Page 133 of Over Time Advantage

Coach Lakshmi and I are hugging and jumping up and down while the girls are all dogpiled on top of Kennedy. I have a brief moment of concern given that she’s pregnant, but she seems okay.

The best part? Harper is on top of the dog pile. Tears find my eyes at her joy.

Once the girls are back on their feet, Kennedy places Harper on her shoulders as championship hats and shirts are brought in. I know there will be countless photos of this moment. Harper will remember this for the rest of her life.

Seeing Kennedy include Harper in the big moment has me in my feels. Part of me has imagined that they would one day be sisters. I won’t give up on it. Jett and I need to talk. We need to move past this.

JETT

The pilot had to ask us to calm down because fifty giant football players were jumping up and down with excitement as my daughter won her team the championship. Vance and I have been hugging. Everyone has been shaking my hand, congratulating me. I can’t stop crying. She did it. My baby girl did it. She’ll be immortalized for that shot. My chest is so full of pride it feels like it could burst.

No one expected the ball to go to Kennedy. I know Fallon had a hand in that play being called. I need to go to her. I need to make things right. I’m a jerk for not calling her for the past few days. The news came as a shock, but I owe it to her to hear her out. Her tearful voicemails nearly broke me.

It’s now the middle of the night, and our plane is about to land in Philly. We won our game in LA today, but my heart was back home. I can’t believe I wasn’t there in person to witness my daughter making history. It’s got me questioning my future in coaching.

When we land, the guys all scatter in seconds. They always do, anxious to get home to loved ones after a long weekend of travel.

I wait on the tarmac for one of the team assistants who I called from the plane. She arrives with the flowers and the basket I asked her to get. I know Kennedy will either be out partying or already asleep, but I want to leave this stuff in front of her apartment door so she gets it first thing in the morning. I want her to know I’m thinking about her and proud of her.

I slip in the long note I wrote on the plane and make my way to her apartment. Maybe after I leave, I should go to Fallon’s and make a peace offering. She won’t be expecting me, but I’m hoping she’ll be happy to see me get into bed with her.

I park and walk into Kennedy’s less-than-secure building. She mentioned moving in the off-season. It can’t come soon enough. I hate this place. She deserves to live somewhere nicer. After tonight, endorsements should more than afford her the opportunity to buy something in a nice, secure area. I’d buy it for her in a second if she’d let me, but I know she won’t.

The annoyingly slow elevator is taking forever so I decide to take the steps. When I open the door to her floor, I hear voices. That’s odd. It’s after three in the morning.

Nothing—and I mean nothing—prepares me for what I see when I poke my head around the corner. Kennedy, who’s wearing only panties and a Camels’ jersey, has her legs and arms wrapped around Daylen fucking Humblecut.

His hands are on her ass in a very familiar way, and they’re alternating kissing while also talking and laughing into each other’s mouths as if this interaction is the most normal thing in the world. My heart starts racing. I feel like I might have a heart attack.

She screeches and then says something I can’t make out before lifting her shirt. That’s when I see it. She’s got a small belly. It’s not like Kennedy is shy about her body. She always wears shirts showing off her toned stomach. Did she gain weight? Why is she showing him?

And then I find out why as he places her on her feet and drops to his knees in front of her. He places his hands on her stomach and says, “Our baby is in there?”

She nods, and I feel like the ground is moving. My daughter is pregnant with Daylen’s child. I grab my chest. I might actually die of a heart attack right here.

They’re smiling and chatting as if it’s good news. Are they happy about this? Are they fucking crazy? Was this planned?

Just when I think it can’t get worse, it does.

He looks up at her and says, “We’re not going to be able to hide this much longer. We need to tell people. Our families. Our friends. I want the world to know my baby is in here.”

She nods. “I know. Fallon said the same thing.”

I don’t hear anything they say after that because my ears are ringing. Fallon knew? She knew about Daylen and the baby, and she didn’t tell me? She lied to me?

I stumble back out of view before dropping the flowers and basket. My hands are shaking. I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience.

Without full control of my faculties, I walk back into the stairwell as reality begins to set in.

I let myself into Fallon’s house, still questioning everything that has transpired in the past thirty minutes. It’s dark and quiet. I make my way to her bar and search the contents until I find Tanner’s favorite whiskey. Figures she’d have it on hand. I don’t think she ever got over losing him. I’m just second-string behind the man who threw her out after she banged his best friend.

Opening the bottle, I bring it to my lips. I have a brief moment of hesitation as my conscience begs me not to do it. Whiskey and I don’t have a good history together.

My life has gone to shit. My daughter’s life is ruined. Fuck it. This calls for the good stuff.

“Fuck you, Tanner,” I mumble to myself before tilting my head back and the bottom of the bottle up. I let the oak and caramel taste of whiskey slide down my throat for the first time in over twenty years. I nearly forgot how good it tastes.

I down half the bottle in under a minute, letting it quickly numb my pain. Betrayed by two of the most important people in my life. Fallon and Daylen. What did I do to either of them to deserve this?