Page 72 of A Scoring Chance

Cooper doesn’t hesitate, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tightly to his chest. I inhale his delicious scent, counting backward slowly to calm my racing heart. “It’s okay, Beauty. Darius is okay. Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that, Cooper.”

“I can. In this instance, I can. I’ve had the same bruises and injuries before. Momma took care of me for each and every one, including after I moved into my place in the city. If anyone knows what to do to ensure that Darius is good as new in a few days, it’s her.”

He’s right. Having Ms. Melanie here to help makes a difference, but I still need to be here in case something happens. Darius is one of the most important people in my life. My sister trusted me to raise and take care of her little boy if anything happened to her. Neither of us thought it was going to be so soon, but here we are. Darius was Imani’s entire universe, and ‌he’s mine, as well. I don’t want him to feel like he is any less important because Cooper is now a part of our lives.

“That makes me feel a little better, but I have to be here just in case. I need it. I wouldn’t even enjoy our date because I would have no way of knowing how he’s doing.”

“I know, Beauty. But how about we make a compromise?” Cooper pulls back slightly, his eyes searching my face to see how I feel about what he just said.

“A compromise?”

“Yes. It's one of those things couples do when they don’t agree on something.”

“People actually do that?” I giggle, not having a single memory of my parents ever doing anything of the sort. Ma always got whatever he wanted. Sure, Dad told her no occasionally, but not very often, and I’m not any better, if I’m being honest. If Darius or Ma want something, I bend over backward to make sure they have it, even if I have to give up something.

“Yes, they do, or at least they should.”

“Okay. What did you have in mind?”

“We stay here in town for our date.”

“Is it really that simple?”

There’s no doubt that Cooper has some elaborate plan for our date tonight. The man doesn’t have any idea how to do something small, making it seem like his mission in life is to spoil me rotten. Something that no one has done for me in years. I’m not mad about it; it's kind of nice to be someone’s priority for once.

It hasn’t been until recently that I even think about what I want occasionally, but quickly banish the thoughts away. Cooper goes out of his way to think about what I want and need since we’ve started dating. He does everything in his power to make sure that I’m happy and safe, but does he also do the same for himself?

“I’ll have to make some changes to my plan, but yes, it is. That way, I get to spend some alone time with you, and you don’t have to worry too much about how Darius is doing. You’ll also be able to get here quickly, since every place in town only takes about fifteen minutes or less to get to.”

“And you’d be okay with that?”

This is something Cooper is going to have to deal with a lot if this thing between us is going to work. Darius and Ma will always come before him. We will probably go weeks without seeing each other in person, and even longer once he startsplaying again and traveling with the team. We talked about this before we agreed to give this relationship a try, but this is the first real test we’ve faced since then.

“It doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, as long as I get to spend time with you.”

“That rhymed.”

Cooper shakes his head at my antics, leaning down to plant a kiss on his favorite spot. “If I told you I wanted to stay here and hang out, what would you say?”

“I would beg for us to at least hang out in your room or another part of the house away from the four Nosy Nellies we love so much. I want as much of your attention as I can get tonight.”

This time I don’t hesitate with my response. “Okay. I’ll go.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cooper

“Are you sure?” I pull back from her embrace, needing to make sure I didn’t talk her into something she didn’t want.

I wasn’t bullshitting her when I said I’d gladly stay here and hang out. Sure, it wasn’t what I had in mind for our second date, but the important part was right here: Ramona. I would sit in the middle of a cornfield in 100-degree weather if she asked me to, as long as she was there beside me.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

I pick her up off the floor, spinning her around in my excitement. “I have to make a phone call and do some creative rescheduling, but I think I can get everything worked out in about an hour.”

“That works. I can make sure Darius is settled and grab his food from the restaurant. Do I need to change?”

---