Intercepting Love

  “Okay,” he sighed. “If you change your mind you know where I’m at.”

  “I will,” I whispered. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  When I heard the final click of the line go dead, I knew it was over. Closing my eyes, I bit my lip until I could taste blood; even more so when Marianne laughed at my expense.

  “At least Cooper’s mom will be glad she doesn’t have to worry about you. There was one thing we had in common … we didn’t like you. You see, she knew you weren’t good enough for her son, and I knew you weren’t good enough for mine. It killed me that Scott chose you over me. Every time I wanted him to come home and visit, he said he couldn’t because he was too busy doing something with you. You have no idea what it feels like to be a mother and have your favorite child treat you like second best.”

  I really wanted to tell her that Scott was a big boy and made his own decisions. It wasn’t my fault that he chose me over her. If she wasn’t so controlling maybe he would’ve had a reason to go home. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow creep up the hallway outside of my door. I didn’t dare look for fear that Marianne would look, too. I prayed it was Cooper, but knowing my luck it was probably just a figment of my imagination.

  “So what’s going to make you happy, huh? Do you want me to break up with Cooper and be miserable for the rest of my life?”

  “No, dear,” she responded, grinning evilly. “All I wanted was to say what I had to say to you and end it. I honestly thought I’d get more pleasure in ruining you and Cooper, but you two just don’t want to stay away from each other. I don’t trust you to end it, so now I have to do it myself.”

  I moved over a step. All I needed was a few more inches and I’d be able to grab the bat. Marianne continued to move closer, waving the gun in the air with her finger on the trigger. She set my ring down on the dresser and slid the piece of paper out from underneath my jewelry box. It was one of the letters from Scott. She had her back to the door, and that was when Cooper came into my line of sight and put a finger to his lips.

  Opening the piece of paper, Marianne huffed and said, “I don’t know what it is about you and these men, but they fall all over you like you’re something special. All I see is a self-involved, spoiled girl who cared more about her schoolwork than taking care of my son, who worshipped the ground you walked on. I just don’t …”

  Her eyes went wide as she read the letter. She immediately stopped what she was saying and whispered one word when she got to the end, “Scott.”

  Everything after that moved in slow motion. Cooper threw something down the hall—making a loud crashing sound—and it captured Marianne’s attention for a fraction of a second, allowing me to grab the baseball bat and swing. I didn’t get as much force behind it as I wanted, but when it connected with her arm I knew it was going to leave one hell of a bruise, or maybe even a broken bone.

  The only problem was that it wasn’t enough of a distraction for her to drop the gun. When she hollered in pain, she reared back at me, her eyes wild. Before she could lift the gun and aim it at me, Cooper exploded into the room straight for her; except, he didn’t get to her in time.

  After that … all I saw was red.

  The sound of the gun blasted through my ears, and when I saw a spray of blood spurt from Cooper’s body, every ounce of fear and terror I felt in my gut made my blood run cold. After that I didn’t think … I reacted. Cooper was still on his feet—holding his side—but I was the one closer to Marianne.

  My God, I hated her.

  Before she could turn around, I took Scott’s baseball bat and swung. The sickening thud as I made contact with her skull made my stomach cringe, especially when she landed face first on the hardwood floor. For so long, she hurt me and made me miserable, but now she hurt Cooper. The gun she had in her hand slid across the floor, but it didn’t look like she’d be picking it up anytime soon. I hit her pretty hard, but I knew it wasn’t a killing blow. Rushing to the gun, I grabbed it off the floor and ran straight to Cooper, who immediately put his arms around me.

  “Kate,” he murmured, grunting in pain. Crying, I quickly pulled out of his arms and lifted his shirt where he was shot. “It’s just a graze, love. It could’ve been worse.”

  Realizing it was just a graze right above his hipbone, I sighed in relief, but I knew it had to hurt like hell every time he moved. I fetched a T-shirt from my pajama drawer and placed it on his wound, adding pressure. “I need you to put pressure on your wound, okay? I’m going to call the police,” I told him, reaching into my pocket for my phone.

