Page 33 of Scoring with the Coach's Daughter

He laughs at my face filled with horror. “The sweet Ellie you know is entirely different on sugar,” I add.

“You’re scared of her sugar tantrums?” he teases.

“You would be too if you knew what you were up against. Imagine your worst nightmare and magnify it by 100. She hates to hear the word “No” when she’s in that state. Besides, we’re going to the beach, let’s not ruin the outing before we leave the house.”

“Fine,” he growls. “You know her best,” he says as he playfully slaps me on the ass as he crawls out of the bed.

We both dress as quickly as we can without tripping over each other. The room never struck me as small before. I eye him as he throws on a plain T-shirt and sweats that somehow manages to make him look like he belongs in a fitness ad. I toss on an old cropped top, with a hoodie and leggings, barely bothering to smooth down my bed hair.

When we make it downstairs. Ellie doesn’t disappoint. She is perched on a stool at the counter, her back to us, a suspiciously large bowl of brightly colored, sugar-coated cereal in front of her. The box sits tipped over on its side, spilling a trail of rainbow pieces across the counter. She’s mid-scoop when she realizes we’ve caught her.

Her eyes go wide, and she freezes, the spoon is poised halfway to her mouth. “Uh… good morning?” she sheepishly grins.

“Ellie.” Jake’s tone is firm but laced withamusement as he crosses his arms over his chest. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She sets the spoon down carefully like she’s trying to defuse a bomb. “Having breakfast?”

Jake raises an eyebrow. “That’s not breakfast. That’s dessert pretending to be breakfast.”

“But I was hungry,” she protests, looking between the two of us for backup.

I lean against the archway with my arms crossed, trying to hide my smile. “We were coming down to make bacon and eggs. You could’ve waited.”

“Bacon?” Ellie perks up instantly, her sugary betrayal momentarily forgotten. “We’re having bacon?” She gives me her innocent face and I have to admit it is adorable. Leave it to the little rugrat to feign innocence when she’s caught red-handed. She knows cereal is only allowed on special occasions.

Jake nods in agreement and moves deeper into the kitchen before grabbing the offensive cereal box and closing it. “Yep. But first, we’re putting this away. Go grab the eggs and help us.” He returns the cereal to the pantry and grabs the Birthday cake pancake mix.

Ellie hops off the high-top chair with surprising enthusiasm for someone who just got caught breaking house rules. She darts to the fridge, pulls out the carton of eggs, and hands them to me with an eager grin. “I can crack them, right? I’m really good at it now.”

“Sure,” I say, setting the carton on the counter and grabbing a mixing bowl. “But remember, no shells in the bowl.”

Ellie nods solemnly, her serious expression making me bite back a laugh. She’s always so determined when she’s helping in the kitchen, even if her “help” usually means doubling my cleanup time.

Jake, meanwhile heats a skillet for the bacon. The sizzle ofthe first few strips hitting the pan fills the air, and the delicious smell immediately takes over. He works with a practiced ease, flipping the bacon with precision and glancing over his shoulder at us every so often.

“Are you two handling those eggs, or am I gonna have to step in and save breakfast?” he teases Ellie as he flicks a sexy daddy look to me as I walk over to fix the coffee pot.

“We’re fine,” I reply, rolling my eyes as Ellie carefully cracks an egg against the rim of the bowl. “Unlike some people, we don’t need to flip pancakes single-handedly to prove our worth.”

Jake smirks. “Big talk from someone who almost burned a dishtowel on the stove yesterday.”

“That was one time,” I say, pointing a whisk at him. “And I was distracted.”

“By me,” he says, grinning shamelessly. I roll my eyes at him but secretly I’m loving every second of his attention.

Ellie looks between us, wrinkling her nose. “You guys are so weird.”

We laugh. I marvel at how Jake loves to tease us and Ellie giggles at about anything when he’s around. It warms my heart.

Ellie cracked the eggs perfectly and I let her pour the pancake mix in. I pull confetti sprinkles left over from Christmas from the cupboard. It will add color to the pancakes when they are finished.

I make a side of scrambled eggs and by the time the bacon is done, the Birthday pancakes are stacked and Ellie adds the sprinkles before I set them on the table. Jake carries over the plate of bacon, and we all sit down together. The sunlight pouring through the kitchen window casts everything in a warm, golden glow and it’s the same warmth that I’mfeeling in my heart.

“This is amazing,” Ellie says, her eyes wide as she reaches for a piece of bacon.

Jake wags a finger at her. “Not so fast. What do we say before we eat?”

Ellie sighs dramatically, but she humors him. “Thank you for breakfast.”

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