Page 48 of Red Card (Prescott University #1)

Cillian

W hen I walk into the athletic building the following morning, every eye is trained on me. I barely make it through the door before my teammates are rushing over, pulling me in for hugs, offering their support, clapping me on the back.

It’s overwhelming in a way that makes my chest constrict. These guys didn’t have to go out on a limb for me. They had nothing to go on to prove that I wasn’t guilty of what I was being accused of. But they did anyway. They stood beside me and showed up in ways I never imagined.

Aisling came over to Rory’s last night, and we stayed up half the night talking.

Long after my girl had fallen asleep with her head in my lap, my fingers tangled in her hair.

She loves when I play with her hair, and after the last few days, exhaustion took over.

She was asleep in minutes after lying down.

Then of course, Ais had to spend the next thirty minutes talking about how cute we were, and how she’s happy that I’ve found love.

We talked about everything that happened with Ezra, and she was enraged. And wondering why I don’t feel the same.

Of course I’m mad. But I’m not letting it control me. Not the way it used to. I’ve worked too hard to be a better man than I used to be, and hanging on to something I can’t change isn’t going to make that any easier.

Instead of being pissed off and holding on to resentment, I’m going to try to move forward.

In part because I’m not letting that arsehole win.

This is exactly what he wanted, and the biggest fuck you I can give to a piece of shit like him is to rise above it.

To make sure he knows that he hasn’t broken me, and he doesn’t get the satisfaction of knowing he succeeded in his fucked-up plan.

He’s the one who’s going to sit in jail until his mum bails him out.

When Coach called this morning and asked me to meet him at his office, I could hear the remorse in his tone. I could tell he was being authentic, and I know all this is a fucked-up spot for him to be in. He did what he had to do as a coach.

Didn’t make it fucking suck any less though.

I woke Rory up and told her I was headed to the pitch. She insisted on coming and would hang out with the guys until the meeting was over.

Now here I am. Ready to walk into the meeting that’s going to decide what happens with my future at Prescott.

My knuckles tap lightly against Coach’s door. His gaze raises to meet mine as he lifts his hand and gestures me in with a wave.

“Cillian.”

I nod. “Coach.”

“Thank you for coming in. I met with the dean and the president of Prescott this morning,” he says, reaching for the folder in front of him and opening it.

A few sheets of paper sit inside with the Prescott University letterhead printed boldly at the top.

He flips the top piece around, sliding it across the desk toward me.

“This is your official reinstatement to the team and Prescott. Ezra has obviously been suspended from the team until a full investigation happens. The disciplinary committee will decide next steps, but I do know that he has been arrested and is going to be formally charged. I’m sure the police department will be reaching out to you soon with questions, and to take your statement.

That’s what I know as of now and Cillian, again… I’m sorry.”

Sincerity shines in his eyes and he frowns, shaking his head.

“It’s not enough, but I am sorry. It’s your decision if you’d like to come back to the team, and I can’t say I blame you if you decided not to.

But I want you to know that you earned the spot on my team, and I want you here, son.

And clearly your teammates want you here too. ”

A strange sense of relief floods my chest as his words wash over me. Logically, I knew I’d be reinstated to the team because I hadn’t done anything wrong, but hearing it brings more relief than I thought it would.

This team was supposed to be a temporary stop toward my future, but everything changed along the way. In huge part because of Coach’s daughter. I can’t imagine walking away from her. I can’t imagine leaving her behind.

And now? I don’t have to leave my team behind. My friends. Prescott as a whole.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize what was happening between the two of you.

If I would’ve, I would’ve taken care of it from the start.

I would’ve never allowed it to get this far.

I’m sorry for that. I’m disappointed in what’s happened, but nothing like the disappointment I’ll be facing if you don’t come back, Cillian.

What do you say? Will you rejoin the team? ”

For a second, I say nothing, letting the silence hang between us.

“I will. I just need you to know that I understand why you drug-tested me, and that it was hard for you to believe that I wasn’t lying when the test showed positive.

