Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 122219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“Just consider it,” he echoed.
Knowing that he wouldn’t let up on it, I agreed. Even though I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn’t leaving Honey Creek. I’d found my way back home after years of wandering. I’d be an idiot to leave when everything I’d ever wanted was in my lap.
“Attaboy.” He patted my back and then looked out toward the field. He blew the whistle hanging around his neck. “Run that play again, boys. And don’t make it look like a toddler’s doing it, all right?”
He walked off the field as Cameron came jogging over toward me. “Coach P! Did you see me out there?”
“Hell yeah, I did. That was amazing.”
“Did Coach Reed tell you about the coaching position? Could you imagine? Us both being at Prest? We’d be unstoppable.”
“Yeah. He mentioned it.” I smiled an uneasy grin and patted his back. “But we should probably get going to the airport. I just wanted you to get one more run on the field before we headed out.”
Adam, Cameron, and I headed to the airport, and the flight was easy enough. After we walked out of the Chicago airport, I said my goodbyes to the two and thanked them for the weekend.
“Hey, Coach P?” Cameron called out.
I turned and looked back toward him. “Yeah?”
He rushed over and hugged me. “Thank you for this.”
“You did this all on your own, kid. Your talent got you here.”
“No, I don’t mean Prest. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, this is an amazing opportunity, and I’m grateful. But I meant him.” He gestured toward his dad, who was decked out in Prest University gear from head to toe. “Thank you for making him feel like my dad again. He said he’s getting help, and I can’t help but think you had something to do with that.”
I smiled. “Being human is complex, and sometimes we fall off our tracks. He deserved another shot.”
Cameron nodded. “Thanks for putting him back on the tracks, Coach. See you tomorrow at practice.”
I headed back home, excited to see Avery and tell her how great the weekend had been. I also wanted to see more photographs of her sweet niece. I’d missed her over the past few days. I knew it was silly, seeing as we’d been spending more than enough time with one another, but the second I left, I missed her.
“Welcome home, Coach,” Avery said as I walked into the front door. She wore an oversized graphic TLC T-shirt, red panties, and a bottle of wine in her hands. “Dinner’s on the table.”
I dropped my bag in the foyer and kicked off my shoes. “I could get used to these kinds of welcome home greetings.” I moved toward her as if there were a strong magnetic pull and found her lips against mine. “I missed you.”
She laughed. “You’re such a simp.”
“Simp?” I kissed her again. “Learning some slang words from your students?”
“Yup.”
“And what exactly is a simp?”
“I googled it. It’s a person who’s perceived as overly submissive or even desperate for the attention or affection of someone without receiving anything in return.”
“Oh.” I pulled the palm of her free hand to my mouth and kissed it. “I am such a simp for you, Avery Kingsley.”
She giggled, and I wanted to swim in that sound.
Simp, simp, fucking simp…
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you,” I replied.
“Dinner?” she asked me as she took off my jacket.
“Yes”—I nodded—“dinner.”
She led me to the dining room, and I took a seat. She opened the wine and poured two glasses. She then placed a pasta dish with garlic bread on our plates. She went to sit in the chair beside me, and I held a hand out, stopping her.
“What?” she asked.
I patted my lap. “Here.”
She laughed and placed her hands on her hips. “Do you want me to feed you or something?”
“Yeah. Like I said, I missed you. I need you as close as possible right now. So come here and sit.”
She hesitated for a moment, probably debating a sassy reply, but instead, she climbed into my lap, facing me, with her legs hanging to the sides of the chair. She kissed me gently. “I missed you, too.”
I chuckled to myself and shook my head. “Gosh, Avery. You’re such a simp.”
She reached behind her and lifted the plate into her hand. “Shut up and eat.” She fed me a forkful of the pasta. “Tell me everything about your weekend. Tell me all about Cameron.”
I did. I told her all about Cameron’s adventures on campus and how it was remarkable watching his dreams come true.
She told me about Yara and how amazing her beautiful niece was as I fed her the pasta.
“Teresa Marie,” Avery stated. “Named after Alex’s great-aunt and our mom.” Her eyes lit up with complete bliss as she talked about the meaning behind her niece’s name. “Gosh. You’ll have to meet her. She’s something special. She’s equal parts Yara and Alex. I swore she even had Alex’s grimace when she was born.”