Page 26 of The Penalty

I can’t help but smile at her energy. “Thanks.”

She asks me a few questions about my general thoughts on the game and how we’ll keep it up next week.

It seems like the awkwardness from earlier is gone. She smiles at me again before leaving, and I give her a small nod. A normal coach-student interaction.

That’s all this is, anyway.

Totally normal.

The rest of the evening goes by in a blur. I congratulate the team in the locker room and then meet with my assistant coaches. I have to sit through the post-game press conference and answer question after question before I finally get to go home.

The house is quiet when I get there. I imagine McKenzie and Kylie are already asleep. After my shower, I’m not tired yet, so I sit in the living room and turn the TV on.

I’ve barely been watching for ten minutes when I hear a sound from behind me. I look behind me and see McKenzie standing in the kitchen, wearing just a large T-shirt. I really hope she’s got shorts on under there.

“Sorry, I thought you’d be asleep,” she says.

“I should be. I’m still a little wired, though.”

“Same.”

I point to the other end of the couch. “Wanna sit?”

She smiles and nods before taking a seat. She puts a large distance between us, which I appreciate.

We watch the highlights on TV for a few minutes before she asks, “Did you always want to be a coach?”

“No. I wanted to play. I started playing football when I was five years old, and it was my dream to play in the NFL. I didn’t think about what I’d do when I couldn’t play anymore.”

She laughs. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re pretty good at coaching.”

“I don’t know if I’m good at it or if I just got lucky.” I’ve had a pretty good run in my few short years as a coach, but sometimes, I think it might just be beginner’s luck. Like sooner or later, everyone will see that I’m not as good as they thought.

“Well, I think it’s because you’re good. Your players respect you. So do your assistant coaches. You’re doing big things, Tyler.” I’m Tyler again. I like that.

“I had some good mentors growing up. My coaches were the best.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. My high school coach saved my life, really. When I found out Kylie’s mom was pregnant, I freaked out. Not because I didn’t want a kid or anything, but we were young. I didn’t know what to do. He sat me down and said the best thing I could do for my daughter would be to be able to support her. He believed in my NFL dreams and pushed me as hard as he could.

“In college, my coaches understood my commitment to football and Kylie. I practiced hard, studied hard. In return, they were cool about me having Kylie around campus sometimes or leaving for a day or two to go spend time with her.

“I know I missed a lot of Kylie’s life. But I did the best I could.”

I have no idea why I just unloaded that on McKenzie. I barely know her, but having Kylie here with me now, getting this second chance with her, has meant so much. I know her mother talks shit about me and says that I left them to live out my dreams. But I always sent money and visited as much as I could. I even tried to keep things going with her mother. I proposed and everything. We eventually realized we weren’t compatible and broke things off, but I tried. Having a kid at seventeen isn’t easy.

I guess I just want someone to know my side of things.

McKenzie studies me a moment before she says anything. “If it’s any consolation, I think Kylie is happy here. I don’t think she holds any of it against you. At least she hasn’t mentioned anything to me about it. She loves you and, if anything, wants to spend more time with you.”

I swallow, not wanting to get emotional right now. “Good. Good. I want that, too. And once the season is over, things will be different.”

McKenzie gives me a soft smile. My eyes drop to her lips and the way the bottom one is still full and plump even when she’s smiling.

Fuck.

I look away and focus on the first thing I see. A deck of cards. “You wanna play a card game?”