Out of the Shadow (6 page)

“
I know,” she said, ignoring the niggle of anxiety in her stomach. She laced her fingers through Cole’s and followed him to an empty dressing room down the hall.

This room was void of furniture but for one dusty sofa shoved against a wall. Cole sat and tugged Ally down next to him. He kissed her softly and smiled as he pulled away.

“
I’ve really missed you, Al,” he said.

“
I’ve missed you,” she said. She held his hands in hers, eyes still on his face, afraid that if she looked away, he’d disappear again.

“
Al,” he said as he sucked in a deep breath. “I’ve been doing some thinking…”

“
Cole,” she said, her eyes wide and sparkling with fear. “What kind of thinking?”

He chuckled and hugged her quickly, pressing kisses into her hair. “Not that kind of thinking – I’m not stupid.” He eased her back and smiled. “I was thinking a lot about us and stuff. I love you, very much, and it gets so hard being away from each other that sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“
Me, too,” she whispered, squeezing his hands.

“
And I thought a lot about…well…” he sighed and dropped her hands to rake his fingers through his hair. He stood and dug a tiny box out of the front pocket of his jeans. He sat back down and took her left hand. “I wanted to ask you to marry me but I know it’s way too soon. I know you want to get some college under your belt.”

She nodded, not able to speak, her eyes tearing up and her heart a frantic mess.

“
So, I didn’t buy an engagement ring. I bought you this instead.” He pinched the box open to reveal a thin gold band with two interlocking hearts encrusted with shimmering diamonds and rubies. He plucked it out of the box and slipped it nervously on her finger. “The man at the jewelry store kept talking about promise rings and I really didn’t pay much attention so I’m not sure exactly what they are. I guess that’s what this is, I don’t know. What this one means to me is that I love you more than anything and that one day soon, I’m going to replace this ring with an engagement ring. That’s what I wanted it to say. And stuff.”

She sniffed as a couple tears leaked from her eyes. She nodded, touched not only by his gift but by the raw honesty of his words and the tinge of red painting his cheeks. She smiled at the beautiful ring then threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly.

“
Thank you,” she whispered as he gave her a squeeze. “I love it and I love you.”

“
I know, princess,” he said as he rubbed her back.

“
Hey!” Jamie shouted as he pounded on the door. “I’ve got to get the girls back.”

Sighing, Cole stood, helping Ally to her feet. “Come on before he has a coronary.” He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, before opening the door.

“
Let’s go, James,” Ally said, clutching Cole’s hand. Her nervousness was trickling back into her heart and she wondered if anyone had noticed her and Lisa missing.

Cole and RJ walked them back to Jamie’s car, making plans for the next day. Ally kissed RJ’s cheek before turning to Cole to kiss him goodnight.

“
I’ll call you in the morning,” she whispered. “And maybe we can do breakfast after my workout.”

“
Yes, Al, anything you want,” he said, pecking her lips. “Now get out of here before you get caught.”

“
It was nice to meet you,” Lisa said, the awe still in her voice. She climbed into the back seat as Cole opened the passenger’s side door for Ally.

Cole shook Jamie’s hand, shot Ally one last wink, and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Get her back safely, man.”

“
Of course,” Jamie said as he hopped into the car, leaving RJ and Cole to watch them drive away.

Chapter Four

Cole strolled casually through the silent hotel hallway and knocked softly on Doug’s door, wondering what the early morning meeting was about and how it would affect the time he intended to spend with Ally that day.

“
Hi, Cole,” Lila, Doug’s niece greeted as she opened the door. “Come in. Doug is still on the phone – in the bathroom - but the other boys are here.”

He nodded and brushed past her, getting a slight whiff of her perfume. It was light and flowery, just likes Ally’s, but a bit more seductive. He hurried past her to take a seat next to RJ.

“
Any idea what this is about?” Cole asked. RJ shook his head.

“
Um, I think Doug is moving your venue tonight,” Lila offered, her full lips curling into a smile. “He didn’t tell me but I heard him on the phone.”

“
Why would he do that?” Parker asked, jumping to his feet. “I thought we were playing in L.A.?”

“
You’ll have to ask him,” Lila said with an indifferent shrug. She whirled around and strode to the window, tossing a smooth smile over her shoulder. Her dark eyes met Cole’s and an uncomfortable shudder stole over him. He averted his eyes and concentrated on Parker’s beat up sneakers.

Doug’s voice rose and fell and they were only able to make out a few words, but they didn’t sound promising.

“
So, what the hell?” Cole asked in a low voice. “I wonder what’s going on and why we’re not playing in L.A. tonight. Damn.”

“
I have no idea, bro,” RJ said as he stretched his arms out behind him. “I just hope we don’t have to pull out tonight. I wanted to watch Ally’s game.”

“
Me, too,” Cole grumbled.

