Scoring with the Coach’s Daughter (Maine Megalodons #3)

14. Samantha

14

SAMANTHA

Above us, the evening sky stretches wide and endless, dark velvet dotted with shimmering stars that look like tiny LED lights that, strung together would make a map. Ellie insisted we come out here to watch for falling stars. She even carted an old blanket to the front yard. The air smells of pine and fresh-cut grass, crisp in the way that only early spring nights can be. I love spring and summer. Winter breaks up the monotony and a few snowstorms serve as a pallet cleanser.

After her telescope failed to produce results, she scampered inside, conveniently leaving me alone with Jake beneath the open sky filled with brilliant stars that sparkle like gems.

Jake lies beside me, arms crossed behind his head, his profile sharp against the dim glow of the moon. I can feel the warmth of him, even though we aren’t touching, and it sends an irritating flutter through my stomach.

“It's nice out here,” Jake murmurs, his voice softer than usual. It’s the same voice that has guided Ellie through art projects and football coaching, but tonight, there’s something different in it. Something quiet .

“Yeah,” I say, hugging my arms around my knees. “Ellie had a good idea.”

He turns his head to look at me. “Ellie always has a good idea,” he chuckles.

I laugh, shaking my head. “You say that now . Give her ten minutes, and she’ll be trying to convince us to climb onto the roof for a ‘better view’ of the stars.”

Jake smirks, and the world feels small—just the two of us on this hill, cocooned in the night. The space between us crackles, the way it always does when we’re alone.

“You ever think about it?” His voice is quieter now.

I frown. “Think about what?” I reply lightheartedly.

He exhales, looking back up at the stars. “The future. Where we’ll all be in a few months. Next year. Five years from now. you have a great thing going here,” he hesitates.

It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but something about the way he says it makes my stomach lurch.

“Now you’re being too serious,” I deflect. My God, he’s serious. I’m beginning to believe we are more than a fling.

Damn him for getting me to become more unpredictable, carefree even. And I delight in the fact that he’s the one with deep and serious conversation. However, he switches gears so seamlessly that I have whiplash.

Jake doesn’t respond right away. Instead, he reaches up, pointing at a constellation. “Fine. Look over there, that star is Orion,” he says, shifting the subject. “See the three stars in a row? That’s his belt.”

I follow his gesture, tracing the bright points in the sky. “I always forget which one is which.”

“You shouldn’t. You spend enough time out here.”

I nudge him with my elbow. “Yeah, well, you spend enough time training. But that doesn’t mean you never screw up a play. ”

Jake chuckles. “Touchè.” I want to keep him here, and in this moment with me. The three of us are secluded here, away from his adoring fans and the bright lights of the city. But before I can say anything, his phone buzzes in his pocket.

He sighs and sits up, glancing at the screen on his phone before standing. “Give me a sec,” he mutters, stepping away.

I stare at the sky, pretending I’m not listening, pretending my heart isn’t suddenly hammering in my chest for no good reason. But the night is ours, and Jake isn’t far enough away to stop his words from carrying the conversation back to me.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sure my leg will be fine. I’ll be back in Maine before summer,” he pauses.

The words hit like a cold splash of water. The plan was always for him to return home.

I swallow hard, my fingers curling into the blanket beneath me. Of course, he’s leaving. I should’ve expected it. Jake is never the kind of guy to stay in one place for long. He has his team, his goals, his whole life lined up in ways mine isn’t.

I strain to hear more but I don’t hear the rest of his conversation.

When Jake returns, he hesitates before sitting back down beside me. He must notice something in my face because he frowns. “You okay?”

I force a smile. “Sure.”

He studies me before he asks, “You sure?”

I nod quickly, looking back at the sky. “So, uh… where’s the Big Dipper?”

Jake hesitates for a second, then he explains something about its position, about how you can follow it to find the North Star, but I barely hear him. I pretend I’m listening because I’m quietly digesting the phone call that has me reeling.

