Page 53 of The Penalty

“Thank you for coming. It’s nice to meet you. McKenzie has told us so much about you.” Kylie doesn’t even respond. She pulls my mom into a hug, and my heart aches when I see my mom’s shoulders deflate like she’s been waiting for someone to hold her up.

“Are you Tyler Danvers?” I hear my little brother Spencer ask.

“I am,” Tyler says, sticking out his hand to shake my brother’s. It’s strange having my brother recognize Tyler. I’m so used to being around Tyler at school, where everyone already knows who he is. But I never mentioned to my family that Kylie’s dad was the new La Vista University coach who quickly turned the school’s record around or the star NFL player who has a long list of accomplishments under his belt.

“I can’t believe Tyler Danvers is in my house.” It’s nice to hear my brother excited about something. This week has obviously been hard on everyone. Our laughs have been strained, our smiles forced. But there is true excitement on Spencer’s face right now.

My other three brothers notice what’s happening and come introduce themselves, too. I don’t know how Tyler typically handles attention from fans, but he’s being incredibly sweet right now. He even signs a football for Spencer.

“Kenz, why didn’t you tell us you knew him?” Oliver asks me.

I feel my cheeks heat when Tyler looks at me. “I don’t know. It just never came up.”

Chris huffs a laugh. “Yeah, right. You probably just wanted to keep that information to yourself.”

“And why would I want to do that?” I counter.

“I don’t know, maybe because you were afraid we’d come visit and introduce ourselves and then he would like us more than you?” Chris says.

“Yeah, I doubt that,” I say, avoiding eye contact with Tyler. He manages to keep a smile on his face during the entire exchange but doesn’t say a word.

When it’s time for the Danvers to head back home, a wave of sadness washes over me. Things haven’t been great between me and Tyler recently, but their home has become my home. It’s become a safe place for me, even if it was sort of forced upon me. Part of me wishes they were taking me back with them. But I know I’m not ready to leave my family yet.

I walk them out to Tyler’s truck, parked a little way down the street from the house.

Kylie gives me another hug and asks me to let her know when I’ll be coming back. She hops in the truck, leaving Tyler and me alone.

“You’ll let us know if you need anything?” he asks.

I nod. “Yes.”

“For real, McKenzie. Anything you need. Tell me,” he insists.

“Ok. Thank you.”

He pulls me into a hug. “I miss you,” he whispers into my hair. “I wish I could do something to take away your pain.”

My breath hitches, and I fist the back of his shirt, keeping him close. It feels so good to be in his arms again. He quickly kisses the side of my head and releases me.

“See you soon,” he says before he turns and climbs into his truck.

I wave goodbye and then wipe the tears from my cheek as they drive off.

TWENTY-TWO

TYLER

It’s late on a Sunday afternoon when Kylie tells me McKenzie is on her way back.

I wanted to reach out to her again after we left her parents’ house, but I thought it’d be best to give her space to grieve.

It killed me to see her so upset. All I wanted to do was hold her and make her pain go away. She was missed at the game this weekend, too. Her presence on the sidelines has become something most of the team, including myself, looks forward to. I didn’t want to be the one to break the news to them, but when Hayes asked me where she was, I had to tell him. In the locker room, I heard a few of them talking about getting her flowers, which made me proud of them. I know they’re not my own kids, but sometimes it feels like they are. My coaches made me the man I am today, and I hope that I have at least an ounce of the same influence on my own players.

“Do you think she’ll be here before dinner? Should we make her something to eat?” I ask. If Kylie thinks this is a weird question, she doesn’t say anything. I’m nervous about seeing McKenzie again, which is stupid. I’m a grown-ass man. I shouldn’t be getting butterflies in my stomach over a woman. And yet, here I am, asking my daughter if I should make dinner for her best friend because I can’t stop thinking about her.

“Might be nice,” Kylie shrugs. “I doubt she’ll stop anywhere and eat.”

I’m excited for McKenzie to be in the house again. Even though we were basically ignoring each other before, I still knew she was here and it made me feel at ease knowing she was safe.