Roman (Cold Fury Hockey 7)

Instead, I merely snuggle in closer to him and tell him, "It will get easier, Roman."

He surprises me when he says, "If it was hard, everyone would do it. I kind of like the challenge."

I pull back my face, which had been burrowed into his neck. Although I can't see him in the dark, I try to imagine the look on his face. Is it open and is he saying that he wants to try to move this a little deeper?

Without a clear answer, I can only venture forward and push at his boundaries a bit where it's warranted. "You know my birthday's next week, right?"

I can hear the smile in his voice. "Yup. And I have the perfect gift for you."

Okay, that makes me feel good that he's already given this thought.

"My dad wants to have a birthday dinner for me at his house," I say quickly into the dark. "He's going to invite Georgia, and of course, Ryker, Gray, and the girls will be there. It will be my first time meeting Ruby and Violet, and well...I want you to come too."

He doesn't respond at first, the silence heavy and oppressive. His thumb, which had been lazily rubbing against the hollow of my lower back, keeps moving, though, and finally...with a small sigh of capitulation, he says, "Sure. I'd love to come."

"Really?" I ask, unable to contain my glee.

"It's your birthday," he mutters. "I'll make a special exception for that."

Hmmmm...maybe not what I would have liked to hear, but it's a start. I think once Roman is gently worked into the family dynamic, and assuming he and Gray can learn to be at least politely respectful of each other, I'm sure he'll fit in just fine.

Chapter 26

Brian

"Aunt Lexi," Ruby says as she tugs on Lexi's hand. "I've got a spider collection at home. And I want to get a rat but Daddy won't let me. Do you like spiders and rats?"

Lexi's eyes slide to the right, where Ryker's casually sitting in an armchair with a beer in his hand, and she grins when she sees his slight shudder at the mention of spiders.

Looking back to her niece, perhaps not by blood but most definitely by love and marriage, she says solemnly, "I have to be honest, Ruby, I'm not a fan of spiders. But I'm okay with rats. I understand they're very intelligent."

Ruby turns to Ryker and gives him a superior look. He cocks an eyebrow back at her and says, "I allowed the spiders. Not going to allow the rats."

I suppress my laughter when Ruby rolls her eyes at her father and then turns back to Lexi to suggest, "You could get a rat and then I could come play with him at your house."

"Oh no," Lexi says quickly as she taps Ruby on the nose with her finger, then shifts back onto the couch cushion so she can settle back against Roman, who is sitting beside her looking much more relaxed since we've finished dinner. "No rats in my house, but I firmly support you in your campaign to get your father to change his mind."

Ruby grins at Lexi, and even Roman has a slight smile on his face. It's a bit forced looking, but at least it's a smile.

I have to give the guy credit for showing up, especially knowing his familial background that Lexi's explained to me, as well as the expected discomfort to be dating the daughter of your bosses. Add the tensions that exist between him and Gray, I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd have declined the invitation to celebrate Lexi's birthday with us.

Now, that's to say while I wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't come, I would have been absolutely pissed. I believe the measure of a man is how he deals with adversity, and thankfully for Roman, he's showing the backbone of a man who will make Lexi a priority. That's good for him, as I'm equally as prepared to withdraw my support for this relationship if he's not willing to put in the work as Lexi deserves.

Most everything about her transition into this family has gone so smoothly that sometimes it's hard for me to remember that this has been stressful for everyone. Lexi's accepted us, we've accepted her, and even the public has been incredibly supportive after the announcement was made. As long as Roman toes the line, then Lexi should remain a happy woman, and that makes me happy.

My gaze flips to the right, where Gray is sitting in an armchair opposite Ryker. Violet's curled on her lap and is resting her hand on Gray's belly. While Gray has become exceptionally close to both of Ryker's girls, Violet has practically become Gray's shadow. This is not only because she's pregnant with Violet's soon-to-be-born sister, but because when Gray stepped into that family's life, she took a great burden off of Violet, who had sort of become a surrogate mom to her little sister when their mom withdrew from their life. When Gray became part of Ryker's world, she stepped into the role of wife and stepmother with such quiet command it enabled Violet to become just a little girl again. Because of that, she's exceptionally close to Gray.

