The Baller's Baby (8 page)

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Stacey smiled warmly, cuddling close to Cole's body, moving at an angle that would allow each of them to see the others face. “I know why people say, home is where the heart is. It's not because we don't feel lost and separation, fear and anxiety. It's because when we've found that someone who makes all those things bearable, we've finally found our home and probably, for the first time, our heart as well.”

“Stacey-”

“I love you Cole Winslow. And no matter how crazy or odd or irrational you think I am, I know in my heart that I've never known anything more real.” He couldn't believe the words spilling from her mouth. Is this what great sex did to people? Is that all love really was? Lust? Desire? Was it real?

Cole couldn't say he was floored by her admission, because honestly he couldn't get any words past his lips. Here was a college educated, gorgeous black woman who displayed a stunning personality and integrity driven character, sitting here and telling him that she loved him. Cole Winslow, who had squandered every gift he'd ever been given. Everything from college scholarships to chances at the NBA all because he was a coward. If truth be told, and he tried to never lie to himself, deep down where it really mattered he was a sniveling, shaking, hide-in-the-corner coward.

“No one's ever said that to me, not with any real meaning,” Cole whispered, not meeting Stacey's eyes. “I mean, my parents and sister say it, but-”

“I know what you mean,” Stacey replied with a smile, lightly touching his arms. She stroked his stomach and chest, feeling the whirlwind of her emotions as she pressed a kiss to his side. “I think, Mr. Winslow, that we need to work on your interpersonal skills.”

“Why?” Cole asked, confused. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, Stacey swung up and over him, her ripe body sliding over him in a way that only an idiot would mistake for something other than a come on. “Holy god, you feel amazing.”

“Mmm,” Stacey moaned, a smile splitting her lips. “I'm not the only one who's got their A-game going on tonight.” Cole laughed, as he drew her down into an embrace. Just as their mouths touched, Cole filled her to the hilt, swallowing her pleasure and fueling their lovemaking as they spent the remainder of the darkness expressing a passionate love that only action could adequately demonstrate.

                                                                      ***

The weeks were flying by, each day bringing a new level of realization to the new couple that things were getting serious. Stacey and Cole split the shower one morning, each facing a full day of work. Cole had an interview to get done and wrapped up before he did a photo shoot for a sports drink company and then he had conditioning before tip-off at 8pm. He was dressed and heading out the door as Stacey stepped from the shower. She'd tested the limits of his endurance and stamina the night before and still, seeing her naked, glistening body, made him ache to have her all over again. “Kiss me so I can get out of here before I need to take you again.”

“Just don't beat this incredible body up too much. I don't need nearly as much recovery time as you,” Stacey grinned. “I'll see you at tip-off.”

“That's a promise.”

“Bet your sweet ass it is.”

                                                                      ***

Stacey swung by the office, printed out the new contracts she needed for her other players, checked any messages that hadn't come to her phone, answered several emails including one from an overseas firm and then headed out to run some errands before she had to get home to dress for the game. She knew that wearing Cole's jersey would be a major career killer, but she tucked a handkerchief with his number on it into her jeans, leaving the corner hanging past her pocket to adorn her hip. She dressed in a white fitted tank top with a burgundy and ivory color print cardigan. Pairing it with dark blue jeans and a sexy flat, Stacey spent more time on her hair than she had in recent months, styling it in a way that flattered her face and left her neck bare. She wore simply diamond studs and a pearl necklace, and threw on her leather jacket to ward off the damp chill that came with weather in the first weeks of November.

Stacey made herself comfortable behind the Rockets side of the bleachers. She was two rows back, wearing her manager's pass Cole's contract had secured for her. Her soda and pretzel in hand, Stacey waited anxiously for the bleachers to fill up. By ten minutes until game time, the stadium at the Bixby Center was slammed with people who were either there to see the Rockets prevail, or get stomped on. She obviously hoped for a good outcome, but more importantly for Cole to play well.

As the players took to the court, Stacey easily found Cole in the lineup. He didn't seek her out, nor had she expected him to. Nonetheless, she couldn't ignore the element of sexual energy that buzzed through her simply from being near him, from watching him play. Game two for Cole started off hot and heavy with the Legends running a full court press against the Rockets to wear down their offense. Cole had two layup's that scored the first of the Rockets sixteen points in the first half. He scored another four when he was fouled twice. Stacey could honestly say that the extra practice coupled with the fact that he actually seemed to care now, was doing wonders for his game. She could definitely see the NBA picking him up if he kept up this level of play.

