Page 119 of What If I Knew You

I’m in love with Corrigan.

Fuck, what if her dad ruins everything?

What can I say to him to make this right?

“YOU, Bodhi Roche, were on fucking fire tonight!” Coach Hicks beams at me and offers me a double high five followed by a proud parent pat on the back. “You’ve come a long way, kid.Finally turning your talents into something that benefits your entire team.”

Oooh thank Christ.

I really thought I was a dead man for a minute there.

My shoulders fall in relief as do the shoulders of everyone else in the room collectively.

Coach is right though. Old me would have kept the puck in my possession multiple times tonight and tried to score for myself. And most likely I would’ve failed. But instead, I saw the opportunities when they arose and was able to pass the puck to my teammates who were in a better position to score and they did.

Just call me Captain Assist.

“Thank you, Coach. That means a lot.”

He pats me on the back one more time and then points at me as he walks backward out of the room. “MVP, son. You were tonight’s MVP.”

The guys stare at me while I watch Coach leave the room and when he does, I practically fall to the bench and hold my head in my hand.

“Dude,” Ledger murmurs next to me. “You totally looked like you knew you were walking to your death.”

“I totally thought that’s what was about to happen.”

“Same.” Griffin nods. “When that man shouts my asshole puckers tighter than a snare drum.”

“So, I take your sudden fear to mean he still doesn’t know about you and his daughter?” Harrison asks.

I shake my head. “We decided to wait to tell him when we’re good and ready.”

Oliver takes a seat on the bench in front of his changing cubby. “And you think he won’t take the news well when you deliver it?”

“She’s not so sure, yet. He’s always had this rule with her about not fraternizing with the players and she’s always respected that. So, I agreed that we didn’t have to tell him right away. I want her to be as comfortable and happy about it as possible. I’m not going to push her.”

“Good. That’s good.”

“Yeah I guess, but it also sucks because I want to be with her. Like, publicly. I want to show her off and make her feel like a beloved queen when we’re out. I don’t want to have to sneak around or hide our relationship just because one man might not be happy about it.”

“Yeah.” Harrison frowns. “But that one man is her world. He’s her everything. Especially after her mom passed away.”

“I’m in love with her, you guys.” I lift my head, glancing around the group to see their shocked expressions at my confession.

“Whoa.” Ledger says, his brows raised. “I guess I didn’t realize you guys were that serious.”

“Yeah it’s serious. At least it is for me. And I think it is for her but we haven’t exactly talked about it. That night she told me she was asked out on a date by another man almost wrecked me. I hated every minute of wondering if she was going to say yes. Or if she even wanted to. I knew then that she was someone special to me.”

August claps my shoulder. “Look at our Pickle Pants all grown up with real man feelings.”

The guys chuckle and I toss my sweat-soaked shirt at August. “Fuck you, Blackstone.”

“Look, everything you do is a choice, right? So, you can choose not to tell Coach about you guys and continue the charade for a little while longer or choose to simply sit down like mature adults and tell him how you feel.”

“Do you think I should tell him face to face? Like in his office when we get back?”

A collective “No” is said around the room as everyone shakes their heads.

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