Page 35 of Yes, Coach

And she does. Soft and pretty and completely mine, wearing something I chose for her because I pay attention to what she needs.

This is what forever looks like. And I can't wait to show her just how good it's going to be.

EPILOGUE

Taryn

One Year Later

I wake up to the smell of bacon and the sound of Murphy humming in the kitchen, and for a moment I just lie here, soaking in how perfect my life has become.

Our house is everything I never knew I wanted. It's not huge, but it's ours—a cozy two-story just off campus with a wraparound porch and a garden Murphy's been teaching me to tend. He bought it outright, cash, which had shocked me until he explained about his NFL contract money and the investments he'd been making for years.

"Never had a reason to spend it before," he'd said simply. "Now I have two girls to take care of."

Two girls. Me and Mom.

The assisted living facility he found for her is nothing like the places we'd looked at before, the ones covered by Medicaid with their sterile halls and overworked staff. Sunset Manor is warm and welcoming, with private apartments and a staff that actually cares about their residents. Mom has her own space but access to round-the-clock medical care, social activities, and meals she doesn't have to worry about preparing.

She cried when we first toured it. Happy tears, for once.

"You don't have to do this," she whispered to Murphy. "I can't pay you back."

"You're not supposed to pay me back," he replied firmly. "You're family now. This is what family does."

The monthly cost made my head spin, but Murphy didn’t even blink. Just signed the papers and arranged for movers like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Daddy takes care of his girls," he'd told me later when I tried to thank him for the hundredth time. "All of them."

She’s getting the best treatment, and is getting better. Nobody can say for sure if things have turned a corner or if they’re just settled, but it’s a world away from what it was.

I stretch and pad downstairs in one of his t-shirts, following the sound of sizzling bacon and his off-key humming. He's standing at the stove in just pajama pants, his hair still messy from sleep, and my heart does that flutter thing it's been doing for over a year now.

"Morning, beautiful," he says without turning around, somehow always knowing when I'm watching him.

"Morning, Daddy." I wrap my arms around his waist from behind, pressing my face against his warm back. "You're up early."

"Wanted to make sure my girl has a good breakfast before her big day."

Today I start my sophomore year at State, and I'm nervous in ways I can't quite explain. Not about the classes—Murphy's been helping me plan my schedule, making sure I'm not overloading myself. Not about the social aspects either. I have Chloe, for starters. She’s not in the same classes as me, but I see her every chance I get. As for the secrets she wouldn’t talk about at graduation? Well, those aren’t mine to tell. Suffice to say, I’ve never seen her happier than she is right now. I've made a few other friends too, though Murphy tends to glower at any guy who looks at me for too long.

"You threatened another boy yesterday," I say, remembering the way he stepped between me and Josh from my statistics class when Josh had gotten a little too friendly during our study group.

"I had a conversation."

"You told him if he touched me again, you'd rearrange his face."

"That's a conversation." He turns in my arms, hands settling on my hips. "Kid needed to understand boundaries."

"He was helping me with a problem."

"He was looking for an excuse to put his hands on you." His voice drops to that possessive growl that makes my stomach flutter. "Only one person gets to touch you, baby girl, and it sure as hell isn't some college boy who thinks he's slick."

The jealousy should probably annoy me, but instead it makes me feel cherished. Protected. Like I'm something precious worth guarding.

"You know I'm only yours, right?" I stand on my toes to kiss his jaw. "You don't have to worry about college boys."

"I don't worry about you. I worry about them. They don't understand what they're dealing with." His hands tighten on my hips. "They see a pretty girl and think they can just... pursue her. They don't realize she belongs to someone who will end them if they try."

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