24. Chapter 24 #4
His fist lands against my jaw. My head snaps to the side with the force of the hit, a sharp, metallic burst of copper spreading across my tongue as my teeth slice into the inside of my cheek. I take the full weight of the blow.
Damn, he packs a punch.
Lilly screams, a sharp, horrified sound that echoes off the tiled walls.
“Dad!”
I slowly turn my head back to face him, wiping a thin trickle of blood from the corner of my split lip with the back of my hand.
Coach staggers back a step, breathing heavily, staring at me in absolute, horrified realization of what he just did. He just struck his star goalie.
Lilly steps firmly between us, her hands planting flat against her father’s chest again, shoving him back with every ounce of strength she has.
“Stop this!” she demands. “Just stop!”
“Mercer, I’m…fuck.” Coach stammers, his eyes wide as he looks down at his daughter. “Lilly…”
“We were going to tell you,” she snaps, her eyes glittering with tears. “But I am so disappointed in you right now. This is shameful, Dad.”
“How do you expect me to react to what I just walked in on?” Coach asks, throwing his arms out. “Am I supposed to throw him a fucking parade?!”
“You should react like a supportive father!” she yells right back.
Coach opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.
Fuck, I need to spit the blood out. Would it be rude if I just…
I lean over the sink and spit it out as discreetly as I can, straightening back up.
He looks at Lilly and then looks up at me, taking a long, ragged breath.
“I am not talking to you as your coach right now. I am talking to you as Lilly’s father.” He steps in closer, his eyes burning straight into mine. “Stay away from my daughter.”
“That’s not your decision,” Lilly says.
Coach turns to her. “Lilly—”
“No, Dad. You don’t get to tell him to stay away from me.” Her voice shakes, but she doesn’t back down. “I love him.”
Everything inside me goes still.
“You don’t have to be happy about this right now,” she continues, “but you do have to respect that I’m the one who gets to choose who I want to be with.”
Coach stares at her for a long moment before his eyes come back to me.
“Stay away from her, Mercer.”
“That’s not happening,” I say, my voice tight. “So you can either learn how to live with it or, since you’re so eager to remind me you’re not my coach right now, suck it up, Bennett.”
I actually get it. Deep down, I get him. If life ever blesses me with a daughter one day, I know I’ll want to bury every single man who breathes too close to her.
But also? Fuck him.
Coach shakes his head, a bitter, disbelieving laugh dragging out of his throat.
“You better thank whatever god you pray to for that glove hand of yours, Mercer,” he spits, his voice raspy and choked with pure venom.
“If it weren’t for your talent and skills, you’d be off my fucking team faster than you could blink. ”
“Dad, you can’t say that!” Lilly snaps.
A lump forms in my throat without my consent. I won’t pretend like his words don’t gut me. Even if he’s out of his mind right now, even if he’s affected, it hurts.
He doesn’t answer Lilly. He violently yanks open the heavy bathroom door and storms out, disappearing into the thumping bass.
“Dad!” Lilly calls out, stepping toward the open doorway.
The door slams shut, cutting her off.
Lilly freezes, her shoulders slumping as she stares at the closed door. She looks at me then back at the door, clearly torn.
I step forward, closing the distance between us. I reach up, my hands gently framing her face, my thumbs sweeping over her cheeks. She looks up at me, her pretty eyes wide and devastated.
I lean down and press a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead, then down to her trembling lips.
“Go after him,” I whisper.
“No,” Lilly protests immediately, reaching up to grip my wrists. “I’m not leaving you after the way he just spoke to you.”
“Lilly, look at me.” She blinks, her gaze locking onto mine. “He’s your father. He’s upset. Rightfully so. Don’t push or fight him, just go sit with him for a bit.”
“But…” she whimpers, her eyes swimming with hesitation.
“I’m fine,” I promise, giving her a quiet, reassuring nod despite the metallic taste of copper still sitting on my tongue from his punch and the pain in my chest. “Go take care of your old man. I’ll see you soon.”
I lean in one last time, pressing a kiss onto her mouth, taking her sweetness into my lungs before slowly pulling back.
“Please don’t take his words seriously. He’s just very upset.”
“Yeah.” I nod, brushing my thumb along her soft bottom lip.
She takes a deep breath, nods softly, and gives my hands a final squeeze before turning around and pushing open the heavy bathroom door.
I watch her walk out and turn to look at myself in the mirror. Shit couldn’t have gone down any fucking worse tonight. The secret is out, my coach wants my head on a spike.
But despite all the shit that just went down, Lilly stood right in front of her father and defended me. She didn’t shrink or apologize. Despite everything, she stood by my side.
My mouth tugs into a faint smile, the sting in my split lip fading into nothing.
And she's in love with me.