Agony (Entangled Hearts Duet 1)

My phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I curse under my breath. Reese stirs. Her arms stretch out above her head, and she rolls over to face me. “Hey.”

Has she always looked this beautiful when she first wakes up? “Hi. Feel better?” I ask, faking a yawn. The last thing I need is for her to know that I was being a creeper and holding her close, just because I could.

“Much better. Remind me to never drink like that again.”

I nod. Although, I don’t know that I’ll have the willpower to stop her, knowing how the night might end. My phone vibrates again. Reaching over, I grab it and look at the screen. It’s my mom. I show Reese the screen, and she props herself up on her elbow. “Hey, Mom,” I greet her.

“Cooper, are you still sleeping? It’s one o’clock on Saturday.” There’s humor in her voice.

“Yep. It was a… long night,” I say, glancing at Reese and winking.

“Cooper Reeves, is there a woman in your bed?” Mom scolds me.

“Yep. Want to see her?”

“No. I do not want to see her, Cooper,” she sighs.

“Mom, you’ll love her. I promise.” I switch the call to video chat and hold it between us.

“Hey, Ann,” Reese says.

“Reese?”

We both laugh. “Yep.”

“Oh,” Mom says, and I can hear the excitement in her voice. It’s no secret that our mothers think we are just perfect for each other. Their words, not ours. Although they keep them to themselves. I’ve just happened to overhear them a time or two.

“What are you kids getting into today?”

“Just hanging out.”

“You were sleeping?” She tries to keep her question nonchalant, but Reese and I share a look, that ends with us both shaking our heads.

“Yes. We had people over last night. Reese stayed instead of going home late on her own.”

“Where’s Tessa?”

Have I mentioned that our parents are very involved in our lives? “She stayed here with Nixon.”

“Oh, that’s right. Well, it’s nice that you were there for Reese to stay with you.”

I read between the lines. So does Reese. Which is why I assume she changes the subject. “How have you been?” Reese asks.

“Good. Good. Your mom and I are going shopping in a while. It’s been too long since I spoke to my son, so I decided to call.”

“Cooper,” Reese scolds. “You need to call your mother more.”

“Me? What about you? When was the last time you called Eve?” I ask, talking about her mom.

“Yesterday,” she says smugly.

“See, Cooper, you should follow Reese’s lead,” Mom says, barely holding in her laughter.

“It’s been like three days,” I counter.

“Three days without talking to my only son. Just wait, one day when you’re a parent, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.”

I sigh loudly. Dramatically. They both laugh. “Where are you ladies going today?”

“To the mall. Your dads are building a workbench or something in Garrett’s garage.”

“Dad’s sprucing up the mancave again?” Reese asks.

“I guess. You know your mom, and I try not to ask questions,” Mom tells her. “That’s her. Hold on a sec.” We hear her shuffling and then opening the door and greeting Eve. “I’m talking to the kids.”

“Hey, kids,” Eve says. You can hear the smile in her voice. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, they were sleeping,” Mom says. Her tone is telling as she makes it out to be a bigger deal than what it is. At least, more than what I want her to think that it is. Even Reese doesn’t know what this little nap did for me. Or my thoughts about her.

“We were up late,” Reese tells her mom.

“I see. Well, what are you two getting into today?” Eve asks.

“Nothing,” Reese answers. “Not a single thing.”

Eve chuckles. “Enjoy the break. Cooper, you ready for the big game?”

“You know it. We’re bringing home a win,” I tell her.

“We’re cheering for you. I got my jersey packed and ready,” Eve assures me.

“You guys are coming?” I don’t know why I’m surprised; they’ve always supported me.

“Of course, we are.”

“No pressure,” I say, and all three ladies in my life laugh.

“You know you’re going to kill it out there,” Reese says. “You’ve been on fire all season.”

“She’s right,” Mom chimes in.

“Reese, I sent you a package today. Great Aunt Edna made you a sweater,” Eve says, barely holding in her laughter.

“I wonder how big this one will be?” I muse.

“She does know I’m an adult now, right?” Reese asks her mom.

“Come on, Reese’s Pieces. You should be flattered.”

“It was for a toddler, Coop. In fact, I’m not sure even a toddler could fit into that thing.”

“She was so mad when you didn’t send her a picture of you wearing it,” Eve comments.

“Yeah, Reese. You’ll have to model it. Eve, I’ll take the picture myself,” I offer, because it’s sure to be a good laugh, but also, seeing Reese in a skimpy state of undress is high on my list of priorities all of a sudden.