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I leaned against his side to peer at the screen, my eyes widening when I saw the headlines.
“Nighthawks coach threatens to fire player over a woman.”
“Coach O’Hara causes a scene in a nightclub in a fit of jealousy over a younger player.”
“Who’s the woman caught in the middle of Nighthawks love triangle?”
“Is O’Hara fit to coach?”
“Oh my gosh,” I gasped. “This is really bad.”
“And it’s all my fault,” Ivy wailed. “I never should have told Darla about the bottle service and table Naomi got us for your birthday. But I knew how much she’d enjoy it and inviting her along seemed like the right thing to do. If only I’d known what a mess that decision would cause.”
I shook my head. “It absolutely is not your fault. You were just being a good friend, like you always are. It’s one of the things I like best about you, how you go out of your way to make the people you care about happy.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Cut yourself some slack,” Cole grumbled. “You had no way of knowing your friend would pull a stunt like this.”
“I just—”
This time, I was the one who cut her off. “Cole is right. Darla might not have been the best friend in the world to you, but she’s still come through when you needed her in the past.”
“Until now,” Ivy bit out. “Hurting you means hurting me, and if she knew me at all, that would’ve been obvious to her.”
“True,” I conceded, feeling sad for my friend. “But the fact that she missed that about you is on her, not you.”
“Don’t worry about Darla,” she assured us. “She won’t be able to cause additional trouble for you guys since she won’t be around anymore. This was the last straw. I’m done with her.”
I loved that Ivy had my back, but I hated that she felt as though she needed to end a long-standing friendship because of me. “You don’t have to do that on my account. It’s not like I ever have to spend time with her again. We aren’t even roommates anymore, so I wouldn’t see her when she drops by.”
“I’m not making this decision because of you,” she swore. “If she’d do something like this to you just because of a little petty jealousy, then I can’t trust her not to stab me in the back at some point too.”
There was no arguing with her logic when she was right. “I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is,” she sighed. “The important thing is that you guys are prepared when you go to the stadium in case you’re bombarded by the press.”
Cole flashed me a confident smile. “Don’t worry about Lorna. I’ll make sure nobody bothers her.”
“I’m counting on it,” my friend murmured.
After we said our goodbyes to Ivy, Cole and I scanned through the articles that had been published about us. Although they knew who I was, most of what was said about me wasn’t that bad. But Cole didn’t come out looking that great.
“Ugh, this is awful. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close, brushing a kiss against my temple. “You’re here, with me, all moved in. That’s what’s important. The rest of it is just outside noise. I don’t give a fuck what other people think about me as long as you’re happy.”
“No worries there.” I twisted my neck to smile up at him. “I’m deliriously happy and think you’re the best man I’ve ever met.”
“Good, because I’m the only man you’re ever gonna be with.”
When he said things like that, it sent butterflies swirling in my belly. But I didn’t give in to the urge to climb on his lap and kiss him. Instead, I asked, “Is this going to cause problems with your job?”
“I doubt it.” Cole shrugged. “It’s not the first time the media has been interested in someone connected to the Nighthawks, and it certainly won’t be the last.”
“I get that, but your boss will probably have questions about you threatening Micah’s position over me.” I narrowed my eyes as the weight of what he’d done hit me. “Hold up, did you really do that? Is your warning the reason he suddenly had to run off? Not the appointment you said he’d forgotten about?”
“Of course I did.” He flashed me a cocky grin. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do when he meets the woman who was meant to be his.”
