Rise Up (A Coach's Love Book 3)

by Alison Mello

She opens it up, digs through, and grabs what she needs. “Have a seat.” She’s so gentle as she puts antibacterial spray over the cut with some strips, and she wraps it with gauze. “There, you cut yourself pretty good, but that should do it.” She kisses the palm of my hand.

  “Is there anything you can’t do?” She did an amazing job cleaning up my hand.

  “Yeah, pick men,” she states.

  “Hey!”

  She bursts into laughter. “I meant before you. Don’t go getting all sensitive on me.” I pull her toward me, causing her to land on my lap laughing.

  “What?” She wraps her arms around my neck.

  “I’m happy you’re here.”

  “Me too. Now let me cook. You have a hungry boy in there.” She gives me a chaste kiss and jumps up to continue working on dinner. My hand is stinging, and despite my efforts, she won’t allow me to help.

  A short time later, I call Ethan down to help set the table. She’s already put out the salad, and the house is filled with the aroma of meatloaf.

  “It smells so good in here,” Ethan says, walking into the room.

  “That’s because I’m cooking.” Amber winks at Ethan. “No frozen meals for you tonight, young man.”

  I burst into laughter. “Ethan, she’s making fun of your father.”

  “She is,” he says, putting plates on the table. He notices my bandaged hand. “What happened to you?”

  “Your father attempted to help me cook.” She continues to poke fun at me.

  “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

  Ethan is in stitches laughing. “Never. I told you, my father can’t cook. Is it serious?” he asks through his laughter.

  “He’ll live. He cut himself with the potato peeler.” She takes a masher and starts pounding at the potatoes she’s cooked. “I need to teach you how to cook, though. You need to be able to take care of yourself.” She ruffles his hair like he’s a little kid, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He smiles at her and continues to set the table while I pour drinks.

  The three of us finally sit to a feast. Something we haven’t had in a very long time, and it looks delicious. “Thank you so much, Amber. This all looks so good.”

  We all start making plates. Ethan digs in and instantly lets out a moan. “This is amazing.” He starts devouring the food on his plate.

  “Ethan, you’re not a pig! Slow down!” I reprimand.

  “Sorry, Dad, but it’s good.”

  “I get it. I’m enjoying it too.” I shake my head.

  It takes Ethan all of ten minutes to clear his plate of two helpings of meatloaf before he asks to be excused. “I don’t think you’ll hear any complaints from Ethan if you want to cook again.”

  She throws her napkin at me. “That’s only because you make stuff from the freezer. Kids need healthy stuff too.”

  “You do what you can. I can only make it if it’s frozen or comes from a box. We order out a lot too.”

  “Well, you’re right, you have to do the best you can, but please allow me to cook for you guys. I’ll make enough so there are leftovers, and you can just reheat them.” She gets up from the table to start cleaning up. I do the best I can to help her, but she doesn’t want me to get my bandage wet, so there’s only so much I can do.

  “I’m almost done here. Why don’t you grab the resumes and start looking them over. I’ll join you in a second.” This strong side of Amber is something I really enjoy. She is a very independent woman, and it’s one of the things I adore about her. She has no problem getting her hands dirty, and she’ll do what needs to be done to complete the mission.

  “I’ll meet you in the living room.” I hurry off to my room to grab my briefcase. When I get back to the living room she’s taking a seat.

  “I only printed those resumes I thought would be a potential fit. There was way more. We need to read through these, grade them, and then figure out who you want to interview.”

  We divide the pile in half and start discussing what they each have as pros and cons, and we place them on the coffee table in piles. She has made sure to brush her hand or foot against me multiple times.

  “Do I get to be part of the interview process?” she asks.

  “I was hoping you would sit in on them. Why?”

  She slips closer to me. “Because if you think I’m letting some sexy assistant walk her ass into your office everyday, you’re crazy.”

  I burst into laughter. “Now who’s being sensitive. We’ve only just started dating, and you’re already worried about who’s going to walk into my office.”

  She pouts. “Are you laughing at my insecurities?”

  I slip closer to her. “I don’t mean to. You threw me off. You went from this strong, independent woman to being concerned over my choice of assistant.” I press my lips to hers. “It took me months to get you to see me. Do you really think I want someone else?” I kiss her again, this time peppering kisses up her jaw. “It’s you I want.”

  She pants. “I’m sorry.”

  “Shhh,” I whisper in her ear, “don’t be.” I gently run my lips down the vein in her neck. “This scent has been driving me wild for months now.” Our lips collide in a passionate, explosive kiss, but it’s quickly broken when Ethan comes into the room.

  “Hey, Dad.” We quickly jump apart.

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  He has one of those grins that lets me know we’ve been busted. “Can I go back on Xbox? DJ called, and we want to try to finish our game.”

  I look at my watch. “You have an hour.”

  “Thanks.” He runs from the room.

  “We have an hour alone. Where were we?”

  “I believe you were kissing me.”

  “That I was.”

  We’re both smiling as our lips meet, and our tongues collide. “What about the resumes?” she asks between kisses.

