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

15. Jake

15

JAKE

The morning sun spills over the horizon as I finish my last set of stretches. My body feels stronger than it has in weeks, but there's still an ache that serves as a reminder that I’m not where I used to be. Yet.

Rehab has been going better than I expected. I thought I’d be here longer, waiting for my body to catch up with my mind. But according to Dr. Reid, I’ll be released soon. The thought should excite me—I can finally start pushing myself harder, training like I used to—but instead, it leaves an odd hollowness in my chest.

Camp is ending this week. Ellie will be heading back to school, and the inn will go back to being just another stop for travelers until summer. The easy, slow rhythm of this place will ebb and flow with the tide.

Dr. Reid had smiled when he gave me the update during my afternoon appointment, patting my shoulder like he could sense my restlessness. “You can increase your workouts. Just keep easing into it. Don’t push too hard too fast.”

I nodded, but my mind was already elsewhere, thinking about everything waiting for me back in the city? —

And knowing I’ll be gone soon doesn’t look so appealing. I’m not ready for all of this to become a memory, which it will be unless I can convince Sam that I’m the one for her.

As I lace up my running shoes, I can feel the itch in my muscles, and the craving to move is getting to me. The slow, careful pace I’ve been forced to keep is starting to wear on me. I need to feel something again, something other than waiting.

I head down the dirt road leading away from the inn, the earth soft under my feet as I start my jog. Spring is heavy in the air, the warmth of the sun melting away the last hints of winter. The South Carolina scenery bursts with color, dogwoods, and azaleas in full bloom, their petals brushing against the breeze. Birds chirp somewhere in the trees, filling the quiet morning with their songs.

I’m definitely not in the city. It’s peaceful here.

The further I run, the more I try to soak it all in—the towering trees, the rolling hills, the scent of fresh pine. I’ve always liked nature, liked the way it pulls me out of my head, and forces me to breathe. But there’s a part of me that’s missing the concrete, the bright lights, the adrenaline of late nights and fast-paced living.

I round a bend in the road, and there it is—the waterfall.

Water tumbles down the rock face into the clear pool below, sunlight catching in the mist. It’s the kind of scene people travel miles to see, but I barely pause as I slow my pace. Instead, I focus on the rhythm of my breathing, the way my body feels—strong, steady, almost back to normal.

Almost.

I wipe sweat from my forehead, turning back toward the inn. My mind shifts to Sam.

She’s constantly on my mind. Ever since her father’s birthday party, she’s been front and center. I’ve never experienced anything like it before .

I love Sam. I know that now. Maybe it’s been a slow-burning flame since her sister’s funeral years ago. I’m not sure. But the thought of leaving without her doesn’t sit right. But maybe I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that. She’s changing, the breaking of the plates is proof she can loosen up.

She’ll come with me—she has to. She’s come so far and the way we make love to each other is next-level stuff. I can’t get her out of my mind, or my thoughts. Not to mention the fact she’s a tiger in bed. Thankfully the hickeys she gave me are covered by my clothes.

Things have been going well between us. I can see it in the way she looks at me when she thinks I’m not paying attention. Hell, she leans in just a little closer when we talk and I swear she’s flirting with me. When she flips her hair over her shoulder, I know she wants me to kiss her.

She belongs with me, in the city. We can start a new chapter—together. I’ll be back on the team and I’ll take up where I left off, only this time I’ll have her and Ellie to come home to at the end of the day.

I’ve already started thinking about the future, about making space for her in my life—not just for now, but for always. The penthouse has never felt like a place to settle down, to build something real.

That’s why I’m calling my realtor tonight. I need a large house, with security and room to have cookouts and accommodate more kids. The more I think of it, the happier I am. My dream is coming true.

I’ll have it all, the house, a family, and my career.

And I want it all with Sam. Together, we’ll have the perfect life.