Page 94 of Keep Me

“That’s what she said, wasn’t it?” I responded curtly. My dad could be a dick to me, but not to Britt. She didn’t deserve that.

“Then humor me. How did you end up married in Vegas?”

It was a good question, one I had a hard time answering myself. When we were in Vegas, it felt like we were both all in, but something changed overnight, and I could only assume it was to do with the alcohol content, and Britt got cold feet. She had been using the excuse of Erik and Olana for the past month, but neither were insurmountable blocks for us being together.

“Things just escalated,” Britt answered when she realized I wasn’t going to.

“Sounds about right for you, doesn’t it, Ben? Never planning. Always fucking up.”

“Marrying Matty wasn’t a fuckup,” Britt defended.

“But you want to divorce him?”

She didn’t answer.

“Why else would you need a copy of the marriage certificate so badly?”

He had a point, and Britt was caught off guard. I told her things were rough between us, but I was almost certain seeing my father’s bluntness for herself was more jarring.

“Doesn’t help that Matty’s always got Olana drama too,” he said with a smirk.

Yup, there was no chance of me ever getting Britt back after this dinner. Letting Olana order me around instead of dealing with my own grief was the worst decision I’d ever made, and I wondered if I was going to be paying for it for the rest of my life.

“There’s nothing going on with us.”

“You sure? Seems like she needs you now more than ever, and you’re bailing for an upgrade.”

I clenched my jaw in frustration. I was doing everythingbutbailing on Olana. She cheated on me yet I’m the one buying her a house to live in so she’s comfortable. She needed someone and Iwas willing to help her, but I wasn’t willing to be shackled to her forever.

Britt moved her hand off my thigh and toyed with her napkin. As if I didn’t need any more confirmation that she was uncomfortable with the direction this dinner was taking.

I stared at the table as I said, “I never bailed on Olana. We were never meant to be.”

My father raised his brow, and an amused smirk played on his lips. “It’s not me you have to convince.” The look he gave me was almost threatening as he slowly moved his gaze over to Britt. “So, Brittany, what do you study?” he asked, and I could have sworn Britt nearly jumped at the question.

She cleared her throat before saying, “Communications and Computer Science.”

“Sounds like an intense mix.”

“Not as intense as if I was doing it the other way around.” She knocked her knee against mine, and I felt her glaring at me, but I ignored it. I couldn’t look at her. Not with my father here ruining any chance of a friendship with her.

After all, why would she want anything to do with me when my own father didn’t?

“Ben’s the hardest working guy I know. He aces all his classes, and helps me, all the while, he has an intense training schedule for football. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone work as hard as him. Even when he doesn’t have an off day, he’ll always be there to help me.”

“I’m sure he helps you all the time,” my father said, smirking. “And I’m surprised a girl as pretty as you is as impressed with him being a kicker. You clearly don’t know much about football.” I cringed. That was the wrong thing to say. “Did you know he’s only on the field for less than a minute throughout the entire game?”

I could almost feel Britt’s anger vibrating off her.

“Being a kicker is one of the hardest positions on the team. Not only do you have to be ready to kick a ball accurately and consistently at a second’s notice, but most of the time the game is resting on your shoulders. The pressure Matty has to deal with while kicking at a collegiate level shows how mentally capable he is and that he’s one of the strongest players on the team. I have nothing but admiration for him.”

Then the room went silent as we all took in Britt’s words.

“Wow.” My dad looked straight at me with astonishment. “What on earth did you do to make this woman think so highly of you?” I didn’t dignify that with an answer. “Gotta admit, I can see why you decided to dump Olana for her. Olana would tell you the truth. No bullshit, but Britt defends it. She’s the best thing to ever happen to you.”

This was it. The entire night was already a disaster, and we hadn’t even started eating yet.

“Have you all had enough time to look at the menu?” Our waiter popped his head around the doorframe and smiled. He had no idea how tense it was getting in here.

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