Page 95 of Penalized Love

There’s no expression on Coach Johnson’s face, but I catch the subtle twitch of his jaw. It’s obvious that he’s not amused.“Is that so?”he asks, his tone deceptively calm.“And how long has this been going on?”

I debate how specific I should get on the timing of our relationship, and whether to include when we dated years ago, but decide that it’s not worth getting into the details right now. Instead, I meet his gaze head-on because I’m not backing down.

“A while now. But that’s not what matters. What matters is that we’re serious about each other.”

His piercing blue eyes, so like his daughter’s, stare into mine.“Serious,”he repeats.“And what, pray tell, does serious mean to you, Asher?”

I swear my t-shirt is restricting my breathing, but I push through anyway.“It means that I love her, Coach. And she loves me. We want to be together and don’t want to hide it anymore.”

“I see. I’m unsure how I feel about this, but you are both adults. And I will respect the decision you’ve made.”

“Thanks, Coach.”Those are the only words I can say because my brain has short-circuited, and this is going better than I expected. Not that I expected him to be unreasonable, and I did, and still do, have a lot of positive vibes about all this. But this is going almost too well.

“I just hope you understand what you’re risking, both on and off the ice.” Coach pauses and then sighs. “Look, Asher, I will not pretend this is easy for me, but that’s because I wasn’t expecting it. Isla’s my daughter, and I want what’s best for her. And I do like you as a person on and off the ice and have from the moment you stepped into that rink and stayed with us for a couple of weeks years ago. But if you care about her, you need to prove it to her. I’m more than confident that she can handle herself.”

I nod and stop myself before I look like a bobblehead.“She’s amazing.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

The look on his face and the tone of his voice say it all, and I feel foolish throwing those words out there. I clear my throat, trying to find the right words and not stick my foot in my mouth again.“Of course, Coach. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

His gaze stays on me for a moment before drifting to the door and landing back on me.“Is she here with you?”

“She is. She didn’t want me to do this without support.”

“Open the door so that she can come in.”

I jump up out of my seat and hurry to the door. With more enthusiasm than necessary, I yank the door open and say,“Hey, Isla, Coach wants to talk to you.”

I hold the door open as Isla steps into the office. Coach Johnson rises from his seat, his eyes softening as they land on his daughter.“Isla, come in, sit down.”

Isla glances at me with a raised eyebrow, and I give her a reassuring nod. We all sit down in our designated chairs, and I wait for him to speak.

Coach Johnson studies his daughter for a few seconds before he speaks again.“Isla, I want you to know that your happiness is my priority. It always has been and always will be. If dating Asher brings that to you, then I support it wholeheartedly.”

The tension in the room lifts as the air in my lungs rushes out. Relief fills my veins, and I almost miss Coach referring to me by my first name instead of my last. Am I traveling through the Twilight Zone?

Isla’s hand finds mine just before she replies to her father.“It does, Dad. Asher makes me incredibly happy.”

Coach Johnson’s eyes dance between us, assessing the situation in front of him once more.“I can see that. And I respect it.”He leans forward, and his gaze once again locks on mine.“But understand this, Bennett. If you hurt her, if you break her heart?—”

“You don’t need to say the words because I know, Coach. I would never intentionally hurt her because she means everything to me.”

Isla squeezes my hand as her father responds.“Good. See that you remember that.”He sits back in his leather chair before he continues.“Now, this better not affect your performance on the ice. I expect you to keep your focus and to give 110% at every practice and every game. No distractions.”

“Of course, Coach. Hockey is still a top priority for me. I won’t let you or our team down.”

“Alright then.”For a second, I wonder if he’s going to say something else, but that thought leaves my head when he speaksup again.“Why don’t you both come over for dinner one night next week? We can talk more then, and you can spend time with Molly and Grace.”

I glance at Isla before turning back to look at Coach Johnson.“That sounds like a great idea if Isla is cool with it.”

“I am,” Isla responds.

Coach claps his hands together once and stands up.“Excellent. I’m sure Isla will let you know the details.”

Coach Johnson gives us a curt nod and dismisses us from this meeting. As we exit the office, the door closes behind us with a click that sounds much softer than the one I experienced when I first walked in.

Isla speaks first.“That went better than I expected.”

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