  “I have an excuse to pull you into my office Monday.” I push them off my lap, sending them scattering across the floor.

  She climbs onto my lap. “I like the way you think.” My hands glide up her back. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to feel your lips pressed against my body.”

  I pull away. “Seriously?” My brows shoot up. “I’ve walked around that office trying to gently flirt with you for months now, thinking you had no idea that I liked you.”

  She giggles. “Are you kidding me? You have no idea what you were putting me through. It wasn’t easy to resist your flirting, and to make it worse, it’s not like I could tell Marissa.”

  “You could tell whomever you wanted. It wouldn’t have bothered me. If it did, I wouldn’t have flirted in the first place.”

  She climbs off my lap. “I’m going to get going.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because like you said, this is moving at a high rate of speed, and I need a cold shower.” She grabs her jacket and slips it on.

  I grab her and pull her close. “You’re not trying to run from me, are you?”

  She shakes her head and presses a kiss to my lips. “No, just don’t want to screw this up. I’ll call you later.”

  “I look forward to it. Thanks for dinner.”

  “My pleasure.” She winks and steps out the door.

  I yawn for the fiftieth time today as I walk out of church. I’m so tired from lack of sleep since I spent most of the night tossing and turning. Every time I closed my eyes all I could think about was how Vincent’s lips felt on my body. It became unbearable.

  “What are you smiling about?” My friend Nat asks me, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “I couldn’t sleep last night.”

  “That made you smile?”

  I can’t help but smile even more. “What are you up to today?” She’s right. It doesn’t make sense, but I don’t want to get into it here.

  She shakes her head. “Nothing. Wanna do lunch?” She and I often go to lunch together after Sunday service. We catch up on life. She’s one of my few friends, but we don’t get to s
ee each other much during the week.

  “I’d love to. Where should we go?” I ask her.

  “Let’s go to our little Italian place. I love their soup.”

  “Okay.” See you there.

  When I get in the car, I note I have a text from Vincent asking if I’m having a good day. I tell him that I just got out of church and that I’m heading to lunch with Nat. He tells me to have fun and sends me a kissing emoji. It makes me smile. As fun as he is, he doesn’t seem like the type to use emojis.

  My thoughts revert to our flirting from last night’s text string. Heat once again pools between my legs. Last night was amazingly exhausting. Thanks to my constant sexual thoughts, I tossed and turned for a while before I finally dug B.O.B out and made him do his job. Within minutes, my body began to shudder. It relieved the pressure, but it wasn’t enough. I crave so much more. I need his hands and lips on me.

  I sigh, parking my car. I just took care of business a few hours ago, and I’m already desperate for more. If he only knew how long I’ve been using B.O.B while thinking about him. I should have stock options in AA batteries.

  Nat knocks on my window, pulling me from my thoughts. “Are we going to eat or what?”

  “Sorry. I didn’t see you pull in.” I climb from the car. The place is pretty popular, so there’s a short wait. We take a seat on the bench and wait for them to call our name.

  “So what has you all dazed today?”

  I bite my lip contemplating what to say. Vincent’s words play over in my head. You could tell whomever you want. “I’m seeing my boss,” I blurt out.

  Her jaw drops. “You finally caved.”

  I nod. “We’ve agreed I’m going to work for the other advisor. Paul’s assistant quit. We’re reviewing resumes to hire him a new assistant now.”

  “Are you going to be able to handle that?” She asks a valid question, knowing my history with men and my lack of trust.

  I scrunch up my face. “I told him last night I was hiring him an old lady.”

  She bursts into laughter as our name is called. “That’s hilarious.”

  “It is not. Stop making fun of me.” I slap her playfully as we follow the hostess who sits us at a booth. She places down two menus and tells us that our waitress will be right with us.

  “You need to relax a bit.” She looks at her menu. “From what you’ve told me, he’s quite different from any other guy you’ve dated.”

  “He is, and I keep telling myself that, but I’m struggling. Daniel really messed me up when he left me, and no matter how much I try to move past it, I struggle. The crappy men I dated after him didn’t help either.”

  She puts the menu down. “I get it. It’s not easy, but you need to forgive Daniel and the rest of them for that matter. It’s for your own good. Move on. If you don’t forgive, your relationship with Vincent will never work. You’ll always have the fear.”

  How do I forgive a man that I gave years of my life to? I loved him, stood by him while he put his career ahead of me, and then when I needed him the most, he up and left me. I was hurting from the news, and instead of comforting me, he made it worse. “He never loved me.” The realization hits me.

  She grabs my hand. “You’re probably right because if he did, he would have been there for you. Again, you need to forgive him. That doesn’t mean have a relationship with him. You can forgive and still have boundaries. You’re not letting the man into your life. You’re letting go of your past.”

  I bite my cheek. “I get it, and there are times I’ve told myself I forgive him, but then I get into a relationship with someone, and the trust issues sneak in. Next thing I know I realize that he’s still affecting me.”

  The waitress comes over and takes our order. We only ever order one thing from here, so I don’t know why she bothered looking at the menu. It’s always soup and salad.

