I call Violet to pick me up while Grayson waits for a friend to come fix his tires. I suggest that he call a tow truck but he quickly shuts that down, not elaborating further on the subject. As I wait for Violet, I notice how on-edge Grayson looks, waiting for this 'friend' to come.

I tell myself that there could be many reasons why Grayson is so reluctant to call for help. I scold myself for jumping to the worst conclusions, then I catch myself. I realize that I shouldn't have to jump to conclusions; Grayson should just be honest with me about what's going on.

Grayson tries to say kiss me goodbye when I leave but I push him away. I hug Gracie then climb into Violet's Mercedes without so much as a wave to him. Violet drops me off without asking the obvious question, just simply chatting with me about all the guys who are trying to get with her.

I go straight upstairs and right to bed, not giving myself any time to think about what happened.

The next day is the team's first game. Being their doting coach, I wake up early and get to the field an hour before to help set up and greet my little athletes as they arrive. Although I try to busy myself preparing snacks and mentally going over the game plan, the nerves fight their way to the surface and I can't concentrate at the tasks at hand.

Anxious thoughts race through my head. One of the kids could trip and die. Or they could lose and all burst into tears, unable to cope with failure. Did I prepare them enough for this?

I nervously rearrange the rows of water bottles for the fifth time, earning a few concerned glances from the parents who came early to help. The referee, a boy no older than fifteen, even shoots me a look. I feel like a mess and definitely look like one.

I'm pretty damn good at messing things up. What if I fuck this up too?

My hands are reaching for the water bottles, aching to rearrange them again, when I hear Grayson's car pull up. A myriad of emotions layer on top of my nerves - surprise, happiness, even more nerves. I wipe my hands on my track shorts and lean against the table, hoping to hide my nerves.

Gracie reaches me first, throwing her insanely cute soccer bag onto the ground and slamming into my legs. I'm almost knocked over. "Hi Coach River."

"Hey Gracie. How are you feeling?" I pull my mouth into a smile and hug her back, trying not to betray my true emotions. She flashes me a huge smile in return and detaches herself from my legs, running off the warm up with the other kids.

"Hey Coach River," Grayson says, mimicking Gracie's earlier greeting. I'm looking at the small group of kids practicing and, as hard as I try, the smile wanes slightly from my face as I think about the game.

He notices and his faces twists in concern. "You feeling okay, Riv?"

I tear my eyes from the group of kids and nod my head. "Yeah, of course. Better than I've ever been."

My overly-cheery voice betrays me and Grayson just looks even more concerned by my false answer. The nerves wash over me again and I turn around to rearrange the water bottles again.

An arm slips gently around my waist and turns me around. "What's on your mind? You can tell me anything. I won't judge." His voice is soft, understanding.

I tear myself away from him, shaking my head in disbelief. "Oh, like you're so open to telling me everything."

Looking at him, I notice how nice he looks in a dark green polo, that matches our team's colors, and khaki shorts. He looks like a really cute, preppy soccer dad and it's hard to be mad at him right now. But I am.

"Riv, I'm sorry about last night." I'm getting kind of tired of all these apologies. "It's just...there are parts of my life that I don't want to expose you to. I'm trying to protect you here. Can you just let me keep you safe?"

"I don't need you to keep me safe. I need you to be open with me, like you promised." I take a deep breath, trying not to get too worked up this early in the morning. "I can handle your life, Grayson, if you'd just let me."

He thinks for a second, leaving his arm still draped around my waist. As frustrated as I am with him, I don't want him to move it. "Come with me to a race tonight. It's far away so we'll have to stay in a hotel somewhere but...please. It's a chance for you to see the world I live in and then you can decide if you still want anything to do with me."

His response surprises me and I look up at him, trying to detect any trace of joking in his eyes. But he looks as genuine as I've ever seen him. I almost laugh at how out-of-the-blue his proposal was. "Is this your attempt at kidnapping me? Drive me to a mysterious town far away and throw me in a lake?"

Grayson wraps his other arm around my waist, pulling me forward against him. I can feel his every breath. "That's exactly what I'm trying to do. So I politely ask that you get in my car when I pick you up later. Then I can commence my kidnapping agenda."

I remember where we are and I'm thrown back into a nervous state. My eyes dart to the other team of little kids passing the ball across the field and my breaths feel shallow. Why am I so nervous for this little kid game?

Grayson turns and follows my gaze to the other team, raising an eyebrow. "What? You afraid the other team is plotting some sabotage over there?"

