Page 261 of Beautiful Collide

Once it’s open, I step inside and make my way to his desk. He’s already sitting there with a stack of papers in front of him. He looks up, and when he does, I swear I start to sweat.

Fuck.Man the fuck up, Hudson.

He raises an eyebrow. “Wilde.” He leans back in his chair. “What brings you here?”

Even though he hasn’t told me to sit, I do. “Coach, I need to talk to you about something.”

His brow furrows. “This sounds serious.”

I let out a breath. “It is.”Shit, how do I say this?“I’m hurt,” I admit and then I tell him everything.

About the farm.

About the money.

About the accident.

When I get to that part, Coach’s jaw tightens.

“And you’ve been practicing with this injury?” he asks, his voice low. Fuck. He’s pissed.

This is it. Time to kiss my career on the Saints goodbye. It’s been a good run.

I nod. “Yeah.”

He rubs a hand over his face. “Hudson, this is reckless, even for you. You could have made it worse.”

“I know.” I nod. “I screwed up. But I didn’t know what to do. The farm’s barely holding on. I needed to help them, and the only way I can is with hockey.”

Coach is silent for a moment, his gaze heavy. Finally, he lets out a long sigh. “All right, I have an idea.”

I sit up straighter, my heart pounding. He hasn’t kicked me off the team yet. That’s got to be a good sign.

“You’re sitting out the first three games,” he says firmly. “You’re going to focus on getting that wrist healed.”

Holy fuck.

This is the best outcome I could have prayed for.

“Thank you, Coach.”

“I’m not done.” His eyes narrow. Fuck, I celebrated too soon. “You’re also going to let me make a few calls. I have connections. I think I can help you find more endorsement deals. Maybe one that can help the farm.”

My eyes widen. I can’t speak. “You’d do that?”

“You’re one of my best players, Wilde,” he says. “But more importantly, you’re a good kid. You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” A small smile tugs at his lips.

When I walk out of Coach’s office, I’m already feeling better.

I find Molly where I left her, waiting by the car.

“And?” She taps her foot on the pavement impatiently.

God, I love this woman.

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