Page 56 of Unwritten Rules (The Sunburnt Hearts #1)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

TATUM

T he Illawarra Sharks’ home ground in Wollongong is stunning.

Not only are the facilities nicer than some of the stadiums I’ve visited, but it’s located one hundred metres from the beach, bringing with it salty sea air and a cool breeze.

I can only imagine what the sunsets are like when watching an afternoon game.

Standing on the sidelines, watching as some of the Wolves players run onto the field, including Sinnett, I gaze at the blue sky, mirroring the ones watching me from the goal post. I wrap my arms around my waist, fighting off the cool breeze whipping around me.

Sinnett’s leather jacket is now my go-to source for warmth.

It still smells like his woodsy cologne, and I refuse to wash it, not wanting to be rid of the last remnants of him.

My gaze shifts to Sinnett as he practices goal kicks, followed by some warm-up drills.

Around me, the grandstand is starting to fill as we close in on the kickoff time, and the large hill is packed with not a spare patch of grass in sight.

The colours are a good mix of red and black, and blue and white.

With this being an away game for the Wolves, I’m pleased so many fans chose to make the trip down the coast to support them.

I was beyond relieved when Sinnett’s mechanic called me yesterday to say my car was ready to be picked up.

It has been in the shop for weeks now, and I was convinced it was a lost cause with too many things wrong with it.

So imagine my surprise when I drove it down here without a single hiccup and an engine that purred.

Well, I could only just hear it over Noah and Nathan’s voice through the dodgy Bluetooth connector I had installed in the car before I left Barrenridge.

I was gobsmacked, and still don’t know how I should thank Sinnett for taking care of it for me.

I was ready to get a new car, but now I won’t need to, thanks to him.

A smile turns up my mouth as I lock eyes with Sinnett, who flashes me an award-winning smile before returning to his training.

I don’t know how I got so lucky with this man.

Not only is he kind, sweet, and a freak between the sheets, but he brings me that sense of comfort I’ve been craving.

He made a goddamn playlist for me of songs that remind him of me, for God sake.

I’m convinced he’s not real but someone I conjured up from a dream.

When he dropped me home last night, he sent me the playlist and told me to listen to it when I got inside.

I was ready to do so, but I got caught up with talking to Dad in the kitchen about our day, and by the time I had a shower and crawled into bed, I passed out without responding to Sinnett’s ‘goodnight’ text.

Then, following a catch up call with my best friends once I left the mechanics, I haven’t been left with much time to listen to it.

When I get home after the game, the first thing I’m going to do is put the playlist on and get lost in whatever songs he put in there for hours.

I still can’t believe he made me a playlist.

Sinnett follows his teammates off the field after wrapping the warm-up. He changes course and runs up to me, a smile lingering on his lips. My eyes widen as my heart slams into my ribcage.

What is he doing?

“Hi, Tate.”

“Hi, Sin,” I greet quietly, looking around at the endless bodies lingering on the sideline. They’re mostly staff members or punters for sports news stations. “Is everything okay?”

I force my eyes to stay on his face and not roam over the tight training jersey clinging to his biceps and toned abdomen, or the black shorts shaping his thick, muscular thighs.

“I just wanted to see you before the game,” Sinnett says, tossing the football between his hands with ease. “You’re my good luck charm, strawberry.”

Heat shoots across my cheeks. “I am?”

He nods. “I’d like to think so. You did get me back on the field, after all.”

“That was all you,” I remind him with a smile.

“Either way, I like having you on the sideline. You keep me going, Tate.”

My heart squeezes, making it difficult for air to travel from my lungs to my nose. How can those simple words be my undoing? Hearing him say I’m the reason he pushes through each day has my head spinning and my heart threatening to burst from my chest.

“I do?” I squeeze out.

Sinnett nods, tilting his head to the side with a smile. “You have since you walked into my life.”

I open my mouth to respond, but the sharp voice of my father has me slamming my mouth close.

His shoulders are tense and his face thunderous as he storms down the tunnel in our direction.

I didn’t get a chance to see him this morning because he left early to catch the team bus with the players and I had to pick up my car. Why he’s this angry has me confused.

“Is everything okay?” I ask when he reaches us, voice wavering.

Dad looks between me and Sinnett, eyes hard, and gestures over his shoulder with his thumb. “You two, follow me. Now.”

