The Barefoot Groom: Bachelor Billionaire Romance (A Last Play Companion) by Taylor Hart Page B

second he didn’t respond. Then he laughed. “What?”
    The reporter in her took over. “You know, like the cartoon, or meet the prince and fall in love. Whatever. I mean…whatever we had the other night was nice.” The familiar resentment pressed into her heart. “But it wasn’t real, okay?”
    Giving her an up and down look, he blew out his breath. “Man, that guy did a number on you, huh?”
    The truth of his words silenced her. She turned away, becoming very interested in the view.
    “Look, you’re the first person I’ve ever told this, but when Nadia passed away…she’d already left me.”
    It took a few seconds for her to realize he was talking about his wife again. She’d read Nadia had died of cancer. “I don’t understand.”
    “She left me before she even had cancer.” He let out a derisive laugh. “I guess you’re getting full disclosure now. Maybe even more than you wanted. She left me and then came back six weeks later. She told me she had stage four cancer and couldn’t get through it without me.”
    For a second, she couldn’t breathe. Everything shifted inside of her. “And you took her back?”
    He blinked and let out a long breath. “Nadia was an orphan from Russia. She had no family. The guy she left me for left her high and dry. She had no one.”
    The anger building inside of her came as a surprise. “But she left you for another guy?”
    His jaw tightened.
    She flinched, seeing his obvious pain. “I’m sorry.”
    His hand clenched into a fist, then he relaxed, shaking out his hands. “I believe everything happens for a reason.”
    London’s racing heart was only partly due to the connection between them. She could not believe the perfect story Cooper was handing her on a silver platter. Her hands were clammy. How could she use this stuff in her story?
    There was no way. It was too personal. Private. Sacred. Like walking across clean white carpet with dog doo doo on her foot. No, she couldn’t use it. Compassion for him filled her, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking. “So why did it happen?”
    A sad look washed over his face, and he moved down a little ways to a large, flat rock and gestured to her. “Want to sit?”
    “No, I’ll stand.” She’d never been a fan of heights, and this felt too on top of the world to her. The edge was so close it seemed as if they could tumble and fall to their deaths easily.
    He sat and looked out like the cover model of a Land’s End catalog with that perfect blond hair, light white shirt, and khaki pants. Crossing his legs into a crisscross applesauce position, he put his hands flat together in front of his chest and sucked in a large breath. “Will you at least come sit?”
    Not moving, she watched him take a few big breaths. “Are you meditating or something?” He wasn’t closing his eyes, but he looked so intent.
    “It’s a version of meditation, but it keeps you fully awake and conscious.”
    He kept doing long breaths.
    “You sound like one of those creepy phone callers you get when you’re in junior high and the boys crank call, breathe heavy, and scare you.” She frowned.
    The side of his lip tugged up as he took in another long breath. “I guess you are familiar with said stalkers?”
    A light laugh came out of her as she sat next to Cooper, remembering seventh grade and Billy Hicks’ incessant calling. He’d even called from his friends’ phones because he didn’t want her to know it was him.
    He gently took her hand into his. “I’m not a creepy phone stalker.”
    Her heart raced, and her mouth went dry. She wasn’t sure why she let him hold her hand, but she did. “There. That’s better, don’t you think?”
    Lazily, his eyes met hers. They were close. So close. His eyes were green with a burst of yellow light in the middle. They were the kind of eyes that felt like they could capture a person and never let them go.
    Then Cooper was leaning forward, and she leaned forward too. And, much like the