Page 20 of One Night with my Best Friend's Dad

My heart races as I try to push Mac away, but he’s too strong. Piper watches us. Not only anger contorts her face, but a dash of disgust.

“Piper,” I whisper.

“I can’t believe you two would do this to me,” she says as she shakes her head and storms out of the room.

Chapter 8

Mac

My heart plummets into my stomach as Piper storms out.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I mutter, running my hands through my hair. “This is bad.”

Kelly’s grip on me loosens, and I see the panic in her eyes. She steps back, wrapping her arms around herself. “We knew this could happen, Mac. We can’t hide forever. You said—”

“I wanted to tell her myself.” I pace the room, wondering if I should follow Piper and explain. “Not have her find out like this. It will destroy her.”

“And what about us? What about our baby?” Kelly whimpers.

I stop, my eyes meeting hers. The pain in them is clear. “Kelly, I...”

“Don’t,” she cuts me off. “Don’t you dare say you regret this!”

I shake my head. “I don’t. I swear I don’t.” I reach for her, but she steps back.

“I came to New York for you. I walked away from my parents for you. For us!” she snaps. “She’s an adult, Mac. She’s married now. You’re allowed to have a life too.”

I run my hand over my unshaven jaw. “I know. I know that. But this... it’s complicated. She was out of my life for years. I can’t—”

“So what now? You’re just going to abandon us?” Her hand touches her stomach as she waits with pleading eyes.

My eyes widen. “No! God, no.” I move closer, cupping her face in my hands. “I won’t give you up, Kelly. I promise. But I need to talk to Piper. I need to explain.”

“Sorry.” She sighs. “Of course you do.”

I press a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back soon. We’ll figure this out together, okay?”

“She won’t agree to us being together,” she tells me as I reach the door.

I pause at the door and think about a plan. “I need to get to work, Kelly. I’ll give Piper some time and speak to her afterward. Hopefully she’ll have calmed down by then. I doubt chasing her now will end well.”

The drive to the rink feels like a blur. My mind racing faster than the scenery whizzing by as Piper’s shocked face flashes in my mind, but not as much as the hurt in her eyes. I grip the steering wheel as I think about her, trying to stop them from shaking.

My stomach churns.

I lost her once before, when her mother took her away. Those years without her were hell. I can’t go through that again. But then there’s Kelly. Sweet, beautiful Kelly. And our baby. My chest tightens at the thought of losing them, too.

How did I get myself into this mess?

I pull into the parking lot at the arena, barely remembering the drive. As I walk inside, the familiar smell of ice and sweat hits me. Normally it doesn’t bother me, but today it just makes my nausea worse.

The sound of skates scraping across ice mingles with the rush of blood roaring through my ears. I stand at the side of the ice, watching my team warm up. They’re laughing, joking around. They don’t know their coach’s world is falling apart.

“Hey, Coach!” Nate calls out. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I force a smile. “Just didn’t sleep well. Let’s get to work, boys!”

I blow the whistle, barking out instructions. My mind, however, is a million miles away. All I can think about is Piper’s devastated face, and the pain in Kelly’s eyes.

---