Chapter 42
DANNY
During the short ride to Coach’s house, I almost changed my mind several times.
Having dinner with him and Sadie has the makings of a terrible idea.
But I do need to talk to her about meeting my half brother today and what I agreed to do.
Since I have to disclose that decision to Coach too, might as well kill two birds with one stone.
The thought doesn’t give me comfort though. I’m a nervous wreck as I ring the doorbell. This is the first time Sadie, Coach, and I will be together under one roof after he caught us in the Red Barn.
Thankfully, Sadie is the one who opens the door.
“Hey.” She smiles, rescuing my mood from the pits of despair.
I step closer and lean down to kiss her on the lips but change my mind at the last second and kiss her on the cheek instead.
“What was that?” she asks.
I look over her shoulder to make sure Coach isn’t in the vicinity, then whisper in her ear. “Can’t risk igniting your father’s wrath again.”
Shaking her head, she laughs. “He’s not going to bite your head off if you kiss me on the lips.”
“Don’t count on that,” Coach grumbles, coming into the living room with a mug in his hand.
I jump away from Sadie, my body as rigid as a board. “Good evening, sir.”
He takes a seat on the couch and brings the mug to his lips while staring at me. That’s not the man I got to know on the field. That’s a pissed-off father who knows I’m sleeping with his daughter.
Hell. I shouldn’t have come.
“Would you like something to drink?” Sadie asks me.
“Water, please.”
She walks toward the kitchen, leaving me alone to deal with her dad.
Great.
“Have a seat, son. I won’t bite.”
“Are you sure? You’re looking pretty feral to me, sir.”
My stupid reply only makes Coach Clarkson glare harder.
Fuck me.
Sadie returns with a glass of water in hand but stops in her tracks when she notices my stiff stance and her father’s angry expression.
“Blimey. You promised you wouldn’t do that, Dad.”
He looks at her innocently. “Do what?”
“Act like Danny is the devil.”
With a semi-guilty face, he turns to me. “I’m sorry, son. Please sit down. I’ll try to behave.”
I take a seat on the opposite chair, and when Sadie hands me the glass of water, I drain the whole thing in a few gulps. Nervousness made my throat dry.
She joins her dad on the couch, and now both are looking at me expectantly.
“What’s on your mind, Danny?” Coach asks.
“I met my half brother today.”
“What?” Sadie sits straighter. “When? Where?”
“After practice. He was waiting for me outside the building.”
“What did he want?”
“To ask for my help. I never gave my father the chance to talk. It turns out he has leukemia, and I’m his last chance to find a donor in the family.”
“Wow. That’s awful,” Sadie replies. “What did you say to him?”
“That I’d do the test to see if I’m a match.”
“That’s very noble of you, son,” Coach says.
I drop my gaze to the coffee table in front of me. “I still don’t want anything to do with the man, but I’m not going to turn my back on him like he did to me.”
Sadie gets up and, to my surprise, sits on my lap, looping her arms around my neck.
Jesus. What is she doing? Her dad is sitting right there.
“You’re a wonderful person, Danny.”
She hugs me, resting her cheek on my shoulder. I look at Coach, panicked. His eyes are narrowed, but he doesn’t seem as pissed as I thought he’d be.
“What’s the recovery time if you’re a match?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I haven’t really looked into it yet. I guess I’ll take one step at a time.”
Sadie leans back and, thankfully, gets off my lap. “No need to worry before we get the results back. When are you taking the test?”
“It’s just a blood test. Tomorrow morning.”
Coach stands. “We do need to worry about it, Sadie. I’m sure donating stem cells isn’t a simple procedure. We have to account for Danny’s recovery time. It might take weeks.”
Shit. I haven’t considered that possibility. Guilt makes me gloomy again.
She puts her hands on her hips. “Dad, can I talk to you in the kitchen?”
I sink farther into the couch and barely notice when they leave the room. I don’t want to disappoint Coach Clarkson or let the team down. But I also can’t tell my father’s cancer to wait until it’s a convenient time for me.
The doorbell rings, pulling me back to the here and now. Since Sadie and Coach are still in the kitchen, I answer the door. It’s a delivery man with a food order. I take the bags from him and apologize for not having any tip on me.
