“I’ll wait as long as you need me to,” he said, not missing a beat.
“Rome,” she said on a breath. “I…”
For the first time since he’d known her, his Sadie had no words. He pulled her hair aside to press kisses along her neckline.
She whimpered.
They were both ready to spin out of control.
He moved his thumb to the sensitive nub of nerves at her core and pressed against it as he continued moving inside her. Sadie came, and when she did, she came hard around him, milking him so he followed immediately.
He held her against him, nuzzling her neck until they both came back down—panting and breathing hard. He meant every word he’d said.
Chapter Twenty-One
Roman caught his grandmother as she meandered past the lobby fountain on her way to the retirement home. He jogged toward her, catching her before she hit the exit. “Babushka, I need your help.”
His buddy from the bar, Rex, followed behind him.
“I’m going to start charging you,” she huffed with a glance and a raised eyebrow toward Rex.
“Etta.” Roman nodded to the other woman walking alongside his grandmother. “How do you feel about a little matchmaking?”
The other woman waved and continued walking.
“You’ll have to talk in her good ear if you want her help,” Babushka said.
“See you tomorrow,” Etta hollered on her way out the door.
Clearly, Roman hadn’t hit her good ear with his request.
That was okay, seeing that now he had his grandmother to himself. He glanced around to ensure they were alone before he spoke. “You didn’t need to do that to Sadie’s tires.”
She raised her chin and firmed her shoulders. “I admit nothing.”
Of course, she didn’t. Self-incrimination was definitely not her style.
“Rex here could use your brand of assistance,” Roman said, getting to the heart of it. He’d had lunch with Rex, and things weren’t going as swimmingly for Rex as they were for Roman. “I was thinking you might be able to help me, help him, help them rekindle it.”
“What kind of help?” she asked.
“A little dose of matchmaking.”
Babushka raised her chin, haughty. “My services are reserved for family.”
Roman happened to know for certain this was not the entire truth.
“What about when you helped out Marlee with her ex?” Roman pointed out. “I understand there were some tree-decorating skills used there.”
“That wasn’t matchmaking.” Babushka crossed her arms.
“Yet, you still helped her so it’s sort of the same thing.”
“She became family,” Babushka said, patting Roman’s cheeks.
“But she wasn’t family when you helped her, right?” If he needed to prove his point on a technicality, he was willing to go that route.
Babushka looked unconvinced but willing to hear him out. “Vhat exactly do you need?”
“My wife left.” Rex shoved his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker. “Filed for divorce. But I love her.”
“Then vhy does she want divorce?” Babushka asked. “Do you vander into other beds vith other women?”
“No.” Rex shifted his hands in his pockets.
“Tell her, man. She can help,” Roman insisted.
“I worked too much,” Rex replied, his shoulders slumping.
“Vhat do you vish I do?” Babushka asked with a wary note that Roman knew was utter crap.
“Do that thing you do where you make people do what they don’t want to do but that ultimately makes them happy.” Roman smiled his I’m-your-favorite-grandson-so-you-should-help-me grin. The shit-eating one he’d perfected when he was thirteen. “Like you did for Sadie and me,” he added. Mostly Sadie, given that he’d made the request for Babushka’s assistance. Props to him though. So far, it was working magnificently.
“I have one requirement for you, Roman.” Babushka held up her one-requirement index finger.
“Name it,” Roman replied, hopeful that whatever she asked wouldn’t be a big deal.
“You vill name your first daughter Nadzieja, after her favorite Babushka.”
That was, in fact, a big deal. Damn.
“I’d need to talk to the future mother of my future kids about that,” he said. “I can’t name babies without talking to her first.”
“If you cannot make decisions, then I cannot help. I need to get back home.” Babushka turned toward the exit, continuing her shuffle to the retirement community.
Roman seriously hoped his future wife went by the name Sadie and didn’t mind the name Nadzieja. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll do it.”
“I’ll definitely consider it.”
“By consider, you mean yes.” Babushka turned toward them and raised her weathered eyebrow. “Mr. Rex, is it?”
“Sure, you can call me that.” Rex nodded.
“Do you tell your vife you love her?” Babushka asked.
“Well…I did.”
“Vhen is the last time you tell her you love her?” Babushka’s gaze bore into Rex so strongly that even Roman felt it in his bones.
“It’s been a while,” Rex admitted.
“So she does not know she is the ice to your vodka. The beets to your borscht?” Babushka asked.
“I thought she did…”
“Vhen you tell her you love her, vhen you mean it, she vill make the right choice. Then you back it up by telling her every day she is your love.” Babushka shoved her finger at Rex. “Vhen he was alive, my husband, he tells me every day he loves me. Even vhen ve argue. The things do not matter. It is the love. It is knowing the love.”
“You really think if I just tell her that I’m in love with her, it’ll fix things?” Rex sounded as unconvinced as Roman felt.
“I think if you vant my advice, you don’t question my advice.” Babushka shook her head. “Now, you go. You tell her. You vill be happy.”
Rex didn’t move.
“I said to go.” Babushka waved her hands toward the exit. “If you do not listen, she vill not take you back and it’s not my fault.”
