by Emma Tharp
“Please don’t apologize, Alex. Remember what I told you about my contract, right? I’m okay. We’re okay. Marcus can’t hurt us now. The only thing I ask is that you try to avoid him. At all costs. If you have everything out of his house, it should be easier to steer clear.”
I melt hearing his words. He thinks we’re going to be okay. “Don’t worry. I’ll avoid him. If I never see him again it’ll be too soon.”
“Good. When you feel like you can focus on the road, you should head home. I’m getting in my truck and I’m on my way to your place now. I’ll help you move your boxes.” Just then I hear the familiar sound of his truck’s engine roaring to life.
Relief settles over me and my heart warms. I can’t wait to see Cole and wrap my arms around him. “I’ll see you soon.”
Twelve
Cole
"I thought we put this to bed,” Coach Stevens says with his hands steepled in front of him on his desk and his tone full of impatience.
"Me, too. But he’s still seeing her,” Marcus huffs out like a toddler seconds away from having a tantrum.
I am so over this. I knew it was coming after Alex called me yesterday, but I was hoping Marcus would man up and get over himself. No such luck. Now that I know I am within my contract and in no danger of being let go, I say exactly what’s on my mind. "I'm with her. He isn't. He should've worked harder to keep her."
Coach Stevens looks from me to Marcus and back again. "You guys are adults. Play nice. End of story."
"But…" Marcus sputters.
"No! This is done. I do not want to hear another word about it. Marcus, you're free to leave.” He points toward the door. “Cole, stay here."
When Marcus stands, his chair scrapes across the floor. I refuse to look at him, but I know he’s staring daggers at me.
When the door slams shut behind him, Coach Stevens shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “It doesn’t matter to me who you date. I was only trying to keep the peace.”
“I understand and am sorry it had to come to this,” I tell him.
He points toward the door. “You know, in all my years of coaching, I’ve never seen a man create so much drama on a team before about a woman. And the kicker is, he’s brought it all on himself.”
Laughing, I nod and say, “I never would’ve believed that I’d be involved in any drama. Ever. Yet, here I sit. Hopefully this will be the end of it.”
“Between you and me, Marcus is out of here. His performance is less than stellar, and he's distracted. Try to put up with him for the rest of the season, please."
Inside I’m fist-pumping and high-fiving myself. "It won't be a problem."
“Mom, how are you today?” I ask, pulling out of the rink and driving toward Alex’s house. I switch on my Bluetooth, so I can talk and drive.
“I’m doing well. Getting ready to go play cards at my girlfriend’s house. How have you been, son?” Her tone is light and full of love, just like it always is.
Merging onto the highway, I pick up speed and get into the fast lane. I’m excited to get to Alex’s house and share what I just found out. “I’m great. In fact, I have some news to share.”
“You sound cheery today. What is it?”
My face lights up into a smile. “I’ve met someone.”
I hear clapping come across the line. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say those words?”
Forever. “I know it’s been a long time, Mom. And you know I wouldn’t be calling you and telling you if it wasn’t someone special. Someone I see a future with.” I nearly choke on the words, because I never thought I’d be saying them. My mother and I both thought I’d die a bachelor.
“Please, tell me all about her.” I can hear the smile on her face.
“Her name is Alex. She’s a pediatrician. It goes without saying that she’s smart and very passionate about her practice and her patients. She’s sweet and caring, and we have a good time when we’re together. You’re going to love her.” I can picture it now. My mother will throw her arms around Alex and I’ll have to pry Mom away. I’ll have to prepare Alex to have her ear talked off, because Mom loves to tell stories to anyone who’ll listen and unfortunately, I’m sure many of them will be about me.
She sniffs, and I hear her blowing her nose. “Wow, son. She sounds wonderful. How did you meet her?”
“Are you crying?” I ask, hoping that she isn’t. I hate hearing her cry.
“No. Well, okay, yes. But these are happy tears. Now quit changing the subject. When can I meet her?”
I signal to get off on Alex’s exit. “When can you fly here? I’ll book you a ticket whenever you want. Maybe you could even catch a home game.” It’s been quite some time since she’s been able to see me play.
There’s more clapping. “As soon as possible. I don’t have anything pressing on my schedule.”
“It’s settled. When I get home tonight, I’ll check the home game schedule and book you a flight.” Signaling, I turn onto Alex’s street and pull into her driveway.
“I love you, Cole. And I’m overjoyed for you and Alex,” Mom says with excitement in her tone.
“Love you, too, Mom. I will call you soon.”
With that, I hang up.
Knocking on Alex’s door, I'm so happy I feel like I could burst. Butterflies take flight in my stomach.
Opening the door, Alex looks like a tall glass of water in the middle of the desert. Her hair is smooth and straight around her shoulders and she's wearing a sexy little blue dress that shows off her toned legs. How did I get so lucky?
"Hi. Is everything okay?" she asks, biting her lip and twisting her finger around her necklace.
