Page 34 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie (Second Chance Hockey Players #2)

Chapter twenty-three

Whitney

O h no!

No, no, no!

It’s over. It’s all over.

Keith’s standing there in the doorway, fury radiating off him in waves, his eyes locked on me and Blake like we’re the worst thing he’s ever seen. My heart slams against my chest as I try to breathe.

His fists are already curled, his whole body tense like he’s barely holding himself back, burning with betrayal, disbelief, and pure rage.

“I’m going to ask you both one more time,” his voice is low, but dangerous, like the calm before a tornado. “What the hell were you doing?”

I open my mouth, but my voice is gone. My heart is hammering, my hands shaking. This is bad. This is really, really bad.

Blake exhales sharply behind me. “Dude, listen…”

“Oh, I’m listening,” Keith cuts him off, his laugh hollow. “I’d love to hear why my best friend thought it was a great idea to shove his tongue down my little sister’s throat.”

I flinch.

Blake stiffens behind me, but Keith’s focus is locked onto me now. “So??”

I swallow hard, forcing air into my lungs. “We’re together.”

Keith’s expression doesn’t change. He just stares at me, like he didn’t hear me. Like he refuses to hear me.

Blake steps forward slightly. “Keith, listen…”

“No,” Keith growls, his eyes snapping to Blake, burning with fury. “You don’t get to talk right now.” He turns back to me, his voice razor-sharp. “You and Blake? Together ? Since when?”

I hesitate, and that’s enough to make his jaw clench tighter.

“Since when, Whitney?”

I exhale shakily. “A month.”

POW.

Keith’s fist collides with Blake’s face before I can even react. The sickening sound of impact echoes through the room as Blake stumbles back, gripping his jaw.

“Keith!” I scream, stepping between them, my heart pounding. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Keith doesn’t even look at me. His chest rises and falls heavily, his breathing sharp, his whole body vibrating with fury. “You son of a….” His voice is raw, filled with venom. “You’re my best friend. My best friend. And you’re with my sister?”

Blake wipes the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, his expression hardening. “Yeah. I am.”

Keith lunges again, but I shove him back with everything I have. “Stop it!” My voice is shaking, but I don’t care. “Just stop!”

“A month???” Keith lets out a sharp, humorless laugh.

“A month,” he repeats like he can’t believe it.

He scoffs, raking a hand through his hair before his gaze snaps back to me.

“You mean to tell me, my best friend and my sister have been screwing around behind my back for an entire month, and neither of you thought, ‘Hey, maybe we should tell Keith before we betray him’?”

My hands balled into fists. “It’s not a betrayal.”

Keith lets out a sharp, bitter laugh. “That’s rich.”

I don’t even know what made me say this next thing. “We’ve been together long before now.”

His head jerks toward me so fast I swear I hear his neck crack. “What did you just say?”

I swallow hard, my hands trembling. “I said…, we’ve been together longer than that.”

His jaw clenches, his entire expression darkening. “How long is longer?”

I hesitate and look at Blake. He nods, stepping beside me like a silent show of support. But it doesn’t make this any easier. My throat tightens, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

“We were together for two years…, six years ago.”

The moment the words leave my mouth, Keith’s entire body locks up - and then he snaps.

He lunges at Blake again, his fist flying.

Blake barely gets his arms up before Keith slams into him, shoving him hard against the wall. The impact shakes the whole room.

“Two years?” Keith roars, his voice shaking with rage. “You son of a buffoon.” His fists bunch into Blake’s shirt, eyes blazing. “You were screwing around with my sister for two years and you didn’t once think to tell me?”

Blake grips Keith’s wrists, but he doesn’t fight back. “I wasn’t screwing around with her,” he says, his voice tight. “I loved her.”

Keith lets out a bitter laugh, his grip tightening. “Loved her? You mean the same way you love her now in secret? From me?” He turns to me, eyes burning. “Are you seriously this stupid, Whitney?”

The words cut deep.

My breath hitches, but I lift my chin. “This is my choice. It was my choice to keep it a secret, especially from you because of how you’d react. Exactly the way you are reacting now. I…, we should have told you, Keith. I was scared. But that was a mistake.”

“I have every right to react this way. I have every freaking right. I just found out my baby sis and best friend have been together for months…, scratch that…, have years of history…, right under my nose. How the heck do you think that makes me feel, huh??” He throws his arms up, pacing.

“The two closest people to me…, doing…, this…. Why didn’t you just trust me, huh?

? Yes I would have been upset and all, but then, I would have gotten over it, because I love you guys so much…

. And I would have come to accept your whatever relationship…

. But you have to keep it a secret from me…

, both times. Am I…? Am I that shallow and unreasonable in the eyes of you both? ”

“Keith, it’s not like that…,” I say, taking a step forward, causing him to step back. “Jesus, Whitney. Are you really this stupid?”

Blake steps forward, eyes dark. “Okay, no. You are not going to do or say that to her.”

“She’s my sister, I can talk to her however I like” Keith glares at him. “And you…” He shakes his head. “God, I trusted you.”

“I’m sorry, man. I love her.” Blake’s voice is firm, unwavering.

I step forward. “And I love him too, Keith.”

“And I…, I am just done…, I’m done. You two deserve each other. I hope it was worth losing me.” He glares at us one last time, then turns and storms out, slamming the door behind him.

The second he’s gone, the weight of it all crushes me. My chest tightens, my vision blurring.

I feel like I just lost my brother.

Blake turns to me, his touch gentle as he cups my face. “Hey.” His voice is soft and steady, the only solid thing in the chaos.

“He hates me,” I whisper, my voice breaking.

Blake shakes his head. “No, he doesn’t.”

I let out a shaky breath. “He does.”

Blake brushes away a tear with his thumb. “We’ll get through this,” he murmurs. “Together.”

And somehow, even in the wreckage, I believe him.