Halftime took forever as Stacey waited for the second half to start. Both teams were entrenched in a massive battle for standings as their teams worked to out shoot and out score their opponents. Finally when the teams came back on the floor, Stacey saw the man she'd come to see. More than a manager, Stacey was invested in a way she'd never looked to be, but had fallen into. She wouldn't blame the athletic world if they shunned her for falling in love with a client, but she knew the risk was as real as the man standing in front of her right now. She sat on her hands to keep from waving to him, but she smiled when those electric blue eyes met hers. It was only a second that he held her stare, but that second spoke volumes. Her body, saturated with love, both the physical and the emotional aspect of that wondrous emotion, still ached to join with him. Tonight, when he was doing so amazingly well though, Stacey knew he'd need rest and the embrace of affection, more so than the love of her body.

Stacey kept notes, as was her custom, taking down markers of Cole's progress and areas she thought he might need to work on. His free throw and three point shots were goal for goal, and his layups were doing well also, but his dribbling still had places he could improve. As an athletic manager, she knew how to exploit her knowledge to improve upon a players' natural talent. But how did she go about doing that as a lover, a friend, a mate?

The game ended on a high note, with the Rockets securing a viciously fought over 78-77 win over the Legends. Stacey knew that Cole, like the rest of the Rockets would be whooped, but not so much so that they wouldn't want to celebrate. It was only the second game in the season and they were one and one now. Hanging back as the crowds started to dissipate, Stacey waited for Cole to come out of the locker room. By the time he appeared, the stadium was practically empty, save for the press that waited for one of the Rocket's finest players to grace them with a picture and a few words. When he came out and found her waiting, he smiled, walking over to her. “Hey,” Cole smiled again, leaning down and kissing her before she could warn him about the deluge of press waiting to snap pictures of him. As Stacey turned toward the exit a flash went off in her eyes, blinding her. “Get that shit out of her face.” Cole growled, gripping Stacey's arm tight so that she wouldn't fall. Unable to see without spots in her eyes, Stacey reached out to grasp Cole's arm, turning into his side as he pulled her close. “Cole, there are rumors spreading around that you're dating your manager, can you confirm or deny those allegations.”

“Since when did rumors ring with truth?” Cole asked, his anger barely under its boiling point. “I have no further comment tonight, thank you.” Cole veered off from them, knowing that Max and his team would make sure he and Stacey weren't followed. Sitting her gently into the passenger seat, Cole sighed. “Are you okay?”

“I think so; there are still spots in front of my eyes every time I blink, big white spots.”

“Alright, then tonight, you'll come home with me. No arguments,” Cole ordered, knowing her. Surprisingly she stayed quiet, which almost worried Cole more. He drove her home, reaching over to interlock their fingers. “You're unusually quiet tonight.”

“I knew it'd get out sooner or later,” Stacey said. “I have to terminate your contract, Cole. If the league finds out that we're...that we're more than just manager and player it'll ruin you.”

“I thought I was selfish to think of myself and not how it'd ruin you more.”

“It'll ruin both of us, but when I said that I wasn't...”

“You weren't in love with me?” Cole asked, his eyes going dark in that way that always set her loins to heat.

“Yeah, that.”

“Stacey,” Cole said her name quietly. “Whether or not the league fines me or kicks me out, I'm not losing you. I'm not letting go of what we've found just because people get their dicks in a sling over professional and personal relationships. Maybe if more people blurred the lines, we wouldn't be such an uptight bunch of assholes.”

“Well there is that,” Stacey laughed. It took another hour before her eyes felt normal again, her sight returning to it's regular aptitude. “I could do without being an uptight bitch.”

“Couldn't we all?”

Cole ordered Chinese, preferring to stay in and watch a movie with Stacey. How odd that in just a few days she'd completely changed the way he thought about almost everything. Before, going out to party's or hanging with teammates or pals after the game had been his norm, throwing huge barbecues and inviting people he realized now didn't matter nearly as much to him as he thought he had to them. This woman, this incredible woman, had become the compass by which he measured every other relationship. The only other one that seemed to stand against her was the relationship he had with his sister. “I think you should meet my sister.”

