Page 160 of Made Better Together

When I walk in, he’s the only one at the kitchen table. “Where’s Tina?”

“She decided to go to a yoga class after dropping Nat at school.” He stands up, and gives me a hug. “She thought it’d be nice for us to have time alone.”

His tone is buoyant—Tina must have lived up to her word not to break the Connor news to him.

“That’s…good,” I say as he releases me.

He gestures for me to sit down at the kitchen table. “You want coffee? Water? Tina also left out these bagels and pastries.”

“Coffee would be nice.”

He walks over to fix me a cup. “You must be on cloud nine after yesterday. I couldn’t believe it when Tina mentioned you were stopping by, to be honest. I’m sure you’re going to be in demand today.”

“Yeah, I have a couple of interviews later. I’m also going to set up a time to talk to Aiden this week, now that I don’t have to worry about keeping any eligibility.”

“Great. He’ll get you the best deal possible. Do you know what teams interest you most?”

“The top teams already have incredible strikers. I might have to go somewhere less competitive, if I want to have a chance to start.”

“It’s always a challenge to be part of a weaker team, but you’re young, and you could grow with the club.” It’s pretty much what he did with the Waves.

Dad’s on a roll, in such a good mood. Dread is inching up my gut as I realize I have to blow it up.

“We’ll see. I’ll need Aiden to do the heavy lifting on those discussions.”

He nods and takes a bite of a blueberry muffin.

“There’s another reason I came here this morning.”

“I thought there might be. What’s up? Something with school?”

I shake my head. “No…I…I mean, school is crazy right now, and I need to lock down on finals and my papers amid all of this other stuff.”

“You’ll get it all done. You always do. So what is it?”

Shoot, this is…not fun. “I—a photo came out after the game.”

His brow wrinkles. “A photo? Of what?”

Rippppp, goes the Band-Aid. “Of Connor and me.”

His eyes narrow. “You and Connor. Why?”

In retrospect, starting the discussion with a kissing photo might not have been the best idea. I jump to the bottom line. A deep breath, and⁠—

“We’re dating. We’re together.”

“WHAT?” It’s a burst of sound, a blend of anger and surprise.

Dad doesn’t get upset easily, and I shrink in my seat. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you, but…” There’s no good way to continue that sentence, so my voice trails off.

“How long?”

“Since October.”

“Since he’s been on the Waves? Since I’ve been coaching him?”

“Since right before.”