“Far too long,” she replied softly, and pulled his lips down to hers. Bri’s heart swelled, so grateful that they were here, together, despite everything that had tried to keep them apart. She tried to show him how grateful she was for him, how much she loved him, and she felt his answering love for her. A love so pure and deep, it still shocked her. She was still getting used to feeling these kinds of intense emotions, but she couldn’t deny that she was quickly becoming addicted to it. She loved the rush his touch brought, the way his lips could ignite a fire inside her. And she loved feeling like she was the most precious thing on earth, treasured and cherished above anything else. She hoped he felt the same love and devotion from her, as she tried to tell and show him every day exactly what he meant to her.
Yes, she and Cole had overcome a lot to reach this point. And as the future lay ahead of them, stretching vastly before them like an endless ocean, Bri knew they could face whatever came their way, becoming stronger and more unified because of it. Theirs was a future worth hoping for, worth believing in, and she was excited to see where it brought them.
Chapter 6
Cole had always loved fishing. Getting up at the crack of dawn, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the boat as it cut through the waves; everything about it. But most of all, he loved the peace. No talking, it scared the fish away, no one to impress or entertain. It was just him and his thoughts. It was nice to have some quiet time to center himself. He hadn’t been fishing since he’d left for Duke, and dang, he had missed it.
But this morning, his calm center was a little harder to find, as some of his and Bri’s choice moments together ran rampant through his head. Their make out session on the beach last night replayed itself over, and over; as did that night in his room, when that idiot Matt had barged in and interrupted them. He had been so close! He had waited so long, and Bri had finally been ready, and bam! His stupid roommate ruined everything, and sent Bri back into regression. She hadn’t said anything, but Cole could tell that whatever readiness she’d had before had fled, and they were back to square one: waiting, again.
Which was even more difficult now that he’d had a small glimpse of what he was missing. Holy hell, he didn’t think he could survive this much longer.
Imagining all the ways he wanted to kill Matt made him feel slightly better. With no roommate to interrupt them, things would be so much better. Longingly, he let his mind play out how differently that night might have ended in a Matt-free world…
“Hey, Cole!”
He snapped out of his daydream, realizing that someone had been shouting his name. “What?” he turned to Seb, a little perturbed about being interrupted.
“Oh, nothing. Just thought you might like to know you’ve got a bite on your line. I’m sorry, I thought you’d come out to fish, not stare out at the ocean with a dopey grin on your face,” Seb smirked.
“What? Oh, crap!” Cole quickly gripped his pole, and reeled in the line. Sure enough, a small fish dangled on his line. Too small to eat, Cole removed it and tossed it back.
“Quite the haul you’ve got there,” Seb quipped.
“Yeah, and you’re just the master fisherman,” Cole shot back.
“I am the master of many things,” Seb smirked. “What were you thinking about, anyway? It must have been good to distract you like that.”
“You don’t want to know,” Cole shook his head.
Seb gave him a knowing smile. “You’re right, I really don’t.”
“Okay you two, enough. You’re scaring away the fish,” Jimmy grunted. Scott shot Seb a warning look.
Looking around the boat, Cole smiled. He had really missed this. It wouldn’t be very often anymore that he, Seb, Jimmy, and Scott would be together like this, and he wanted to enjoy every minute. It was Saturday morning, and he and Bri would be flying home the next day. He didn’t know when he’d be back home, so he was absorbing everything.
But even as he was enjoying being with his family and friends, Cole was missing Duke. North Carolina was beginning to feel as much like home as California was. He didn’t know if he should feel guilty about that, but it was the truth. Maybe it was because he’d always wanted to get out of L.A., or maybe it was because Bri was at Duke, and she was where he wanted to be. His family would always be his family, but the house he’d grown up in didn’t feel like his home anymore.
Cole puzzled over this much less distracting chain of thought, until it was time to reel in and headed back to shore. After showering and eating lunch, Cole decided to call Bri. He knew she was spending her last day home with her family, but he couldn’t help it, he missed her. She must’ve missed him too, because she answered after the first ring, and immediately invited him over.
So he spent his last afternoon home with Bri and her family. Liam and Logan kept him busy wrestling and playing football, and even Connor and Summer didn’t seem to mind him hanging around. It was like he was one of the family. He smiled to himself at that thought. Thanks to Bri, his family had doubled in size. Summer insisted that he stay for dinner, and invite his dad over, too. After dinner, they all played games until it was time for the twins to go to bed.
“Cole, will you come tuck us in?” Logan yawned.
“Of course, squirt,” Cole smiled. He tried to act unaffected, but he was really touched the boys wanted him to put them to bed. Bri smiled warmly at him as he followed the twins to their room. Not having had any siblings himself, he wasn’t exactly sure what “tucking in” involved. Luckily both boys jumped into bed and pulled their covers up. Cole walked over to Liam’s bed and ruffled his hair. “You two better get right to sleep if you want to take your sister and me to the airport in the morning. We have to leave early.”
“Okay, Cole.” Liam reached up and gave Cole a hug. Surprised, Cole squeezed him back. “Goodnight.”