  “I already called, Kate. Sam should be here any second.”

  Right about that time I heard the front door slam open and footsteps barreling up the stairs. Sam burst into my room with his gun drawn, followed by Officer Stilwell who lowered his and went straight to Marianne, lying motionless on the floor. He called for a couple of ambulances and for backup while Sam holstered his gun and inspected Cooper’s wound.

  “This isn’t the way I wished it would’ve gone down, but at least it’s over,” Sam assured us. “She’s not going to bother you again … ever.”

  “Thank God,” I replied, “because next time I don’t know if I can stop with just one swing to her head.”

  Once the ambulances came, the medics loaded Marianne into one in—which Officer Stilwell rode in as well—while Cooper was put in the other one. Before I climbed in, Sam stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. “I wanted you to know that Emily called me this afternoon and told me some things. Apparently, Mrs. Easton was delusional.”

  Yeah, I kind of figured that out today, I wanted to say.

  “There were times when she claimed that Scott was still alive and that he was talking to her, demanding she seek vengeance for his death. There was also an incident up in Ohio when she tried to attack a girl that looked just like you. She wasn’t charged with anything so we had no idea that had even happened. They settled it without pressing charges.”

  “Why didn’t Emily say something sooner?” I scoffed incredulously. “It would’ve been nice to know she was that mentally unstable.”

  Sam sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I know, but I guess she wanted to believe that her mother would get better. We all hold out hope for the best, right? Anyway, no amount of reasoning with her would’ve spared you. She knew about Scott’s cancer and chose not to believe it. I’m just glad Cooper called and got to you in time.”

  “Me too,” I whispered, looking over my shoulder at the man who risked everything for me.

  “Now go and get our star quarterback to the hospital so he’ll be ready for the game on Saturday. Just because he got shot doesn’t mean he can sit it out,” he added with a wink before ambling off.

  After climbing into the ambulance, Cooper smiled and patted the bed he sat on. “You know, I think we should christen this ambulance. Don’t you think that could be kind of interesting?”

  The medic blushed and cleared her throat, keeping her gaze on anything and everything other than me and Cooper. She had to be in her mid to late thirties with short, pixie-cut brown hair and a splash of freckles on her nose and cheeks. She tried to keep from laughing as I sat down on the roll away bed with Cooper.

  “Yeah, right! I can see it now in the headlines … Star Quarterback Makes Daunting Play in the Back of an Ambulance. I think we’ve been in the papers one too many times already,” I chuckled.

  “Not to barge in on the conversation,” the medic interrupted, gazing straight at me, “but I’m pretty sure you’re going to be in the papers again. Something like this doesn’t just happen, especially to people like him,” she said, nodding toward Cooper. “Everyone loves him around here, so they’re going to want to hear about his heroic attempt to save the girl he loves.”

  Cooper’s wide smile was contagious. He had just gotten shot, but he looked happier than I’d ever seen him. “You see, love. Things are finally looking up for us. I found my redemption and a home here, and y
ou finally have your peace. For once we can live our lives the way we want to and not have anyone hold us back. It’s going to be a new beginning for us.”

  The medic, whose name happened to be Jennifer, shut the ambulance doors and we were finally on our way to the hospital. Thankfully, Jennifer moved up to the front and let Cooper and I have a little bit of privacy. Putting his arm around me, Cooper kissed me on the forehead while I snuggled against his chest. I didn’t want to think what would’ve happened if Marianne had better aim and really injured him. The thought of killing someone had never crossed my mind, but if she took Cooper away from me, I was afraid that nothing would’ve stopped me from killing her. Thankfully, I didn’t have to find out.

  “So how did you know to save me?” I asked curiously, gazing up at him.

