Page 15 of Taking The Shot

Keith pushed his plate away slightly, half his food untouched, and she did the same, her appetite gone. There would be no dating this man because he was going to marry some woman and move away. Wow. Talk about having the carpet yanked out from under her feet once more.

“What do you think?” he asked quietly, watching her.

“I think that’s an awful mess to be dealing with.”

“Agreed,” he said openly, waiting. “So, are you in?”

“Me?” she asked in disbelief. “You want to marrymeto clinch this deal?”

“Yeah, I was hoping that I was clear about it. I’ve never proposed, heck, I’ve never even asked out another woman since I was eighteen until I called you.”

“Seriously?”

“Deep scars,” he said simply, pressing his lips together. “I would give you everything. You could pick the house, never work again, new car, new furniture, all of it. You could do anything you wanted with the children, for the children… I just need you to act like my happy-little-bride at a few functions for the team.”

Constance sat there, completely shocked to her core. She never imagined marrying again, much less dating, but hearing it tossed so casually out there like a business arrangement was a little surprising – but she needed more information before she could just say ‘no’… and it was perilously close to the tip of her tongue.

“How much was your contract for?” she asked hoarsely, feeling dirty even talking about money as his lips pressed together creating a white line of strain around them.

“A million each year – and it’s more with the endorsement money.”

“And what happened that is causing your current team to lose their endorsements, for you to lose your job?” she asked and saw his face practically close up within a split second as his eyes shuttered, hiding his thoughts. “I think I have a right to know if it’s something that has followed you and will possibly affect me or my children.”

“I don’t want to discuss it.”

“Then my answer is no.”

He sat there stonily, one hand clenched in a fist as his jaw ticked. He didn’t say a word, wouldn’t look at her, and silence seemed to be deafening as he finally met her gaze.

“Haven't you ever made a mistake?”

“Oh, sure. All the time.”

“It was a mistake.”

“What was?” she pressed and sat back in her chair, looking at him in disbelief. “You are asking me to marry a stranger, to take your word on all these lofty promises, to drag my children with you to Canada, and yet you won’t tell me what you have in your past that is causing such a smear on your reputation? How’s that fair?”

"Life isn’t fair, remember?”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten. It slaps me in the face daily.”

Constance studied him carefully, her heart tightening in her chest as he hesitated. The usual confidence in his posture was gone, replaced by something heavier—something that looked an awful lot like regret. She knew this wasn’t easy for him. Whatever he was about to share was something he’d buried deep, a wound that had never truly healed.

Her breath caught as he pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and then handed it to her.

“What’s that?” she asked, her voice softer than she intended.

“The contract,” he said simply.

She frowned, tilting her head. “Okaaaay?” she drew the word out, bracing herself. There was something unspoken in his expression, a tension that sent unease crawling up her spine. “You tell me, and I’ll consider your proposal. You keep it a secret and I have to find out from the media, a news crew, or someone else—then I’m out.”

The weight of her words hung between them like a storm cloud ready to break. She needed honesty from him. If there was something in his past that could blindside her, she refused to be kept in the dark.

Keith exhaled sharply and leaned back in the rickety chair, his fingers rubbing at his face as if trying to scrub away whatever thoughts plagued him. The haunted look in his eyes made her stomach twist. It was bad.

“I was eighteen… and shesaidshe was nineteen,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, laced with shame. “It was my first time, and I was so excited that I didn’t even consider the ramifications of her lying to me.”

Constance felt a chill rush down her spine. Her breath hitched. A sickening feeling settled in her gut.

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