But I also need you to know that I’m not that guy anymore, Coach.

And I’ve worked my arse off to be someone that I’m proud of.

I don’t want that to hang over my head anymore.

All I want to do is leave my mistakes in the past and move forward. ”

Coach nods, understanding flitting through his gaze.

At first, all I wanted was to get in and get out, so the irony isn’t lost on me that somewhere along the way, my plans changed. I changed.

The future I want for myself changed.

I don’t want to live in guilt and pain any longer. Shutting out the world as a defense because I’m too afraid to be hurt or lose someone I love again. That’s no fucking way to live, and Aisling was right.

Mum would hate to see me like that. A shell of the man she raised me to be.

I want to be more. If not for me or for Aisling, for Rory.

“I understand. I failed you as a coach, and I’m sorry for that.

I’ve been coaching for almost as many years as you’ve been alive and still…

I learn every day. I’m not immune to making mistakes, and this time, I made a big one.

I should’ve supported you more, should’ve made sure you felt like you were a part of this team from the start instead of focusing so much on making sure the rest of the team could handle it.

Cillian… you’re a part of this team whether you’re here, or in London. ”

After a beat, I say, “I appreciate that. I’d like my spot on the team back.”

“It’s yours. I want to add that I’m really impressed,” he says, rising from his chair.

“You’ve shown maturity and grace in a situation that most people your age wouldn’t have the ability to do, and I admire that.

It’s clear to me that you’re not the same guy that you were back in London.

Thank you for being willing to move forward and stay a part of my team, son.

I’m hoping we can put this past us and move forward from here. ”

Extending his hand over the desk, he holds it out for me to shake.

I rise from the chair and slide my hand in his. “I’d really like that.”

He nods but doesn’t drop my hand. “Probably should discuss you and my daughter, though.”

Bloody hell.

I should’ve known he wasn’t going to let me walk out of here without addressing shit about Rory.

She told me they talked last night and said they had a heart-to-heart, where she came clean and told him everything.

It made me feel so much better about him finding out.

The fact that it came directly from Rory.

Coach might not kick me off the team for what just went down, but I had no doubt in my mind he’d not think twice when it came to his daughter.

“Coa—” I start, but his grip on my hand tightens, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Don’t need the details. Nor do I want them, honestly. I trust Rory and the decisions that she makes. Always have, and I’m not going to stop now. All I’m going to say is that if you hurt my daughter, we’re going to have much bigger problems than this. Got it?”

I nod, pushing down a swallow. “Got it.”

With that, he drops my hand and chuckles, entirely too relaxed about this whole thing, and it’s a little unnerving if I’m being honest.

Because I apparently lack any and all self-preservation, the words come stumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them. “That’s it?”

His gaze narrows and his brow lifts. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” I trail off before I sputter out, “You’re not upset that we’re… dating? I don’t know, I just kind of expected you to lose it on me. Scream a bit, throw some shit?”

Coach laughs. “If you want me to throw some stuff, I can. Not much my style though.”

“No, no, I just—”

“Look, yeah, sure, I wish Rory would have told me before last night. I don’t want her to ever feel like she has to keep anything from me, but at the end of the day, I’m her dad and all I want is what’s best for her.

I want whatever makes her happy. And apparently, that’s you.

I could be mad that she got involved with one of my players, but I’m not sure what good that would do.

I trust her decisions, and I trust that she’ll always choose something that is good for her because that’s the way I raised her to be.

And if she doesn’t, then it’s a lesson that she’ll learn from. ”

Yeah, I don’t want to be a lesson that Rory has to learn from. I want to be the guy that protects her heart and shows her the same love that she’s shown me.

“I’m not going to do anything to hurt her, I promise. I… I love her, Coach,” I say thickly, my voice tight with emotion. “All I can do is prove to you that I’m going to treat her the way she deserves to be treated. With actions, not words. This isn’t temporary for me.”

