8. Matthew

Chapter 8

Matthew

M y mind is still reeling from the talk with Dylan last night. She didn't outright say she didn't have feelings for me and admitted to kissing me back. But then she made it clear—she's committed to Ford and Jacob. Her loyalty is admirable and only makes me want her more.

Could I share, though?

I've never been in this situation before. Sure, I partied in college, but I never had the wild sex life some of my teammates boasted about.

Could I handle seeing her with someone else? Would jealousy consume me? Sharing her with two younger guys—could I do that?

The age gap between us doesn't bother me, but when I think about those other two, I feel like the odd man out. The old guy in the group.

Group?

I'm not even part of their little ménage à trois, but… I think I want to be.

First things first, I need to call Coach Woosley at CSU and update him on the discovery of Murphy being female. With him being interested in all three of them, I should probably get that out of the way.

Sitting at my desk in my room, I lean back in my chair and set my phone on my chest, letting it ring on speaker.

Finally, on the fourth ring, he answers.

"Dawson! Man, I thought you got lost in that hometown of yours. What's going on?"

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Well, I went to the championship as you know since I sent the footage over," I begin, but he cuts me off before I can get to the point.

"Sure did. Those three are unstoppable together. Like a goddamn freight train on the field. I want them, Dawson. Tell me we have the first option."

My chest tightens as I close my eyes, exhaling slowly. "There's been a bit of an update with Murphy and I wanted to see how it played out. The other team challenged the win, but the league is holding strong that the Pumas keep the win."

"Spit it out, Dawson. Why would the win be challenged?" I can hear the annoyance in his voice that I'm beating around the bush.

This is all Dylan wants. My stomach churns as I think about what I'm about to say, fearing that putting it out there could bring her whole dream crashing down. I don't want to be the one responsible for that.

"Murphy is female. Dylan Murphy. No one knew but her team and coach. Even the principal and her parents weren't aware of her making the team." My heart pounds as I wait for him to respond.

There's a pause, and then he lets out a low whistle. "That's a fucking doozy, Dawson. There's nothing saying she can't play for CSU, but can she handle it? I don't see a lot of ladies on the men's teams. They play female lacrosse… it's… gentler."

"I understand your concerns, sir," I tell him. "But I have confidence that she could hack it. Before discovering she wasn't male, I believed she would be a perfect match based on her skills and experience. The three of them together make a good team. The bond is so tight that they instinctively shield and defend each other."

I can hear him tapping his fingers on what I'm assuming is his desk as he mulls over what I just dropped in his lap. My stomach twists in knots. This has nothing to do with me beyond sending him the tapes, but I want this for Dylan so badly, I think I might be sick if I have to let her down.

"Okay. So I can't give all three full rides. I have a budget, Dawson."

Fuck yes. He's going to let her play, or well at least be on the team. She'll have to prove herself to get field time.

"That's up to you, sir. I'm just the scout."

"Tell ya what. We'll offer Stoll a scholarship since he's captain, and that's the heart of the team. I'll get back to you on how much. But I like to make waves and lord knows old Mulani at Kansas will shit a brick when we face him next season with a gal on the team. I can't wait to see his face." He chuckles, but I'm barely listening, waiting anxiously for him to say something about Dylan's scholarship. The evil stepmother has already decided she's not paying, so this is Dylan's one shot.

"What's the girl wanna major in, do you know?"

"Sports medicine," I reply quickly, remembering her mentioning it during our first family dinner.

"That will work, that will work. The school wants to promote more women in sports and gain more benefactors. Offer her a full ride. GPA has to stay above three and she's gotta go to the fancy events the school and team host."

I can't help the smile that finds my face. "I can do that. Thank you, sir." I go to hang up, but he calls my name, "Yes, sir?"

"Fanjo is retiring at the end of the term. I'll need a new assistant coach. Any chance you wanna switch from scout to coach?"

My heart skips a beat. "Sir, I've only been a scout for less than a year. Are you sure?"

This is a dream come true. Coaching has always been my goal, but I thought it would take years of hard work as a scout before I'd get the opportunity. I never imagined it would happen this soon.

"Yes, I'm sure. You were a fine player, a shame about the injury. Scouting isn't what you wanted, is it?"

"Well, no."

"Then come coach with me. I'll need you here ASAP though, so we can plan the season and we have some recruitment to do still. What do you say?"

Shit, shit, shit.

"I'd be honored, sir." But this changes everything. As a scout, I didn't need to worry about the finer details of Dylan going to school or playing with the Outlaws. But if I'm going to be coaching her, I need to be honest.

"Full transparency. And I didn't know, I swear. Murphy's mother is engaged to my dad."

He coughs almost like he's choking. "The girl is your almost stepsister? How did you not know she was playing on the team? You've been to the matches."

"She was using her dad's last name, which her mother is not, and we only met at the start of the season. Our parents sprung the engagement on us. And she always had her hair up and… her… ummm… lady bits firmly hidden."

"But if she and the boys are so close, how did you not realize it was her?" His tone isn't accusing—more like he thinks I'm an idiot. Honestly, I feel the same now that I think back on it.

"Didn't really pay close attention. She's almost my new stepsister. I kinda assumed she was a stick bunny and left it at that.""I see." He laughs, and I can't help but feel a little stupid. "Bet you feel real fucking dumb, huh?" His laugh gets louder. "That shouldn't be an issue. Her position on the team and scholarship were offered before you accepted the job. If you accept, that is."

"There's more," I murmur, the weight of my words pressing down on me. This could be the thing that cancels everything. If it is, I'll gladly stay a scout so Dylan can play.

"Christ Dawson, hit me with it."

I stand and start to pace, knowing when I tell him it's going to be all over. "I kissed her." His response comes immediately.

"You what?!" His shock is evident even through the phone.

"I kissed her. She's…" I pause, not knowing what to say. Then it gushes out of me like word vomit. "She's sexy as hell, smart, and sassy, but I kept my distance ‘cause we're going to be step-siblings. But then she took that helmet off at the championship game and I kissed her. She slapped me."

"Fucking hell, Matthew, is she at least of age?"

"Yes, sir, she's eighteen."

"Alright, umm, is it gonna happen again?"

"Can't say for sure. She's pretty pissed off."

"I imagine." He sighs. "Okay, yeah, it'll be fine. She's of age, you're of age. You're not technically faculty, so..." His voice trails off, clearly trying to wrap his head around the situation. "We'll be fine. Get your resume sent over, and I'll take it to the dean and get you hired."

"Okay. Thank you, sir."

I hang up and flop onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. Holy shit, I'm gonna be the assistant coach at CSU.