by Blair Holden
Especially with Lan, huh, who would’ve thought? Both being the fitness freaks they are have struck up a great friendship, and while Cole sulked about it for a day or so, he’s the one who surprised me even more. Since Cole’s injury has become public knowledge, it’s no surprise that people have started treating him differently. Not in a bad way, or that they pity him, but I think people just don’t know what to say to him. Do they say they’re sorry that his football career is over? Do they tell him good riddance, like blowing a knee is a good thing because it means he doesn’t have to play football anymore? There’s no tactful way of approaching the topic, so imagine my surprise when Bentley simply walks in one day, here to help us move, and begins helping Cole with his physical therapy. The PT has given him some simple mobility exercises he can do at home, and I usually try to help him with what I can, but since Bentley wants to go into sports medicine in his post-graduate studies, he’s a pro.
And I think Cole and he may have a bromance going on, finally. Add Lan to that group and there have been days when I’ve hardly seen my boyfriend. But I’m happy, because last year I’d made it nearly impossible for him to find the time to hang out with his closest friends. When he wasn’t in practice or studying or gone for away games, he’d spend any remaining time with me, perhaps because I needed him there while I licked my wounds. Now, having assured him that I am more than capable of taking care of myself, and him, for that matter, it’s easier for him to have days where he can go and have a guy’s night out.
He’s spent most of the morning moving the last of our things and assembling our IKEA furniture. As I walk into our bedroom; gosh, I still find it strange, to think of this place as our apartment, our bedroom, our bed, I hear the shower running and I poke my head inside the bathroom. The shower stall is all fogged up and I can barely make out the outline of his body, but I avert my eyes because we do not need the distraction.
“Hey, what time does Cassandra want us to be there by?”
“What was that, Shortcake? I can’t hear you clearly.”
I roll my eyes; he isn’t even trying to hide what he’s actually trying to do.
“I said,” I yell, “what time do we need to be at your parents’ house?”
He yells back, “Still can’t hear you. I think you’re going to have to come closer.” He sounds smug and I’m pretty tempted to join him, but I’m already showered and dressed for the day. I spent forty-five minutes trying to straighten my hair and there is no way I’m getting it all wet again.
“Guess I’ll just wait for you to come out then!”
“What? You want me to come out? Okay.”
The man has no shame as he walks out of the shower, naked as the day he was born, and gives me a wicked, sexy grin that is nowhere near being apologetic for the naked ambush.
I sputter because two years on with this boy and he still manages to one-up me on a constant basis.
“I’m still not getting in the shower with you.” I start backing away and he follows, completely at ease with being naked with all the doors unlocked and having an entire group of people just outside our bedroom.
“Are you sure about that?”
I throw a towel at him, which he reluctantly wraps around his waist because I’m sure he doesn’t want to flash any of our friends any more than I do.
“I’m sure that I don’t want to be late for the party that your parents are oh so kindly throwing for us. I’d like to salvage the hopes of having a decent relationship with them.”
Ugh, stupid Tessa back at it again with that word vomit. As Cole’s face hardens, I kick myself repeatedly for bringing up the fact that there’s an obvious tension between Cassandra and me. He’s been very obvious with whose side he’s on and I hate that. I don’t want to cause a rift between him and his family, and one of my goals tonight is to fix the ongoing strain between them.
“You don’t have to do anything to prove a point to them, Tessie, you know that. I don’t care what they think and you shouldn’t either.”
The sheriff is nice enough to me, he’s not the problem, but I guess he’s got to support his wife, which is why he’s made sure to avoid me as well. It hurts, but I’m not dying over it, and I wish Cole could see that. Anything I’m doing is for him, to mend his relationship with his family.
“I’m not trying to prove a point to anyone.” I walk toward him and, straight hair be damned, wrap my arms around his still-wet body. “But it was very sweet of them to throw this end-of-summer party for us and all of our friends, and it’d be nice if we were on time.”
He shrugs. “She said eight p.m. would be okay. Jay’s flight got delayed so he’ll be late as well.”
“Great, I’ll rally the troops then.” I give him a peck on the cheek and leave.
He whistles as I walk out. “Have I mentioned just how much I love those shorts on you?”
I roll my eyes. “Put some clothes on before Cami walks in on you naked and we’ve got to physically remove her.”
Boyfriend or not, she’s still a fangirl for him.
***
“You need anything else?”
Like the protective and responsible elder brother that he is, Travis surveys our two-bedroom apartment one more time. Cole and I decided to splurge on the rent because one look at it and we knew we wanted to stay here for the next three years. The fact that it’s ten minutes away from campus and has free parking is a bonus, but the quaint, homely feel of it with its open-plan living room, dining and kitchen area, and large glass windows that make the place appear twice as big as it actually is made me fall in love hard. We’re slowly furnishing and decorating, bringing the place to life, but so far in the week we’ve been here and the three weeks we’ve spent finding places, this place has won my heart. We could’ve gone for a one bedroom, but I love having my friends over way too much, so the little extra we’re paying is okay.
“Yes, Trav, I made sure to go through the shopping list you gave me twice before I got out of Target. I think we’re good.”
