Roman

by Sawyer Bennett

  And then all three of us laugh as we look up at Lexi and listen to her finish the song.

  "Thank you all very much," she says into the microphone when the last notes dissipate. Her voice is rich and husky, and her eyes are shining bright, as it's clear she's in her element.

  The applause is thunderous as Lexi hops off the stool she had placed center stage, and carefully lays her instrument across the top. Patrons all come to the stage to put money in her tip jar or speak with her for a few moments. She's clearly beloved by the regulars here, and it warms my heart to know that Lexi has found a place where she truly belongs. It's so weird to look at my daughters, both very different in their successes. Gray is a genius, Ivy league-educated Olympic medalist, and now the first female manager of a professional hockey team. She's married to a wonderful man and is getting ready to have a child with him. She's living the life that most women would kill for, and she's deliriously happy with it.

  Lexi didn't go to college, has basically worked as a waitress for her adult life and lives off the tips she gets from singing. She lives in a small apartment and drives a beat-up little car. And she's just as deliriously happy as Gray.

  As a father, that knowledge for both of them fulfills me beyond measure.

  When Lexi comes off the stage and joins us at our table, Gray and Ryker move their chairs back to their original positions and Lexi takes the one opposite of me with her back to the stage.

  She sits down and exhales in relief before smiling around the table at us. "No matter how many times I perform, I'm always a nervous basket case up there, and having you all here to watch me made it infinitely worse, but I wouldn't change a thing."

  Gray laughs, and I love that it's natural and she seems to have accepted Lexi completely. "Well, you were truly wonderful. Dad and I were wondering if that musical talent came from us, but we're thinking not."

  Lexi laughs and waves Gray off in a self-deprecating way. "I'd kill to have gotten the genius-level IQ that got passed down to you."

  Gray's laugh dies immediately and she looks at Lexi solemnly. "I think you're very smart, and that's obvious by the clear talent you have. You're a genius too, just in a different way."

  And my heart swells with pride. Yes, Gray is fully on board with her new sister.

  Which brings up an important subject. "If it's okay with both of you girls, I'd like our team publicist to issue a statement about Lexi."

  "I think we should do it sooner rather than later," Gray says with a nod, and this is coming from her business side. "We do it now, it coincides with the test, and there's no speculation that we were sitting on this or afraid of the media's take on it."

  "Should be we afraid?" Lexi asks hesitantly.

  "Not at all," I assure her. "But I do feel like we need to be truthful that we didn't know about each other until recently. I don't think we have to give details, but we need to be clear that this is new to us as well. It will make the media a bit more respectful, if such a thing is possible."

  "And you'll have people wanting to talk to you," Gray warns Lexi. "You handle that however you want, but we can have our publicist deal with all inquiries."

  "Okay," Lexi says with a slight quaver to her voice.

  "It will all be fine," I assure her. "You'll see."

  There's a gentle hand to the middle of my back for just a split second, and I instantly recognize the touch as Georgia's, but then it's gone after a slow glide as she walks around the table to Lexi. She has a bottle of water and a pink teddy bear with white silk ribbon tied in a bow around its neck. She sits the water in front of Lexi and hands the bear to her.

  "What's this for?" Lexi asks with joyful surprise, and she looks from the pink bear to Georgia.

  "Your man dropped that off while you were singing," she says as she plops her arm around Lexi's shoulder. "What a romantic, huh?"

  I smile as I see Lexi's eyes shine with happiness even as her cheeks turn pink. Her head raises and she scans the interior of the coffee shop.

  "Oh, he's not here," Georgia says to her as she nods down to the stuffed animal. "He just dropped it off and asked that I give it to you. There's a note on the bow."

  Lexi turns the bear around, looking at the bow. When she can't see anything, she unties it and pulls it free, and I can see there's handwriting on the underside. I watch as she reads it silently to herself, her lips moving, and when she finishes, a look that I've never seen on Lexi's face breaks free. It's a dreamy expression, full of wonder and hope. It's a look that says, All is right in my world.

