Page 129 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie
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The victory buzz is still lingering when I step out of the arena, my duffel bag slung over my shoulder. The parking lot is mostly empty now, save for a few reporters still hanging around, looking for quotes or reactions.
I ignore them.
I just want to go home. But then, the sight of someone up ahead makes me pause. That someone is sitting on the hood of my car like he owns the thing, arms crossed.
I sigh and keep walking.
Stopping in front of him, I meet his gaze. “Keith.”
“Blake.”
We don’t say anything for a moment.
Then Keith exhales, looking away briefly before nodding. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
He slides off the hood, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Can we talk? Please?”
Keith is a lot of things - stubborn, prideful, a pain in my butt - but if he’s here, asking to talk, it means something.
I study him for a second before nodding. “All right. Let’s meet at…,” I pause, thinking. “Duke’s Grill”
Just as I’m about to say something else, he interrupts. “I’m not paying for you.”
I smirk. “Really? Thanks so very much for offering to pay for me.” I jerk my head toward the passenger seat. “Now, get in. Let’s go.”
He mutters something under his breath as he pulls open the car door.
I chuckle as I slide into the driver’s seat. “Oh, don't you like a little payback?”
Keith shoots me a glare but doesn’t say anything.
Duke’s Grill isn’t fancy, but it’s exactly the kind of place you go to when you want a good burger and a little privacy. We get a booth near the back, order our food, and sit in a silence that’s not quite comfortable but not exactly hostile either.
Keith finally breaks it.
“I’m still upset with you,” he says, blunt as ever.
I nod. “I figured.”
He leans back in his seat, arms crossed. “I saw the signs, you know. I wasn’t completely oblivious. I just…, I think I just didn’t want to believe it.” His jaw clenches. “Refused to believe it.”
I don’t say anything because there’s nothing to argue. Keith’s always been protective of Whitney.
"Keith…"
He lifts a hand, stopping me. “She said you…, you looked out for her. Was there for her in a way I wasn’t.”
“Man, she told me about what she said to you all that day. Don’t be upset with her. I’m sure she didn’t mean most of what she said. She was just talking from a place of hurt.”
Keith shakes his head, looking down at the table. “No, no. She was right about most of the things she said. Looking back, I could see what she was talking about and understood how she felt. We also didn’t make it easier on her. It’s just…, God, I love that girl. So much. More than the rest of my siblings.”
“She loves you too, man. You know it. You were here big bro, her inspiration, and her anchor, believe me. She spends so much time talking about you. The good, bad, and ugly, and especially how much she loves you.”
Keith sniffs, exhales, and runs his hand through his hair before leaning forward, forearms resting on the table.