“Thanks,” Rex said, eyebrows furrowed. The look he directed toward Roman indicated that he had no idea what had just happened.
Babushka waved him toward the doors again. This time, Rex took her advice and headed outside.
“I can’t believe I traded my daughter’s name for you to tell Rex to tell his wife that he loves her.” Really, Babushka was losing her touch if this was her idea of running interference.
“Sometimes love is simple, my Rome.” Babushka’s eyes crinkled with her smile.
“Rome?” Sadie called from behind him. She hurried up to him. “Hey, I caught you.”
“And sometimes it is not,” Babushka continued.
“What’s up?” Sadie asked, bouncing toward them.
“Rome is playing matchmaker.” Babushka tilted her head toward Roman.
“Yeah, with who?” Sadie asked, the grin on her face reminiscent of a different time when she had smiled all the time.
“My buddy,” Rome replied. “He’s having a hard time.”
“That’s a bummer,” Sadie said, sounding like she truly meant it.
“Sadie, vhat do you think of the name Nadzieja for your baby girl?” Babushka asked.
Shit on a brick. “Let’s not go there—” he said at the same time Sadie said, “I’m not…”
Sadie tilted her head toward her shoulder like she was sizing Babushka up.
Babushka flapped her hands in the air in front of her like she was preparing to take flight. “Oh no, no. Of course, not now. But someday. Roman has promised me this vill be the name you call your daughter.”
Well, shit. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“That would assume I’m going to have children with Rome.” Sadie stayed planted in place, moving her gaze between him and his grandmother.
He couldn’t h
elp it, he dropped his head to his hands and groaned.
“You do not have biblical relations?” Babushka asked, clearly concerned. “This is how you make me great-grandbabies. I do not mind if you are not married. I am not old-fashioned. You kids do things how you do them.”
He groaned louder.
Sadie paled, her mouth making an O but not letting any sound out.
“That’s where this conversation ends.” Roman rotated his grandmother’s body toward the door and herded her out. He’d nearly made it through the doorway himself when Sadie cleared her throat.
The way she cleared her throat? The result was an invisible tether that pulled him back to her side.
“I’ll be right there,” he said to his grandmother, who gave him a subtle wave and continued moving forward.
Sadie cleared her throat louder.
Roman turned and jogged back to her.
He just needed to clarify the situation and then it’d all be good. “I can explain—”
“Did you really tell your grandmother you’re going to get me pregnant, and I’m going to have a baby girl, and we’re going to name her Nadzieja? Because I think we really should discuss this stuff first.” Sadie crossed her arms, but the gleam in her eye told a different story.
Besides, he had this covered. Sadie had taught him a thing or ten about fine print.
“Yes, I told her I’d be naming my first daughter after her. But don’t worry, because I am getting a puppy,” he announced.
Not right then. But someday. When the time was right.
“Or a kitten.”
Sadie had an expression like he’d lost his mind
“What?”
“Or maybe a gerbil. I like gerbils. I had one when I was kid. Cute little thing. I called him Otto. I loved that little guy.”
“I’m seriously not following you.” Sadie was appearing less and less amused as the moments ticked by. The lines on her forehead grew deeper and the tiny adorable crinkles around her eyes fanned just a touch.
“Maybe even a goldfish,” Roman continued. “You and I can get a whole family of goldfish to go with Sushi and Wasabi.”
“And this has to do with anything because…?” Sadie stretched out the last word.
“I’m going to name my new pet Nadzieja.” He wiped his hands together like he was dusting off the remnants of Babushka. “I’ll call her Nads. It’ll be great, and my agreement will be fulfilled.”
“You’re seriously going to call your new puppy Nads?”
“Puppy or kitten or goldfish or possibly a gerbil,” he clarified. “So none of my children have to deal with being Nadzieja the Second.”
“Are you serious?” Sadie asked, squinting adorably. “Because I don’t think you can possibly be serious, given that your grandmother is Babushka and you made a pretty substantial agreement with her, which you’re now planning to back out of.”
Uh-huh. That was exactly his plan. He nodded.
“That seems like a bad idea. I mean, she’s Babushka, so she’ll come up with a way to convince you to do this her way.”
“This worries you?”
“Are we going to be together long enough for it to worry me?” she asked.
Oh yeah. Yeah, they were going to be together long enough for her to worry about what they were going to name their kids.
“Do you want kids?” he asked. He’d just assumed she did, but he would forgo the kid gig if that’s what she wanted.
“I don’t know.” Sadie’s throat visibly worked with emotion. “Do I have to decide today?”
“No.” He stepped toward her, hoping his intent to go in for a kiss was clear. “But it’s what I’d like.”
Her mouth did the O thing again.
“If it’s not what you want and we stay together long enough for it to be a thing, then I’ll deal with that.” Roman touched the apple of her cheek with his thumb. “Because I’ll be with you. And that’ll always be enough.”
Sadie’s eyes fell closed as she laughed, leaning her forehead against his. “You’re a little nuts.”
“It runs in the family,” he said before he kissed any further argument away.
