Free Clarity of Lines by N.R. Walker Page A

We were worth it.
    I kissed the side of his head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
    * * * *
    In the morning, I woke up to find Cooper sitting on the bed with his phone in his hand. “Hey,” I said, my voice still sleepy. “Everything okay?”
    “Just got a message from Mom and Dad,” he said quietly. “They’re coming to see us before we go back to New York.”

Chapter Ten
    It was a very different meeting this time. Andrew and Paula Jones walked into the café at the hotel, looking more nervous than anything. Cooper’s mother looked like she’d barely slept.
    I knew how she felt.
    Cooper was stoic, his jaw was set and his chin was raised defiantly. I’d told him earlier, if he wanted to, he could listen to what they had to say and if it didn’t go well, the power was his to end the meeting.
    If they didn’t meet him halfway, at least.
    He’d told me he’d hear them out, but he wouldn’t wear any bullshit about me coercing him into bed. He wouldn’t cop being told he was just a kid, and that I had no right to take advantage of him. He was hurt and angry, and I didn’t blame him.
    As tough as he tried to make himself out to be, he wanted their approval. He wanted his parents in his life, without any disagreements, without any tension. He wanted them to be happy for him.
    Thankfully the waiter followed them in and took orders for coffee, which was an ice breaker for all of us.
    His mother started first. “Cooper, honey, I’m sorry yesterday ended up the way it did,” she said. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
    “I don’t want to fight with you either,” he said quietly.
    Then Paula stared at her husband, prompting him to speak.
    “Look, son, we might not agree with everything you do,” he said cautiously. He sighed and started again, “But it’s not our choice. We know that.”
    I half expected him to say ‘it’s not our mistake to make’ but thankfully, he didn’t.
    “No, it’s not your choice,” Cooper said. He wasn’t letting them off easily. “It’s my choice, and I’ve made it.”
    “We can see that,” his mother said, trying to smile.
    Just then, the waiter returned with our coffees and asked if we were ready to order breakfast.
    Cooper looked at his parents. “Will you be eating with us?” he asked quietly. It wasn’t really a question of food, it was a question of tolerance. If they stayed and ate with us, it meant they wanted to try to accept us.
    “Yes,” his mother said. “If that’s okay with you?”
    Cooper looked at his very-quiet father. “Dad?”
    “Yes,” he said, clearing his throat. He looked to the waiter. “We’re ready to order.”
    Cooper smiled and finally exhaled. He looked at me. “I’m starving. What are you having?”
    It was hard not to smile back at him, even with his death-grip on my hand under the table. “Eggs Benedict, I think.”
    Cooper looked up at the waiter. “One pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, and one eggs Benedict, with ham not salmon, sauce on the side, thanks.”
    The fact he ordered for me, knowing exactly how I liked my eggs done made me smile. It wasn’t lost on his parents either.
    It was pretty clear it was Paula, Cooper’s mother, who had insisted on this visit. His father was still standoffish, obviously not pleased with the idea of his son dating an older guy. But they were making an effort.
    “Where’s Max?” Cooper asked.
    “Still in bed,” Paula replied.
    “He won’t surface until lunch time,” his father mumbled.
    Cooper looked up thoughtfully and sighed. “Ah, the good old days.”
    His mother smiled at him. “You should invite him to New York for a weekend,” she said. “He’d love that.”
    “That’d be great,” Cooper said. “I’m pretty busy with work, but we could line it up with a concert or something he wants to see.” He looked at me, and smiled. “Max loves thrash death-metal.”
    “Oh, excellent,” I said sarcastically. “Another concert.”
    Cooper laughed. “You went to