius turns toward us. He grabs Cooper’s arm and gives it a squeeze. “Please be okay with this.”

Cooper doesn’t say a word, his eyes flicking between Cole and Darius as he tries to process what has happened. He’s been trying to reach out to Cole for months and each time he’s shut him down. Even at practice, Cole doesn’t speak to Cooper any more than necessary for a play or something for practice to run smoothly. We all thought that once they spent some time together, the lines of communication would open, even if only a little. But Cole refuses to have anything to do with Cooper.

A part of me wants to smack them upside the head and lock them in a room, demanding they speak to each other, but that won’t work. Cooper and Cole are too much alike for that. They both love fiercely and prefer to hide their pain from everyone around them. Deep down, Cole wants to talk to his brother. I can see it in the way his eyes keep moving back to Cooper, waiting for him to make the first move. The only problem is he doesn’t know how. Maybe this thing with Darius will help them both understand each other a little better and at least find some common ground.

“What do you say, Cuddlesaurus? Are you okay with Cole being Darius’s big brother?” I ask, tugging slightly on his arm to get his attention.

“What the hell did you just call him?” Darius asks as Cole bursts out laughing.

“Cuddlesaurus. He loves to snuggle, and he’s freaking huge like a T-Rex, hence Cuddlesaurus.”

“I can’t wait to tell the team about this.” Cole wipes the tears from under his eyes before throwing his arm over Darius’s shoulder. “Let’s get going, Darius. Cooper takes forever to make decisions, and I hear the arcade calling our names.”

Darius looks at me for permission and I nod my head, “Love you, Darius.”

“Love you too, Mona.” Darius turns to head out the door, but not before ducking from beneath Cole’s arm and throwing his arms around Cooper’s waist. “Love you too, Uncle Cooper.”

Cooper places his free hand on Darius’s head, running his fingers through his curls. “I love you too, Big D. Nothing will ever change that.”

Darius releases Cooper and takes a step, a blinding smile on his face before he strolls out the door.

“I’ll have him back before seven,” Cole says to Cooper before heading out the door and pulling it closed behind him.

The minute the door clicks shut, Cooper engulfs my body with his own and buries his nose into my neck. We stand there in silence for a few moments, my fingers running up and down his back as I wait patiently for him to say something.

“I had an entire plan about what I was going to say to Cole if I ever saw him by chance, but the minute I saw him standing on the other side of the door, I froze.”

“I know, and that’s okay. You were surprised to see him.”

“That’s an understatement,” Cooper scoffs, cupping my face between his palms. “I wish I knew why he’s so adamant about keeping his distance from me. Do you think he blames me for what happened to Dad?”

“I don’t know. He could, but it wasn’t your fault. Your dad had a heart attack. There was nothing you or anyone could’ve done to prevent it from happening.”

“I know, Beauty. But to think that all these years he has been blaming me for our father’s death.” Cooper winces slightly, a shadow passing over his face.

“No, we aren’t going there, Cooper Hendrix.  You have no control over how anyone thinks or feels about you. Nor can you force Cole to speak to you. All you can do is let him know you are open to mending your relationship, which you have. Now that ball is in his court.”

“What if he never wants to talk to me?”

“Then that’s his loss.” I press on my toes, pressing my lips against his, pouring all the love I feel for this man into this kiss.

I was terrified to take this leap with Cooper. To allow myself to love someone so completely that they could ruin me if they walked away. But loving him has been as easy as breathing. I thought that this would make me weak, vulnerable to being hurt, but it’s made me invincible. With Cooper’s unconditional love and support, I could take over the world if I wanted to, but for now I’ll settle for finishing culinary school and opening my restaurant. Everything else can wait.

“You want to cuddle on the couch before I have you taste the new recipe I made?”

“I knew something smelled good when I came in from practice.” Cooper runs his hands down my back, gripping my ass tightly in his hands. “I can’t believe you called me Cuddlesaurus in front of Cole. The entire team is going to call me that.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I really was just trying to get your attention. How can I make it up to you?”

“Oh, I can think of a few things.” Cooper chuckles before hoisting me into the air and heading towards our bedroom.

“Men are so easy to please.” I giggle before grinding down on his cock, causing him to groan loudly.

If someone would’ve told me that a chance meeting at a cattle crossing would lead me to the love of my life, I’d have laughed right in their face. Thank goodness fate had other plans, because I couldn’t have asked for a better life than this.