  “You just need to be open and honest with Vincent. I think with some of your past men it was your gut telling you they were not right for you. You were picking men who needed you but not caring to help themselves. With Vincent, it’s different. You and I have been talking about this for a while now. This is not a relationship you want to mess up.”

  “I know. I’ve had this crush for so long, and I finally have a chance with him. You should see him with his son. He’s so good with him.”

  “Then let go of Daniel, talk to Vincent, and enjoy your life for once.” I nod my agreement like it’s going to be easy.

  “You know it’s funny because I threw him off when I told him I wasn’t letting him hire some sexy woman. He said I’m such a strong, independent woman, he never took me for someone who would have issues like that.”

  “Your independence comes from having to take care of yourself for so long. You’ve built a wall around your heart to protect yourself. You need to tear down that wall and let him in.”

  The waitress sets down our drinks and salad. “I’ll be back with your soup in a few minutes.”

  We thank her and start eating. I love the salad here. It’s simple, and they always put fresh cheese on top.

  “I agree. We have amazing chemistry, and he really makes me smile. But I have to admit, he makes me nervous too.”

  “Why?” she asks, sipping her diet soda.

  “He warned me he has a tendency to move quickly. As do I.”

  “Tell him. As long as you’re on the same page, I don’t see the problem. You either agree to take it slow, or you go full steam ahead. It’s your relationship, and as long as you’re talking about everything it’ll be fine.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal.

  “I feel like my speed is what ruins the relationship.”

  “No!” she practically shouts.

  “Sshh!”

  She shakes her head. “You’re wrong. It’s your choice of men that ruins the relationship. If you truly click with someone, and I mean really click, moving the relationship along isn’t going to ruin it. Especially if you’re open with one another.” She winks and starts eating again.

  Can she be right? Is it okay to have an insta-love relationship kind of thing? Not that I think I love him, but I can see loving him really easily. He is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. He’s kind, caring, hardworking and so dedicated to everything he does.

  The waitress drops off our soup, but the second she leaves, Nat says, “You’re over thinking.”

  I shrug. “Easy to do.”

  “That’s because you really like him.” She gives me this know it all grin.

  I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Thanks, girl.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I got to the office early this morning to start going through emails and resumes because I didn’t get anything done on Sunday. I spent the day tidying up around the house and playing basketball with Ethan.

  Seeing Amber’s desk empty makes me realize I’m going to miss her as my assistant, but it will be so worth it. I take a seat behind her desk and pull a piece of paper from her notebook.

  Good morning beautiful,

  I missed you yesterday. I hope you had a good day with your friend. Please come to my office once you’re settled. I need to catch up on missed time.

  Xoxo,

  Vincent

  I go straight to my office to get settled. When my laptop boots up, I discover I have a ridiculous number of emails. I spend the next thirty minutes answering as many of them as I can. Amber should be here soon, and I’m hoping to be caught up. I really want her to start setting up interviews today for later this week.

  “Good morning,” Amber sings, coming into my office.

  I look up from my laptop with a huge smile. “Good morning.”

  “How was your Sunday?” She takes a seat, crossing her leg. Her skirt rises slightly.

  “It was good. I played some basketball with Ethan.” I lean forward on my forearms. “How about you?”

  She licks her full lips. The gesture takes me back to this weekend. My hands grabbing at her long brown hair, t
ugging it slightly, deepening our kiss. A huge smile spreads across her face. “I told my friend about us.”

  My brows shoot up. “And?” The fact that she’s discussing us is a good sign, but I’m a bit surprised. She’s been really concerned over anyone knowing that we’re dating.

  “She told me I need to be open with you, so I don’t screw this up.” She lowers her voice, her confidence dropping a level.

  “Why? Is there something you’re keeping from me?” I ask in a joking manner.

  She rolls her eyes, something she does often. “No, she just means with my feelings. I’ve built this wall around my heart. She says I need to tear it down.”

  She has a mask she slips into place when her guard is up. I need to pay close attention to that. I need to be sure she’s always being open with me. A relationship needs constant communication and honesty. “Do you feel I’m going too fast?”

  “No, but that’s also what scares me a little. I’m known for the same thing. When I like someone, I just go for it. My heart is all in, and it gets me hurt.”

  “Come here.” I push my seat back from my desk and pull her down onto my lap. “I promise not to hurt you.” I press my lips to hers. “I adore you, and I truly think we have a chance at something. Let’s just spend time together and see where it goes.”

  She rubs her hand along my beard. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “You make things easy. You always have.” She stares into my eyes. Her passion is back, and it makes me smile.

  I kiss her one last time. “Are you ready to work? Because I need you to help me with the resumes so we can get some interviews going.”

  Her smile broadens. “Yeah. Let me grab us some coffee, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Thanks.”

  I answer a few more emails while I wait for her to return, but I’m interrupted by Paul. “Hey, man.”

  “What’s up?” I ask, not taking my eyes off my laptop.

  “That’s a massive stack of resumes.”

  “Yeah, we’re about to go through them.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to keep her as your assistant? I don’t mind if you two are banging.”