Yes, this birthday celebration is turning out quite nicely, even if things have been a little forced between Gray and Roman. They've certainly been polite to each other, but they've not directly spoken and are essentially ignoring each other.

Oh well...baby steps.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm ready for some birthday cake," Georgia says as she pats my shoulder. She's been sitting on the armrest of the couch right beside me since we retired to the formal living room after dinner. My woman--and yes, Georgia is that in every sense of the word now--cooked an amazing dinner for Lexi as well as a phenomenal-looking red velvet cake, which is the birthday girl's favorite.

"Yay," Ruby shouts, and jumps up and down. She's been eyeballing the cake since everyone arrived.

"Want to help?" Georgia asks as she holds her hand out.

Ruby doesn't need to think about that and flies across the room to take Georgia's hand.

"You too, Violet?" Gray prompts as she rubs her fingers over Violet's head. She merely nods and pushes away from her perch on Gray and follows Georgia and her sister into the kitchen.

Lexi also stands up, but turns in the opposite direction. "I'm going to use the restroom real quick. A full bladder while blowing out candles can become disastrous."

I laugh at my daughter and her humor.

Roman also grins in a knowing but satisfied way, which means he adores her humor as well.

A quick look at Gray and I see the same appreciative look on her face that we have a member of the family now who will always keep us laughing.

"I'm going to get another beer," Ryker says as he stands up, his gaze sweeping the room. "Anyone want anything?"

Everyone shakes their head, and as soon as he's gone, Gray turns to me and says, "I've updated the final trade report recommendations and will have them to you tomorrow."

I keep my smile to myself, because Gray's mind is never far from business, and that means she's a chip off the old block. But I gently divert her because we are not at work, but rather here to relax and celebrate Lexi's birthday. Also, this could be a good time to get Gray and Roman to interact.

"I'm sure you've done a thorough job and I look forward to reviewing it," I tell her before I turn my gaze to Roman. "And what are your big secretive plans with Lexi tomorrow? She's really excited."

While we're celebrating Lexi's birthday today, it's actually tomorrow, and Roman has apparently told Lexi he has a big surprise for her. She jabbered about it to me earlier tonight with Roman watching with smug confidence he'd outdone himself.

Roman shifts on the couch, scoots forward, and puts his elbows on his knees. His face turns stony when he says, "Well, I'd hoped for a nice romantic evening with your daughter, complete with something I've been working on for a few weeks now, but looks like instead I might be having a serious conversation with her about what appears to be my impending exit from this team. I'm sure you'll read all about it tomorrow."

My entire body stiffens and a sweeping chill seems to permeate the room. My head snaps to the right and I see Gray has a slight smirk to her face that she desperately tries to hide before I see it.

"Gray?" I ask in confusion at Roman's implication that he's going to be mentioned in the trade report. While it's solely within Gray's

realm to make trade recommendations and ultimately decisions after any counsel she wants to receive, I usually have a good idea what's coming down the pike. We look to trade our weak players to strengthen the team, and Roman Sykora is no weak player.

With a nonchalant shrug, Gray merely says, "Just exploring options."

Before I can respond, Roman says in a low but deadly serious voice, "Which includes calling my agent yesterday to 'inquire' as to whether I had any interest in making a move from the team for a good price. Clearly, you'll find my name on the report tomorrow."

A swift burst of anger toward Gray blooms within my chest, not that she would do such a thing, because any player is fair game as the trade deadline approaches, but because she clearly wasn't making a serious inquiry. She knows damn well he's not a player we would legitimately consider releasing from this team, and this is just a way to make him aware that she's still the boss.

Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in her at this moment, an emotion I've rarely felt toward my daughter.

Movement from behind both Gray and Roman catches my attention, and I see Lexi heading back to the living room. She immediately freezes when she hears Gray say to Roman, "This shouldn't be a surprise to you, Roman. You've clearly not taken any of my advice to heart, and I need you to understand that you are the paid athlete, I am the boss."

Roman gives a disrespectful bark of a laugh and says, "I take advice from people I respect."

I quickly glance at Lexi, whose face has turned pale as she listens. She looks at me, and I open my mouth to stop this conversation before it gets any more heated, but Lexi shakes her head slightly, her eyes now narrowing as they go to Roman and then Gray, neither of whom are aware she's standing there.