Page 15 of Yes, Coach (Bratton Hollow #1)

Taryn

S ix Weeks Later - Graduation Day

The past six weeks have been the longest of my life.

True to his word, Murphy has maintained professional distance at school. No more private meetings. No more lingering looks. No more stolen moments that made the days bearable.

But what the other teachers don't know is that we've just gotten more creative.

Murphy's been picking me up after my shifts at the diner, taking me to that same cabin he rented or sometimes just parking on back roads where no one will find us.

We've fucked in his truck so many times I've memorized every detail of the interior.

The way the leather seats feel against my skin.

The way the windows fog up when he makes me come so hard I can't breathe.

He's been insatiable, like he's trying to make up for all the time we can't touch at school. Taking me harder, rougher, more possessively than ever before. Marking me in places only he can see, whispering filthy promises about what he's going to do to me once I graduate.

Once I'm officially his.

Today is that day.

I'm sitting in the faculty section of the auditorium, watching as the Class of 2025 files onto the stage in their caps and gowns. It’s usually the Principal that takes the job of handing out diplomas, but today he was apparently too sick to come in.

It’s not the first time in the past few weeks either.

When I spot myself among them in the program, my breath catches in my throat.

This is it. In about an hour, I'm going to officially be his.

No more hiding. No more sneaking around. No more pretending he doesn't own every part of me.

The ceremony seems to drag on forever, but finally they're calling names. When they announce "Taryn Marie St. Claire," I watch Murphy from my seat in the graduate section. He's trying to look professional, but I can see the pride and possession in his eyes.

The look that says mine.

I walk across that stage with my head high, and when I accept my diploma, I look directly at him. The smile I give him is full of promise and relief. No more hiding. No more being careful.

As I step down from the stage, Chloe is waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes are glassy, but her smirk is firmly in place.

"We did it, T," she says, pulling me into a tight hug. "School is officially over."

"Are you crying?"

"Please. I don’t cry," she sniffs, wiping at her eye. "There was just... dust. Or allergies. Or someone cutting onions directly into my face."

"Uh-huh. You’re telling me you’re not going to miss this place?"

She pulls back, giving me a look. "Miss the school? No fucking way. The town… Maybe. Some of it."

There’s a tone in her voice. Something she’s not telling me. "Spill."

"Nope," she says with a wink. "You’ve got your secrets and I’ve got mine. And don’t tell me you haven’t because I had to cover for you a few weeks ago when your mom called thinking you were at mine, and I had a text right there on my phone screen from you telling me you were with her."

"Oh."

"Damn right, oh . What, you think you’re James Bond with all your misdirection or something?"

I squeeze her hand. "Okay, we both have our secrets. For now. And this town isn’t going anywhere, right? It’s not like either of us are moving a million miles away."

After she disappears into the crowd to find her mom, I make my way toward where Murphy is standing with other faculty members, my heart pounding with anticipation.

"Congratulations," he tells me when I reach him, his voice carefully professional despite the heat in his eyes. "You should be very proud."

"Thank you, Coach Reynolds." I can barely contain my excitement. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

But we both know it's been more than guidance. For months now, he's been handling the parts of my life that felt too big, too complicated. Making decisions so I didn't have to carry everything alone. Being the adult so I could finally just be his girl.

"You did this all on your own," he says, but his eyes tell a different story. We both know how many late nights he spent helping me with applications, how many times he talked me through panic attacks about deadlines and decisions.

Mom appears at my side, beaming with pride and slightly out of breath from the walk across the parking lot. Her oxygen tank is smaller today, one of her better days, and I'm grateful she got to see this.

"Coach Reynolds," she says, reaching out to shake his hand. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for Taryn. Not just the college help, but everything. She's been so much calmer these past few months. More... settled."

The observation makes Murphy's jaw tighten slightly. She's not wrong. Ever since he started taking care of the big decisions, I've felt lighter. Less anxious. Like I finally have someone I can lean on.

"Taryn's a special girl, Mrs. St. Claire. She deserves to have someone looking out for her."

"Yes, she does." Mom studies both of us for a moment, and I wonder what she sees. "You're a good man, Coach. I'm glad she has you in her corner."

"Always," Murphy says quietly, and the word carries more weight than Mom probably realizes.

As the crowd continues to disperse, I find myself alone with Murphy for a brief moment. Mom got a ride home with Mrs. Lowe, Chloe’s mother, and I told her I might be late tonight. She didn’t question it, and I wonder again just how much she knows about my life that she hasn’t questioned me on.

I promise myself that soon, I’ll be honest with her. Just as soon as I can find a way to break the news.

"So," I say, my voice carefully casual but my heart racing. "What happens now?"

"Now?" He steps closer, close enough that I can smell his cologne. "Now you're not my student anymore."

"No, I'm not."

"Which means tomorrow night, when I take you out to celebrate, there's nothing inappropriate about it." His voice drops to that tone that makes me melt. "And it means I can finally take care of you the way I've been wanting to."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean no more hiding how I feel about you. No more pretending I don't want to make every decision that's too hard for you to handle alone." He reaches up and touches the pendant at my throat. "No more acting like you're not exactly where you belong when you let me take charge."

My breath catches. "Murphy..."

"I know what you need, baby girl. I've seen how you relax when I handle things for you. How relieved you get when you don't have to be the responsible one." His thumb traces the pendant. "That's not going to change just because you graduated. If anything, it's going to get better."

"Better how?"

"Better because now I can take care of you properly.

Help you pick your classes, make sure you're eating enough, handle the paperwork that stresses you out. And do what I can for your mom, if she’ll let me.

Get the best doctors, the best treatments.

" His eyes are intense, possessive. "Be your Daddy in every way that matters. "

The words make my knees weak. This is what I've wanted, what I've been craving without fully understanding it.

"And what if people talk?"

"Let them talk." He leans closer, his lips brushing my ear. "You're mine now, Taryn. Officially and completely mine. And I'm going to take such good care of my girl."

"Promise?"

"I promise. From now on, you don't have to carry everything alone. Daddy's going to handle the hard stuff so you can just focus on being perfect for me."

Tears blur my vision. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby girl. More than you know."

As we walk out of the auditorium together, his hand possessively on the small of my back, I feel something I haven't felt in years: completely safe.

Protected. Like I finally have someone strong enough to lean on, someone who wants to take care of me instead of expecting me to handle everything myself.

"Daddy?" I say quietly as we reach his truck.

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Thank you. For taking care of me. For making me feel like I don't have to be strong all the time."

"You never have to be strong with me, baby girl. That's what I'm for."

He opens the passenger door for me, and as I climb in, I know this is just the beginning. No more hiding. No more pretending. Just me and my Daddy, and the promise that I'll never have to face the world alone again.