Chapter 20
Lexi
“Thank you for taking the night off,” Roman says as he holds his glass of wine out toward me.
I pick mine up, tap it against his, and smile with a tilt of my head. “It’s definitely not a hardship to take a night off to spend with you.”
We both take a slow sip as we stare at each other across the empty plates and low- flickering candles. Roman got back from his West Coast trip last night and asked if he could spend tonight with me. It meant giving up my regular shift—not a big deal—as well as the tips from my singing—I’d make it up with an extra shift over the weekend, but that’s all okay. While this is still very new between us, I was surprised how much I missed him when he was gone. We talked as much as our schedules allowed, and texted when we had stolen moments, but it wasn’t the same as being with him.
So he asked me to take tonight off, and after some mad scrambling to find someone to cover me, I was on my way to Roman’s house. I stopped and picked up Italian, and he had the candles going and the wine opened when I arrived.
I was very impressed, and told him so.
He told me he was just trying to impress me so he could get in my pants.
Then he pulled me into his arms and gave me a long, warm hug with his arms holding me tight.
Then he kissed me, and that was even better.
“What do you want to do tonight?” he asks as he puts his glass down and leans back in his chair, studying me over the flickering candlelight.
I shrug. “Want to go out dancing?”
“No.”
“Roller skating?”
“No.”
“Yahtzee?”
“Definitely no.”
Laughing, I lower my voice and practically purr at him. “Spend the rest of the evening in bed?”
“Now you’re speaking my language.” He grins at me, then leans forward to place his elbows on the table. Roman steeples his hands in front of his face and gives me a serious look. “But…if you want to go out and do something, let’s do it. I suppose I need to take you out on a proper date, you know, if we’re dating and all. I do have a tarnished reputation to overcome, or so it’s been said about me.”
I roll my eyes at him and his backhanded jab at Gray.
“That’s a good thought,” I say thoughtfully, and take another sip of my wine. “We should go out at some point.”
“But not tonight?”
I shake my head slowly and flash a sexy smile. “I think I’d rather spend it in bed tonight.”
“I’m not going to argue with that if that’s what you’re looking for,” he says agreeably.
Laughing, I set down my wineglass and push up from my chair.
“I don’t want you to change my mind,” I tell him as I grab my empty plate. “Let’s get the kitchen cleaned up and then get naked.”
As I start to walk past Roman toward the sink, his hand shoots out and wraps around my free arm. I stop and he carefully takes the plate out of my hand, sets it on the table, and pulls me onto his lap. His hand goes in between my legs but he just gently squeezes the inside of my thigh. Still, his actions cause a pure thrill to run through me, knowing that this is a small display of his dominance. That he’s the one who says when we get naked.
“Will you come to tomorrow night’s game?” he asks, and I’m surprised by the about-face in subject. I thought he’d be starting to strip me by now.
I tilt my head at him, wondering why this is coming up right now, we when we were talking about being naked.
“The last game you came to,” he continues, seeing the question written on my face. “You were supposed to sit in my seats, but you went up to the box. Of course, you ended up breaking up with me too before the game, so there’s that.”
“If it helps,” I tell him sincerely as I wrap my arms around his neck, “that entire game I watched you whether you were on the ice or on the bench, completely bummed out over the decision I’d made. It felt wrong right from the start.”
Roman smiles, his eyes shining in appreciation. “So now that we’re together, I want you sitting in my seats. So I can see you during the game. Can’t see you up there in the owner’s box.”
I’ve never dated a professional athlete before, so things are obviously a bit different here. But knowing that he wants me to be a part of “his” game causes warmth to fill every molecule of my being, and a feeling of completeness takes root. It’s the first time I truly realize that Roman sees me as something more than just an interesting girl who is fun to hang out with.
He needs me.
“And I know you took tonight off work to see me, so that’s asking a lot to take tomorrow off too, but—”
“I’ll do it,” I blurt out.
“Just that easy?” Roman asks, leaning in and nuzzling my neck. “Don’t you have to think and ponder and contemplate options? Don’t you have to fret over getting someone to cover you at work?”
“Nope,” I say breathlessly as his lips trail fire up to my ear. “I’ll make it work.”
Roman’s teeth nip at my earlobe, but then he pulls away and looks at me. “I’m being a bad influence on you, aren’t I?”
Laughing, I tip my head his way and rub my nose alongside his. It’s a deeply intimate move and his arms lock tighter around me. “As long as I don’t leave Georgia in a lurch, it’s fine.”
