Certified Disaster (Beautiful Mess Book 2) (18 page)

“How do you know that?”
he smiled back, his
panic easing a bit.

“Because that’s not what Cole Marra
does,”
she
replied sternly.  “He doesn’t suck at anything.  He works, and fights, and he
demands that everything bends to his will.  He is a freaking force of nature,
and you’d better not stand in his way.”

Laughing, he pulled her to him.  “A
force of nature, huh?”

“Of course.  You managed to wrap me
around your little finger, after all.  That has to be one of the biggest feats
ever.  This basketball stuff should be easy compared to that.”
 
Her eyes glowed as
she looked up at him.  Cole felt his chest swell, her confidence in him chasing
away his fears and doubts.

“What would I ever do without you?”
 
He leaned down and
placed a soft kiss on her lips.  “I’d be a basket case for sure.”

“Mmm, probably,”
she returned his
kiss.  “Lucky for you, I like the hard cases.”

“I’ll show you a hard case,”
he grinned against
her lips.

“Cole!”
 
She smacked his arm.  “Now is
definitely not the time.  You need to get to the stadium before you’re late. 
Are you okay now?  Are you ready?  Because we can’t have you falling apart like
that again.”
 
She
searched his face, looking for any sign of insecurity.

“I’m good,”
he replied confidently.  Bri was
right, he was a force to be reckoned with, and he wasn’t going to let something
as stupid as a few TV cameras throw him off.  “Thank you.  I’ll be looking for
you tonight.”

“I’ll be there.”
 
She gave him one
last kiss before kicking him off the couch.  “Now, you’d better get going.  I
don’t want to have wasted all this effort on you, only to watch you sit out the
first half because you were late.”

“Right.  Love you, Bri.”

“Love you, Cole.  Go make me proud,”
she grinned.

“Always,”
he gave her a cocky smirk before
heading out the door.

After the game, Cole walked out of
the locker room with a huge smile on his face.  He had done it.  He’d survived
his first game as a starter.  Even though it was just a preseason game, it
still felt like a huge accomplishment.  He didn’t know what he’d been so
worried about.  They had won easily.  The team had worked together seamlessly,
and everything had flowed just as they’d practiced.  He could feel it already;
this team was special, and they were headed for great things.

He scanned the crowd of fans who’d
stayed after the game for autographs, and saw Bri standing off to the side. 
Completely ignoring the yelling crowd, he rushed over to her.  She laughed as
he swept her up and spun her around.  Setting her down, he didn’t even give her
time to catch her breath before he captured her lips.  There were some whoops
and whistles from the crowd around them, but Cole didn’t care.  He kissed her
senseless, expressing all of his love and gratitude.  He couldn’t have made it
through the night without her, and he wanted her to know how much he
appreciated her.

“Wow,”
she whispered breathlessly.  “Now
that
is a victory kiss.”

“You got that right,”
he grinned at her. 
“And I have more of that in store for you tonight,”
he grinned wickedly, causing her to
blush.  “Give me five minutes, and we’ll get out of here.”

Bri nodded, and he smiled as he ran
back to his fans.  After signing each and every autograph, he returned to his
waiting girl and escorted her out of the stadium.  

Bri woke early Sunday morning to the
sound of her phone ringing.  Glancing at the time, she groaned.  Sunday was her
day to sleep in, and everyone knew not to bother her before noon.  Getting
ready to verbally bash whoever dared to call her at eight-thirty in the
morning, she answered with a gruff, “What?”

“Well good morning to you, too,
sunshine,”
a
familiar voice laughed on the other line.

“Seb?  What are you doing?  Why are
you calling so early?  It’s like what, five-thirty there?  Is something wrong?”
 
She sat up,
instantly alert as worry blossomed through her.

“No, everything is fine,”
he replied
nonchalantly.

“Then why the hell are you calling
me so freaking early?”
 
Now that she knew there wasn’t an emergency, she was starting to get
pissed.

