He grinned, kissed her once more, and strolled off, meeting up with a group of guys heading toward the locker room.
“Oh, Cee.” Lucy had stopped at her side. “You’ve got it bad.” She looped her arm through Charlotte’s and pulled her toward the entrance of the stadium, but not before Cole looked back at her and smiled.
“Oh, wow,” Lucy said. “He’s got it bad too.”
She looked around, doing her best to take in the sights and sounds of her first football game. The smell of popcorn filled the air, and people filled the seats. Everyone was decked out in royal blue and gold, the Harbor Pointe Hawks’ colors.
Quinn and her sister, Carly, arrived a few minutes later, followed by Haley and Betsy. The girls all sat together, watching as the teams took the field.
And Cole was right—it was fun.
The team had fun. The older guys had fun. The crowd had fun. Charlotte had fun.
The entire town seemed to be crammed in those seats, and Charlotte fit right in. She loved watching Cole show off on the field, wholly aware that he showed off for her. She loved the way he moved, the way he took off his helmet and grinned up at her when he scored a touchdown. The way he had one foot on each team, still coaching his guys even though he was technically their opponent.
And while Charlotte didn’t understand football, it didn’t matter. She understood that Cole’s plan had worked—his guys were working together and loving the game again. She understood that he’d turned this event into a really good fundraiser for a place that meant a lot to him. And she understood that here—in this place with these people—was where she belonged.
She only hoped she could find a way to make it last.
43
After making their public debut, Charlotte and Cole became an official couple. And she quickly found she liked being half of an official couple.
When they weren’t working, they were together. Renovating his bathrooms with Asher. Eating dinner at Haven House. Taking Amelia and AJ for ice cream and stealing kisses whenever they found themselves alone.
She loved kissing him most of all.
Cole continued to check things off his list, taking her to her first concert in the park, her first swim in the lake, and her first unicorn birthday party when Alaina, Julianna’s baby, turned one. That was the day Cole gave her a box overflowing with letters she’d written to Jules over the years, and that box had quite possibly become her most prized possession.
Today, the day before the recital, Charlotte arrived at the studio for her final rehearsal with the football team. She stood behind the counter as the boys began to arrive, surprised when Cole walked in in the midst of them.
She couldn’t help it—she smiled as soon as he met her eyes. Maybe she was remembering the toe-curling trail of kisses he’d placed on her neck when they were supposed to be watching a movie at his house the night before.
“I didn’t know you were coming to this,” she said.
He leaned closer. “You kidding? I don’t trust these boys with you. I need to make sure they’re behaving around my girlfriend.” He squeezed her hand.
My first boyfriend.
The boys filtered through the door. Several of them waved at her or said hello as they passed by. She knew them all by name now, and while she didn’t let on, she really liked them.
She narrowed her gaze. “I’ve been handling these boys for weeks by myself, Coach.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’m making up reasons to come see you. Sue me.”
She started down the hallway. “All right, but I can’t promise I’m not going to make you get up and dance.”
He stopped, and his expression turned.
She laughed. “I’m kidding. I’ll save that for later.”
They walked into the noisy studio, a bit more chaotic than normal. She drew in a deep breath, shot Cole a wish me luck look, and called their rehearsal to order. Cole might’ve seen the team dance a few weeks ago, but now, after hours of rehearsals, they’d nearly perfected their number. She couldn’t lie—she was proud of them.
“Why don’t we show your coach what you’ve been working on?” she said above the din of their laughter.
“Why don’t you and Coach show us what you’ve been working on?” Dunbar called out.
The other guys responded a lot like her friends might’ve—with obnoxious teasing, and she felt her cheeks turn pink.