Page 55 of The Fake Play

“Keke, breathe.”

A sob escapes me. “I’m so sorry,” I manage to say, the words spilling out before I can stop them. “We were supposed to keepit fake. We tried. I messed up, Whitney. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just?—”

She pulls back, searching my face. “You don’t have to figure it all out tonight but I need to know where your head is at. If you need me to take over the auction, just say so. Can you handle this?”

I wipe my eyes and take a shaky breath. I can’t believe she’s willing to let me finish the night. “I need to do this. I need the distraction.”

“Okay,” she says, her tone a little suspicious. I can’t blame her for that—I’m holding on by a thread and we both know it. “I’ll be close by, just give me a signal if you need me to take over. I’ve got you covered.”

“Thank you.” She’s being so nice, so supportive, but I’m not holding out hope that my job is safe. Of course, it isn’t. I have tonight, and that’s more than I deserve.

I have to tell Luke immediately. He’ll probably bail, and that will be that. I’ll figure this out on my own. Better to rip the bandage off sooner rather than later.

I take a steadying breath and set out to find him.

Chapter 23

Luke

Backstage, every man is a ball of nerves. It didn’t matter how many times we’d skated out onto the ice, surrounded by loving fans. Didn’t matter that we were used to being in the public eye, at least to some degree. When faced by a crowd of women, however, hooting and hollering at us like we were a piece of meat, the male ego tends to take a backseat to anxiety.

The noise backstage was a low rumble, punctuated by bursts of laughter and the sounds of excited women. The thin red curtain that separated us from them was nothing more than a wisp of protection, and if they figured out they could just come backstage, we were screwed.

The hall door opens and there stands Keke. Seb greets her before I can, but she waves me over. I hadn’t expected her to confront me about putting myself on the list, but she was direct about things, and I love that about her. If she wants to yell at me now before the auction starts, so be it. I can take it.

She loops her arm around mine and leads me into the hall before closing the door. As soon as it’s just the two of us, her face falls. She becomes extremely upset, and guilt chokes me.

“Luke, I’m?—”

“Look, I know you’re mad I put myself on the list. I get it, and I’m sorry. I didn’t do it to upset you or make our relationship look bad. I did it because Lucas goaded me into it. I know that’s a weak and shitty reason, and I’m sorry. Obviously, I’m not going to do anything sexual with my winner. I’ll do a photo-op date for the cause, and that’s it. No funny business. You don’t have to worry about it, okay? This won’t make our relationship look bad. I promise you.”

She heaves a breath, her shoulders sagging. “That’s not what I’m upset about.”

“But you were fine before you found out I was doing this.”

“I was, but?—”

I pull her in for a hug. “It’s okay to get jealous. But I swear, nothing is going to happen. I’m with you.”

Keke goes limp, then tenses in my arms before pushing me away. When I let her go, she staggers back from me, appearing even more upset. In fact, she seems angry with me. “Do whatever you want, Luke. You always do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She doesn’t answer. Instead, she storms off.

I scratch my head, trying to figure out where I went wrong. She was upset, so I held her and reassured her yet somehow, I had fucked that up. No matter how many times I go over the past two minutes in my head, I cannot figure out what I did wrong. Maybe I’m not the only one who’s nervous tonight.

Keke will tell me in due time. Meanwhile, I need to return to my spot backstage. I can barely hear myself think over the coil of nerves pinballing inside me, but my focus is set on one thing—Happy Harbor. The shelter has been my refuge since I joined the Atlanta Fire. All of the new players had been told to pick a pet charity. I took that literally.

I didn’t quite realize how Coach had meant it at the time, but I have no regrets over the misunderstanding. I’ve found peaceamong the fur and the wagging tails. Tonight, every dollar raised is a lifeline for those animals and the volunteers who pour their hearts and souls into that place.

I jumped into this bachelor auction thinking it would be a smart move for my image, a chance to show the good I could do. I can lie to myself all I want, but the reality is that I’d done it to beat Lucas. Now, the possibility that I’ve jeopardized what Keke and I have built, however fragile, makes my stomach twist.

That has to be why she’s so angry. That part about how I always do what I want was a direct hit. She’s pissed I signed up to be a bachelor for the auction. When we decided to fake date, she had warned me about doing anything that would make her look foolish or humiliate her, so I can understand why she’d be upset about me doing this.

I’m not exactly a bachelor anymore. At least, not in my heart.

Keke is it for me. If I thought proposing to her wouldn’t completely freak her out, I would have done it by now. I want to start my life with her—officially—and that will take time. Keke is not the kind of woman to leap into a marriage, and I know I need to give her enough time to get there mentally. But I’m ready for it and I hope she will be soon.

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