  Sighing, he brushed his thumb across my lips and bent down to kiss me. “You don’t ever call me, Coop, Kate. I knew something was wrong the second I heard you say that to me. I wanted to ask you what was going on, but I didn’t want to run the risk of being heard through the phone. You have no idea how much it killed me to let you go. After that, I immediately called Sam and told him something was wrong. He told me to wait on him before I did anything stupid, but there was no way in hell I was going to waste another second. If I didn’t come when I did, I’m afraid it would’ve been too late.”

  Skimming a finger across the bandage on his right side, I closed my eyes and squeezed them shut; they burned. When I opened them, tears fell down my cheeks. “Well, you came right on time. I don’t know how to thank you, Cooper. You saved me … in more ways than one.”

  Tilting my chin up with his finger, he stared down at me with his watery blue gaze. “And you saved me, love. For however long you want me, I’m going to spend that time making it up to you … I promise.”

  “Well, then it looks like you’ll be making it up to me for a really long time.”

  Because I wasn’t planning on ever letting him go.

  Four Months Later

  After everything that happened, Marianne was put away for the rest of her life and even more insane than before she went in. Apparently, the baseball bat to her head didn’t knock any sense in her … it made her worse. One thing was for certain, she’d never see the outside world again and her daughter was finally free of her. Kate hurt for Emily and talked to her about once every week, but there was still some tension that would probably never go away.

  My mother, on the other hand, had frequently tried to call me since she found out my team was heading to the Super Bowl. Yeah, that’s right; I’m finally going to the Super Bowl. What made it even more of an epic event was that our team was playing against the one who got rid of me. There was sure to be some tension there, but I was ready.

  I had two weeks until the game, so Kate and I decided on a little vacation down to Nags Head, North Carolina where the infamous Paige Monroe a.k.a Shelby Dawson Reynolds would interview me for another piece in Physique Sports and Fitness Magazine. The interview took a different turn, but I was ready for everyone to know the real me.

  Gazing out the window of Shelby’s beach house, I watched as Kate walked along the beach with the wind blowing her golden blonde hair behind her. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

  “Are you sure you want the whole world to read this story?” Shelby asked. “It’s really personal. It’s not easy exposing yourself and letting everyone see inside of you. Although, I do know that people will fall in love with you after they read it.”

  I chuckled, still gazing out the window. “Yeah, well, I’m sure I’m going to break some hearts coming up soon.”

  Slowly getting to her feet, Shelby rubbed her swollen belly and came to my side, grinning mischievously at me then out the window to Kate. “Oh yeah, why is that?”

  I winked. “Just make sure you watch the Super Bowl and you’ll find out. Even if you’re in the hospital having that baby of yours, you better turn on the television and watch the game.”

  Shelby laughed and smacked me on the arm. “Hey, I’m pretty sure if that happens Matt will definitely have the television on while I’m sitting there giving birth. I don’t know what it is about men and the Super Bowl.” She rubbed her stomach again and smiled. “I’m sure my little tyke will be breaking plenty of hearts when he gets older if he’s anything like his dad. It’s amazing how things turn out, though. Second chances aren’t easy to come by, but yet you got yours.”

  Yes, I did.

  Super Bowl Sunday

  It was Super Bowl Sunday and the whole city of Charlotte buzzed with raw excitement and energy. Luckily, the game was on home soil, but with that came the added pressure to succeed. Our team was pumped and ready to go; except, I had a different kind of fear skating its way up my spine. We were not only playing my old team for the championship, but I had a special kind of play to do that would change my life forever.

  “Are you nervous?” Evan asked, taking a seat beside me. The locker room echoed with laughter and shouts from my team, but I had chosen to spend the last few moments before the big game in solitude.

  Taping up my fingers, I smiled and tilted my head toward him. “A little,” I confessed, “but I know the team will kick ass out there and have my back.”

  Evan chuckled and slapped me on the shoulder. “I wasn’t talking about the game, but I think you knew that.”

  Was I that transparent?

