A Wall Between

Chapter 19

They returned to the lake house to find Mason and Bianca both up. They were sitting on the sofa downstairs together, looking through some photo albums. Logan passed a coffee to Mason, who gratefully accepted it, then sat down on the arm of the sofa and placed a box of doughnuts on Bianca's lap as he pressed a kiss against her cheek.

"Hey, hey, none of that couple shit in front of the single people," Mason scolded.

The sofa was already overcrowded, so Cooper sat down on the floor. "I think it's cute."

"Of course it's cute. Too fucking cute. I'm out here trying to convince myself I'm fine on my own and they're not helping."

"What's on the agenda for today?" Logan asked, ignoring Mason entirely.

"I need to pick up some alcohol to help me seduce a guy I like," Cooper said. "And a leaf. I promised him I'd bring him back a leaf."

"Cooper, you're the strangest person I know, but your needs are very easy to meet and I appreciate that," Logan said. "What about you, Mase? Anywhere you want to go?"

"Yeah, but nothing we all have to be a part of," Mason said. "I'll take Cooper to get his alcohol and do some stuff of my own while you go dress shopping. Assuming that's something you're actually going to do and not some bullshit you made up for mum."

"No, I guess I should get some maternity dresses," Bianca said. "It just seems like such a waste when I'm only going to be pregnant for five more months."

"Don't worry about it," Logan told her. "I'll pay. I want you to feel comfortable."

"And that's very sweet and I appreciate it, but I just hate being wasteful in general. I guess I can give it to a charity shop, though."

"Do you actually want to get a suit, by the way, Cooper?" Logan asked. "We can do that first if you do."

Cooper made a face. "I don't know if I really need one. I don't go anywhere fancy. I don't want to go anywhere fancy."

"Well, you will be invited to our wedding when that happens, though you can wear whatever you want to that. Assuming you do want to come, of course."

"Oh. Hm." Cooper's frown deepened. "Yeah. I do want to be there."

"Cooper, have you considered that suits don't have to be plain black?" Bianca asked. "Maybe you'd feel better about it if it didn't remind you of other things."

Mason choked on a mouthful of his coffee. "Yes! Get a suit mum and dad will hate. And the best part is, they're paying for it."

Cooper lay down on the floor, but he rolled onto his side so that he could continue looked at the others. The carpet felt soft and plush against his face. "I don't really want to give mum and dad more reasons to be angry at me, but it's a fair point that I probably wouldn't hate a suit so much if it didn't look like that boring, all occasions men's formal wear that you can slap on for a fancy dinner, a funeral, or a business meeting and look perfectly at home."

"I always liked that about suits, personally," Logan said. "Women have to worry about a whole outfit and about wearing different things for different occasions. I just have a suit and I'm set."

"I like caring a bit, but mostly it's just the association," Cooper said. "When you wear the same outfit to every event, it tends to pick up memories. And when most suits look pretty much the same..."

"Yeah, makes sense," Logan said. "We'll get that first, then me and Bianca will go shopping for her clothes while you two do your stuff, then meet back for lunch?"