“No reason.  I just know how much
you enjoy getting up early on the weekends, and thought I’d start your day off
right.”

“Sebastian,”
she growled.  “I am going to reach
through this phone and strangle you if you don’t tell me what you want right
now.  And don’t even think about pointing out the fact that it is physically
impossible to strangle you through a phone.  I know that already.”

He burst out laughing.  “Oh, Bri,
you are so pleasant and engaging in the morning, I can’t help messing with you
a little.  But really, there is a reason I’m calling.”

“Yes, and I’m all a twitter waiting
for it,”
she
replied sarcastically.

“Okay, okay.  I’m calling because we
won the Mountain West championship, which I’m sure you already know because you
follow my football career religiously.”

“Uh, yeah, something like that.”
 
She felt a little
bad because she had no idea that Seb and the UNLV Rebels had been doing that
well this season.

“Anyway, we are going to the Las
Vegas Bowl, and I want you to come.”

“Really?  Seb, that’s awesome!”

“Yep, my first bowl game.  My dad is
renting a house in Vegas for a week, and we wanted to invite you and your
family to join us.  I know Cole can
’
t come because of
basketball, but Jimmy is coming, and of course Claire will be there.  The game
is December 23rd, and we’ll staying the week and celebrating Christmas there. 
What do you think?”

“I think that sound fabulous,”
she grinned, all of
her grumpiness evaporating.  “I’ll call and talk to my dad, but even if they
can’t make it, I will definitely be there.”

“Perfect.  I was hoping you’d come. 
When my dad gets all the details worked out, I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good.  But, Seb?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you calling so early?  No
offense, but this could’ve waited a few hours.  You didn’t have to get up a
five-thirty in the morning to call me.”

“I know, but I was too excited to
sleep much, and I know what a morning person you are.  I figured you’d be a
good first call to make.”

“I’m the first one you called?  You
haven’t talked to Cole yet?”

“No, he’s not nearly as nice to wake
up to as you are,”
Seb
teased.

“Yeah, whatever,”
she smiled
ruefully.  “Well, on that note I am going back to bed.  Congratulations again,
Seb.  I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks, Bri.  Talk to you soon.”

“Bye.”
 
She hung up smiling.  Snuggling down into her covers, she drifted back
to sleep.

Bri bounced excitedly in her seat as
the bus drove them to New York.

“Calm down, crazy,”
Stacie smiled
beside her.  “You can survive a few hours without him.”

“Like you can’t wait to get your
arms around Matt,”
Bri
smirked at her.  “You’re just as bad as I am, admit it.”

“Whatever,”
Stacie laughed.  “I, at least, have
some self-control.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen your self-control.”

They were on their way to Madison
Square Garden, part of the cheering squad that would travel with the basketball
team for their pre-season tournaments.  Bri had been so excited when she was
chosen to go, after having to stay behind last year.  And as much as she hated
cheering, it was worth it to go with Cole, even if he was in a separate bus.

Late that night, they finally made
it to their hotel.  Both buses unloaded, and Bri got a quick kiss from Cole
before he and the team headed up to their rooms.  Bri, Stacie, and the rest of
the cheer squad checked into their rooms, unfortunately on a different floor
than the basketball team, and finally got some sleep.

The next night, Bri followed the
rest of her team into the stadium to get ready for the game.  She knew that Lynette
and Carl had come to watch Cole, finally making it to a game like they’d been
promising, and she hoped that them being here didn't freak Cole out.  He hadn’t
had another break down since that first game; in fact, he seemed more laid back
and happier since then.  But she was still worried something might set him off
again.  Desperately wanting to impress your mom, who hadn’t really given a crap
about you before, might be one of those things that caused Cole to regress.

But as the team came out to warm up,
Cole seemed completely at ease.  He was smiling and joking around, trying to
loosen up his teammates.  He even snuck over to give her a quick kiss before
the starting lineups were announced.  Relieved, Bri took her place and got
ready to cheer on her man.