“‘Night, buddy.” Cole moved over to Logan’s bed, where he was pulled in for another hug.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Logan whispered sadly.
“I know, I wish I could stay, too. But I’ll be back before you know it, okay?”
“Okay,” Logan nodded. “Goodnight.”
“‘Night, kiddo,” he smiled. He stood and turned, and saw Bri propped in the door frame, watching him.
“I don’t know if I should be mad that I’ve been replaced,” she smiled as he closed the boys’ door.
He chuckled. “I’m just new. They’ll get over me when I lose my novelty, and then it’ll be back to Bri, Bri, Bri.”
“Yeah, you’d better hope,” she teased. “Want to go take one last walk down the beach before we leave?”
“Absolutely.”
“You’d better have brought your motorcycle.”
“Of course! I haven’t left her side since I got here.”
“Again, I don’t know if I should be mad that I’ve been replaced,” she laughed.
“Nothing and no one could ever replace you, baby,” he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re my whole world.” She smiled, and he leaned in to kiss her.
“I know you two are adults now,” Connor’s voice broke them apart. “But do you have to shove it in my face?”
Bri and Cole exchanged guilty smiles before Bri replied.
“Come on, Dad, you knew this was coming. After all, you were the one who insisted I get on the pill before I left for college.” Bri winked at her dad, who had been shocked into silence and had turned bright red.
“That was prevention, not permission!” Connor finally found his voice. Cole, who had also been shocked into silence, just stood there gaping at both of them.
“I know, I know,” Bri grinned, and patted her dad consolingly on the arm. She then grabbed Cole’s hand and pulled him to the front door. “We’re going down to the beach for a walk. I won’t be too late.”
“Back by eleven,” Connor called after them.
“Still with the curfew?” she teased before waving goodbye.
After she was situated behind him on
his bike, Cole found the courage to ask, “You’re on the pill?”
“Of course. You know, bright future and all that.” She hugged herself against him.
Cole couldn’t help the satisfied smile that crossed his face. Maybe she wasn’t as apprehensive as he’d thought. She was thinking about it. He wondered exactly what she was thinking, but decided not to push it. He might just find out first hand soon enough. He grinned, and gunned the bike down the street.
December arrived, and with it the Blue Devil’s first pre-season tournament. Being the top seed, they got to play all four of their games at home, breezing through the field to win the final. It was kind of a surreal experience, knowing that thousands of people were watching them. Cole was still trying to get used all the TV cameras and reporters everywhere, none of whom were at all interested in him. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful for that or resentful, as he watched Jordan doing more and more of the post-game interviews.
Not that Jordan didn’t deserve it. He was playing great, living up to all the freshman phenom predictions. But every once in a while, Cole really wished someone would pay just a little attention to him. Being second string and only playing a handful of minutes a game wasn’t likely to garner much attention.
Their next tournament was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, and as Cole got ready to board the bus with the team, he was admittedly a little nervous about what was coming. He’d never played on such a big stage before, and he just kept praying that he wouldn’t do anything humiliating on national television. That was a whole new pressure he never dreamed he’d have to deal with.
His nerves were only outweighed by his regret at having to leave Bri behind. Since she was a freshman, she wasn’t part of the cheering/dancing contingent that would travel with the team for the tournament, and he was feeling really bad about leaving her. She was obviously feeling something similar as she pouted up at him. He was intentionally the last in line to board the bus, and taking advantage of every last second he could get.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he smiled down at her. “You won’t even have time to miss me.”
“Yeah right, too late for that. Besides, if you guys win, you won’t be home until Tuesday. That’s like five days from now.” She snuggled against his chest.
He was trying not to let it show, but it was killing him to have to say goodbye. This was the first time they’d been apart since they’d gotten back together that summer. He remembered all too well how miserable he’d been without her before, and while things were definitely different now, he still wasn’t looking forward to that ache in his chest, or that feeling that half of him was missing. Even if it was only for five days.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair one last time.
“You’d better,” she smiled and tipped her lips up for a kiss. He was only too happy to oblige.
“Marra! You planning on getting your own ride to New York?” one of his coaches yelled from the bus.
Reluctantly, Cole and Bri separated, and he waved as he got on the bus. Matt had saved him a seat, and they both watched Bri out the window as the bus pulled away.
“Yeah, I’d be pretty reluctant to leave that, too,” Matt teased him. Cole punched him in the arm, and then settled in for their long ride to New York.
Cole’s first glimpse of the Big Apple nearly took his breath away. It was late at night, but the city was still alive and buzzing, like it had no idea that the rest of the country was fast asleep. L.A. was by no means a small city, but the New York skyline was overwhelming. The team checked into their hotel, briefly went over their practice and game schedules for the next day, and went to sleep.