I don't answer and he looks back at me, noticing my frantic look. "Woah, Riv. You're okay. This is just a rec soccer game. Nothing to worry about. Take a deep breath."

"But these kids," I say through deep breaths. "They've been working so hard and I don't want them to be disappointed if they lose. What if I let them down?"

"Hey, these kids love you. And I doubt they're worrying about the outcome of the game," he says. "You know what Gracie's main concern about today was?"

I wipe nervous sweat from my face. I bet I look really attractive right now. "What?"

"She was worried about whether or not Liam would notice her new cleats. Her first real soccer game and she's worried about the kid who wipes his boogers on his shorts."

I laugh, feeling my nerves fade away slowly. Grayson smiles when he sees me loosen up. "Also, you're a great coach. The best Gracie's had, actually" he says.

His comment makes me even less nervous. "Thanks. I guess out of all kids' guardians, you probably make my Top 10 Favorites list," I tease.

He laughs, bringing me closer. "Oh really? I'm not number one?"

"Of course not, you have some tough competition. Mr. Oaks brought three cases of water today so don't get too comfortable."

Even closer. "I guess I should step up my game, huh?"

I feel his breaths against my chest. "Mhmm."

His mouth captures mine and it feels great. I want so badly to wrap my arms around his neck. But then I remember we're at a youth soccer game and I'm supposed to be mad at him. I put my hands on his chest and push him away, much to his disappointment.

I back up from him, tightening my ponytail quickly. "You're not going to get off that easily. I'll think about your proposal. Until then, you aren't allowed on the coach's side. The spectator's side that way." I point toward where the parents are sitting on the bleachers, all wearing our colors - green.

I try not to dwell on the fact that they were all staring at us.

My tone is only half-teasing and he takes the hint, walking toward the bleachers. I straighten myself up, put on my coaching attitude, and walk toward my kids.

I look at my watch and realize I'm right on time. The game starts in five minutes and, from the looks of it, all my kids seem to be here. I call them all over to me.

They're all bursting at the seams with excitement, barely able to stand still while I gloss over the simple plan. Liam and Gracie share a cute look when I tell them they're my two starting forwards, which lightens my mood.

They take the field and I have a soothing feeling that everything is going to be alright. The kids are happy and lathered in sunscreen, so things seem to be in order. My worries officially drift away as the game starts.

For a while, it's just back and forth. It's like a kickball game, with all the kids scrambling around the ball, desperate to just touch it. Their techniques would be concerning if it wasn't so entertaining.

Gracie gets in a few solid solo dribbles but can't seem to get a goal. Everyone is giving their full effort and that's enough to make me happy. I walk up and down the sidelines, watching them with pride and relief. Grayson's cheers for Gracie never seem to stop, not even when she doesn't even have the ball.

Then Gracie trips. It happens so quickly, and right before the first half ends, that no one seems to notice. She's dribbling the ball right toward the goal, eyes ablaze, when she face-plants onto the grass. I can't tell if my eyes are playing tricks on me but I swear I see another kid's leg jut out in front of her right before she tumbles forward. A kid on the other team.

Liam runs toward her to help but she stands up right away, brushing her knees off as if it didn't hurt. But I can see from the squint in her eyes and the redness of her knees that she's a bit bruised up.

My first instinct is to look to Grayson, certain that he saw it as well. As soon as I do, I almost wish I hadn't. He looks like he's about to explode with rage. With his fists clenched in front of him, he's leaning forward, eyes trained on Gracie. Veins are prominent on his forearms and I can tell he's barely holding himself back.

I give him a hard look. Don't you dare.

I look away and take a deep breath. With an encouraging smile on my face I call everyone over. I kneel in front of Gracie as Talia's mom hands out oranges to the kids.

"You okay, sweetie?" I ask gently, holding Gracie's small hands in mine. She puts on a strong face and nods her head defiantly. There only seem to be one or two scratches on her knees and they aren't bleeding. They seem pretty minor so, reluctantly, I decide to let her keep playing.

"Be careful, okay?" I tell her and she smiles reassuringly.

As the kids eat their orange slices, I tell them how proud I am of them and how great they're all doing. And it's the truth - this is going great, aside from Gracie's fall. But she's taking it like a champ. They finish and I remind them that this is all about having fun. I give them high-fives as they run back onto the field, energized by their snack.

