How Green Becomes Wood

"Thank you," Cooger replied, more than pleased to just stay there all night and admire her. Again, he touched her hair, just loving the way the light hit her. This must be why his brother was an artist, he thought, wishing he could capture the way she looked just then. Instead, he had to just stand there and hoped he'd remember. "You know... I think I've been waiting for you. All this time."
 
Lex's brows rose at his sappy line, but she couldn't help smiling at him. "That is the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard someone tell me," she admitted. "I hope I was worth waiting for. I'm just glad someone else hadn't snatched you up first."
 
Lex chuckled and caught his face, guiding him to look at her. "Cooger, you are the best man I have ever known," she said lovingly and sincerely. "You have so many, many beautiful qualities about you. I still don't understand how you even exist, like a unicorn, but I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful for you. I'm not the sappy type, but I can't imagine my life without you." She pulled him in for another deep, tender kiss.
 
"Aw hell, you flatter me, Lex," Cooger sighed happily, kissing her again. Then, after she pulled away, because he didn't want to be first, he grinned at her and said, "I don't even care that you're from Jersey. It makes me at ease to know even you ain't perfect."
 
Lex laughed and lightly punched his shoulder. "Watch where you step, Mr. Jasper Caleb Cooger, or I'll take back your birthday present," she teased, letting her accent come out in full force.
 
There was something about the way she had teased him just then that made something click in his head. He remembered seeing Dark, of course, and Daizi, and the twins. "It was you, wasn't it?"
 
Lex didn't follow Cooger's line of thought, not thinking once of the prank she'd pulled just a short while ago, mostly because she was certain she'd gotten away with it. "Me who...?" she prompted, confused.
 
"Hmm, that's true, someone did murder you while Master Dark was out there selling his goods," Lex said, nodding thoughtfully. "I can't help you with whether or not you could see me. There was a decent crowd, and I wasn't looking toward you when I was watching him spin his yarns. For all I know, you shot yourself to earn sympathy votes. Or, were you and Master Dark in it together so he could have his plant in the crowd?" she accused, raising her brows at him.
 
"An honorable lawman who has a history of consorting with the same salesman you helped and are currently endorsing," Lex teased back. "You didn't even appear to notice that you were dying until you were needed as a distraction for the guy, after all."
 
"I was already dying by then!" Cooger exclaimed---unaware of how Dark nearly stepped out of the house with Ivy until he saw the couple on the porch, at which point he decided to take Ivy out the back way---"She knew I was shot because I was bleeding and I called her over and told her, 'Tarot, my god, I've been shot!'"
 
"Ah, that's how. Funny I didn't hear you. It must have been a quiet call," Lex said with a twinkle in her eye. "You know, shooting you seems like something that family would do, for sure."
 
"Well you were paying attention to the man whom you call Master Dark, you were too focused to hear," Cooger replied, "It did seem like something she'd do, but it wasn't her. And it wasn't Dark, or those boys. Which brings me right back to you."
 
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