Page 205 of Cross Check

“I’m not quiet. You’re too loud.”

“Okay, well, thanks for being here, creeper. Would you really kick Coach’s ass for me?”

“No,” he drawls. “You’re an adult. Figure your shit out.”

“Ouch. It feels like my dad is scolding me,” I say.

“Liam might be your dad, but Coach is going to be your daddy,” Ethan teases, and he yelps when I grab a piece of pie and chase him around Maverick’s kitchen.

The next morning, I’m standing in Coach’s office after practice.

I waltzed my ass in here instead of showering, and I’m second guessing everything.

“Everett,” Coach draws out. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hey. Hi.” I shut the door. “I, ah, wanted to apologize for how I acted the night I found out about you and Hannah. I was out of line, and I’m sorry for the things I said to you. Bringing your daughter into the conversation was a low blow, and I didn’t mean for it to get so ugly.”

His dark eyes skim over my face, assessing me, and I gulp. I should probably leave, but then Coach sighs. He scrubs a hand over his jaw and gestures to the chair across from him. I drop in the seat, my knee bouncing as he continues to stare at me.

“Apology accepted,” he says, and I blink.

“Really? That fast?”

“We’ve spent many years together, Everett, and I know you. You acted the way you did because you love your sister, not because you’re a mean guy. I can’t fault you for caring about an important person in your life, even if it comes at my expense.” He frowns. “Hannah is upset with you.”

“I know she is. I want to apologize to her too. Do you think she’ll listen to me?”

“Only one way to find out.” Coach stands and slips his cell phone in his pocket. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Her apartment. But we’re making a stop on the way.”

I follow Coach to his car, sitting in the passenger seat while we head away from the practice arena. We don’t talk, and when he parks outside a corner store, I give him a curious look.

“Are you grocery shopping?” I ask.

“No. Stay here,” he says.

A few minutes later, he returns with a bouquet of roses he shoves in my hold.

“Are these for me?”

“They’re for Hannah,” Coach says.

“You buy Hannah flowers?” I ask.

“I buy Hannah whatever she wants. She could ask me for the sun and I’d find a way to bring it to her.”

“Wow.” I touch the petals. “You really do love her, don’t you?”

“With everything I have.” His grip loosens on the wheel. A small smile pulls at his mouth. “Besides my daughter, she’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”

The more Coach talks, the more I realize Amelia was right.

Our situations are very similar, and I can’t believe I was going to let my personal opinion outweigh how much these two care about each other. It’s not fair to judge when I only know a fraction of the story, and I clear my throat.

“I’m okay with you two being together,” I murmur, and Coach shoots me a look. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to it, but I’m not going to sabotage you all or anything like that. Treat her right, and I’m fine with it.”