He nods. “That’s all I ask. Give her the respect she deserves.”

“I will.”

“Then I’ll see you on the pitch.”

Just like that, the conversation is done and I’m not sure what’s more shocking: the fact that Ezra fucking drugged me to get me off the team, or the fact that Coach actually doesn’t care that I’m dating his daughter.

As I’m walking back down the hallway toward the locker room, still replaying the conversation with Coach in my head, I see Rory burst through the double doors.

Her dark hair is pulled back low on her nape, her cheeks flushed red as those pretty eyes land on me and a smile tugs at her lips.

Christ, she’s gorgeous. She’s breathtaking, something that never ceases to take me by surprise when my eyes land on her. More than anything… she’s mine .

Yeah, I didn’t need her father’s approval, but I wanted it. I wanted him to accept that I’m in love with his daughter, and if he didn’t approve of us being together, then it was just something that we would have to work through.

Together.

It just makes this a hell of a lot easier knowing that he’s not going to be an issue for us.

In the end, all I know is that Rory is mine. She’s a part of me, buried deep in my chest where my heart resides. I think the entire beating thing might be hers if I’m being honest.

“How’d it go?” she breathes when she comes to a stop in front of me. “Tell me everything.”

“I’m back on the team.”

She squeals, tossing her arms around my neck tightly and burying her face in my neck.

“Oh, thank God.” When she pulls back, I see the relief shining in her eyes.

“I mean, I knew that they would because you didn’t do anything wrong.

I’m just… I’m so, so happy. You belong on the team, Cillian.

You deserve that spot. I’m so thankful all of this is going to be over. ”

“Me too,” I murmur as I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her soft curves against me.

Then realization rushes through me.

This is the first time we’ve ever had a moment like this in public. Hell, aside from holding her hand outside yesterday, this is the only time we’ve openly touched around the team.

And neither of us hesitated for a second. We didn’t even think about it as we came together. It was instinctual. Two magnets drawn to each other by force.

The hallway is busy with the athletic staff and my teammates, and now that I’m aware, I can feel the stares.

“Rory…” I start, my gaze flicking to the people passing by. “I think we have an audience.”

Her eyes widen briefly, and she goes to drop her arms, but I pull her tighter, not letting her step out of my arms.

“Let them stare,” I say. “We’re done hiding. Your dad knows, the coaching staff knows. Everyone else can know that you’re mine, Rory. I don’t want to have to keep our relationship in the dark. I want to be with you, out in the open, without giving a shit about what everyone thinks.”

Her eyes soften, and I feel the tips of her fingers running along my nape. “Really? That’s what you want?”

“Are you surprised by that?” I chuckle, reaching to cradle her jaw in my hands. My thumb sweeps along the edge, her skin soft beneath the rough pad. “Baby, I’m crazy about you. Let the whole world know that the Rory. St. James is my girlfriend. That if they even bloody look at you, I can fight.”

Her laugh wraps around me, filling every empty space inside me.

The last thing I ever expected to do when I came to Prescott was fall in love.

I didn’t think it was possible to love someone the way that I do Rory because my heart was too bruised and broken.

I was still piecing myself back together, picking up those fragmented shards and attempting to make myself whole again.

I failed time after time, sabotaging myself and everything I love. Because I thought it was what I deserved. But the moment I met Rory, everything changed.

She broke down the walls that I built high around my heart and forced her way inside a fortress that was forged of heartache, guilt, and pain.

For the first time in a long time, I see the other side. I see the old me. The one who wasn’t broken. I’m working on healing, on a permanent fix instead of a temporary one.

I owe that to her.

To the girl who showed me it’s okay to lean on the people who care about you. To give them some of the weight from your shoulders so you don’t have to carry it all alone.

Who taught me that I can’t be great just on my own.

Because of her I found a family who loves me despite all my faults and the past that haunts me.

I used to think that leaving London was leaving my life behind, but the truth is, it’s just beginning.

Rugby may be my future, but Rory St. James is my end game .