“And you won’t be in a lurch, right?” he asks with those hazel eyes pinned on me. “Giving up the shifts.”
“I’ll have to make it up,” I tell him truthfully, because as much as I love spending time with Roman, and I will gladly juggle my schedule to do so, I do have bills to pay. “But I’ll pick up doubles this weekend to make up, and since you’re gone this weekend to Miami, it works out perfectly. Will keep me busy so I don’t miss you so much.”
“Fuck, you’re sweet,” he mutters, and then kisses me hard.
I get so consumed by his kiss, contemplating stripping him bare right here in the kitchen, that I vaguely notice my phone ringing.
“Need to get that?” Roman asks as he pulls away from me.
I recognize Brian’s ringtone I’d set, and since things have not gotten too hot and heavy, but most assuredly will very soon, it’s probably prudent I answer it now. I’m sure I’ll be so occupied the rest of the night there won’t be time.
“Sure,” I say. I hop off Roman’s lap and grab my purse off the counter. I plunge my hand inside, immediately grab my phone, and bring it to my ear as I connect the call.
“Hey, Brian,” I say cheerily into the phone as I move toward Roman to sit back down on his lap. He grabs on to my hips, helping me assume a position where I’m sideways, and wraps his arms around me again. He places his chin on my shoulder and listens to my end of the conversation.
“I’m thinking you should officially start calling me Dad now,” Brian says on the other end, and my entire body tightens. Roman can feel it, and I’m sure he senses the atmosphere has just changed all around me, which would explain my dizziness.
“The results are in?” I whisper into the phone, and at this, Roman angles his body and leans forward so he can see my face more clearly. My eyes lock with his and his eyebrows rise in question.
“There’s a 99.9 percent chance you are my daughter,” Brian says, and his voice is so happy—no, not happy, euphoric—that I can’t help the tears that start to sting my eyes.
I nod up and down to Roman and he gives me a sweet, knowing smile and hugs me tighter.
“Lexi?” Brian asks hesitantly.
“Yeah,” I say in a rough voice, and cough to clear it. “I’m here.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I assure Brian—no, my dad. “I mean…I knew deep in my heart you were my dad, but this…wow. It’s just so real now.”
“I love you, Lexi,” my dad says forcefully, breaking into my scattered thoughts.
And that’s when the tears come. Filling my eyes up and spilling right over the edge to slide down my face.
Roman squeezes me tighter and I’m barely able to whisper into the phone, “I love you too.”
Brian doesn’t say anything, but I can hear him take a quavering breath before letting it out slowly. I tilt my head to the side and wipe my tears on my shoulder.
“So,” Brian says, this voice under control…somewhat. “Gray suggested that we go out night after next to celebrate. Maybe even talk about how we reveal you to the world.”
My mind spins, but I already know taking off three nights in a row will be impossible. I just promised Roman I’d go to his game tomorrow. I’m spending tonight with him. Asking for the night after that is going to cause some grumbling.
“I’ll see if I can get off work,” I say hesitantly into the phone.
“Okay,” Brian responds cheerfully. “But if not, we’ll pick a night that’s good for all of us.”
“Okay,” I say. “But I promise I’ll try to get Friday night off.”
“I bet that’s a big singing night for you, huh?”
“Yeah,” I admit reluctantly. “My tips are really good on Friday nights.”
“Then what do you think about us coming to The Grind to hang out Friday night? Gray, Ryker, and you can even invite Roman. I’ll invite Georgia. We can listen to you sing and hang out a bit. Granted, we know you’re working, but still, at least we’ll all be together.”
“Really?” I ask in awe, the tears threatening to come again because I’m stunned at how quickly my family seems to have united.
“Really,” my dad assures me. “I’ll arrange it with Gray and Ryker. I’m sure Georgia will be on board. Hold on a second…”
I’m confused when my dad stops talking and I hear him have a muffled conversation. When he comes back on the line, he says, “Okay, Georgia says she’s in and she’ll cover your normal work in between singing so you can hang out with us.”
I blink in stunned surprise. “Georgia’s with you?”
“Well…yes,” Brian stammers. “I invited her over to dinner tonight.”
“At your house?” I ask, this time with a sly tone.
“Yes,” my dad grits out. “I’m an adult. I can have someone over if I want.”
I chuckle into the phone. “I’m glad…Dad. Georgia’s amazing and I’m happy for you.”
