“But wasn’t this camp for basketball players?”
“He played basketball and football in high school because he couldn’t choose between the sports. When he went to Nebraska, he decided on football. It was a real loss to basketball.”
“And you said Keiran knew him?”
Keenan, unfortunately, caught on to the shift in the air and promptly clamped his mouth shut. It was too late anyway. I heard what I needed to hear.
“You have got to be kidding me.” I pushed back my chair and stood up from the table.
Keiran caught my arm, restraining me. “Where are you going?”
“Away from you.” I snatched my arm away from him and headed for the front door. He called my name, but I only walked faster while I dug his spare car key from my back pocket. When I opened the front door and noticed the Mercedes blocking in Keiran’s car, a growl ripped through me.
“Lake!” The sound of him calling my name with such authority only fueled my anger. I turned back to face him.
“You manipulative bastard! You staged the entire thing, didn’t you?”
“It’s not what you think. I only did it to keep you safe.”
“Oh, that makes everything okay. Should I just bend over for you now?” I stared at him expectantly.
“I didn’t want to lie to you, but you being so far away drove me fucking crazy. You were thirteen hundred miles away,” he gritted.
“I lost my best friend for four fucking years because you’re a selfish, controlling bastard.”
“You wanted to leave. You couldn’t handle it either.”
“I never would have left her if I didn’t think it was necessary.”
“Exactly,” he barked, stalking me as I backed away. “You would have stayed and been miserable and unprotected, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
“It wasn’t your decision. I shouldn’t have to explain this to you. Even after she ran away, you continued to lie.” When he reached for me, I shifted, pissing him off further. “Is this how it will be?”
“What?”
“You manipulating me to get your way. Is that how it will be? What about what I want?”
“I gave you what you wanted.”
“Only because it was better for you! I didn’t want it like that. I didn’t want to hurt Willow. She was gone, Keiran, and if it weren’t for that crazy bitch, Esmerelda, she would have never come back.”
“You don’t know that.”
“But I do know you’re a fucking liar.”
Chapter TwentyFour
KEIRAN
I was fucking this up. She looked at me as if I disgusted her, and I deserved it. The lie I told to get her close and keep her there had been a thorn in my side for five years. I wanted to come clean every time she looked at me with love and trust, but it never seemed like the right time.
My brother unintentionally brought it to light, and now I’d been backed into a corner. The only thing I could do now was to try to make her understand, but as I said, I was fucking this up.
“It’s late and you have nowhere to go.”
“Nowhere to go or nowhere you’d let me go,” she questioned, seeing right through me.
“Just stay tonight and hear me out in the morning.” When she didn’t budge or soften, I added, “Please.”
“A few hours won’t change anything.” She sounded sad and wouldn’t meet my gaze. She walked past me and into the house. My relief was short lived when I returned to the kitchen just to find her empty seat and five sets of eyes watching me.
“She said goodnight and went upstairs,” Sheldon offered. I nodded and stood awkwardly in the doorway. They all watched me closely, but I didn’t see them. I was torn between finishing my first dinner with my grandparents and un-fucking-up my relationship once more.
“Well, I think I’m stuffed,” Daniel announced and stood. He pulled back Wendy’s chair and helped her from her seat.
“Yes, I think we’ll go now,” Wendy said, taking his cue. They said goodbye to Kennedy and promised to see her again before leaving.
As they passed, Daniel clapped a hand on my shoulder and mumbled, “Do the right thing.”
The front door closed behind him, and the momentary silence was broken my Keenan. “You want to tell me what I just walked into?”
“Ditto,” Sheldon chimed.
I scrubbed a hand across the back of my neck and forced myself to speak. “I set up the fight with Sean to get Lake to leave her school and transfer to mine.”
“You rat bastard.”
“Damn, bro. Why didn’t you tell me and how are you going to fix this?”
“I don’t know. Do I go up there and be honest by telling her I’m sorry for lying, but I don’t regret what I did?”
“That’s one way to ensure you’re single for the rest of your life,” Sheldon answered.
“You could promise never to do it again,” Keenan suggested and earned a glare from Sheldon that I’m sure shrunk his balls.