“Oh yeah?” Stacey replied, checking her office email. She quickly scrolled through and deleted unimportant memos, while Cole dished out their food. She smiled as she read the reply to a message she'd sent earlier that day and then looked over the itinerary for the next two weeks. “Well it'll have to be soon because I have a massive trip coming up after this week.”

“Awesome, where are you headed?” Cole asked, carrying their plates and a movie into the living room. He never ate in here, but somehow spending every moment he could with Stacey seemed to be more appealing than worrying about the upholstery.

“I'm going to Bangkok, Thailand,” Stacey told him with a huge smile.

“I know where Bangkok is,” Cole replied, his voice belying the smile he forced onto his lips.

“Come on Cole, you're supposed to be happy for me. I'm securing a client that just about everyone in the industry is going to be after.”

“I am happy for you, that don't mean I have to be happy for me.”

“Oh, I see. You're afraid you're going to miss me terribly, is that it?” Stacey asked, skewering a piece of breaded chicken with her fork. She dipped it in sweet-n-sour sauce and popped it into her mouth on a laugh when she got a look at Cole's face.

“I know how much I'm going to miss you,” Cole admitted, grabbing her fork and pulling her easily onto his lap. “The question is whether or not you'll miss me.”

“Are you kidding me? Of course I'll miss you.”

“You're really convincing me.”

“I'm sorry,” Stacey chortled, laughter continuing to bubble out of her. “You just look so sad.”

“And that makes you laugh?” Cole watched as Stacey continued to giggle, waving her hands in front of her face.

“You make me laugh,” Stacey said, finally calming down a little. “I love you Cole Winslow and yes, you make me laugh. And no I'm not apologizing for that fact.”

“Fine, but I don't find you going to another country by yourself funny.”

“Oh for Pete's sake, I've been doing this since undergrad. I studied abroad for nearly two years in Japan, not to mention that I have more frequent flier miles than you have games under your belt, and yes, I'm adding in elementary, middle and high school. Cole, I will be fine.”

“That's sort of what I'm afraid of,” he said, touching her face with the palm of his hand. “I'm afraid I'll miss you more than I'm ready to admit.”

“Then maybe it'll do us both good to get some space and see how we're really feeling about all of this,” Stacey suggested, even though her heart knew she'd miss him like she'd miss her leg if it was cut off. “First though, we have to get through my family's little soiree.”

                                                                      ***

Little
was the understatement of the century, if Cole was any judge. He'd never seen so many people packed into a house and plot of land in all his twenty eight years. His family certainly never got together like this.

“Stacey!” a beautiful woman called with a little squeal in her voice. Cole could easily see the resemblance between mother and daughter. Stacey had inherited her mother's gorgeous complexion and willing smile. Her eyes though, those must come from her father. Where Stacey's were dark, intense and focused, Mrs. Patterson's were light, penetrating and cheerful. “I'm so glad you made it!”

“Hi Mama,” Stacey greeted and smiled, absorbing her mother's embrace like only a child could. “I'm glad I made it, too, especially since I'll be flying out to Thailand this week.”

“What?” Sandra asked, still not noticing the way Cole's arm rested around Stacey's waist.

“Yeah, I have a client to sign and fly to the U.S.” Stacey smiled. “It'll take a couple of months, probably, to get everything together and arranged properly.”

“A couple of months, what's Cole think about all this?” Sandra asked looking around. “Where is he, anyways.”

Stacey rolled her eyes and shot a glance at Cole, who was practically beaming as he smiled. “He's right here, Mama,” Stacey said, touching her mom's arm. “Mama, this is Cole Winslow. Cole this is my mother, Sandra Patterson.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you Ma'am,” Cole said politely and smiled. He stuck his hand out and when Sandra put her hand in his he lifted it to his lips to press a soft kiss across her knuckles.

“Likewise, Cole.”

Stacey didn't miss the apprehension in her mother's eyes, but ignored it and pulled Cole closer. She knew it wouldn't be smooth sailing tonight, especially where her dad was concerned, but she knew that it was only one night. Surely they could last one meal with her parents. Her father would just have to get used to it.

“Stacey Joy!” Gerard Patterson boomed, his low rumble of a voice practically vibrating through her. She turned with a smile, grabbing her father in a tight hug. If Cole had to guess, here was where Stacey's heart lay. She loved her mother and siblings, but her father has something special that Stacey understood innately; as if part of her was a carbon copy of part of him.