  I recognize that look. I've seen it on Gray's face many times since she fell in love with Ryker.

  "So what did your honey say to you?" Ryker asks, and I can tell there's a little bit of brother-in-law intention to embarrass the newest family member by putting her on the spot.

  Lexi gives Ryker a secretive smirk as she reties the bow around the bear's neck. "That's for my eyes alone."

  "Why didn't he stay?" I ask Georgia.

  "I don't know," she says with a shrug. "Just said to give it to Lexi and that he had to run."

  My gaze slides over to Lexi, who pretends that question wasn't asked as she fiddles with her water bottle, and I sense some discomfort on her part, despite the happiness I just saw on her face a bit ago.

  "Lexi," I say to get her attention. When she looks up at me, I ask, "Why didn't Roman join us tonight? You told him he was invited, right?"

  "Um, yeah," she says as she nervously tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I invited him, but, um...he um..."

  Her words trail off and she glances at Georgia nervously, who now has a look of understanding on her face as she stares back at her.

  "Lexi?" I prod, adding a note of fatherly concern to my tone.

  Finally, she looks up at me and holds my gaze. It reminds me of how she looked at me right before she told me she was my daughter. With her shoulders squared, she says, "He wasn't comfortable."

  "Wasn't comfortable?" I ask dumbly.

  Lexi nods. "He was a bit uncomfortable because things are tense between him and Gray, and also...well, he's not really had much of a family life, and these family situations are just a little awkward to him. Given that this is all new with us, and we're just getting to know each other, he took a pass on tonight. It's nothing personal."

  And yet it is, because while I can get not wanting to impose on a personal family moment with us all getting together to celebrate Lexi joining our family, there's clearly something personal going on with Roman and Gray.

  My eyes first dart to Ryker, as I'm curious to see if this is news to him. His face is knowing, so apparently I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on here.

  "What tension between Roman and Gray?" I ask lightly and still speaking as a father, not as an owner of the team who is finding out there may be a problem between my general manager and a player.

  Lexi's eyes dart down again, but Gray steps into the conversation. "I've had to counsel him on his behavior. We're not seeing eye to eye on things."

  With this simple explanation, Lexi's head snaps back up and she seems relieved.

  Almost too relieved, and that lets me know that there's something more to the story, but Lexi doesn't want me dragged into it, and if my gut is right, she doesn't want to cause waves with her sister.

  "Well, let me get back to work," Georgia says as she looks around the table, effectively ending the conversation about Roman. Unfortunately, she's covering for Lexi's waitressing and barista duties, so I can't have the pleasure of her complete company tonight. She then turns to Lexi. "You want anything else, doll, besides that water before you go back up?"

  "No, thanks." Lexi beams at Georgia and then pops off her stool as she says to the entire table, "But I do need to use the restroom. Anyone want anything else while I'm up?"

  We all decline and Lexi seems fine as she leaves, a bounce in her step as she walks toward the bathroom. I note that pink bear still clutched tightly in her hands and I'm guessing she's not going
to the bathroom but stepping somewhere private to call Roman. I smile to myself, as my youngest seems to be falling hard for a man, who by all appearances seems to really, really like her.

  As soon as Lexi is away from the table, I turn to Gray and ask bluntly, "What's the deal with Roman?"

  Gray goes into full business mode and her spine stiffens. "I had words with him a few weeks ago when that article was in the paper about the woman who tried to blackmail him. Just trying to rein him in a bit as far as publicity goes. And we also talked about the amount of suspensions he's had, and to try to curb that as well."

  I nod in understanding, as that's what any general manager would do. I think professional players are usually mature enough to handle these types of talks with a grain of salt. Still...there should be no residual tension.

  "But there's more to it," I say. While I won't ever second-guess the way Gray handles things as a general manager, I do want to fully understand the situation, since we know Lexi is in our life to stay, and Roman might be part of the package with her.

  Gray looks at me with a measure of sad frustration and nods. "I'm sorry, Dad. But you know how there are people that you just don't click with?"

  I nod in understanding.

