Page 49 of The Coach

She pauses, and I stare at her, wondering how I got so lucky as to be here with her. “Does it bother you?”

“What’s that?”

“That I know what I want,” I say, leaning back onto the table again. “Does it make you nervous?”

Biting her bottom lip, she contemplates what to say, and I let her take her time. “You know, I was just thinking about that the other day. How we had a serious conversation,” she clears her throat, “last time.”

I smirk at the memory of what we did last time.

“How you reassured me that you weren’t in any rush, how we could wait to have kids, and I was thinking I didn’t even blink.” Mick shrugs her shoulders, the light bouncing off of her smooth skin. “I didn’t even think it was weird or rushed that we were discussing when we’d be ready for kids, I just… accepted it.”

I reach over, taking her hand in mine. “It could be something we let scare us.”

“It could.”

“Or it could just be right.” I rub a finger over her knuckle. “Sometimes things that are right don’t feel hard.”

“Like what? Give me an example of something that felt so right that you didn’t even hesitate.”

I only have to think for a moment before it comes to me. “Coming back home,” I reply, shrugging a shoulder. “When the option came up for me to come here to coach my college team, I didn’t even stop to ask questions. I put in my leave and packed my bags.”

“Really.” She smiles at me. “You knew with certainty it was where you were supposed to be.”

“I know it’s where I’m supposed to be.” I smile back, squeezing her hand to show her I’m talking about more than just coaching college hockey. I’m talking about her.

I’ve never been so sure of something in my life as I was about making sure Mick Ellis knew she was the one for me, that I was in this all the way.

A soft song filters over the speakers, and I stand, reaching out my hand for hers. She smiles softly at me and takes my hand, her soft hand against my rough.

We move away from the table, and I pull her into me, my hand sliding over the silk of her red dress and landing just above her ass, I pull her right hand into my left, and tuck it into my chest.

She sways along, her black Vans keeping in step with me. I love that she didn’t wear heels, that she didn’t push herself to be anything but who she is. A sexy, confident woman who can wear a sexy-as-hell red dress with a pair of sneakers.

I start to hum along with the song, and she stares up at me, I let my lips curve into a smile, and her eyes stay locked with mine. Her pink lips part, and she mouths the words back to me, making me grin.

When the music slows and pushes into a new song, we continue our swaying. Mick’s left hand comes up my shoulder to the back of my neck, her nails lightly scratching me, and she gives a tug letting me know what she wants.

Slowly, I let my lips glide along hers, giving her a gentle kiss. The kiss grows into something more, something intimate, and she holds me there, our foreheads resting on each other.

She presses a gentle kiss onto my lips, and I barely hear her next whispered words, but they’re ones I’ll never forget. “I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

twenty

MICK

Christmas had come and gone in a flurry of insane activity.

We’d done the whole thing, my family and I. Going to the Christmas tree farm, ice skating in the city, shopping with my mom downtown. We’d done the Christmas light tour through Rose Hill, shopped the Christmas market that they put on throughout the campus, and Lincoln and I entered the snowman building contest.

We didn’t win, but that’s only because it was rigged, of course.

It had been a full-on week of activities around classes that had kept me away from having a chance to see Tanner.

My mom was adamant we were all going to leave her eventually and wanted to take advantage of us still living in town. Little does she know, the man I’m dating lives here, too, and neither of us has plans to leave any time soon.

But we entertained her fear of us leaving, especially when she broke out the waterworks.

The team had had one last round of games the weekend before Christmas and were now halfway through a two-week break.

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