The game started, and Cole was
amazing.  There was an incredible energy in the building.  Buoyed by it, the
team played fluidly and won rather easily.  Cole got to do a quick interview
with one of the network reporters after the game, and Bri watched him, awed. 
He was so natural.  The camera, the millions of people watching, didn’t seem to
faze him at all.  He was intelligent and funny, and the woman interviewing him
was completely charmed.

After changing out of her cheer
uniform, Bri met Lynette and Carl outside the stadium, and they all waited for
Cole.  She’d gotten a cursory greeting, but they’d been standing there for
twenty minutes now and Cole’s mom hadn’t said a word to her.  In fact, Lynette
seemed to be trying to ignore her completely.  Not that Bri cared.  She didn’t
feel like making small talk anyway. 

Finally, Cole pushed open the door
and walked out.  He’d barely taken two steps before Lynette rushed him,
squealing.

“Cole, honey, you were amazing!”
 
She wrapped him up
in a tight hug.

“Thanks, Mom.  I’m glad you could
come.”
 
He
gently extricated himself from her arms.  “Hi, Carl,”
he nodded to his step dad. 

Finally, his eyes found her, and Bri
gave him a proud smile. A huge smile bloomed on his face, and he rushed over to
her.  She jumped into him and he squeezed her tight.  Bri could feel his heart
pounding against her chest, could feel his excited energy.  Reveling in his
happiness, she pulled back for a kiss.  Cole eagerly accepted, and they stayed
locked together until Lynette’s pointed cough caused Cole to pull back.

“Cole,”
Lynette grabbed his arm and pulled him
away from Bri.  “So, what’s the plan?  Where are we going for dinner?”

“I’m starving,”
Carl interjected.  “So
you’d better decide fast.”

“Dinner?”
 
Bri gave Cole a questioning look. 
She hadn’t heard about any dinner plans.

“Oh Bri, I suppose you can come,
too.  But I understand if you already have plans,”
Lynette waved at her dismissively.  “I
know, we should invite Jordan!”

“Invite Jordan where?”
 
Jordan sidled up
to Lynette with a charming smile.

“Jordan!”
she gave him a hug.  “So good to see
you again.  You have to come to dinner with us, I insist.  We have so much to
catch up on.”

“Sounds good to me.  Where are we
going?”

“Why don’t you chose.”
 
Lynette tucked her
arm into Jordan’s, and they headed down the street.

“Are you ready?”
 
Cole offered Bri
his arm.

“Dinner with your mom, Carl, and
Jordan.  This is going to be so much fun.”
 
She gave him a sarcastic smile and tucked her arm into his. 

He gave her a quick kiss, and they
followed the others.  “Oh, it won’t be that bad.  You don’t have to come if you
really don’t want to.”

“And let that woman win?  I think
not.  No, I’ll go just to spite her.”

“To spite her?  She invited you to
come.”

“But that doesn’t mean she actually
wants me there.  She’s hoping to scare me off, but it won’t work.”

“Bri,”
he sighed.  “Not everything she does is a veiled threat.  I talked to
her, and she’s been trying to make an effort with you.  You need to give her a
chance.”

“Are you serious?”
 
She looked at him
incredulously.  He could not call Lynette’s passive aggressive behavior “making
an effort”. 

“Yes.  I want you two to get along. 
She’s part of my life now.  I don’t want there to be all this tension between you. 
Give her a chance, please.  For me?”

She considered that for a moment
before answering.

“Fine, I’ll give her a chance,”
she finally
relented.  “But I’m not wasting my time if she’s not willing to reciprocate.”

“Fair enough,”
he smiled.  “You’ve
already charmed my dad.  I’m sure you’ll be able to work your magic on my mom,
too.  You might even bring Carl around,”
he teased.

“Yeah, right,”
she laughed.  “That
guy doesn’t warm up to anyone.”

