Page 26 of Keeping the Single Dad
“So? It doesn’t seem to bother him.”
A lie, but I wanted to hurt her. God knows she’d made me feel like crap enough times. A shadow flickered in Mel’s eyes. Maybe she’d really liked him. Mel never brought anyone home. I knew nothing about her dating life. We’d been so close when we were little. Now, we were always at each other’s throats.
Mel’s steely gaze roved over me. “Is it serious?”
“I don’t do serious.”
She snorted.
An ache formed in my chest, but I hid my discomfort with a laugh. “Judging me, Mel? Now, thatison brand for you.”
Mel busied herself wiping the table around Dad’s plate. “I feel sorry for you. If you never give anyone a chance, you’ll never form a true connection.”
“A true connection? Everyone's the same. Everything good always ends in goodbye. Men are out for what they can get. At least this way I’m in control.”
Her eyes roved over me. I expected her to come back with an angry retort but she looked unusually earnest. She bit her lip and her eyes slipped away. “Not everything ends in goodbye. I’m still here. So is Dad.”
The memory I tried so hard to keep at bay pulled at my mind.The curtains were closed, but the window was open. Birdsong rang shrill and disturbing in my ears. Mum’s grip on my hand loosened as she slipped away.
A nurse told me later that it had been a good death. Mum had died surrounded by her loved ones, but I’d been too young to know that a death could be good. Saying goodbye to the person you loved the most in the world could be nothing other than soul shattering.
My chest ached, but I pasted a smile onto my face. “I’m fine. I’m the last person you need to worry about.”
Mel shook her head, and her gaze roved over me. “Look after Dad tonight. Try to be responsible for once in your life.”
“I can be responsible.”
She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and turned on her heel. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Chapter 13
Lana
Dad’seyeslitupwhen he saw how close we'd be sitting to the pitch. He smiled and patted my knee. “Front row seats. Perks of having a footballer for a daughter.”
The low roar of the crowded stadium wrapped around us. He took a bite of his hot dog and munched happily. Sean was the first to emerge from the tunnel, leading his team across the pitch in a neat line of pale blue jerseys. Alexander appeared last — towering head and shoulders above every other man on the squad — and dressed distinctly in goalkeeper orange. It was strange that any man could cosplay as a neon highlighter pen and still look hot as holy hell. A little quiver fired in my stomach. The nerves were getting to me and I wasn’t even playing. This match should have been an easy win for Calverdale, but today all eyes would be on the new goalkeeper.
“There’s Dad!”
Further along the row of hard plastic blue chairs, a little boy jumped to his feet. Excitement lit his features. A pale blue Calverdale scarf wrapped around his neck.
The boy pointed again and leaned over the railing to shout across the pitch. “Good luck, Dad!”
I leaned across. “Which one is your Dad?”
My chest knotted because I knew the answer before it left his lips. None of the guys on the team had a kid.
The little boy beamed with pride. “The goalie.”
Alex had a son? The boy looked around six or seven. He had Alex’s strong jaw and dark eyes, but instead of Alex’s dark hair, the boy’s mess of yellow curls gleamed bright in the sun like luminous buttercups. The woman sitting next to the boy guided him to sit. She caught me watching and flashed an indulgent smile. My stomach dropped. Alex had told me he was single. No wonder he’d been happy with one night. The lying, cheating bastard had a partner and kid tucked away.
The whistle blew for kickoff. Sean got possession of the ball and sprinted off down the outside line. He moved in a blur. Dad finished his soft drink and dusted his hands together. “I’m going to get another drink.”
Alarm went through me. I couldn’t let him go to the bar unsupervised even for a soft drink. Too much temptation. Mel would kill me.
I held out a palm to keep him at bay. “Don’t worry. I’ll go.”
“I can manage.”