I don’t know why I feel so… hurt. It’s not like I have any claim over him. We’re friends having fun. We ’re getting to know each other—we’re just playing house. There’s no reason to read more into this. But then he ruined it and alluded to more .

My phone vibrates, snapping me out of my spiral. I pull it from my pocket, blinking at the name on the screen.

Mom.

I sigh, glancing at Jake before answering. Somehow, this has turned into a night of wellness checks. “Hey, Mom.”

“Sweetheart! I was just thinking about you. How’s everything going?”

“Good,” I say automatically. “What’s up?”

“Mm-hmm. Well, Ellie mentioned that Jake’s staying with you guys.” Her voice takes on that knowing lilt, the one she always gets when she’s digging for something.

I love the fact that Ellie stays in touch with my parents on her Wi-Fi video calls but I didn’t see this coming. I’ve been sold out by a five-year-old.

I shoot a look at Jake, who is staring at the stars, completely unaware of my mother’s interrogation. “Yeah, he’s been staying at the inn for a little while.”

Mom makes a humming sound. “Your dad’s been asking about him. I know he spoke to you a few days ago.

I roll my eyes. “Of course he has.”

“You know how he is. He just wants to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, Mom. He needs to let me be an adult. I’m raising a great kid, I know how to take care of us.”

“We know you do. We just worry. But, you like him, don’t you?”

My heart stirs. “What?” I stand and walk away from Jake. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess my mother sent Jake here.

She chuckles. “Oh, come on, sweetheart. You don’t have to tell me, but I know you. And I know the way Ellie talked about him before you left. ”

I glance at Jake again. He’s still watching the sky, but there’s something thoughtful in his expression. As if he could feel me looking at him.

“I—” Well hell, what am I supposed to say?

“You know your father is overprotective,” Mom continues. “But between you and me, he likes Jake. We both do.”

I swallow hard. “Mom.”

“Just something to think about,” she says, politely giving me motherly advice. “I’ll let you go. Love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too, I murmur, ending the call.

I rejoin Jake and he turns to me. “Your mom?”

“Yeah.” I shove my phone back into my pocket, exhaling slowly.

He studies me before he surmises, “It’s about me?”

I hesitate. “Dad warns me to be careful and Mom is full steam ahead,” I reply, shooting my arm out like a runaway train. “Mom wants me to find a man, what’s new?”

Jake stiffens, just barely. “Oh.”

I look down at my hands. “You’re leaving soon,” I murmur.

He is quiet at first, then he confesses, “That was always the plan.”

I force a nod. “Right.”

Jake runs a hand through his hair. “Sam?—"

“It’s fine. I mean, I knew you weren’t staying forever.”

“But?”

But nothing. I want you to stay. I want to wake up with you spooning me every morning and making me laugh is what I want to say. However, I have no right to ask that of him.

I swallow past the lump in my throat. “But I guess I just… thought we had more time.”

Jake exhales, his hand brushing against mine. I suck in a sharp breath at the warmth of it. He doesn’t move away. Neither do I.

“You could come with me,” he murmurs.

I turn to him, my pulse hammering. “Jake?—”

“I’m serious.” His fingers curl around mine, his touch firm, steady. “I don’t know what this is between us, Sam, but I know I don’t want it to end.”

My breath hitches and I level with myself. The thought of losing him outweighs my tendency to push him away. “I don’t either.”

He searches my face, something unreadable in his eyes. Then, slowly, carefully, he leans in.

Without hesitation, I meet him halfway.

And beneath the stars, with the whole world stretching wide around us, Jake scoops me into his arms and carries me into the house.

Ellie is asleep so we tiptoe past her room. I shut her door as we pass and we make our way to mine. Jake makes love to me but it’s different than before. Admitting that he has a place in my world has taken us to a higher level of connecting. We’re open and vulnerable in ways that I’ve never encountered before but the euphoria of my orgasms outshines all others.

I’m experiencing an all-consuming love. I’ve read about it and wondered if it was real. But nothing could be more real than baring my heart and soul to Jake.

Jake heads out for a morning run before breakfast.