“I went to the hardware store earlier today and you’re all set for a DIY emergency if you ever have any, okay? And I talked to your landlord about replacing the lock on your door because it’s falling apart. Also, the door to your bedroom creaks way too much, I’ll grease it before going—”
“Travis, stop.” I hug my brother. “We’re going to be fine. It’s a building full of students, no one knows what they’re doing, but I’m sure we’ll survive.”
He sighs. “Try not to eat your weight in ramen. I’ve downloaded two easy-to-follow cookbooks to your Kindle. So even if Cole isn’t here to cook, you should try making a meal or two during the week.”
“Yes, Mom, anything else?”
“Yeah, the laundry service here is crap. I overheard some girls talking about how the place had misplaced their Calvin Kleins, you’re better off going to the laundromat down the road, it’s cheaper as well.”
I bite back a smile; his anxiety melts my heart. I know that he thinks staying in a dorm is safer, but if he knew half of the things I’d heard about myself or the things that had been said to me, he’d be thanking the housing gods that Cole and I got this apartment.
“Would you quit trying to make her nervous? She’s not the one freaking out, you are, mother hen. She’ll be fine.” Beth hugs Travis around the waist and rests her head on his shoulder, winking at me. “You’ve stocked the pantry with enough canned goods that she’ll survive the Hunger Games six times over, and I’m pretty sure the landlord peed his pants a little when you paid him that personal visit.”
“You did what?” I shriek. “Please don’t tell me you threatened him! Do you know how hard it is to get approved for off-campus housing? If he kicks us out now, we’re going to be homeless and it’ll all be your fault. The man already doesn’t seem to like us because Cami said something about his hair reminding her of Billy Ray Cyrus’s mullet.”
Probably not the best way to go if you want to make a good impression, so yes, we’re
already on thin ice with him, and if Travis has gone in with his big brother macho nonsense, then Cole and I might as well pack our bags.
“Who’s going to be homeless, Shortcake?” The man in question walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. God, he smells so good, and I unashamedly inhale a lungful of his freshly showered scent. I’d like to create a Nobel Prize for whoever created the Irish Spring scent.
“Apparently we are. Travis might have paid a visit to our landlord and threatened him with bodily harm.”
“I did not, I just told the guy he needed to be more careful about security. Do you see the kind of creeps hanging around outside? You’re not paying that much rent to have people dealing drugs right outside your door.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s a college town, what do you expect? Don’t tell me it’s not the same at Berkeley.” I remind them of their own school.
“Oh, it’s worse. I’m pretty sure our neighbor’s running a meth lab from his apartment, but we don’t question him because he lets us babysit his greyhound on the weekends, and I love the little guy too much to get his owner arrested.”
Travis sighs; it seems like a painful topic.
I turn slightly in Cole’s arms. “Do you have a place to stay in case we’re kicked out?”
He grins. “No, he won’t, not unless he wants the officials looking into the drug problem. We’ve already had that discussion.”
I look from Cole to my brother, both of whom have seemingly blackmailed the man in charge of keeping a roof over my head. “Why do I even try.” Between the two of them, my security is tighter than Fort Knox.
***
“Megan and Alex have already driven out with Sarah. Beth and Travis are taking Lan and Cami, and Seth and Jameson said they’ll give Bentley a ride, so that’s everyone done.” I’m walking around, neurotically making sure the doors are locked and the lights are off. We’ll be spending the night at my house before coming back with the last of my things tomorrow.
Tomorrow is also the last day before everyone has to go back to school, and I’m desperate to hang on to the remnants of this summer. But I’m excited for the year to come and how I’ll probably handle things ten times better as a sophomore. Between classes, the dance team, and occasionally writing for the student paper, I’ll be busy enough to not let the overthinking and self-sabotaging aspect of me get too out of hand.
“Great, never thought we’d be alone. Remind me to never let you finish the second bedroom or you’ll always have someone stay over.” Cole pulls me into his arms and backs me against the kitchen counter. After the things he did to me on this very counter the first night we slept here, I don’t think I’ll look at it the same way.
I try to bat away his wandering hands, which are now taking liberties with the dress I’m wearing. It’s off the shoulder and exposes a good amount of skin, all of which is currently being caressed by my boyfriend. I lose the fight and my eyes close as he pulls me in for a kiss.
I’m aware that we should leave and that the hour-and-a-half journey will be longer because of Friday night traffic, but Cole’s got some serious voodoo magic in his hands. Right now, I couldn’t care less about impressing the Stones with my impeccable timing.
In a flash, he turns me around so that he’s now pressed against my back, placing hot kisses down my neck and across my exposed back. The sleeves offer little protection and he pulls them down, the top of the dress pooling around my waist. His arms go around my waist and reach for my breasts, his face buried in my neck, inhaling.
“I can’t believe I have you all to myself, that this place is our home. You know how hot that is? To walk through the door and realize we’ve made love on every visible surface. That I’ve claimed you in all the ways there are.”
I shudder in his arms, speechless. Playing house with Cole Stone is incomparable to any other feeling in the world, and I feed off his energy, going crazy with both love and the insane urge to own every part of him too. This place is ours to create new memories, ours to build, and ours to finally escape any lingering demons of the past.