Brian coughs and says, “Okay…I’ve got to get going and make dinner for Georgia, but would you like to come sit in the owner’s box for tomorrow night’s game? That is, if you have tomorrow off from work.”
“Actually,” I tell him candidly, “Roman’s asked me to come and sit in his seats down near the ice.”
My dad chuckles into the phone, and in a sly tone says, “That boy’s hooked, isn’t he?”
I chuckle and cut my eyes to Roman, who has no clue what my dad just said. Then I smile as I say, “I think it goes both ways.”
“I’m glad, honey,” he murmurs. “Okay, I’m going to let you go. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Dad,” I murmur, not even stumbling over the word this time. “Talk tomorrow.”
The minute I hang up, I turn slowly so I’m facing Roman head-on. “I take it you got the gist of that.”
“Pretty much,” he says. “Brian is definitely your dad and he wants to go out to celebrate Friday night, but since you’re taking tonight off to be with me, and tomorrow night to see my game, you really can’t do Friday night too.”
“Pretty much,” I repeat to him, but then give him an easy, reassuring smile. “But they’re going to come to The Grind on Friday night and listen to me sing, and Georgia’s going to cover other stuff I do in between sets, so I’ll have time to hang. And Brian also invited you to come as well.”
“If you want, why don’t you just hang with them tomorrow at the game up in the owner’s box,” he suggests. “I mean…this is sort of monumental, finding out Brian’s your dad for sure. You should spend tomorrow night with them, and you can come to my next home game if it works out with your schedule.”
Oh man that’s sweet, but it’s also not necessary. “No way. I committed to you first and the celebration will be just as good on Friday as it would be tomorrow. So tonight I’m yours, tomorrow I sit in your seats at the game, and I’ll be yours then too, then Friday you come and hang out with my new family.”
Roman’s eyebrows furrow and suddenly looks extremely uncomfortable. “Listen, Lexi…I don’t think I should go on Friday.”
“What?” I exclaim in confusion. “Why not?”
“That’s a family thing,” he says.
“So?” I say quickly. “It’s a group thing and Brian, I mean Dad, explicitly invited you.”
One of Roman’s arms releases me and he scratches at the back of his buzzed haircut as he gives me an even more uncomfortable look.
“What’s wrong?” I ask softly, bringing my palms to his cheeks.
His eyes drop from mine momentarily, but when they lift back up, I see resolve in them. “I don’t feel comfortable, really, in that situation.”
“Why not?” I ask perplexed, but then immediately it becomes clear to me. “Because of Gray?”
Roman shrugs. “Sort of.”
“Well, it either is or isn’t,” I say, frustrated that he’s making me pull this out of him. So I implore, “Just lay it on me, Roman. I’m a big girl and can handle it.”
After letting out a big sigh, he brings his arms back around me and says softly, “Part of it’s Gray. Things are just tense between us and I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to hang in a social setting. But also, I’m just uncomfortable with the whole family thing.”
“The family thing?” I ask.
“This is a special moment for you, and on the best of days, I’ve never been a family type of guy. It’s just foreign to me. I never had get-togethers or celebrations. I’ve always been sort of a solitary person. I do better in one-on-one situations, so try to think of it as my social game just really sucks in those situations. Add in the pressure that this is a really big deal, you finding your family and trying to establish a bond with them, I just don’t feel comfortable with it. So if it’s okay with you, I’d really like to pass on hanging out with everyone on Friday.”
My stomach sinks with disappointment over Roman’s words, and while I don’t like them, I can understand them. I mean…I can at least try to understand where he’s coming from.
Sort of.
Well, not really.
Family has just always been important to me. I didn’t have a big family, but my mom and I were close. We did birthdays and Christmas and Halloween in style. We loved being with each other.
And now I’ve got that again here with Brian and Gray. The thought of spending an evening with them laughing and talking and getting to know each other better, to have them come out and support me while I’m singing…well, it just means everything to me.
But apparently, it doesn’t really mean anything to Roman. Or rather, he might understand it, he just won’t indulge in it because it takes him out of his comfort zone.
Still, we’re early on in our relationship and I can totally see how it could be awkward for him. My hope is that as we progress, perhaps he’ll get more comfortable with the situation, and maybe we can take baby steps. Like maybe I can have Brian over to my apartment for dinner and Roman can come to that.
I’m sure we can figure this out, and I’m also sure Roman will warm up to the idea eventually.