Page 69 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie
"You’re not inspiring confidence here, Whit." He exhales, shaking his head. "All right, hit me."
I hesitate for half a second before saying, "I need you to be my boyfriend next week."
The moment the words leave my mouth, his eyes widen slightly. His head tilts, the corners of his lips twitching as if he’s trying to figure out whether I’m joking or not. His expression flickers between surprise and something else I can’t quite place.
"Fake," I add quickly. "Fake boyfriend. For a day."
He blinks. "Oh, a day. Just for a day?"
I narrow my eyes. "What?"
"Nothing."
“Um… I don’t know what you’re thinking, but…”
“I’m not thinking about anything.” He plasters on an innocent expression, but I know better.
"Yeah, right." I narrow my eyes at him but shake my head. "Anyway, I need a plus one for an event, and it would just be easier if you were my boyfriend."
“Hmm…” He leans forward slightly. "And it has to be a boyfriend because…?"
I sigh, leaning my head back against the couch. "It’s an engagement party."
He blinks. "Engagement party?"
"Yeah." I let out a humorless laugh. "My ex’s engagement party."
His expression sharpens slightly, and he studies me, his expression unreadable.
"What?" I ask, shifting under his gaze.
"You didn’t think I’d be single all these years, did you?" I add, attempting to keep my voice casual. "I’m certain you haven’t been, so…"
He shifts slightly. "I have."
I blink. "You… what?"
His eyes meet mine, steady and unflinching. "I haven’t dated anyone all these years."
The words hit harder than they should. My breath catches slightly, but I recover quickly, forcing a light scoff. "Seriously?"
He nods.
I stare at him, trying to process it, and then, before I can stop myself, I ask, "Why?"
He doesn’t answer.
And when the silence stretches too long, I clear my throat and look away first.
“So, ex-bf drama, why?”
“As I said, it’s my ex’s engagement party. We broke up last year.” I sigh, rubbing a hand up and down my arm. “Daniel and I dated for almost two years. Things were… good, or so I thought. Then one day, out of nowhere, he told me he needed space. Said he wasn’t sure if he was ready for something serious.”
Blake raises an eyebrow. “Let me guess, he found that ‘readiness’ really quick with someone else?”
I let out a dry laugh. “Ding, ding, ding. A month later, he was suddenly madly in love with some woman he’d ‘just met.’” I make air quotes, unable to hide the bitterness from my voice. “Turns out, she wasn’t so new. He’d been seeing her behind my back. And the icing of the cake, she was my closest friend. At one point, I kind of felt history repeat itself… without the last part though.”
Blake’s expression darkens. His jaw tightens slightly, but he says nothing.
