Page 79 of Hometown Halftime

He laughs. “No, why would I?”

“Because…” I let out a sigh. “If I tell them anything, they tell their men and, well, you’re friends with their men, so just thought you should know.”

It’s his turn to shrug. “I don’t care if anyone knows.”

I relax a little. “Okay. Just so you know, they can be annoying sometimes. I know they love me, but since Kate and Brynn have gotten married, I feel like they want me to follow in their footsteps.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to let Knox and Cam know that we’re not getting married anytime soon. Just to keep everyone informed.” Riley smirks.

“Good luck. And God forbid if Haddie hears I’m shacked up with my assistant coach.” I roll my eyes, reaching for the popcorn again.

“Now, Haddie is a different story,” he says conspicuously. “If Haddie finds out, I say we give her all the material she needs to form a real small town scandal.”

I sit straight up, eyes wide. “You wouldn’t.”

He keeps a straight face as he sets the bowl on the side table. Then he reaches for me, tucking me into his side, his arm wrapping around my shoulder in a very cozy, domestic way. I quietly take a deep breath and, lord help me, even his deodorant smells good.

Don’t judge me for smelling the man’s armpit.

“Don’t worry, Kinsey. You’re freaking out over hypothetical situations.”

It’s our first real evening of “temporarily” living together, and here we are, already cuddled on the couch. He turns the TV up a bit for the start of the second half as I snuggle in a little closer, noticing the way I fit so freaking perfectly into his side. And with his arm around me, I feel safe and warm.

Damn it all to hell.

“You’re right.” I let out a strained chuckle. “I’m just freaking out.”

Chapter thirty-three

Riley

It’s Monday afternoon, and we’ve officially been practicing for four weeks now. For the first time since we started, things actually feel good. Not perfect, but practice finally feels less like organized chaos and more like an actual rugby program taking shape right in front of us.

The girls move with more confidence now that they understand the basics of positioning and structure. Even the chatter on the field sounds different—louder and more competitive. They’re starting to trust themselves. And starting to trust each other too.

Our next hurdle comes this Saturday with our first official match, and you can feel it hanging over the girls during practice. They all claim they’re excited, but underneath the confidence and trash talking, nerves are starting to creep in around the edges.

I think Kinsey feels it too.

She stands near midfield with a whistle hanging around her neck and a clipboard tucked beneath one hoodie-covered arm, black athletic shorts showing off long legs that have been wrecking my concentration for weeks now. The late afternoon wind catches the end of her ponytail every so often while she moves between drills correcting footwork and positioning with a new intensity.

“Stay lower in contact, Tara,” she calls out. “You’re tackling too high again.”

Tara adjusts during the next rep, dropping her hips lower before driving through the contact.

“Better,” Kinsey says with a nod. “Again.”

The girls reset while I drag cones farther across the grass for conditioning lanes. On the neighboring practice field, the football team is finishing for the day, leaving most of the noise out here to us now.

I walk back to stand beside Kinsey, grabbing my clipboard to jot down notes for later. Defensive spacing still needs work, especially when the girls panic under pressure. Brooke keeps drifting too early instead of holding the line. But Megan’s support lines have gotten cleaner, and Paige’s confidence in contact has improved a ton over the last two weeks.

I try focusing on the notes. Really, I do.

But Kinsey stands beside me with her sunglasses pushed up into her hair now, sweat shining lightly against tan skin while she watches the girls reset, and my brain abandons all productive thought. I love how assertive she is and how she demands better because she knows the girls can handle it. Then, five seconds later, she praises them hard enough that they walk taller afterward.

The combination is lethal.

Practice intensity ramps up hard this week on purpose. Saturday’s match is against Jefferson Prep, and they aren’t going to care that this is Cedar Falls’ first official game. The girls need conditioning under pressure, clean support play while exhausted, and enough defensive discipline to hold shape when their lungs are burning.