And I’m all for that. Reaching behind me, I tug on what remains of the zipper and step out of my dress as it pools at my feet. I hear Cole’s breath hitch and as I turn around and help him lift his shirt over his head, then unbutton his jeans, our bodies seeking closeness and skin-to-skin contact, I forget about time and people and places.
“I love you, Tessa O’Connell, with everything I am.” He lifts me up and places me on the edge of the counter. I wrap my legs around his waist as he unfastens my bra. He grabs the foil packet from his jeans.
“I’ll always love you so much, Cole.”
Because this right here is home and it’s where we belong. We’ve fought so hard, worked our way up to this moment, beating all the odds and battling our own selves to get this far, and we deserve to savor each and every moment together.
Things happens for a reason, but you can also make things happen if you believe and fight for it with everything you’ve got.
Chapter Nineteen: Nana Stone’s Already X-raying My Stomach
We’re late for the party and as we walk hand in hand into the Stones’ backyard, it feels like everyone can tell the reason why we’re late. Beth certainly can, with the devilish way she’s grinning at me, and probably Cami as well, who’s giving me two thumbs-up and as well as a not-so-subtle thrust of her hips.
I hide my face in Cole’s shoulder. “They know, they all know.”
He laughs and wraps an arm around me, kissing the top of my head. “I couldn’t care less. My girlfriend is crazy hot. If I want to make love to her all day, then it’s no one’s fucking business.”
“Nice choice of words, now shut it. Nana Stone’s already X-raying my stomach. It’s still flat, I promise! I think it’s just bloated from all the pizza.”
“Speaking of her…” He walks us toward his grandmother’s direction, who seems to be chatting away with one of my dad’s golf buddies, the lovely Mr. Wright, who seems positively smitten by her.
Yay, you go, Nana Stone.
Cole heads toward her and surprises her with a hug. “Hey Nana, you’re looking especially lovely this evening.” She waves him off, but I can see the beginning of a teasing war between the two and Mr. Wright is going to get caught in the cross fire.
“Tessa, honey, come closer and let me have a good look at you.”
She smells of roses and a faint powdery scent that I’ve come to associate with her. Nana Stone is the one member of Cole’s family that I’ll always have a deep bond with, and it’s been there since I was a little girl. Hugging her is like going back to your childhood home and walking into your kitchen to freshly baked cookies and a glass of milk. It’s comfort and love at its best.
“How are you, Nana? Got into any trouble lately?”
She winks, her bright blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “You’ll have to start worrying about me when I’m not causing hell. What about this one? He giving you any grief?” She smacks the back of Cole’s head lightly. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that little stunt you pulled with your knee. God knows I’ve had enough of stubborn Stone men in my life with your grandfather. Don’t you dare do that again.”
“Yes, Nana.” He grins sheepishly, and after hearing a few stories about how Nana recently flooded her senior resident facility, I leave the two to catch up and come up with a plan for world domination on their own. Poor Mr. Wright, he’s falling for a whirlwind.
I see that all of my friends have made it and the party really seems to have come to life. I spot my dad and his girlfriend, Danielle, by the barbecue as he helps the sheriff grill some burgers and go say hi to them. After having announced his retirement from politics, my dad’s now more involved with the properties and businesses he’s invested in, and I think leaving his job is the best decision he’s ever taken. Once the hype around his election run died down, the spotlight around our family’s gone as well, and anything that’d
been printed by the press is long forgotten. I’m thankful that he’s made the decision, not because of what it means for Travis or me but because he’s much happier for it. He’s decided to buy a condo the next town over and he’ll be moving soon, but he’s decided not to sell his house. When I’d asked him about it, he said he wanted to leave it for either me or Travis if we ever wanted to settle down in this town. Travis has already refused and I’ve been mulling over the idea. Maybe in five years’ time…but that’s a thought for the future.
“Tessa, you remember Stephanie, right?”
Yes, Cole’s date for the ill-fated gala, Stephanie. As I’m pulled away from my dad, Jay looks happier than ever introducing me to his new girlfriend. She’s a nice girl, and as much as I’d resented her at the time for being thought of as better for Cole than me, I like her for Jason. He and I are in a great place now, especially since he’s told me that Cole threatened to leak two photo albums full of Jay playing with Barbie dolls as a child on to the internet if he ever found him less than ten feet away from me. I chewed out Cole for that one, since really the idea that Jay might have any feelings for me is juvenile. But I’ll die before admitting that I did find it hot. Regardless, I’m happy for him, and I know that he and Cole are back to being in a good place.
“Will I need to get in line to spend some time with my girlfriend?”
Cole finds me as I try to catch my breath after making my rounds for the evening. I’m trying to be a lot more sociable now, as opposed to standing in a corner holding Cole’s hand. Have I successfully maneuvered the act of being an adult? I’m definitely working on it.
“No, but you could try a little harder to meet all the people who’ve shown up for a party your parents threw for you.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know half of them; the other half are the assholes we went to high school with, and the rest are people I see every day. I don’t see the point.”
“You see me every day, will that thrill fade as well? Jeez, thanks for making me feel special.”