But Cooper feared the only gesture Kayla would get from him going up on that stage would be of him fainting like a fucking pansy in front of everyone in this room. But if that’s what it took, then he had to find a way to give it to her.
His gaze fell to the microphone on the stage, and he swallowed hard. Could he get the nerve to go up there? To give her a sign he wasn’t fucking around? That he was here to stay?
Hell yeah, he could. And he would.
His heart racing, he climbed the steps two at a time, not allowing himself to dwell on the fact that every single eye in the crowded room would be on him—that he was about to do the thing that terrified him most. Second only to losing Kayla.
He whispered a quick explanation in the DJ’s ear, and the man looked at Susan for confirmation. At her nod, he killed the music and held the mic out to Cooper. “Go for it. Good luck, man.”
Grabbing the mic with sweaty palms, it slipped out of his grip and clanged on the stage. A deafening boom filled the room and everyone grabbed their ears. As the crowd turned to see what caused the racket, he kept his focus on Kayla.
She hadn’t turned around like everyone else. She was heading for the bar, her steps a little bit unsteady but obviously not from drinking. He could tell she was upset.
So was he.
Bending down, he grabbed the microphone with a firm grip, the other hand holding his knee for support. If he tried to stand up straight, he might pass out. “Kayla, d-don’t take another step.”
She stopped and spun on her heel, her eyes wide. “Get down from there,” she called from across the room.
“Not until you listen to me.”
“Cooper…” With a helpless expression on her face, she looked at Susan, but Susan just grinned at her—at least until the bride gestured for him to start talking.
Go on, Susan mouthed.
Shit. It was now or never.
He held the microphone in a death grip and forced himself to stand straight, despite the dizziness making his head spin. “You told me you wanted a man who would face his fears. Well, I’m doing it. I’m up here, ready to talk to you.”
The whole room watched, frozen like elegant ice statues, no one daring to do so much as cough. Kayla walked toward him, her steps slow. “So talk, then.”
“I’m going to start at the beginning and tell you the truth about that flight. I didn’t have a first class ticket. I was supposed to sit in coach, but I paid an extra three hundred dollars to upgrade at the last minute after I met you.”
She finally reached the floor directly in front of the stage. He tried to ignore everyone else. It was just the two of them—and he was not up on the stage. It was an old military trick of his. He needed to act as if nothing else existed but his target—and this time, his target wasn’t the enemy. It was Kayla.
He took another deep breath. “I wanted to sit with you. I saw how nervous you were and knew you would be alone on the plane, with no one to help you forget about your fears. But it was more than that. I wanted an excuse to keep talking to you. I couldn’t figure you out, and if I sat next to you on the trip…I would have hours to get to know more about you before we landed. I needed to know more.”
She bit down on her lip and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. So he soldiered on.
“After I met you, I couldn’t believe you were still single and sitting next to me. The first time I kissed you, I think I knew then that you were the one for me.” He broke off and scanned the crowd, acutely aware of his captivated audience. After clearing his throat, he continued. “They say when you meet the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, you know it. There’s no questioning or second-guessing. You just know, like a punch to the face. That’s how I felt about you. No, how I feel about you.”
“Cooper…”
He held his free hand up. “When I met you, I told you I had to get this job overseas because I needed to make up for past mistakes. But you helped me realize that’s not true. That this…this single minded determination I have to commit my life to righting an unfortunate accident isn’t the best thing for me. You saw things in me that I didn’t even see in myself. And that’s something I love about us. We make each other stronger. Braver.”
She smiled and blinked back tears.
“I know I don’t need to be needed anymore. It’s not a requirement for happiness. I don’t need you to need me, but God I need you.” He held his free hand over his heart. “I need you here. And I have you to thank for the new perspective I have on life.” He looked out over the crowd. “All of you, actually. Thank you.”
He focused again on her and only her again. She covered her mouth with her hand, as if struggling to maintain composure, and hugged herself with her other arm. It was time to finish this speech up so he could hold her. “When I left after our fight last night, instead of feeling ready to move on, I felt empty. By the time I got to the hotel, I knew I’d made a huge mistake. I knew what I had to do, and I started making phone calls. I started changing my life.” He glanced at Mr. Holt, who was standing close to Kayla. “I’m not going overseas, Kayla. I’m staying in Maine, at my dad’s company. And with you, I hope.”
He saw her turn to Frankie, who nodded at her, an encouraging smile on his face. Turning back to Cooper, she took a step forward. Then another. Then another. “Cooper…”
He straightened his shoulders and waited to see if she’d accept him, flaws and all. “If you’ll have me, there’s a one hundred percent chance I’ll be forever yours.”
She grinned and put her hands on her hips. “So now you’re into percentages, too?”
He grinned. “God yes. Those, and everything else that matters to you.”