“
Okay fellas,” Doug said as he came out of the bathroom, cell phone in hand. “Looks like we’re not playing at the Jungle Room tonight – they had a pipe burst and had to shut down.”

“
So, what now?” Cole asked as he got to his feet. “What are we doing?”

“
I spoke with Rhys and he managed to get you guys on some San Diego morning show tomorrow,” Doug announced.

“
Okay,” Parker said slowly, glancing at Cole. “So, what does that mean?”

Doug scratched the side of his neck and grinned weakly. “We’re cutting out tonight.” He held up a hand to stave off their protests. “I know you boys want to go to that softball game so we’ll leave as soon as it’s over. That’s the best I can do, guys. This San Diego show is pretty popular and Rhys had to practically bend over backwards to get you guys on it.”

“
How did he manage that?” Parker asked. “I thought they booked guests months in advance or something.”

“
I guess the producer is a buddy of Rhys’s and he said he could squeeze you guys in,” Doug said with a shrug. “Great opportunity and will hopefully generate some more ticket sales for tomorrow night’s show.”

Cole released a long breath and stood. “Fine. We would have had to leave right after the game for our gig anyway – at least we still get to go.”

Doug strode across the room to smack Cole on the back. “That’s the spirit. I’ll have the bus at the complex at eight so be ready.”

“
Sure,” Cole said as he waved at the guys and left the room. He whipped his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked to his own room, anxious for Ally’s call. He figured she must be about done with her practice and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Just as he inserted his key card in the door, his phone rang. He grinned and answered it. “Hello, princess.”

***

Ally spotted him, leaning against the checkout counter, chatting casually with the cashier. A bolt of jealousy struck her heart until Cole shifted and his eyes met hers. A slow, lazy smile spread across his face and her heart fluttered pleasantly. Her feet automatically carried her to him.

“
Good morning,” she said, feeling like it was their first date.

Straightening, he hugged her to his chest, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair. “Good morning. Are you hungry?”

“
Starved,” she said as she moved out of his arms. “I just had some juice before practice.”

“
Let’s eat,” he said, taking her hand.

The hotel restaurant was small but clean. It was decorated in a weird sort of rooster theme – rooster statues on the counters, rooster paintings on the walls, even rooster appliqués on the napkin holders.

“
Hm,” Ally said with a smile. “Interesting.”

Cole laughed heartily, his eyes sparkling. “I bet my grandmother would love the rooster stuff.”

“
Probably,” Ally agreed.

A waitress came over and placed glasses of water in front of them. She smiled as she handed them their menus and took their drink orders. Once she left, Cole opened his menu and perused his choices.

Ally watched him from over her own menu and noticed the slight crinkle in his forehead. Something was on his mind – bothering him – and he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to spring it on her. Her heart ached for him and hoped that it wasn’t too terrible.

She folded her menu and placed it on the table. “Cole?”

“
Yeah?” he said, his eyes not leaving his menu.

“
What’s wrong?”

He set his menu down and furrowed his brow at her. “What do you mean?”

“
I know something is wrong,” she said. “I can tell. So, just tell me what’s wrong, okay?”

He smiled softly and held her hand on top of the table. “It’s nothing bad, princess, I promise.” She rolled her eyes and squeezed his hands. “It’s just that our venue tonight has a plumbing problem and we won’t be able to play. So, we’re moving out tonight so we can make some morning show in San Diego.”

She nodded, her lip protruding slightly. She could feel disappointment burning behind her eyes but she managed to keep a brave face. “That really sucks.”

“
We’ll be able to watch the game,” he said. “We just have to leave as soon as it’s over.”

“
Okay, I understand,” she said, keeping the gloom from her voice. “I still get to spend some time with you this morning.”

“
Yes,” he said, trying to maintain a happy demeanor. “I’m sorry, Al. I thought for sure that we wouldn’t be leaving until the morning and maybe I could sneak out and see you tonight.”

She giggled and pushed her disappointment aside. She’d deal with it later and take advantage of the time she had with him.

When they finished breakfast, he followed her back to the complex and they took a walk, stopping to watch one of the games. Ally kept up a steady stream of conversation, explaining about her teammates and how anxious she was about her game later.

“
I’m glad you at least get to watch it,” she said when they stopped on the shady side of the concession stand. Leaning against the cool bricks, he tugged her closer.

“
You’re so beautiful, Al, did you know?” he asked as his eyes darkened. He brushed his lips against hers softly but the kiss immediately heated. She linked her hands behind his head and pressed her body to his. A small groan escaped his lips.

“
We should have stayed in your hotel,” she said.

He smiled in her mouth. “Al, don’t even go there.”

She giggled and pecked his lips. The physical part of their relationship was still relatively new as they’d decided not to take things to that level until after she’d graduated high school. She’d once thought that they’d wait until they married – thought it was a romantic notion – but she loved him so much and was so sure of him that one night, shortly before her graduation party, they’d succumbed to the passion that raged inside of them.