Page 71 of The Fake Play

She nods shyly. “He got it into his head that proposing might fix things, and I couldn’t talk him out of it before he left. I did not think he’d be proposing so soon, though. Especially not after what happened at the arena with your brother?—”

“My brother?”

She smiles and sighs. “Michael apparently caught wind of everything, and he sort of tackled him in the hall outside my office door.”

“Luke looked fine, no scratches, no black eyes. Michael doesn’t leave people intact.”

Whitney laughs. “I don’t doubt that. Luke was able to turn the attack into a chance to bring Michael in on the proposalplan. That’s why he took you to your brother’s fancy restaurant—Michael got him the reservation. Didn’t you think it was weird you ended up there on such short notice?”

“Oh hell.” Michael knows.More than that, Luke persuaded him to help with proposing to me which ultimately blew up in his face.

That bag of dicks knew this was coming and he didn’t tell me?

She continues, “You’re right. It’s not going to fix anything. But maybe it was a start?”

I frown, my thoughts churning. “He’s not being realistic. This whole situation is so complicated, and I can’t just jump into something because he thinks it’s what’s best. I don’t even know what I need right now. How can he?”

“Fair enough. But would it be the worst thing in the world to have someone to hold onto right now?”

“How can I trust him? I know his history.”

“Trusting is difficult, especially when you’ve been hurt before. But you need to know that Luke is serious. I know he seems dim at times, but he’s all-in on this. He wants you, the baby, and everything that comes with it.”

“How do you know he’s serious?”

“Because he argued about it with me.”

“So?”

She huffs a laugh. “When was the last time someone dared to argue withme?”

I consider the question. “Okay, maybe you’re right about that.”

“I’ve made players cry in the locker room before.”

“You’ve been in the locker room? When they were naked?”

“If I need to talk to them, yes. I’m not going to let a little thing like decorum stand in my way. The point is, they don’t argue with me, and Luke did. And quite well, I might add. He wantsyou, and everything that comes with being with you. That is a man in love if I’ve ever seen one.”

I feel my heart flutter at her words. A small flicker of hope ignites in the depths of my cynicism. “You didn’t see him tonight. So sincere. The proposal was like a romantic fairy tale. But this isn’t a fairy tale. This is my life, Whitney. I don’t get to have the fairytale. I’ve never had it.”

She leans forward, elbows on her knees. “Keke, listen to me. Luke isn’t like those other guys you’ve been with. He genuinely cares about you. He didn’t need to propose tonight, but he did it because he wants to be a part of your life. He’s not just a man who wants to be your boyfriend. He wants to be a husband and a father. The way he lit up when he talked about it, I’ve never seen that before.”

I want to trust her gut. It was legendary, impeccable. But too many shattered illusions cling to the back of my mind. “How can you be so sure he’s not like the other men I’ve been with? How can you trust him?”

Whitney shakes her head, her smile unwavering. “Not all men are trash, Keke. I get it that a lot of them are, but there are good ones out there, and you have to consider that maybe Luke is one of them. You deserve to try for something good.”

“Easier said than done,” I scoff, crossing my arms.

“Okay, fine,” she says, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. “You’re right. It is a lot easier said than done. But either you’re going to be alone forever, or you’re going to give something a shot, and Luke Smith is a man in love. So, I guess the question is, are you a woman in love?”

I let out a small laugh. “You can’t just ask someone something like that.”

“I just did.”

I huff. “You know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do, and I hope you know what I mean. Keke, if you break his heart, you’ll regret it. You have to figure out what you want at the end of the day.”

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