Lifting her up off her feet, I twirl us around in a circle and kiss the delicate skin of her neck.
She squeals in delight. "You are in a good mood."
I set her back on her feet and kiss her squarely on the mouth. "I have the best news."
"Well, come in."
I follow her into the living room and we take a seat on her couch. "I had another meeting with Coach Stevens and Marcus today."
Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open. "Oh, no."
I shift to caress the back of her neck. "No. It was good. Marcus thought he had the upper hand again."
Alex's hand comes to my thigh. "I knew he was going to try and pull something.”
Taking her hand in my own, I twine our fingers together. "Coach is tired of Marcus. So tired that it looks like this will be Marcus's last season with the Wolverines."
Alex throws her arms around me. "That's amazing news." She pulls back and stares at me with her green eyes. "Does this mean what I think it means? That we can be together, and we don’t have to hide it from anyone?"
The joy in her expression lifts my heart. “Yes. It makes me so happy that we can show the world that we’re together. I'm the luckiest man."
Her hands come up to my cheeks and she brings her soft lips to mine. She kisses me with the sweetest little kiss, full of hope and promises for more to come. "I'm the lucky one."
A text alert goes off on Alex's cell phone. She looks at it on the coffee table and then back up to me. "It's Cora, asking if I am going out tonight to celebrate."
"Celebrate what? I just got here and told you the news. She couldn’t know yet," I tease.
"Before you got here, I was on the phone with Bri. She was so excited because she got the job she wanted at a real estate office. She invited me to come out and have a drink to toast her new job,” she says.
"What did you tell her?"
Alex crawls onto my lap, straddling me. "I said that I had plans. I didn't tell her that it would be with you because I still thought we were keeping us a secret."
Brushing my lips across hers, I say, “If you want, we can go out. It wouldn't be just a celebration for her, it would be for us, too. We can tell everyone we’re a couple now."
Her hand flies to her chest. "Are you sure? I know you aren’t a big fan of going out."
Running my fingers through the silky strands of her hair, I say, "No. I'm not. But Bri is your friend and this is important to her. And to you. And if it means something to you, it means something to me."
Her lips are on mine again. This time with more passion and urgency. Heat builds between us and my heart rate kicks up. My hands travel down her sides and land on her hips. She grinds up and down my length, building a fire in me. “If we keep this up, we won't be going anywhere," I nearly growl.
"We can be late," Alex says.
I lift her up off me and carry her to the bedroom.
We’re definitely going to be late.
The End
If you’re curious what happens to Bri and Teddy in the next book in the Rules of the Game Series, Goal on the Rebound, click HERE to order.
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Acknowledgments
Let me tell you, boy have I had fun writing about these NHL hotshots! And right now I’m writing the third book in the series. I hope you’re enjoying reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
None of this would be possible without the support of my amazing husband and kids. All of my love and thanks to them for supporting me and cheering me on.
A big thank you goes out to my Love Kissed tribe. Every single day, you all amaze me with your kindness, support, and camaraderie. You don’t see that everywhere, so when you find it, you soak it up and take it all in. I hope I’m able to give back to you all as much as you’ve given me.
To my editor, Theresa Schultz. You’ve been an integral part of making all of my books better, but more so with this one. I don’t know what it is about the quiet, brooding guys that are so challenging for me to write, but Cole was definitely that. Thank you for all your help. It’s very much appreciated. And to my proofreader, Julie Deaton with Deaton Author Services, I thank you and your eagle eye for making sure all my books turn out, oh so pretty! And this cover! Thank you, Megan Parker-Squiers at EmCat and Butterfly Designs. You took the picture I found and made it beautiful! Thank you so much. Thank you to Lisa, my loan critique partner on this project. You are the bomb.com. To my review team, you know who you are. Thanks for your honest opinions on my stories. Every one of you has helped me in some way.
To my readers, a massive thanks from the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking a chance on me and picking up my books. Your reviews, messages, emails, and kind words are what I do this for.
About the Author
Emma Tharp is the author of The Bluff Harbor Series, The McLoughlin Brothers Series and Keeping It Casual. She was raised in upstate New York. Being an only child, she spent a great deal of time alone, dreaming up characters who would keep her company on long family road trips. Putting her writing on the back burner, she went to college and became a chiropractor. After spending twelve years healing patients, Emma decided—with the help of her amazingly supportive husband—to use the creative side of her brain and let her characters come to the page.
If she’s not writing, Emma can be found at the gym, one of her kids sporting events, Starbucks, or a live music event.
A perfect day for Emma would be spent at her lake house with her husband, two ginger-haired children, and Vizsla, reading a book and drinking a large cup of coffee (or wine) with music playing in the background.
Contact Emma Tharp at:
www.emmatharp.com
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Other books by Emma Tharp:
What About Her (Book One of the Bluff Harbor Series)
What About Us (Book Two of the Bluff Harbor Series)
The McLoughlin Brothers Series Boxed Set
