Page 122 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

Eli asks this last part hopefully, and whatever expression is now on my face quickly eviscerates that hope.

“I wonder what Coach will think,” Dominik says. He’s got a smug grin on his face. “Though I guess Amelia’s hot. Good for a night, though I’m not sure she’s worth the trouble.”

Rage descends over me like a red haze.

I’m across the room in a second, his jersey in my fist and my face inches from his.

“Don’t you talk about her! Don’t say her name! Don’t you eventhinkabout her!”

There’s shouting and a bunch of hands on me, yanking me back and away from Dominik who’s laughing now. Because I’ve given him exactly what he wants. I know it.

But I couldn’t stop myself.

He’s lucky all I did was grab him.

“I get it. Like the lady said, everyone needs to blow off steam. Find an easy hook-up.”

“Amelia is not some hook-up! She’severything. She’s mywife.”

Dead silence in the locker room. The hands tugging me back go still. Even Dominik trades in his hard stare for a gaping look of shock.

“Robert Van de Kamp!”

Coach’s bellow hits the room like a sudden, icy freeze.

Hands drop away from me, and the guys who were surrounding me step back, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, facing Coach. Alone.

Thanks for the support, guys. Really.

Did he hear me? I didn’t think he did, but he must have. Or Amelia told him. Either way, the mountain lion is out of the bag.

“Coach, I can explain?—”

“What isthis?”

I stop as he waves a paper in my face. Not just a paper—a note. The one I left in his office not twenty minutes ago.

It takes my brain a second.

He doesn’t know about Amelia.

Yet.

“Answer me.” His voice is deadly quiet. A low hiss as he shoves the note at me.

I take it, glancing down at the words I wrote last night. Took me twenty attempts, but what I landed on was,It’s not right for me to have the position. Not like this. I didn’t earn it. Let Dominik have it. Switch us back.

Short. To the point. Not enough detail to be incriminating about the deal Coach promised me in exchange for watching over Amelia.

I crumple the note in my hand. “I meant what I said. Give Dominik the center position. I don’t deserve it.”

I don’t dare look away from Coach, but I can tell even from my peripheral vision that the guys are trying to follow this conversation with no small amount of confusion. They, like me,were obviously expecting this to be about what I just told them: the fact that I married his daughter.

Now, we’re discussing a wholeotherthing, which isn’t as surprising, but probably isn’t expected either.

What guy wants to give up his spot on the line? Especially for someone like Dominik?

Coach’s jaw works. He takes off his hat and runs a hand over his bald head, like he’s winding up, trying to find the right words before he really goes off.

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