“You may be right about that.  Now,
can we go and enjoy dinner?”

“Only if you get us out of there
quickly.  It’s not exactly dinner I’m interested in tonight.”
 
She gave him a
sultry look.  His eyes darkened, and she could tell he was no longer interested
in dinner either.

Bri tried really hard to keep her
promise to Cole and give Lynette a chance.  That was a lot easier to do when
Lynette was back home in New Jersey.  When she came to visit, it was
practically impossible.

When she was there, Lynette
monopolized all of Cole’s time.  She was constantly pushing her pro-NBA agenda
every chance she got.  She had all of these ideas about how she could stay
close to him, by being his personal assistant or something, and Cole would
never outright tell her no, so it just encouraged her.  Of course, Bri didn’t
factor into any of Lynette’s plans.  In her eyes, Bri was just an obstacle
blocking Cole’s path to fame and fortune.  An obstacle Lynette fully intended
to demolish.

One mid-December night, Bri was
waiting in the stadium for Cole to emerge from the locker room.  Lynette had
come down for the game, and now Bri was stuck with her, alone, until Cole
joined them.  They stood off to the side, apart from the crowd, waiting in a
heavy silence.

Since Lynette refused to speak to
her, Bri turned her attention to the crowd that had stuck around to get some
autographs.  The Blue Devils had won easily, and the fans were still bouncing
with excitement from the win.  She smiled to herself, knowing how much Cole
enjoyed this; greeting his fans and signing autographs was his favorite part of
Duke basketball.

A moment later, her attention was
drawn to the left as the crowd started cheering.

Cole walked out, a huge smile on his
face.  He waved at her, signaling that he’d be over when he was done with his
fans.  Bri nodded, used to this routine by now, and watched as her man was
swarmed by the crowd. 

Bri noticed that Lynette was eyeing
her, but Bri refused to acknowledge someone who refused to acknowledge her. 
Instead she kept her attention focused on Cole as he made his way through the
crowd.  A pretty blond co-ed handed Cole something to sign, and stepped in
closer to him than Bri liked, getting all up in his personal space.  Bri’s eyes
narrowed, and jealousy surged within her, as the girl placed her hand on Cole’s
arm, laughing boisterously at something he said.  Cole handed the girl her
autograph and moved away, but Bri did not like the way the girl’s eyes followed
Cole, and his butt, as he turned to the next fan.  She had the sudden urge to
go rip out a big handful of that blond hair.

“You know, I’ve been wondering
something.”

Bri’s head whipped around, shocked
that she’d actually been addressed.  Lynette was watching her knowingly.

“What is a smart girl like you doing
settling down so soon?  And with someone like Cole?”

“What?”
 
Bri was equal parts confused and
indignant.

“Look at him,”
Lynette waved
toward Cole, surrounded by a group of smiling, giggling girls.  “You know this
is just the beginning.  The more popular and famous he gets, the more women are
going to flock to him.  They are going to do all they can to get his
attention.  Why would you want to stand by and watch it all happen?  Why would
you want to put yourself through that?  I saw your face when that pretty girl
over there touched his arm.  You looked like you wanted to rip her arm off. 
She’s not the first to try to get close to him, and she won’t be the last. 
Things are just going to escalate, and I’m worried about you.”

“You’re worried about me?”
 
Bri couldn’t
contain her scoff.  Lynette was
not
worried about her, at least not in
that way.  No, Lynette’s worry revolved around the fact that Cole listened to
Bri and respected her opinions, that they were both on the same page when it
came to their future plans.  And those plans differed vastly from what Lynette
had planned for Cole.

“Yes,”
Lynette replied stiffly, not missing Bri’s disbelief.  “I’m worried that
you won’t be able to handle it.  I’m worried that you’ll lose control one day
and maybe even hurt someone.  If you do, where will that leave Cole?  All over
the news, surrounded in scandal, and his career will suffer for it.”