The game resumes and it's still back and forth between the swarms of kids for a while. But eventually, Liam and Gracie gain a rhythm and pass the ball a few times. I hold my breath and watch as Gracie shoots perfectly toward the goal. Grayson shouts encouragingly from the stands.

But the goalkeeper - a fumbling little boy - stops it at the last moment with a sloppy save and I breathe out, trying not to feel too disappointed.

But then Gracie falls again, and this time, it's obviously not a stumble. The same little boy steals the ball from her as she falls and my heart falls. This time, Gracie takes Liam's hand when he comes and is a bit slower getting up.

"Come on, ref! Do your job! Where's the card?" Grayson yells from the bleachers, prompting disapproving whispers from the rest of the crowd. But he doesn't care; he's infuriated.

I'm angry too but I can't stand by his outburst. Grayson continues expressing his discontent and the referee eventually stops the game. But he doesn't talk to the other team or question the boy who tripped her; he comes up to me.

"Go handle your spectator, Coach, or I will," the referee says with a surprisingly solid voice. I nod and reluctantly walk over to Grayson, feeling every pair of eyes on me.

"Grayson, you have to calm down. There aren't even cards in rec soccer!" I harsly whisper to him, leaning over the railings of the bleachers. I can feel the anger radiating off of him and I have to stop myself from trying to calm him down in a more personal way.

"You saw him trip her. I can't believe the ref is letting that little fuc--"

"Grayson, there's nothing we can do about it," I insist. "The best thing you can do for Gracie is not make a scene and let her enjoy her first game. You can punch a wall when you get home."

He's still fuming, cracking his knuckles the same way he did last night. But he doesn't protest and I take that as his promise to not do anything reckless. I trust that he has enough self-control to ground himself.

But before I walk back to the sidelines, I place my hand softly on his for a second, looking him in the eyes. He catches my gaze and holds it, going still for a second. Then, before anyone sees this, I move back and turn around. I feel his eyes still on me as I walk back.

The game resumes and Gracie comes at the ball all fired-up. She gains possession and dribbles it down the field, leaving everyone in her dust. Her path is straight as an arrow and I'm certain she's going to shoot. But then she stops fully and passes the ball to Liam, who is angled perfectly toward the goal already.

He rears his leg back and kicks as hard as he can, shooting the ball straight past the fumbling goalie and into the net. Everyone erupts in cheers and Gracie and Liam don't seem to know what to do with themselves.

Then Liam runs up to her and hugs her tightly. Gracie smiles and hugs him back, jumping up and down with him. Then she runs into the stands and jumps into Grayson's arms. I watch happily as he spins her around and kisses her cheek, congratulating her repeatedly. Gracie catches me staring and gives me the cutest thumbs-up.

I give her one back, feeling almost dizzy with happiness.

I relish that feeling for the rest of the game, watching the kids just chase the ball around in circles. The game ends 1-0 and we celebrate all over again. This time, Grayson comes down from the bleachers and wraps his arms around both me and Gracie, picking both of us up and spinning us around. I forget why I was so nervous earlier and just lose myself in the moment.

Eventually, all the parents and guardians have to form two lines for the tunnel. Both lines face each other and press their hands together overhead, creating a tunnel for the kids to run through. It was my favorite part of soccer when I was Gracie's age and I'm over the moon to be apart of it again.

I stand on the right side, across from an empty space, letting my hair down from its ponytail and combing my fingers through it. The sun feels warmer on my skin and the excited chatter around me is like music to my ears.

Grass crunches behind me and I turn to see Grayson walking up, unsure of what to do. He stands awkwardly in front of me and looks down at the other parents to see what he's supposed to be doing. The inquisitive look on his face makes me laugh.

"Is this spot taken?" He asks.

"Now it is." We both watch as the lines continue to fill in until everyone is in order.

"Hold my hands," I say, holding both of mine out toward him. He looks at them questioningly but takes them anyway. His hands are cool to the touch against my sweaty ones but he doesn't seem to mind.

I hold eye contact with him as the rest of the line starts forming the tunnel, raising their arms up to form the top. Grayson's eyes spark with understanding and he lifts our hands up, pressing our palms together firmly.

As the kids from both teams run through the 'tunnel', we cheer for them. After the last kid runs underneath through, I drop my arms, but Grayson captures my hands with his.

He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead as everyone else disperses. "I believe you had a decision to make."

"Well, I suppose I could accompany you to your very legal street race," I reply.

"Perfect." He wraps his arm around my shoulder as we turn around to find Gracie. "I'll pick you up at 3."