I don’t know how I knew, but that was the moment I knew he would be putting an offer on this house without looking at anything inside. So ten days later after everything was signed on the dotted line, his stuff from his condo arrived.
I really didn’t know what he was going to do with this monster of a house. It had seven bedrooms, which considering all the other houses it was like a downsize. Ten bathrooms. How many people will be using the bathroom at the same time that they needed ten fucking bathrooms? It had a theater room, which I have to say is pretty cool. A home gym, three-car garage, and a huge kitchen in the middle of the house. It was everything he was looking for.
I also found out during this time that Cooper hates furniture shopping. By hate, I mean he fucking loathes it. The one thing he wanted was a king-sized bed. He didn’t care about the colors of the paint, the style of the furniture. He hired Meghan to decorate the whole house with one instruction. Show it to Parker. She likes it, you buy it. Only one thing wrong with this. I couldn’t decorate to save my life, so I just told her to make it homey. Whatever the fuck that meant.
But she worked her magic and when it was time for Cooper to move in, it was in fact his home.
He never asked us to move in. But when he did get the keys and brought us over to see, I was shocked to see a room designed for a princess. Complete with the same bed from the outside tree house, just bigger. Next to that bedroom was a hockey themed room. All in the colors of Matthew’s school colors. The touches were something that shot right through me. He was making sure we knew that we were going to be here whenever we wanted.
That night over pizza the topic of the conversation was that of the upcoming season, which was due to start in two weeks. Because Cooper was already part of the team, he didn’t have to go to the preseason training.
“I got everyone tickets to the home game. I also rented a hotel suite right next to the arena so we don’t have to drive back home. We can stay there and celebrate.”
Matthew’s eyes jump open. “All of us?”
He gets up from the table, coming back with three gift bags. One blue, one pink, and one purple. He hands the blue one to Matthew, the pink one to Allison, and the purple one to me.
“I got you guys something to celebrate me moving in here. Go ahead, open it.”
“We got pwesents. I like pwesensts, Cooper,” Allison says while digging into her bag, pulling out a small jersey with Cooper’s name on it.
“I want you to wear that when you come and see me play so everyone knows who my girl is.” He winks at her, making her giggle while she puts on the jersey backward at first and then making it right. It’s almost like a dress on her, but that is the smallest he could get.
She walks over to him, climbing onto his lap, kissing him on the cheek. “I’ll alwabs wear this for you.”
“Thanks, kid,” he says, hugging her close. “Go on, you two, open it up.”
Matthew and I look into our bags, pulling out the same jersey, and smile at each other.
“There is something else in the bag,” he says, making us both look in the bottom of the bag. My eye catches a key chain with a key on it.
Before I ask anything, Matthew speaks, “What’s this key for?”
Cooper puts down his water that he was drinking, answering him, “It’s a key to the house. I want you to know that you are always welcome here. If I’m here or not. You can come and go as you please.” He nods at the key in his hand.
“That’s cool. Do you think I can go watch TV in that hockey room?” he asks.
“That’s your room. You can do what you want in that room.”
We hear a gasp that has come out of Allison. “Can I have the pwrincess room?” she asks.
Laughing, Cooper answers her, “Where else would you sleep when you come over here?” He leans down to whisper in her ear, making her eyes go big. Jumping down from his lap, she runs out of the room, saying something about checking the closet and princess dresses.
When it is just the two of us, he motions to me to come to him with his finger. I get up, bringing my jersey with me.
When I’m close to him, he drags me onto his lap. I am sitting on him with my feet hanging on the sides on the chair.