Walking into Maddison Square Garden the next night for their first game was an experience Cole would never forget. The stadium was packed and the atmosphere was electric. He was happy to see a lot of Duke fans in the crowd. There were sportscasters and reporters everywhere, some of whom he recognized from ESPN. As he took the floor with the team to warm up, the crowd erupted, and Cole couldn’t help but feel amazed, proud, humbled, nervous, and excited, all at once. This was the biggest moment of his life so far, and he took a moment to soak it all in. But then Coach called them into a huddle and focused the team’s attention. It was time to get to work.
The game passed in a blur for Cole. He watched as his fellow teammates played seamlessly, like the well-oiled machine they were. Finally, Coach gave Jordan the signal to come out, and Cole was up. Waiting at the scorer’s table, time seemed to stop as his heart began to pound. He tried to tell himself to calm down, that this was just another game, not a big deal. But he almost couldn’t hear the buzzer signaling him into the game over the rushing in his ears. The Blue Devils had the ball, and when Mike inbounded the ball to him, Cole almost lost it, he was so worked up. Taking a minute to calm himself, he shut out the crowd and the cameras as best he could, and focused on the nine guys on the floor in front of him. Instinct took over and everything else disappeared, and he played as well as he ever had.
All too soon, Jordan came in to replace him, having gotten a much needed rest. Jordan gave him a high five as Cole came off the floor and sat back on the bench. Knowing that he could play on a national stage and not make an idiot of himself lifted a huge weight off his shoulders, and when it was his turn to get out there again, midway through the second half, he was ready.
The team won easily, and that night Cole snuck away to call Bri and tell her all about it.
“I have to say, I’m still not used to watching you on TV like that,” she said. “It’s kind of trippy. But you were amazing, and you looked hot out there.”
“Thanks,” he smiled. In fact, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling all night. “I just wish you were here with me, then this night would be perfect.”
“Me, too. One day I will be,” she promised. “You should’ve seen everyone here when you hit that three. I thought the place was going to explode. I’m really proud of you, Cole.”
“Thanks, baby. I just wish I could do more, you know?”
“You’ll get your chance. Just keep working hard and it’ll come.”
“You think so?” Cole was wondering if he’d ever get a chance to start. His whole team was crazy talented. He didn’t stand out like he used to.
“I know so. Don’t let it frustrate you. Just focus on what you need to do, what your team needs you to do, and everything else will work out. This is your dream, you just need to be patient. And don’t do anything stupid to jeopardize it.”
Man, she knew him too well. She always seemed to know just what he needed to hear.
“I love you, Bri. More than anything.”
“I love you, too, Cole. Even more.”
They said goodnight, and Cole went to bed feeling like the luckiest man in the world.
Chapter 7
The last week of school before Christmas break was loaded with finals. No sleep, too much caffeine, and a completely fried brain had Bri feeling like the walking dead by the time the week was done. She couldn’t wait to get away and relax at home with her family. The only thing bringing her down was the fact that Cole wouldn’t be going home with her. Due to the basketball schedule, he wouldn’t be able to go home for Christmas. Bri had offered to stay with him, but since he’d be traveling a lot for games, he’d insisted that she needed to go home, and she’d finally relented.
Her flight left early Saturday morning, but Cole had made her promise to stop by and say goodbye before she left. Like she would’ve left him for two weeks without stopping to say saying goodbye first. The sky was dark, the sun still tucked firmly below the horizon, when she knocked on his door.
“Hey,” Cole smiled sleepily as he opened the door and let her in. He was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and nothing else, and his sexy, bed-ruffled hair had Bri seriously reconsidering her trip. He pulled her into his chest, and the scent of his skin had her melting against hi
m. That was it, there was no way she was going now.
“I can’t believe your leaving,” he mumbled into her hair.
“I’m not. I’ve just changed my mind and decided to stay. Right here, with you, and we won’t leave your room for the entire two weeks.” She felt, as well as heard, the groan that tore through him.
“You have no idea how much I wish we could.” He pulled back and cupped her face with his hands. “What am I going to do without you?” He leaned down and kissed her lightly.
“I know. This was our worst idea ever,” she whispered sadly and kissed him back. She was by no means one of those girls who were completely useless without their boyfriends, but she was beginning to realize just how hard this was going to be.
After a few minutes he pulled back. “You’d better get going if you want to make your flight.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, before letting her go.
“Okay,” she replied, and even though she really didn’t want to, she made herself walk to the door. Cole followed, and as she opened the door he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. Crushing his lips to hers, he gave her a goodbye kiss she knew she’d be thinking about for days.
“Bye, Bri. Call me when you land, okay?” He smiled down at her.
“Okay,” she replied, still breathless. “I love you. See you in a couple weeks.”
“I love you, too.”
Bri stepped out the door and forced her legs to take her to her car, waving a last goodbye to Cole, who was still watching her from his doorway. Her heart fell as he waved back and closed the door. Taking a deep breath to hold back the tears that wanted to spill, she was not that kind of girl, she headed off to the airport.
Her family met her when she landed, and the sight of her brothers running to greet her helped lift the despondency that had settled over her that day. Bending down, she caught them both up in a huge hug, happy to be home.
“So, I have a surprise for you,” her dad began once everyone was in the car.
Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2) Page 6