Coaching His Babygirl by Rory Reynolds
Chapter Sixteen
Cooper
Watching Mel drive away sucks.Walking her to her car wasn’t nearly enough time. Being so close to her was the highlight of my day, and the temptation to touch her was too much to resist. It might’ve only been the barest of brushes on her soft skin, but it was like a bottle of water magically appearing in the desert. It was exactly what I needed.
Once her car is out of sight, I debate on whether I should go home or head back inside to workout. It doesn’t take me but a second to decide to workout. Going home now will just give me hours and hours of thinking about Mel, and I don’t know that I could stop myself from calling her. Giving her space is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I want nothing more than to force her into a conversation. To make her see what I do—that we are perfect for each other and that there is no reason for us to be apart… ever.
It’s an easy choice to go workout. At least I’ll be able to take out my frustrations on the weights and my body. I can lift until I can’t anymore, then run on a treadmill until I’m unable to breathe. Hopefully with enough physical punishment, I’ll be able to think about something other than my babygirl.
Ha. Not likely. It’s still better than spending time twiddling my thumbs at home.
I’m almost to the safety of my gym when Darlene pops out of her classroom. “Hey, Coop!”
“Hi Darlene,” I grumble, not feeling like chitchatting. The only person I want to talk to is on her way home with sad eyes and a broken heart that she won’t let me heal.
“Are you going to the gym?”
“Yeah,” I say suspiciously, wondering why she cares.
“Oh good! I’m glad Colt will have company in his workout. He missed it this morning,” she giggles and blushes.
“Great, thanks for the heads up,” I mumble.
Fuck me, I don’t want to talk to Colt, and I know that’s why he’s working out in the afternoon. Yeah, he probably missed his morning workout because he was with Darlene this morning, but the fact that he stayed today isn’t a coincidence.
“Have a good workout,” she says cheerily.
I give her a nod and continue on my way to the gym. For a brief moment, I consider turning tail and running away. I really don’t want to talk about anything, but at the same time, I know a good, punishing workout is exactly what I need.
I quickly change into my workout clothes and have barely gotten two steps into the weight room before Colt is racking his weights and sitting up on the bench to greet me. Though the almost hostile look on his face tells me that this conversation isn’t going to be a friendly one.
“Colt,” I say with a brief nod as I grab a set of dumbbells.
“So it’s going to be like that then?” he growls. “You’re just going to pretend everything is okay and that nothing’s going on with you?”
I curl the dumbbell, giving him a withering look as I work my arms. “Not avoiding anything. I just don’t see the point in hashing everything out.”
“Bullshit,” he says. “Darlene told me what Mel told her. I’d rather hear the story from you.”
I drop the dumbbells to the ground in a loud thud. “What? You want to hear that Melinda saw Janice fucking Lin with her body pressed against me and her lips on mine? You want me to cry and tell you how Mel broke things off with me over it? You want to hear about how fucking mad I am?” I growl, feeling the anger crest to the boiling point.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’m pissed off, and I’ll admit a little hurt that Mel doesn’t trust me enough to know that I’d never do anything to hurt her. Especially cheat on her.”
“Darlene says that Mel trusts your story about the kiss. She knows you didn’t cheat.”
I throw my arms up in the air and pace the room. “If she trusted me so damn much, why is she keeping us apart like this? Neither one of us are happy right now!”
“I think she’s scared of being hurt. You know Mel hasn’t been in a relationship before. This is all new to her. Throw in the kink factor and she’s out of her depth.”
Colt’s words make sense. I know he’s right, but I can’t see past my own hurt right now. Not when I’m so worked up over everything. And especially not when I’m giving her space. I think that’s my least favorite word in the dictionary—space.
Colt gets up and crosses the room to where I’m standing. He puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me an encouraging look. “Mel loves you; she just has to figure it out for herself. Don’t give up on her.” He pats my shoulder then walks off to the locker room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I work myself to the bone. Lifting and running. I don’t stop until I’m drenched in sweat, and my riotous thoughts are back under control. Colt is right. Mel will figure things out, and we will have the rest of our lives to be together. I have to believe that this is just a bump in the road.