  "Well, Roman is one of them," she admits while holding my gaze. "He's one of those reckless players who makes no apologies for the way he is, and frankly, he's borderline disrespectful at times. He's definitely got control issues and bucks against the system at every turn."

  "So it's personal to you?" I ask so I make sure I'm getting the true gist of what she says.

  "Yes," she says in complete candor. "Part of it is personal with me, and now that he's seeing Lexi, it's become even more so. There's a part of my irritation that comes from being protective of Lexi because he's a known player."

  "But maybe he's changed in that respect," I point out. "I mean...he dropped a pink teddy bear off to her tonight to let her know he was thinking of her. That doesn't scream player."

  "I know," Gray huffs out. "And maybe you're right, but it's hard for me to give him the benefit of the doubt when I don't know him."

  "So get to know him," I suggest.

  "How, when he won't come to family events?" she counters.

  "I bet he'd be willing to perhaps go on a double date with you and Ryker," I offer. "That's not as pressure filled."

  "Maybe," Gray says grudgingly.

  "I'll start reaching out to him more," Ryker says to his wife. He's our goalie coach and doesn't have anything to do with the defensemen, really, but he does travel with the team and is there during all practices. "We should probably try to get to know him if Lexi's getting serious."

  "She's getting serious," I say knowingly. That look on her face said it all, and I can even relate to it more because if I'd look in the mirror when I think of Georgia, I'd have that same look on my face too.

  "You two are right," Gray says in a grudging tone. "I'll try to figure a way to ease those tensions, but I can't do it at the expense of my general manager duties."

  "Would never want you to, honey," I assure Gray as I reach out and put my hand on her shoulder. "That's still a priority, but I have confidence you can find the balance."

  "I hope so," she says glumly.

  I hope so too, because all of these relationships are so fragile and new, there's a greater risk they'll be broken rather than strengthened.

  Chapter 24

  Roman

  Stepping off the bus, I follow my teammates almost single file into the Park Hyatt Hotel, exhausted after a brutal game against the Washington Breakers, but all that matters is we came away with the win. I received a small cut on my right cheekbone due to an "altercation" on the ice, but I'm proud to say the other guy looks worse. He got the first punch, but I got the last.

  Best of all, this fight was legit, and Gray Brannon can't give me shit about it. That douche McClenden dropped the gloves first and I was just obliged to take him up on it. No one can argue with my reaction, and the five-minute major penalty was well worth McClenden needing to leave the ice to get stitched up. I was completely fine with a few butterflies one of our trainers slapped onto my tiny cut.

  The minute we hit the lobby, fans start calling out to the players, but my name gets called the loudest and by the most people, because even though I'm part of a team that just beat their ass, I used to play for the Breakers before I came to the Cold Fury.

  A quick scan of the crowd and I see plenty of my old Breaker jerseys being worn, and that's because I was revered here. The Breakers built a reputation on gritty, no-holds-barred hockey, and I was the cornerstone of that philosophy. Even the team management turned blind eyes to my antics because deep down they knew it was a necessary part of the game.

  Not so much with the Cold Fury, though.

  Or at least I'm coming to learn.

  "Roman...Roman...can we get an autograph?" I hear someone call out.

  Another, "Roman, we miss you."

  And another, "Roman, please take a picture with me."

  With an internal smile, because I don't want anyone to see I'm still flattered by the love I have from some old fans, I break off from my teammates as they file to the elevators or head over to the group of Cold Fury fans clustered in the lobby. Most are wearing Cold Fury jerseys, but there's a good chunk of Breakers' fans who want some of my time, and I've never been one to shortchange people who support me.

  I notice other pockets of fans throughout, and some of my other teammates also stopping to indulge in photographs and autographs. It's pretty much the norm after every game, and many fans will book rooms in the team hotel for a chance to get up close and personal with their hockey idols.

  There's a groove I get into, methodically signing jerseys or scraps of paper. Posing for selfies. Accepting handmade gifts or getting hugs from kids. And yes, getting hit on by women--and hell, twice in my career by men. It's all part of my job.

