Page 18 of The Penalty

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Ok, I’ll ask her.” It takes me a minute to realize exactly what she asked.

“Hey, wait a second. Is your friend Kylie?” I call out, giving myself away for eavesdropping.

McKenzie smiles nervously and nods. Dammit. I didn’t account for this when Kylie came to live with me. In my head, she’s still my little Ky-Ky. My baby. I’m not letting any of these guys corrupt her.

“Alright, boys, listen up. If any of you lay a finger on my daughter, you’ll be riding the bench all season.”

A few of them let out a groan. I don’t care. My girl is not up for grabs with these guys. I love them, but no. I was in their place once and know what goes through their minds.

I walk over to McKenzie. “You’re taking my daughter to a football party?”

“Well, I’ve gotta ask her first, but yeah. Don’t worry, Coach. I’ll keep an eye on her and won’t let her do anything stupid.” She pats my shoulder in reassurance. It’s a casual touch and shouldn’t mean anything, and I know McKenzie doesn’t mean it as anything more, but my brain focuses on it a little too much.

“Why should I trust you? I barely know you,” I say gruffly to offset the feeling of her touching me.

“True, but you must know how incredible your daughter is. She can take care of herself, but I’ll stay next to her all night if it makes you feel better.” I don’t answer her, so she leans in closer and lowers her voice so no one around us can hear. “You’ve got to let her have some fun if you want her to like living here.”

“Yeah, but I know what kids your age do for fun. I’ve been there, done that.” I sigh, knowing that I can’t shelter my daughter forever. She is technically an adult. But sometimes, it feels like I just got her back. “Just, keep an eye on her.”

Her smile widens, brightening her whole face. “Got it, Coach.” She turns to look at the rest of the players, who all still seem to be in some state of undress. “Alright. Who’s up for an interview?”

I take that as my cue to leave. The last thing I want is to sit around and watch them flirt with her.

As I head home later that day to an empty house, I realize that for the first time in a long time, I’m alone. I have no one to celebrate the first win of the season with, and that fucking sucks.

EIGHT

MCKENZIE

It’s well past two in the morning when I pull into the Danvers’ driveway. I promised Coach I’d keep an eye on Kylie at the party, and that’s exactly what I did. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have any fun. Nope, the opposite actually. I watched her take shot after shot with different players on the team. I made sure she drank water in between, but she definitely has enough alcohol in her system to have a nice hangover tomorrow.

I, however, didn’t have a drop of alcohol. I wasn’t planning on drinking anyway, but having an excuse to watch Kylie made it easier to avoid all the drinks thrown my way. It also made it easier to avoid all of Hayes’ advances throughout the night. He eventually got the hint, and we talked just as friends. It was actually kind of nice. He’s a pretty cool guy under all that flirting.

I could tell Kylie had reached her limit, though, which is why I’m now bringing her home and making sure she’s tucked away safely in bed.

Her arm drapes over my shoulder as I maneuver her out of the car. She’s giggling as we walk up the driveway and keeps repeating how pretty I am. There’s nothing quite like a drunk compliment to boost your self-esteem.

“My dad’s gonna kill me,” she slurs as I attempt to unlock the door with the keys she handed me.

“No, he’s not. You just had a little fun.”

“Soooo much fun,” she says with a giggle.

She did have a blast tonight, and even though I was keeping an eye on her, I had fun, too. We danced and chatted, getting to know each other even more. And we got to mingle with the football team. Overall, I’d say it was a damn good night. It’s something I wouldn’t have done if I didn’t have Kylie to go with me, so I’m glad she agreed when I called her earlier. She hadn’t even hesitated when I told her about the party.

Now I’ve just got to get her tucked in and find a safe spot to park my car so I can get some sleep before my shift at the restaurant tomorrow. I’m working a double, so I don’t want to be dead on my feet all day.

The lock finally clicks, and I push the door open, trying to keep the keys from jingling too much and waking up Coach. I assume he’s in bed since the house is dark. I try my best to keep Kylie quiet as I get her up the stairs to her bedroom.

I find a large T-shirt in her dresser and help her change into it before she plops down on her pillow. She’s out like a light in a matter of seconds.

Deciding I should probably get her some water and ibuprofen for the morning, I quietly head back downstairs to the kitchen.

I find a glass and fill it with water. Now for the hard part: where is the medicine cabinet? My mom always kept it in a cabinet in the kitchen, so I start opening the cabinets. Plates. Glasses. Coffee mugs. No meds.

A throat clears behind me, and I jump.