“I have a question,” Sadie said. Clearly, he hadn’t kissed her well enough if she was asking questions afterward. He’d need to remedy that.
“Yes?” He pecked little kisses around the edges of her lips.
“What did you trade your maybe-future daughter’s name for?” she asked, eyes huge with a subtle hint of accusation.
Well, that was not the kind of question he wanted to answer when there was a strong possibility and a whole lot of hope that his maybe daughter would be their maybe daughter.
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied, drawing an X over his heart. “Promise.”
Sadie had that look about her—the one that he dreaded because it meant she was going to push and get an answer. Even if he didn’t want to give one. “The trade must have been good for you to make such a big concession.”
He continued pecking kisses over her cheekbone and across to her earlobe.
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I will not be distracted by your sexual prowess.”
He sighed and drew back. “Before I came over for girls’ night, I met a guy at a bar.”
Sadie rubbed at her eyes. “All the best stories start this way, but I’m not sure I like it coming from you.”
He chuckled. “It’s not that juicy. I met a new friend. He’s trying to show his wife that they’ve still got a spark.”
Sadie crossed her arms across her chest, stretching her suit jacket across her breasts. “And this has to do with the name of your future daughter because…?”
“Because I asked Babushka to go all Babushka on them and help me out with my new friend’s problem. So far, all she did was tell him to tell her that he loves her.”
“You traded your daughter’s name for a guy you’ve only just met at a bar and advice that he tell his wife that he loves her?”
“We also had lunch today. He’s a great guy.”
“They all are.” Sadie glanced at the fountain. “But maybe there’s a reason the relationship isn’t working out. Have you considered that?”
No. Because Rex was genuine and so concerned.
Roman shook his head.
“Do you know the details of their issue?” Sadie asked.
He continued to shake his head as she spoke.
“How deep their challenges go? Have they been to therapy? How are the assets to be distributed if they aren’t able to work it out? Is there a prenuptial agreement?”
“No,” he admitted. He turned on the most intense version of himself. “I have no idea about any of that. But Sadie, the guy seems like he really wants to make it work. He’s willing to try.”
Sadie stared at the water flowing over the curves of the fountain. “I’ve been at my job for a long time. Being willing to try is never enough. To be honest, Rome, I’ve never seen a second try work out.”
“Maybe he’ll be a first.” Roman used the edge of his thumb to tip her face back toward him.
“We’re not talking about picking a frozen yogurt flavor here,” Sadie said, clearly taking his new mission to heart and not appreciating it. “We’re talking about a guy and his wife and you pawning your future kid’s name.”
She was getting hot—and not in the bedroom sense.
“When you put it like that, it seems like a really bad idea,” he conceded, hoping that would diffuse the ticking time bomb pulsing at her temple.
“Ya think?” She threw her hands up.
Roman reached for her, running his palms over her shoulders. Her body seemed to sigh against his touch even as her eyes lanced him with daggers.
“You’ve seen the worst of relationships,” he said, still stroking her shoulders and moving his hands along her arms. “But I like to think that maybe this devastated guy deserves a second chance. Like me with you.”
Sadie moved his hands away from her shoulders and held the
m. “You are projecting your own desires for a second chance onto him.”
Uh. He hadn’t thought he was doing that, but now that she mentioned it, it was a solid probability.
“If you are, that’s fine,” she continued. “You can do what you want to do. But on behalf of your future children, I implore you not to involve them in negotiations of this sort.” Once again, Sadie focused on the water and the fountain.
“Future puppy,” he corrected.
She gave him a look that could’ve cut through the thick polymer fish tank at the aquarium. “We both know your grandmother is not going to abide by the fine print in your discussion.”
Suddenly, he was really curious as to what Sadie was thinking. Why she cared so much. “Why does this matter to you? Is it because my babies may be your babies?”
“This isn’t about me.” She expertly dodged.
“Sadie,” he said, low.
“Rome,” she echoed, just as low.
She was totally worried that she’d have his babies and be obligated to name them after his grandmother. He grinned. He would make sure the second part didn’t happen, but the first could be fun.
Sadie sighed and sat at the edge of the fountain, tracing the top of the water with her hand.
“Why don’t you ever wish in the fountain?” he asked. As he recalled, she had a very detailed method for fountain wishes. But they’d been by this fountain several times and she’d never once stopped to make a wish.
“What?” she asked, confused.
“You stare at it all the time.” Like it was a rich chocolate dessert with hot fudge sauce that she wanted to sink her teeth into.
“I didn’t realize you were paying so much attention.” She swirled her hand in the water.
Roman sat beside her so their thighs touched. “You want to make a wish?”
She shook her head. “We’re discussing you and your poor choices in projects and negotiations.”
“Now we’re discussing making wishes.”
“I don’t make wishes.”
Roman stuck his hand in the pocket of his jacket, digging for change. He pulled out a handful—a nickel, two dimes, and four pennies. He handed one of the pennies to Sadie. “If you want to, you should do it.”
She didn’t take it. She did, however, cross her arms. “When you’re done with your pet project, do you want to come over?”
Do Me a Favor: A second chance, hilarious rom com! (Mile High Matched Book 4) Page 22