Page 28 of Catching Coy
So when Agnes agreed to post cameramen and crew at the doors leading inside, where he’d taken Bellamy for their time alone, he couldn’t help but be grateful that the producer was granting him a few favors. More than anything, he knew quiet time with her, without the fear that Lucy or anyone else would interrupt, would do him a world of good.
“You okay?” he asked as he led her into the main living area to sit down on a couch. Her expression held hesitance, which hadn’t been there when they’d walked down the trail together earlier.
“I’mfine,” she said with a sigh. “Gillian is really upset.” Bellamy pressed her lips together, like that’s what it took to keep her from commenting on the situation. Coy didn’t want to bring that into their time together and he knew asking Bellamy to clear things up wouldn’t go anywhere. She held her hand up like he had anyway. “Please don’t ask, Coy. I don’t have all the information here. Not even all the edited information like I would if I were watching the show.” She glanced out the window in the direction of the firepit, where the other three women all sat, silent, by the looks of it.
“I wasn’t going to.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. She relaxed into him in tandem with his own muscles relaxing at having her here. A friend.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She let out a long breath. “Tell me a story, Coy Jones.”
He gave a chuckle. He’d like to tell Bellamy a lot of stories. “I don’t have a plan for after basketball.”
She adjusted her position, turning so that she could look up at him, her brows furrowed. “That’s not a story,” she teased.
He couldn’t explain why the thought had bothered him since Bristol brought it up. He didn’t need to have a plan. He had plenty of years of playing left if he was blessed, and even if he wasn’t…well, he’d be fine then too. He couldn’t only blame the extra pressure of the show for why it nagged him now.
“I know. It’s just been bothering me.”
Her furrowed brows turned into a soft smile, like the one she’d given him up on the trail. “I like that you told me that. It’s so normal.”
He twisted a piece of her hair around his finger, still gazing at her. “It is.”
“Do you need a plan?” she asked.
He shrugged. “In general, maybe. Like what would I do if I blew out my knee when the season starts?”
“What would you do?”
He leaned over her, wishing he could drop a simple kiss on her lips. It killed not to take a step in this direction, even though he understood why she wanted to wait. Instead he kissed just below her ear, smiling to himself when her breath caught anyway.
“Hang out with you a lot,” he said, grinning at the blush that rose up in her cheeks. “Maybe figure out how to coach kids who could use my help. At a high school somewhere. I know how it makes me look, but I think trying to wrangle little kids would probably make me a little crazy.”
She giggled. “Not everyone can be a saint, but you might ask Agnes to cut that part out.”
“Getting uninterrupted time with you right now might be all the favors I get today.” He kissed under her ear again. “Worth it,” he whispered.
“Not fair, Coy Jones. You are cheating.” She caught his cheeks in her hands, staring at him and studying him.
“You’ve given me no other choice, Bells.”
* * *
He and Bellamygot a full thirty minutes before Agnes warned him that his uninterrupted time was up, and she wouldn’t stop any of the other girls joining him. But laughing together and cuddling on the couch had been just what Coy needed. He wouldn’t have minded another hour or two, but he’d make do with what he got. It had made him forget about Lucy’s accusations and Gillian’s insistence that she was here for Coy and nothing else.
But by the time the draft ceremony came two days later, all his nerves about cutting someone had returned. He couldn’t even shed the worries during his early morning training time. The workout came automatically, leaving him with just more time to ponder on his choices.
Bellamy was still a given this week. His moments with her had steadied him amidst the weird twists that dating several women at once had introduced into his life. Charlotte also exuded a calm he craved, but did they have enough to build a lasting relationship on? If they did, that left him wondering if he should trust Lucy, who he knew he had a connection with. Or did he believe Gillian when she swore that it hadn’t even crossed her mind to use the platform of the show to build awareness for girls’ activities and, in consequence, her company?
He looked down at the stack of fluffy pancakes that he’d hardly touched, despite how melt-in-your-mouth perfect the few bites he’d eaten were. He missed Bellamy coming down to deliver his meals and the conversations they’d had, even though she’d refused to advise him. Being able to just speakather had helped him understand his own feelings.
“Agnes says Gunner will be on video chat in fifteen minutes.”
Zane’s voice brought him from his thoughts. A measure of relief spread through him. Getting advice from someone who had been on his side of this would help.
“Perfect.” Coy managed to eat the rest of the pancakes, enjoying them more and more as the tension eased a little in anticipation of a conversation with Gunner. The crew arrived just a few minutes after Zane had told him about the time-table of the call, setting up and readying Roxy’s living room, where Coy would call Gunner from.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Gunner asked when they’d been connected.
“Trying to balance my feelings for several women at once. Nothing new.” Coy chuckled. He was vague about it, Agnes warning him not to give too much away if he was developing more feelings for just one woman. But Coy had also promised juicy conversation if she would edit out any Bellamy specific advice that he asked Gunner for. “I have to cut someone tonight, and I don’t know what to trust.”