Now my heart is beating for a different reason.

Sinnett and I share a confused look when Dad turns his back on us and walks back down the tunnel, stomping as he goes.

“What the hell is going on?” I whisper, worrying my lip between my teeth.

“I don’t know,” Sinnett responds, voice deep. “But judging by the look on his face, it can’t be good.”

Tense silence settles over us as we follow my father into an empty room filled with training equipment, offering a level of privacy for whatever conversation is going to take place. What feels like a hundred different scenarios swarm my mind, but I’m unable to focus on a single one.

Dad closes the door behind him, folding his arms over his chest. He looks between Sinnett and me, standing a few metres away from each other, confused as hell.

“What’s going on, Dad?” I ask, voice trembling. “Is everything okay?”

“You want to know what’s going on, Tatum?” Dad hisses, his words lashing at me like a physical assault. Oh, my God. He only ever uses my full name when I’m in trouble. “Would either of you care to explain this photo I received an hour ago?”

Sinnett and I share a confused look while Dad pulls up something on his phone, holding it up for us to see. We step closer to get a better look, and once realisation dawns on me, ice floods my veins and my heart drops to my toes.

Sinnett and I kissing on the beach yesterday. As clear as the sky outside and as obvious as the shock seeping into my features.

Shit .

Who took the photo? We were basically alone on the beach, but with how good the quality is, someone must’ve been lurking in the background that we overlooked. Was it the media? A fan?

I swallow hard as my heartbeat grows erratic, pulsing at the base of my throat. My right hand reaches for my fingernails, picking at the skin around the nail bed. “Dad, I can explain…”

“Explain what, Tatum?” Dad roars, shoving his phone into the pocket of his long pants.

The tips of his ears are red, something that only happens when he’s ready to blow his top.

“I told you not to go there with any of the players, and you went against me. You betrayed me and the trust we shared.” He turns to Sinnett, directing his anger at him now, finger pointing at his chest. “And you . I made it very clear you were to stay away from my daughter.”

“Phil, let me explain,” Sinnett says, voice even despite the tension rolling through his shoulders.

“No!” Dad booms. “The photo speaks for itself. I made myself clear about you lot staying away from Tatum, so imagine the betrayal I felt seeing my halfback going against my word.”

“Dad, please,” I plead, desperate for him to not do this. “Just listen to us.”

“How long has this been going on?” he demands, directing the question at me.

“Dad…”

“How long, Tatum? I won’t ask again.”

I exhale a sharp breath at the same time Sinnett runs a hand through his hair. “A month.”

“ Fuck ,” Dad hisses, throwing his hands in the air. “I can’t believe this, Tatum. I trusted you, and this whole time you’ve been seeing him behind my back?”

Tears sting the corner of my eyes, but I don’t have the energy to blink them away.

Instead, I focus on my father freaking out about me and Sinnett.

I knew this would happen eventually; I wasn’t naive to the fact that my relationship with Sinnett would have to end eventually.

But I didn’t think it would happen so soon. I thought we had more time.

I don’t want it to end.

“And what about your career?” Dad turns to Sinnett, throwing his hands in the air. “You need to be focused, not frolicking around with my daughter.”

“I am focused,” Sinnett defends, squaring his shoulders. “If it wasn’t for your daughter, I wouldn’t be wearing this jersey. She helped me through my lowest time and reminded me why I’m here chasing this dream.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you betrayed me,” Dad hisses, shaking his head. “I can’t fucking believe this. I truly can’t.”

I step toward my father, the skin around my thumb stinging as my nails dig into the skin. “Dad, don’t think for a second that Sinnett isn’t committed to this job. He has worked his ass off to get back on the field, despite whatever was going on between us. The Wolves are his life, and you know it.”

Dad’s jaw clenches as he holds my gaze, deep blue eyes burning with a fire I’ve never seen before.

“I can’t have this under my roof,” he finally says, squaring his shoulders. I know what he’s referring to. He doesn’t want Sinnett and me to be together while at work. “It’s not going to work.”

“Dad,” I warn, voice low. “Please don’t do this. Please . This isn’t what you think it is.”

“I know exactly what this is.” He waves his hands between me and Sinnett, nostrils flaring. “And I don’t like it.”

“Why?” I plead, not caring how pathetic I sound, tears brimming at the corner of my eyes.