“It’s cool, man. The tip was included in the online payment. Good luck in Saturday’s game.”
“Thanks.”
And just like that, my guilt doubles. I hadn’t considered the Rebels’ fans.
“Is that the food?” Sadie returns to the living room.
“Yeah.”
“Which one?” She looks inside the generic bag.
“No clue.”
“Mexican,” she says after a couple of seconds. “Come on, we can dig in while we wait for the Chinese delivery.”
I follow Sadie to the dining room, where there are plates and utensils set up already. A minute later, the doorbell rings again, and Coach goes to answer it.
“What did you tell your father?” I ask in a low tone.
“Nothing.”
“Sadie… I don’t want to antagonize Coach Clarkson more than my presence here is already doing.”
“You’re not. Trust me. Dad gets tunnel vision when it comes to football. I was just reminding him that his players aren’t robots and that personal problems shouldn’t be dismissed. If you have to take weeks off to recover, so be it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
She glares. “It is that simple. The world won’t end if you miss a couple of games.”
I watch her through slitted eyes. “Oh yeah? Was that your attitude when—”
Ah hell. I can’t believe I was about to mention her attack. Sadie’s face blanches. I didn’t stop soon enough, and she got where I was going.
She swallows hard. “No, but I learned from it.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head. “It’s fine. Let’s eat.”
Coach joins us and seems oblivious to the sudden tension in the air. We eat in silence. I have to force down the food because my appetite is gone.
I never thought I’d pray for time to go faster while in Sadie’s company, but I can’t wait to leave. The thought makes me guilty. It’s not her fault I’m so damn conflicted about my decision.
“Well, since the mood is absolutely rubbish, I might as well hammer the nail in the coffin,” Sadie announces.
I frown. “Did something else happen?”
She exchanges a meaningful glance with her father, which makes me even leerier.
“Gwen threatened me again.”
“What?” I grit out.
“She found me on campus today and told me to stay away from you or I’d regret it.”
My hands curl into fists while rage runs free through my veins. I knew she wouldn’t simply go away quietly. She’s a fucking nutjob.
“You have to tell the dean. She can’t be allowed to stay at Rushmore.”
“I have a meeting with him first thing in the morning,” Coach replies. “But I’ve asked Sadie to stay here until the matter is resolved.”
I feel partial relief, but that’s quickly replaced by a sharp pain. I turn to her. “You could have stayed with me.”
Remorse seems to shine in her eyes. “I know, but I felt like a mooch. Besides, I haven’t really spent any time with Dad since I moved to California.”
Now I feel like a jerk. Way to go, Danny.
I rub the back of my neck and stare at my plate. “Yeah, I get that. Forget what I said.”
Coach clears his throat. “Anyone want dessert? I have ice cream.”
I shake my head, getting up. “None for me. I’ll help with the dishes.”
“I’ll join you,” Sadie says.
Together, we clear the table and then head to the kitchen. Coach doesn’t follow us. I set all the dirty dishes in the sink, and when Sadie finishes disposing of the trash, I pull her into my arms and hug her tightly.
“I’m sorry this was so weird,” I say.
“Me too. I should have told you earlier why I was staying at Dad’s.”
I ease back and look into her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about Gwen earlier?”
“Because I didn’t want you getting involved.”
“Sadie, I am involved. She’s going after you because of me.”
“Exactly. I knew if I told you, you’d seek her out. I don’t want her near you. That bitch is crazy. I wouldn’t put it past her to kidnap you.”
I want to tell Sadie she’s exaggerating, but that’d be a lie. In truth, I don’t know how far Gwen would go.
“I wish I could do a better job of protecting you.”
She smirks. “You’re doing a fine job, mister. I promise I’ll come over after my game Saturday.”
“You know we aren’t playing at home, right? We won’t get back until late.”
She loops her arms around my waist and rises on her tiptoes.
“And I’ll be waiting for you. In your bed. Naked.”
A loud groan makes her jump back. We turn to see Coach Clarkson perform the quickest pivot of all time and walk away.
“Do you think he heard me?” Sadie asks.
“Oh, he heard you.”
And he’s going to flay me alive tomorrow at practice. Fucking great.