He pulled away, my face in his hand. “I came over here to apologize to you before it was too late. I’m so sorry for yesterday. I was an idiot. And I know it probably won’t be the last time I act like one, but do you think you can forgive me?”
“I thought I just did.” I smirked, and he growled.
“Say it out loud. I was just so hurt. I wanted to punish you. It wasn’t fair, but it’s what I did. Forgive me, and I’ll leave and go talk to the scouts like a good boy.” He gave me a sexy-as-sin grin that he knew I wouldn’t be able to resist. Not that I wanted to. Ever.
“Of course I forgive you.” I pressed up on my tiptoes and planted another chaste kiss on his lips. “Do you forgive me?”
“For what?” His eyes pulled together.
“For letting you go without a fight. I won’t make that mistake again,” I said, my tone resolute.
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He sounded so reassuring. “Okay, I really do need to go.”
“Go!”
He ran out the door but not before telling me he loved me. It slammed shut, and I stood there with a dopey grin on my face as it reopened, and he poked his head back through.
“You have to come with me.” He waved, trying to call me over.
“What? No, I’m not coming with you,” I started to argue, but he was in the apartment, reaching for my hand and pulling me toward the door as I struggled against him.
“I will pick you up and throw you over my shoulder,” he threatened.
“I don’t want to go. Why are you making me go with you?” I tried to resist, but it was no use. He was way too strong.
“I want you to meet my dad.”
“Oh,” I said as I suddenly stopped fighting him, and we practically flew out the door. “Bye, Lauren,” I shouted and heard her laughing hysterically as my nerves took over.
He wants me to meet his dad?!
The Draft
Cole
I’d gotten really nervous when the game ended and I saw that Christina had left. I thought that I’d blown it, totally fucked things up between us forever. That was why I raced over to her place and asked her to forgive me before I did anything else. I apologized to the scouts for asking them to wait around for me. I knew that it was unprofessional, but I’d reassured them that there was something I really needed to do that couldn’t wait. If I lost Christina, I wouldn’t have ever fully recovered from it.
I had been so desperate to make things right and so fucking relieved when I realized that nothing was wrong. The scouts didn’t seem too pissed about my leaving. Coach Jackson, on the other hand, had looked like he wanted to strangle me with both hands.
After showering and getting dressed, I headed out of the locker room to find Christina and my Dad looking like they were scheming. They were basically huddled together and whispering right until the moment I walked up next to them.
“What?” Christina asked all innocently.
“Not sure what you two are up to, but it doesn’t look good,” I said before wrapping my arm around her and tucking her up against me.
“Don’t you worry about what we’re up to,” my dad said before wrapping his arm around Christina’s other side.
I stopped walking. “What the hell?”
“I’m just playing,” my dad said, and Christina couldn’t stop laughing.
That was how things went with them from that moment on. They sat next to each other at the rest of my games. Lauren too. I convinced myself that my dad was there to actually watch me play ball and not spend quality time with my girlfriend, but I wasn’t so sure which one he liked doing more. Not that it mattered. Every time I looked up and saw the two of them together, my heart fucking beat against my chest a little harder.
I met Christina’s parents soon after as well. They came to one of my games, and then they came to the rest. They even wore Anders T-shirts that embarrassed Christina but made me feel like a badass. My only regret was that I hadn’t met them earlier in the season. I’d never had a big, supportive family unit before, and that was what this felt like. I fucking loved it.
The draft had already started. No one was surprised when the first round came and went, and my name hadn’t been called. I hadn’t expected to get picked up that soon anyway.
The living room in the house I had grown up in was currently packed. I looked around and realized that everyone I gave a shit about was in this room with me. My girl, her parents, my dad, Chance, Mac, and even annoying Lauren were all here. A few other guys from the team came by, too, and were currently eating all the snacks Christina had set out, their eyes glued to the television screen or their phones. Even Coach Jackson texted that he might stop by.
Speaking of, Coach had surprised the hell out of all of us by kicking Logan off the team for unsportsmanlike conduct before we headed to the semi-regional playoffs. Rumor had it that he had heard all about what Logan had done and was completely beside himself over it. Apparently, he told Logan that he wasn’t getting drafted anyway so to get the hell off his team and out of his locker room. Coach had said he’d never had someone so mentally unstable on his team before, and he wasn’t about to start now.
I tried to dig deep inside of myself to feel bad for the guy but couldn’t. It was hard to find sympathy for someone who had actively tried to ruin my life and had hurt the girl I loved. More than once. The only reason I hadn’t beaten his ass again for it all was because I couldn’t find him anywhere. And trust me, I’d looked.
So, fuck you, Logan. Hope you rot in hell.
“Is everyone ready?” the news anchor asked.
She had introduced herself to us as Alpine Peaks, which was her real name, obviously. They were with a local news crew, and they were about to go live with a draft update.
“What do we need to do to be ready? Just sit here and look handsome?” Mac asked, his tone embarrassingly flirtatious. Of course he’d be the one to speak up. He’d probably be making out with Alpine Peaks before the day was over.
“Just act natural. Pretend we’re not even here,” she said with a megawatt smile.
I knew I could do that. I’d planned on ignoring them anyway even though them being here made me feel marginally better about my chances in the draft. Why the hell would a news crew be in my home to film my reaction if I wasn’t going to be getting the call?
But there was still that small sliver of doubt that lingered in the back of my mind. Nothing was ever guaranteed, and them being here didn’t change that fact. I had an advisor who kept telling me that my chances were great, but I still wasn’t convinced. I hadn’t legally been allowed to sign with him as my agent until today. There were a bunch of collegiate rules you had to abide by in order to remain eligible to play while you were in school. This was one of them.
“Are you nervous?” Christina leaned toward me and asked quietly enough that only I could hear.
I looked at her, wondering how I’d gotten so lucky, and nodded. Hell yes, I was nervous. And she was the only person I’d admit it to.
“We’re here with local baseball player Cole Anders. He’s expecting a call any second now about the Major League draft. We’ll be here with him when it happens, and then we’ll share it with all of you. It’s so exciting! That’s all for now. I’m Alpine Peaks, reporting live. Back to you in the studio, Ken and Jane.”