Page 10 of Falling for You

I groan and lean back on my couch, my body aching.

“Fuck, I swear Coach is getting more brutal,” Jack says as he takes a seat on my lounger while Ezra slumps down on the other end of the couch.

“He wants that cup back where it belongs,” I say, leaning my head back as I clutch the bracelet hard in my hand.

I hurt, and not just my body.

How in the fuck did I, the biggest player on the team, fall in one fucking night. I didn’t want a woman; I didn’t fucking need one and I want her.

“You’ll find her, Tay, and if you can’t, we all know your dad can. It may take a few months, but he’ll find her,” Ezra says from beside me, reading me instantly. I nod as I hold the silver bracelet up, my eyes going to the two charms on it. One is a heart with the name Penelope, and the other is a daisy with sister in the middle.

“I still can’t believe you’ve fucking fallen,” Jack says, “if Elena finds out, she’s going to fucking flip.”

I hum, knowing he’s right. The woman in question showed up at practice again, but our assistant coach, Henry, told her to piss off, knowing none of us had a meeting with her.

She’s starting to turn into a fucking stalker.

“I have a new charm on the way. How pissed do you think Pen will be if I buy her one a month for each month I’ve known her?” I ask, redirecting the conversation from our crazy stalker agent who last year Jack fucked, and she stalked him for months as well until he threatened her job.

Knowing my luck, if we talk about her, she’ll pop up like an unwanted fucking daisy.

“Fuck me, he’s whipped,” Ezra says, and I grin, not denying it.

I don’t know what it is about the girl, but every inch of my body needs to be surrounded by her; my skin itches to hold her.

My head, heart, and body know she belongs to me, and now, after one night, I feel fucking lost.

Chapter 3

Penelope

“Is it going to hurt?” Kaylah asks with tears in her big green eyes, which have a hint of brown, making her look so innocent.

She’s flipping adorable.

I give the sweet six-year-old little girl with a head full of light red curls a small smile as she clings to her mom’s arm and take a seat beside her.

“You see this here?” I ask as I gently rub my finger over the clear plaster on her hand, which is lumped out full of cream. She nods as big fat tears fall down her cheeks, and I whisper, “Well, that cream I put on your hand is magic.” Her eyes widen comically, causing her mother to smile as she runs her fingers through her daughter’s hair.

“When I put a needle into your hand, that magic cream will ensure you don’t feel it,” I promise.

She sniffles before taking deep breaths, then nods and lets go of her mom’s arm being the big brave girl I’m coming to understand her to be and holds her hand out.

I give her a kind smile, gently peel off the sticker, and wipe away the excess cream.

“Okay, sweet girl,” I whisper, picking up the needle from the tray next to me, “You’ll feel a tiny bit of pressure but no pain, I promise.”

She nods despite the fear radiating from her and as carefully as I can, I feel on top of her hand, finding a perfect vein then press the tip of the tiny needle into her hand. Once it is far enough, I remove it, leaving a small tube inside with a connector on top of her skin before sticking it down, ensuring it doesn’t come out then I grab the bandage and wrap it around her hand, providing the IV is accessible before looking at Kaylah who’s eyes are squeezed tight.

“Have you done it yet?” she asks in a small voice as I tie off the bandage. I grin at her mom before I answer her and admit, “It’s all finished.”

She opens one eye, peeking before both open, and she looks at me in shock, and I smile wide.

“See, it didn’t hurt, right?” I confirm as I clean up the tray and take it to the medical waste bin.

When she doesn’t answer, I look to see her scowling at her hand, making me giggle a little before I look at her mother and say, “The anesthesiologist should be in soon, then she’ll be taken to the theatre.” She nods, worries etching off her, and I give her a reassuring smile and say, “Doctor James is fantastic at his job; she’s in good hands.”

She nods, and I touch her arm, giving it a squeeze while smiling at Kaylah, who is still scowling, a frown marring her little face, at her hand.

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