Page 62 of The Fake Play

“Keke?” Luke calls out as he enters the condo.

I don’t answer. I’m bawling into my hands while I rock myself back and forth on the end of my bed, hoping he’ll leave me alone.

“Keke?” he hollers again. “I know you’re here, I saw your car outside.”

Dammit.

He softly knocks on my door before cracking it open. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

I look up at him through puffy eyes. “What’s wrong? You really have to ask?”

“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I was just?—”

“Just what? Doing your job?” I interrupt, frustration flaring in my voice. “You went out there to entertain those women, and now I have to deal with the consequences. You made a fool of me, Luke!”

“Keke, please?—”

“I thought we were building something real,” I whisper. “But it was all just a game to you, wasn’t it?”

“No!” he insists, his tone full of desperation. “I care about you, Keke. I really do. That was all for the auction, to get bids! There was nothing else behind it.”

My frustration boils over. “You don’t get it! I was trying to help you fix your image, but instead, I completely fucked it up.”

He takes a deep breath. “Keke, listen to me. You didn’t fuck my image up, and even if you had, I don’t give a shit about that anymore. I want to be there for you, for our child.”

I blink at him, my mind going blank. “Wait, what?”

He swallows hard, his confession hanging in the air between us. “I want to be a dad, Keke. I want to do this together. You’re not alone.”

No way. “You have lipstick all over your face. How much do you really want to settle down?”

“They grabbed me, Keke. I didn’t know it was even happening until they did it. I was too focused on chasing after you to do much of anything to stop them.”

That makes sense, but the memory of that kiss still sticks in my head, causing doubt to creep in. I’m not sure what to think.

“Are you sure you’re ready to do that? Can you really change?”

“I can, and I will,” he says firmly. “I’m ready to step up, and I want you to be a part of my life. For real this time, no fake relationship. I want us to be a family.”

My eyes fill with tears. I can’t believe I’m hearing this. “You’re serious? After everything?”

“Absolutely,” he replies, his voice steady. “I know it’s scary, but we’ll figure it out together. I’m not perfect, but I want to try. With you.”

“What about your image? Your career?”

“I don’t care about any of that right now,” he says, taking my hands in his. “What matters is you and our baby. I want to support you. I want to be there for both of you.”

I stare at our hands joined together. This is all too much. “You don’t know what you’re asking, Luke. This isn’t just a game anymore. It’s a life.”

“I know and I want to make it a good life. Together.”

“And if this all blows up in our faces? If I can’t handle it?”

“We’ll figure it out,” he promises, squeezing my hands gently. “I’ll be there for you and our baby, no matter what.”

“And when the press gets wind of this?”

“According to Whitney, they already have. It’s you and me against the world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

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