  He got up to walk away, but then quickly turned around. “Oh yeah, before I go there’s someone that wants to talk to you.”

  “Is it Kate?” I asked, getting to my feet.

  He shook his head. “No, it’s not her, but he’s waiting by the door for you.”

  Once I was fully dressed and ready, I left my secluded corner and strolled through the locker room, almost going deaf from the guys shouting in my ear. I laughed along with them until I saw who was at the door and my smile vanished. He still looked the same wearing the usual black Oakland jacket with black slacks; his white hair covered by a visor. It was my former coach … William Sanford. I hadn’t spoken to him since the last time he told me I wasn’t cut out for his team.

  “Well, look at you,” he announced, extending his hand.

  Taking his hand, I shook it firmly and narrowed my gaze. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked dryly.

  William held up his hands in defeat. “Okay, I get it, you’re still pissed at me and you should be. What I said was wrong, and I wanted to come down here and apologize. You’ve done really well this season; the team’s proud of you.”

  “Are they now?”

  William glanced around the locker room and nodded his head toward the hallway. I followed him out and definitely wasn’t expecting the next words that came out of his mouth.

  “We’d like to have you back, Cooper. Our manager can pull some strings and have you back on the team by next season. I know you probably want to get back home. That’s where your family and friends are.”

  About that time, Evan and the guys all strolled out of the room down the opposite hallway with Joel pulling up the rear. He glanced over at us, and nodded, his smile melancholy. Did he know I was being offered this? Turning his back on us, he followed the team until he disappeared around the corner.

  “So what do you say? Are you in?” he asked with a gleam in his eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and smiled. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to pass.”

  Eyes wide, his mouth dropped open in shock. “You can’t be serious? You actually want to stay here?”

  “I do,” I admitted wholeheartedly. “My home is here now; this is where I belong. I guess I should be thanking you for letting me go.”

  William sighed and clapped me on the shoulder. “Well, it was a mistake I’ll never live down. All right, if that’s your choice I’ll leave you be. Just know that the offer still stands. I wish you the best, Cooper, and good luck out there. It’s going to be a good game.”

  Yes, it is.

  Once I joined my tea
m out on the field, Joel discreetly sidled up to my side and cleared his throat; he actually sounded worried when he spoke, “So what did you decide? Are you going to go back to them?”

  Before I could reply, Evan threw me my helmet and winked; the game was about to begin. Quickly, I turned to my uncle and did something I never thought I’d do out in front of everyone … I hugged him hard.

  “You’re stuck with me, Joel. I’m not going anywhere.”

  His arms tightened around my back. “That’s what I like to hear, son. Now go out there and show them what you can do. Go!”

  I rushed off out onto the field and found Kate immediately. She was in the middle between Lara and Luke—wearing a Cougars jersey with my number—with the biggest grin on her face, waving and cheering my name. Seeing her made me smile, but also knowing Luke was going to hate me after today made me smile even wider.

  “All right, boys, this is it,” I shouted at them. “Let’s kick some ass.”

  Half-time approached and the score was tied. The guys left the field to recuperate while the show began in center field. Cooper said that Joel wanted to give them a pep talk during half-time, so instead of hanging out with him like I usually did during the games, I decided to stay with Lara and Luke.

  “Don’t your motocross races start in the next couple of weeks?” I asked Luke.

  All three of us had on Cougars jerseys, but instead of wearing Cooper’s number like Lara and I were doing, he had on Evan’s.

  “Yes, and you promised to come to some of them, remember? I expect to see you at my first one,” he insisted boldly.

  I nudged him in the side with my elbow. “I’ll be there, don’t worry. I want to see you win.”

  “You’re damn right.”

  Once the half-time show was over, we all took our seats and waited on the workers to move the stage off the field. “Guys, I’m kind of thirsty, do you want anything to eat or drink? I’m going to get something really quick before the game starts back up.” Lara shook her head, but Luke stood with me.