“I've missed you daddy,” Stacey said softly. She turned when the embrace ended and reached for Cole's hand, bringing him closer. “Daddy, this is Cole Winslow, my boyfriend. Cole, this is my father, Gerard Patterson.”

“It's nice to meet you, Sir. Your daughter has told me a lot about you.”

“Has she?” Gerard asked, his eyes seriously pissed off. He stuck Stacey with those steely eyes before he grabbed her hand, practically yanking her through the throng of people. Cole let her go; figuring whatever her father needed to say was private, even if he could feel the icy shards her father emitted.

                                                                      ***

“You could slow down, daddy,” Stacey admonished. “I'm not going to vaporize, you know.”

“Stacey, I raised you with a certain understanding, I thought. Please tell me that boy out there is a temporary insanity and not something serious.”

“Daddy, I can understand your concern. I know it's not normal for one of your kids to date someone of a different color, but I can't tell you that this isn't serious. I love him and I don't plan on doing anything to jeopardize our relationship.”

“Oh Stacey,” Gerard sighed. “What would your grandparents think?”

“Actually, Grandma thinks he's amazing. I'm not sure how grandfather feels, but I personally don't care. None of you are sleeping with him so it doesn't particularly matter to me.” Realizing she'd let the proverbial cat out of the bag, Stacey stiffened her spine.

“So, I take it you are sleeping with him?”

“What Cole and I do in the privacy of our relationship is between us, Daddy. Not to mention, that I'm twenty-five and quite capable of taking care of myself.”

“Fine, then there's nothing else for us to talk about and I'll kindly ask you to leave my home.” Gerard said, his eyes still holding that serious note in their dark depths.

“If that's the way you feel, then I'll stop and say goodbye to mom and we'll leave,” Stacey said, biting her lips to keep the tears in. She quickly found her mother, gripped her in a bone crushing hug, whispered that she had to go and went to find Cole.

“Hey,” Cole said, immediately noticing that something was wrong. “Hey.” Cole snagged her arm turning her so she'd face him. “What's the matter?”

“Nothing...” Stacey huffed, her cheeks reddened and her eyes brimming with tears.

“That's why you're on the verge of crying, because of nothing?” Cole stated, his own temper brewing.

“It's nothing I want to discuss here,” Stacey whispered, unable to keep the tears from falling onto her cheeks. “Can we just go home now?”

He looked at her again, a long, sympathetic look that showed only understanding. Looking up and past her he saw Sandra standing close to the door, a mixture of hurt and anger in those light eyes, so that they were a sort of molten brown sugar. He looked back down at Stacey again, grabbed her hand and walked out of the house with her following closely behind him. Escorting her to her car, he said nothing. Too many thoughts were running through his mind to sort them all out, he didn't think Stacey was having much luck either.

“Alright,” Cole said when they'd both settled in the car. “Spill it.” He hadn't really expected her to do that, but the tears came fast and furious as she turned into him. Reaching out in comfort, Cole wrapped long arms around her slender waist, pulling her halfway out of her seat.

“I...” and the tears simply overwhelmed her, choking her voice until she couldn't do anything but let them fall. It took fifteen minutes before Cole felt comfortable enough letting her go. He chalked his shirt up to a glorified napkin as she dried her eyes and cheeks. “I never imagined it'd come to this, that he could be so heartless.”

Cole was speechless. What did you say to a woman you loved who'd just had her heart broken by someone who should love her regardless of her life choices? “Stacey...” Cole said softly, tipping her chin up so that he could look at those beautiful eyes. “I don't know what happened in there. You can tell me whenever you're ready and, if you're not, that's okay. I know you well enough to know that whatever it was, it hurt you. I also know that we'll make it through this. We're hardly the first mixed race couple to go through it. I'm sure it's not over yet, but I want you to know that I am committed to this. I can't really straighten all my thoughts out, but I'm here for you, with you, all of me, with all of you.”

“I love you Cole Winslow, now more than ever. I know that sounds cliché and retarded but-”

“It sounds great Stacey and I enjoy hearing you say it. You can say it as often as you want or need.”

Looking up, Stacey saw amazingly tender blue eyes that held a mixture of sympathy and love, even if he wasn't ready to say it. “Thank you.”