Page 146 of The Coach

“His baby mama just did a TikTok calling him out for ghosting her. It’s blowing up. And guess what? She name-dropped you.”

I freeze.

“What?”

“She said something about how she ‘wants her baby daddy to step up like Coach Knox would.’ Now it’s trending. The PR team is losing their shit. You gotta get down here.”

I clench my jaw. “Why the hell would she throw me into this?”

“Don’t know, man. I guess you’ve got that classy, all American image? But this is bad. The league is starting to get pissed at us, even saying that he should get a suspension, possibly, for ‘lack of character.’ It’s totally distracting the guys.”

Fucking hell.

I glance at Ivy. She’s watching me, brows furrowed.

“Alright,” I mutter into the phone. “I’ll be there soon.”

I hang up and run a hand down my face.

Ivy blinks, having heard the whole thing. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Yeah,” I mutter, pushing back from the counter. “I gotta go clean up his mess.”

She chews her lip. “You gonna be okay?” I sigh, looking at her. And just like that, all the stress eases up a little. Because she’s looking at me like she actually cares. Like I’m not just some guy she had a one-night stand with. Like I’m hers.

I smirk, walking up to her, cupping her face. "Don't worry about me. By the way, I just got a text from my sister Cassie. She's coming in for the game. You'll be watching the game from the booth. That okay? Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I’ve had so much on my mind this weekend.”

Ivy blinks. “Wait. Your sister?”

I nod. “Yeah. Cassie. Just warning you—she’s a handful. But you’ll like her. She’s my sister, after all.”

She stares at me, processing. “And she…knows about me?”

I smirk. “I told her about you yesterday, yes. And the baby. Now she wants to get brunch today.”

Her eyes widen.

I chuckle, rubbing my hands down her arms. “Relax, Emerald Girl. She’s cool. But she’s gonna love messing with me about this, so… brace yourself.”

She groans, running a hand through her hair. “Great. So not only am I meeting your family this weekend, I’ll be doing it while trapped in a glass box, where I can’t escape.”

I grin. “Exactly.”

She glares at me. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “Alright, I gotta run. Travis Carter has turned my entire day to shit. But I’ll see you later, alright?”

She exhales, nodding. “Fine. But don’t let your PR people throw him under the bus too hard. He is just a kid.”

I smirk. “So are you, Miss Twenty-Seven.”

She scowls. “You are such an ass.”

I chuckle, backing toward the door. “And you love it.”

She throws a piece of bacon at me. It misses.

I laugh my ass off as I head out the door.

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