Page 84 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie
I shake my head. “Never mind. You don’t have to…”
She nods and looks away. After a beat, exhales and turns back to me, eyes searching mine. “Blake…!” She hesitates. “When you kissed me…”
I brace myself. “Yeah?”
She swallows. “I didn’t hate it.”
My heart knocks against my ribs. Her gaze drops to my mouth, just for a split second - but I catch it. And darn if that doesn’t undo me.
I should not…
But my body moves before my brain can argue. I lean in.
My gaze flickers to her lips. “Tell me to stop.”
She doesn’t.
Instead, she tilts her chin up ever so slightly - an invitation, a challenge, maybe both. And that’s all it takes.
I lean in, and when our lips meet, it’s slow and aching, full of every unspoken word we never dared to say. Her fingers tighten in mine; I deepen the kiss. Just a little. Enough to feel her sigh into me.
It’s stupid. Reckless. It feels so good.
And terrifying.
When we pull apart, it’s slow - like neither of us wants to fully let go. Her eyes flutter open, dazed. Mine probably look the same.
“Blake...,” she starts, voice barely above a whisper.
Yeah. I don’t know what to say either.
Because somewhere in the back of my mind, I know kissing her was probably a bad idea.
I just don’t regret it.
Not one bit.
Chapter seventeen
Whitney
Surprise at myself is what I feel.
Who would’ve thought that I - the same person who swore up and down that I wouldn’t stay in Autumn Cove for long - am now almost clocking a month? Well…, three weeks, but still.
And ever since that night…! The night we kissed again, things were, um…, different. Not in a ‘we’re-back-together’ kind of way because - well, just because. But also, not in a ‘we’re-just-friends’ kind of way either. It’s been…, awkward, flirty, sneaky-eyed, and just - ugh.
Nina, bless her dramatic soul, nearly lost her mind when I told her Blake and I kissed again. Her exact words:Girl, don’t play with me. You did WHAT?AGAIN??I can still hear her screams of anger and excitement and fangirling. Honestly, in just 20 minutes, she gave me various whiplashes with her here-and-there emotions and thought processes.
And amidst all that, there’s the wedding prep. My brother’s big day is fast approaching, and somehow, I’ve been roped into more tasks than I originally signed up for.
Not that I mind. Much.
I mean, I love Keith. He’s my brother, and if he’s happy, I’m happy. But between flower arrangements, cake tastings, and helping Laura make last-minute decisions, I’m starting to feel like I should be getting paid for this.
“Oh, and don’t forget,” Laura had said over coffee the other morning, her face glowing with that soon-to-be-bride mix of exhaustion and excitement. “We need to finalize the seating chart by next week. And you have to make sure Blake actually gets fitted for his tux this time. He missed his last two appointments.”
I had almost spit out my drink. “Why is that my responsibility?”