  I spend about ten minutes doing my duties, and as the last of the crowd starts to dissipate, I turn to the last group patiently waiting and sigh quietly when I see two female Breakers fans, both wearing Sykora jerseys, waiting for me.

  And not just any Sykora jerseys.

  These are tight and so formfitting they are leaving nothing to anyone's imagination as to the size of their breasts or the circumference of their hips. In fact, I'd venture to say they were wearing kids' jerseys. Both women have long, wavy hair and lots of makeup. Both very beautiful and very sexy, the type I'd have signed whatever they wanted in the privacy of a hotel room in my single days.

  Now, that makes me smile.

  My single days.

  Yup, they're over, and I'm not missing them at all, even with what's in front of me right now. In fact, the only thing I can think about is getting this over with so I can get up to my room and call Lexi. She's working tonight and will be closing up The Grind right around the time I'll be calling.

  "Roman, can we get an autograph and some pictures?" one of the women asks.

  "Sure," I say with a tired smile, and reach out to take the black marker she's holding. "What would you like me to sign?"

  "My jersey," she says breathlessly.

  Now, most fans when they ask you to sign their jersey's will want it on the back, on one of the smooth fabric numbers that makes for easier signing and a clear autograph. But this woman steps forward, sticks her chest out, and with the tips of her fingers, pulls the tight material over her breasts even tighter.

  "If you could sign right here," she purrs, then nods down to her left breast.

  I freeze, not knowing what to do. I'd suspected these ladies might hit on me and I'd graciously slip away from them claiming to be tired or something, but I didn't figure I'd get slapped with this overt request right in the hotel lobby.

  And because I'm so shocked, I can't even think of how to decline her request, and I lamely mumble, "Okay...sure."

  She scoots closer to me, puffs her chest out more, and looks at me with hot eyes, which makes
me feel very uncomfortable. Not because I can't handle a woman doing this, but because I'm pretty damn sure Lexi would not take kindly to this kind of attention.

  Resolved to get this awkwardness over, I uncap the pen and manage to scrawl my signature quickly on the material of her jersey, as high up on her chest as I can. The marker is awkward in my hand, as I'm holding it up high so as not to touch her with anything but the felt tip.

  Just as I finish and move my hand away, I look up and past her shoulder to see Gray and Ryker standing across the lobby and staring directly at me. Ryker has an amused look on his face, while Gray is shooting daggers at me, her face a mask of disgust and fury.

  The timing of this could not be worse, particularly since Brian Brannon just made a public announcement about Lexi. Until now, I have not been in the media circus, as no one really knows I'm seeing Lexi. But once that gets out, I'm going to be hounded, as will she, and shit like this could blow up into a mess.

  Shit, I'm stupid.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Another sigh, this one not so quiet, and I cap the marker with a heavy feeling on me. I hand it back to the woman, mumble some shit about I need to get going, and then turn away from her. Instead of heading toward the elevators, which would take me right by Gray and Ryker, I move in the opposite direction to the open bar area of the lobby.

  I take a seat at the mostly deserted bar, order a beer, and then pull my phone out of my pocket. While the bartender pours my draft, I type a text to Lexi.

  Just had some woman ask me to sign her jersey. On her chest. I freaked, blanked, and then did it because I didn't know what to say. Gray saw me. She looks pissed. Figured you might hear from her about it so wanted to give you a heads-up. Now in the bar and having a quick beer. Will call you soon.

  I hit Send and set the phone down on the bar. The bartender slides my beer to me, I fish a ten-dollar bill out of my wallet and hand it to him.

  Just as I finish my first sip, I see Lexi's return text pop up. Picking up my phone, I smile as I read her response.

  Poor baby. Must be hard to be so sought after by the ladies. Enjoy your beer. Talk soon. XOXO

  Damn, she's like the fucking perfect woman and I'm not sure what I did to deserve her. I've not had the best track record when it comes to treating women right, so karma seems a little out of whack in my opinion, but I'm not going to turn my nose up at the gift of Lexi that's been given to me.