Falling For His Coach's Daughter [Book #4]

Chapter 28

Hayden's POV
I took a sip of the beer I had in my hand before setting it down when I heard a knock at the door. Rap music blared in my ears as I bobbed my head to the beat and made my way over to the door.

I smiled when I saw my girlfriend. "Hey, ba-"

"We need to talk." She slipped past me, speed walking over to my bedroom. She didn't even stop to greet Harper or my friends as she entered my bedroom.

Confused, I shut the door and followed her into my room. I closed the door when I saw her seated on the edge of my bed with her hands in her lap and her head down.

"What's wrong?" I used the single crutch tucked under my left arm to bring me closer to her.

She didn't look up, which worried me even more. "Is it true?" She murmured, the sound of her voice cracking alarming me.

"Is what true?"

"Did you know about the bet that Liam made with the team?"

Oh, fuck. 

I should've known Coach was going to tell her about that. "Yes," I answered honestly.

I made note of her trembling hands just as she lifted her gaze to me. My eyes widened at the sight of her in tears, feeling as though my heart was being squeezed like a wet towel.

"You knew and you said nothing." She lowered her head and brought her voice down so low that I had a difficult time hearing her. "All that time we spent together..." I could no longer tell if she was talking to me or simply thinking out loud. "I gave you my..." 

She sobbed even harder and I grabbed at her chin, forcing her to look me in my eyes. "Pearl, I know I should have told you but-"

"Were you apart of this bet?"

I froze. "Fuck, no." I was hurt by her accusation. I would never play with her or any girl's feelings like that. I searched her eyes. "And before you ask, it was real. This is real. Everything I've said and done- fuck, Pearl." I hated that she was looking at me with such betrayl. Like I'd stabbed her in her back.

She pulled away from me, which hurt way more than my sprained ankle. I watched her walk across my room, keeping herself at a distance that was way too damn far for me.

She crossed her arms over chest, her face still wet from the tears she shed. She was still dressed in my jersey, looking as breathtaking as ever. Even when she was looking at me like I were some monster.

"I don't believe you."

Frustration washed over me. "You don't beli-" I tossed my crutch to the side and got down on my knees. 

I knew that look in her eyes, her gears turning. And I was not about to let her break up with me. To end what has been the best thing that's ever happened to me.

"It seems that I can only get through to you when I'm on my knees. So here I am, begging and pleading with you not to end this." I'm pretty sure my voice cracked, confirming just how desperate I was not to lose her.

More tears spilled from her brown eyes. "I think it would be better if-"

"Olive, I swear on my fucking life that if you finish that sentence and break my damn heart, I will never forgive you." 

I was on the brink of crying myself. 

I didn't know what else to say to get her to believe me. I admitted that I should've told her about the bet Liam and his friends had made. I thought I was protecting her, but it only ended up hurting her. And I know that now. But I can not- no, I will not lose her.

"I feel so... used," she whispered.

I shook my head. "I never used you. Never. I..."

Her eyes were trained on me, shock flickering beyond the lenses of her glasses. I was crying. A full-blown cry that my friends would never let me live down if they saw me. My heart hurt. The thought of never having her in my life feeling like I imagine being hit by a train would.

My vision blurred, my entire body shaking as I looked down at the floor. I felt a pair of soft hands on my face, causing me to slowly tilt my head up. 

"I believe you," Olive mumbled, standing directly in front of me with teary eyes. "I'm sorry for thinking you would ever do something like that." She fell to her knees and pulled me into a tight embrace.

She felt unbelievably soft and she smelled like heaven. I melted in her arms, my head buried in the crook of her neck. "You want to hear a fun fact?"

She chuckled in response, and I could feel her small body rumble against me. It brought a smile to my face. "Right now?" She questioned in confusion and slight curiosity.

"Mhm."

"Okay."

I looked her in her eyes, needing her to see my face when I said, "Nothing is going to stop me from loving you, baby. I respect your dad, but it's his fault for bringing you into this world. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have been mine to love with every fucking breath in my body. Pearl, I don't just like like you anymore. I love you."

I felt her entire body grow tense against me. Her eyes -that looked hazel in the sunlight- were wide from the shock. She hadn't expected me those three words to leave my mouth. Especially after only knowing her for about a month.

But I had no control over my heart. It wants what it wants. And it wants her. Every beautiful and nerdy part of her. From the way she chews at the drawstrings of her hoodies when she's nervous, to her love of onesies and dorky little socks that I find absolutely adorable on her. To her smile, and how it lights up every room she enters.

Fuck, I didn't think I could be any more in love with her.

And then I saw her in my jersey and nothing else mattered. Not Liam. Not the soccer team or possibly losing my scholarship. Not Coach. Not even when I sprained my ankle and my season was put to a halt.

Nothing else mattered except her.

"Do you need to hear it again?" I asked her when she didn't mouth a word, still speechless.

She nodded.

"I love-"

"Wait." She reached into her back pocket to retrieve her inhaler. "Okay, now you can say it."

I smiled and shook my head. This nerdy girl, who happened to be the coach's daughter, was mine. She was my girlfriend and I couldn't be more overjoyed by that fact. I'd shout it from the fucking rooftops until it reached every ear in the world just so her and everyone else knew just how much she meant to me.

"I... love... you," I drew out slowly.

She put her mouth where the cap normally is and breathed out, puffing the medicine before breathing in deeply and holding it for a minimum of five seconds.

When she regained a normal breathing pattern, she breathed an "I love you too". She wiped away the wetness on my face from when I had cried, a sweet smile pulling at her lips. "I love you so much, Hayden Isaacs."

"That's really good to know, because I'm going to tell your dad about us first thing tomorrow morning."

"What? Shouldn't we at least think about this first?"

"What is there to think about? I love you, and that's worth getting my ass handed to me by your dad." I knew exactly what she was thinking. She was afraid of what would happen if I got kicked off the team and lost my scholarship. I shook my head. "Don't worry about that."

She bit her lip, seeming to be reliving something. She laughed softly. "Who knew that tutoring you would bring us to this very moment."

"Do you regret agreeing to tutor me?"

"Hell no." Her arms tightened around my neck, withdrawing a huff from me as we toppled to the floor. Her thighs straddle my pelvis, my dick hardening as soon as I felt the heat of her core.

I kissed her lips, groaning at the familiar strawberry taste. "Good, because you're stuck with me forever."