Page 18 of Keeping the Single Dad
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry. We’re getting all kinds of exercise.”
“Good. I don’t want you getting old before your time.”
Skylar snorted and pulled out her phone. She chuckled as she texted a string of emojis. She was happy now at least. I’d never seen anyone so loved up.?
“Is that Reece checking up on you? How is the Doc, anyway? Reading to his parsnips?”
A smile curved Skylar’s lips. “I’m texting Miri. She’s helping with last minute wedding prep.”?
My stomach hardened, but I kept my disquiet from my expression. Skylar had asked Miri to be her maid of honor. Maybe she would have asked me if I hadn’t kissed her egomaniac ex. I wished I could turn back the clock. I’d been such an idiot to get sucked in by Sean’s golden hair and puppy dog eyes. The man was as toxic as he was hot. The bastard ought to have come with a health warning.
Skylar frowned and turned her attention back to the bustling bar. “What do you have to do to get served around here?”
“Has Claire mentioned anything to you about restructuring the team? She reckons I’m not taking it seriously enough.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “As if this team isn’t my entire world. I have to stop all of it: partying, late nights…”
Skylar narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you say? I wouldn’t have asked you out tonight if I’d known...”
Because I want it to be how it was before I stabbed you in the back.
Because I wanted to be your maid of honor and you asked Miri.
I turned my face away. “Someone has to stop you from getting too boring, don’t they?”
Silence fell between us. Karen Delaney drifted to my mind. Anxiety clawed at my chest. I had to tell Skylar even though I knew what she’d say. Calverdale always came first with Skylar. She’d tell me to protect the team. My stomach dropped. Who would be in Dad’s corner, if not me?
A TV on the wall above the bar blasted out the sports news. Sean Wallace’s beaming face appeared. Great. There was no way to escape him. He was all over the news lately. The men’s team was taking street kids from Brazil and training them with the squad in some big charity initiative. Sean was fronting the campaign, which was a joke considering he was the least charitable person I’d ever met. He’d gotten bent out of shape once when I bought coffees for the guys that slept rough near the stadium.?
Skylar’s gaze drifted to the big screen, and she rolled her eyes. “Gross. He’s only doing it for attention. He couldn’t care less about those kids.” Skylar chewed her lip and shot me a glance. “Have you seen much of Sean lately?”
My mouth went dry. “No. I haven’t, and I don’t want to.”
She drew circles on the bar with her finger. “He was a prick to me. I was in denial for so long, but that relationship was toxic. He’s a bully, Lana. He hurt me all the time—”
Hot anger clawed at my throat. “He hurt you? If he laid a finger on you, I’m going to—”
“Not physically. It was mental. He was seeing other girls behind my back, and if I questioned him about it, he acted like I was crazy. He called me horrible names. I felt so bad about myself with him. It’s only now that I know what it’s like when a man treats you well.” She shook her head. “Sean has everyone fooled into thinking he’s this amazing guy. If people knew the truth about him…”?
My hand tightened around my glass. “Why is he like this?”
Skylar chewed the skin around her thumbnail and lowered her voice. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?”
“Of course.”
“He got nastier and nastier. Sometimes he would fly into these rages. He had this doctor he used to see, but he was private and weird about it. I didn’t question it at the time, but sometimes I wonder if he’s been taking something…”
“Drugs?”
“Steroids, maybe. I don’t know. He’s always been fit, but he’s bulked up the past year.”
I leaned in, catching a whiff of her watermelon perfume. “Have you told anyone?”
“No. It’s not for me to snitch on him. We’re not friends, but I don’t want to ruin his life.”
“You don’t still have feelings for him, do you?”???
“As if. I’ve moved so far on that I'm on a different planet.” Skylar chuckled, darkly. “Thank God. If things hadn’t gone so wrong with Sean, then maybe I wouldn’t have met Reece. I’m grateful. I don’t let Sean take any of my headspace these days. You shouldn’t either.” She traced her finger over the bar. “Did you sleep with him or was it just…?”
“No. It was just flirting…a few kisses…nothing else.”
