The Bad Boy's Forever (TBBG Series #3) NOW PUBLISHED

Chapter Eight: Your Clothes Could Store More Than Mary Poppins's Bag

Chapter Eight: Your Clothes Could Store More Than Mary Poppins's Bag

Tessa

Let it be know that I, Tessa O'Connell would never have a career in espionage. I'm terrible at being stealthy and keeping secrets which might explain why as I attempt to talk Cole out of declining his Columbia acceptance he becomes oddly suspicious. Well, it's not that odd because he can pretty much read me like an open book so any attempts to keep from him what I've been up to for the past couple of days is futile. I've just come back from work and am meeting up with Beth later for drinks but Cole caught right in the middle of going through some very interesting and exciting emails and I can't quite keep the excitement from him.

"I'm telling you there's nothing to think about. I did this for a reason and there's no way I'm backing out."

He's in his bedroom, this space is stunningly decorated masculine space done in shades of grey and white with a giant king sized bed taking up a lot of space with it's mahogany upholstered headboard. He's shown me the place place a couple of times while we chatted and once during a whirlwind trip I took to go see him. It's huge upgrade from the run down building he'd insisted on living in before and where he'd met Mel and Lainey but I knew Sheriff Stone had insisted on contributing for a place that didn't have the crime rate of a high security prison.

"Look just work with me here. I know you and I know that ever since you realised you wanted to be a lawyer, you've wanted to go to this college. I was there through all of it remember? This is your dream."

"But dreams change Tessie, they change all the time. Where is this even coming from? I thought we'd agreed that I was going to do this. Did Cassandra get to you?" He looks at me suspiciously but even if his stepmother did get in touch with me reminding me once again that I'm destabilising her son's life and ruining everything he's worked for, it's not like I'd ever tell him. Cole tends to go to extremes a lot where I'm concerned and I'd rather not wreck his relationship with his parents. I bet they're not thrilled with his decision to transfer, even if it'll bring him closer to home because in their eyes their son is once again changing the course of his life for his girlfriend while I've never been able to return the favour.

Until now.

But I'm not doing anyone a favour, especially Cole because the more I've started sorting out the details the more excited I get and realise that truly this is what I want for myself. I'm not sacrificing anything or changing my lifelong dream, I'm doing something that will make both Cole and I happier in the long run.

He doesn't look too happy right now though.

"Can you just trust me on this please? No one's said anything to me and when we discussed this the last time I was just so overwhelmed and I'd been missing you so much in London that it was too much to take in. Please give me some time to think, please."

It's definitely the please that gets to him and even though he moans and groans about it I know that I've got him and it buys me the time I need until I hear back from Mom. He eventually see the genius of my plan. I mean he might totally hate me at first but sooner or later he'll be so thankful that I did.

I hope.

***

Beth looks at me for a second too long and the anxiety I've worked so hard to get rid of starts to flare back up. Her looks does not scream 'Tessa you're a genius!' instead it's more along the lines of 'what the hell are you thinking?'. Again, that's not quite what I'd been going for.

"You're serious?"

"As a heart attack."

She blinks then motions for the waiter to get us another round of drinks. I'm relieved that she's staying with me tonight since Travis is travelling for work because the rate at which she's going, she'll be pretty drunk by the point the night ends.