Page 112 of The Coach

A pause. Then…

Ivy: You good over there?

Me: You just made me come so hard I think I blacked out for a second.

She sends a laughing emoji, then?—

Ivy: Good.

Jackson: Trouble. You’re fucking trouble.

Ivy: You love it.

Damn right I do.

I grin, staring at her name on my screen, my heart still hammering in my chest.

Chapter Twenty-One

IVY

The rhythmic grinding of the train wheels glides through the quiet car, the faint noise of conversations and the occasional rustling of newspapers filling the space around me. Outside the window, the late-September landscape blurs past in streaks of gold and deep green—cornfields stretching endlessly, trees just starting to hint at the reds and oranges of fall.

I rest a hand on my belly, absently rubbing the small but growing curve.

It still feels surreal.

Four months ago, I was just…me. Ivy Bennett, fourth-grade teacher, Riverbend resident. Single, content, completely unaware that my life was about to flip upside down in the most unexpected way.

And now?

I glance down at my lap, where a well-loved copy of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' rests open. I haven’t turned a page in ten minutes, too lost in my thoughts.

Maybe I should be scared.

Maybe I should be worried about how Jackson and I will navigate this.

Or panicking about the fact that we live in two different worlds—his, a fast-paced, high-pressure football empire; mine, a quiet, small-town life.

But instead…

I smile softly.

I’m happy.

No matter what happens, no matter how this plays out, I’m happy.

Because for the first time in a long time, I’m choosing to embrace the unknown.

My phone buzzes in my lap, pulling me back to the present.

I glance down at the screen and feel my nerves buzz.

Jackson: I can’t fucking wait to see you.

Jackson: You excited for tonight? Because I am.

Jackson: And I have a surprise for you tonight.

---