Page 22 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie
“I’ll brush my hair, and I’ll make sure Rosa doesn’t wear the mismatched outfit,” I assure her. But you?" I level her with a look. "Go take a breather before you start bossing around people who don’t even belong to this family, okay?"
Mom exhales, nodding. “Okay…, thanks, dear.” She pats my cheek before heading back inside.
I take a deep breath, about to head inside when someone ruffles my hair from behind.
"Hey - stop it!" I swat at the offender, already knowing who it is.
Keith smirks, arms crossed. “Look at you being the voice of reason. Who would’ve thought?”
I huff, trying to fix my hair. “Oh, shut up. I can be responsible.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He grins. “Just didn’t expect you to handle Mom so smoothly. I just expected more of a fight about the hair comment. Maturity looks good on you.”
“Glad someone appreciates it.” I flick a strand of hair at him, making him chuckle.
“No, it’s tragic.” He chuckles, leaning against the table beside me. "Nervous?"
"For what? A meeting?" I snort.
He gestures toward the growing crowd. "Come on. You know how our family is. This is going to turn into a full-on event. Someone’s gonna bring out a PowerPoint presentation, I feel it."
I roll my eyes and head inside. Just as I am about to go up the stairs, the doorbell rings. I double back, opening it to find Blake standing there, arm in a sling, looking…, well, unfairly good for someone injured.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says, stepping inside, ushering his kids ahead of him.
“No big deal.”
I glance at the little ones first, crouching slightly. “Hey, guys! How are you doing? Remember me?”
Nico shifts on his feet, his little hands gripping the hem of his sweater. "Yeah," he mumbles, peeking up at me before quickly looking away.
Mia stays glued to Blake’s leg, but after a second, she peeks out just enough to whisper, "Hi."
I grin. "Hi, princess."
Mia presses her face back into Blake’s side, but I don’t miss the tiny smile she tries to hide.
I straighten and glance at Blake. "How is the shoulder?" I ask, nodding toward the sling.
“Not bad. I should be able to take it off in a week.”
“Huh. And here I thought you were going to milk it for sympathy.”
His lips twitch. “Tempting. But no.”
I smirk. “Shame. Could’ve gotten you free desserts.”
A small chuckle escapes him. A beat of silence lingers before I clear my throat. “Everyone’s in the backyard.”
He nods, stepping past me, his kids trailing beside him. But just as he reaches the doorway, he pauses.
His eyes flick back to me, lingering for half a second longer than they should. “You look good, by the way.”
My breath catches. For half a second, I just blink at him, caught off guard. My stomach flips. My brain scrambles for something to say - but nothing is coming out, mostly because my brain short-circuits, and by the time I process the words, he’s already stepping into the backyard, disappearing into the crowd.
I stand there for a second, blinking at the empty space he left behind.
What in the hell was that?
