When former beauty pageant queen, Ellie Wilde, hears of her grandmother's sickness, she's the first to offer to drive her to her chemotherapy. What she didn't know she was agreeing to was an obnoxiously cheerful blond boy somehow nudging his way int...
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"I still don't understand why you had to pick me up," Ellie says, glancing to the driver's seat to admire her companion's profile. "I could have driven myself."
Cooper spares a glance in her direction, raising an eyebrow before facing the road once more. "My parents can be a lot to handle. I just wanted to make sure I at least had the drive home to convince you not to break up with me."
A lively chuckle passes her lips. "I'm not going to break up with you, Cooper. Why would I put myself through all this emotional turmoil if that were my plan? No way. I would've left you by now."
"That's reassuring," he says dryly. Ellie reaches over the center console, enclosing her hand around his and resting her head back against her seat. "But really, El. I have to warn you about my parents."
"You've already warned me about them."
"Not really. All I've said is that they're cold, which they are, but there's more to it." He pauses, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "My parents love me. It's just hard for them to show their love in a warm and affectionate way. They take more of a tough love approach, but they haven't always been like this. Things just haven't really been the same since my brother—"
"Wait," she says, holding a hand up in the air and turning to face him, "you have a brother?"
"Well, technically he's my half-brother, but yeah. My brother." His eyebrows furrow as he looks over at her. "Surely I've mentioned him before."
"No. You definitely haven't mentioned a brother."
"My mom was married before my dad. She had my brother, Steven, during that marriage. Her husband passed away and then she met my dad and had me. I probably haven't mentioned my brother because he left when he turned eighteen."
She frowns. "What do you mean left?"
"He just left." Cooper shrugs, a look of pain making its way across his features. "He never liked my dad, thought he was too strict. When he turned eighteen he packed up his bags and took off. I don't even think he knows I have cancer."
Ellie doesn't say anything, instead leaning back in her seat and focusing her gaze out the window, trying to wrap her head around what it would be like to have a brother who doesn't even speak to you.
"My mom has been extra protective of me since Steven left. She's scared of losing her other son, understandably I guess. My dad is just sort of a silent guy. He only speaks when he deems it necessary. Together, they aren't winning any awards for world's most loving parents." He looks to her briefly. "I just want you to know that they aren't assholes. It's just how they are."
She nods her head in understanding just as Cooper pulls up to the driveway of his house. With a sudden sense of nerves, she takes a deep and calming breath, readying herself to meet his parents. Just as she reaches for the door handle, Cooper's hand shoots out and wraps around her arm.
