Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“What happened?” Fee asks as I close the door behind me.
“Callie got into a fight, so she has a few days off from hockey practice.”
“But he—”
I hold up my hand. “Not now. Let’s get home, and then we can deal.”
Callie bites her lips together.
I turn the engine over and focus on getting us back to the condo. I’m so out of my depth. I have no idea how to deal with a teenager who was caught vaping and an eight-year-old who’s picking fights with her teammates.
The drive home is tense. Every part of me feels like it’s sparking. My dad won’t be any help. He basically moved to New York when I was a toddler, and I only saw him on holidays and for a month in the summer. He had me in hockey camp out there, and I spent almost all my time on the ice when I visited him. He didn’t have to parent me. I was too busy to find trouble.
Callie is crying as silently as she can by the time we get home, and Fee isn’t much better. She helps Callie out of the back seat, I grab Callie’s hockey equipment, and we pile into the elevator. I’m choking on the silence, on the certainty that I’m messing these girls up. That I can’t hack it. That I’ll crack under the pressure.
My phone buzzes with new messages. “Fuck.” I still have to finish the strategy plans for Vander Zee tonight.
Callie’s head snaps in my direction.
I don’t apologize for the swear. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and terrified that I’m headed for a cliff with no brakes. I pull my phone from my pocket. There are new messages in the Babe Brigade chat, which is normal, but I also have new messages from Roman—one from more than an hour ago, and one recent.
Roman
Hope everything is okay. Message when you can.
Followed by the recent one:
Roman
I’ve got the best pizza in the city on speed dial if you need dinner sent to you.
I look toward the ceiling, trying to keep my emotions in check. I’m reaching my breaking point, and here he is, being so sweet and thoughtful.
“Lexi?”
“I’m fine,” I croak.
I type a quick reply.
Lexi
All good here!
We’re barely in the door before my phone rings. Of course it’s Roman. “I need to take this,” I tell my sisters. “I would like both of you to go to your rooms. I’ll call you when I’m ready to discuss your choices today.” I wait until they’ve disappeared down the hall before I answer the call. “Hey.”
“You never write text messages with exclamation marks. What’s wrong?”
And that’s all it takes for the dam to break. The first sob escapes, and I slap a palm over my mouth and rush down the hall to my bedroom. Throwing the door closed, I lock it and disappear into the closet so my sisters can’t hear me losing it.
“Lexi, angel, I’m on my way over. I’m leaving now. I’ll be fifteen minutes at the most.”
“You d-d-don’t—”
“No arguments. I’m already on my way. Take a breath. I’m not hanging up, the reception might be crappy for a minute, and if I lose you, I’ll call back as soon as I’m out of the parking garage. Breathe with me, okay?” He counts to four and back down to one.
I follow the soothing cadence of his voice. “This is so hard, Roman.”
“What happened? Are your sisters okay?” he asks.
“Yes. No. They’re okay, but they’re not coping. I’m not coping. I feel like I’m drowning,” I whisper.
“I’ll be there soon, okay? And we’ll figure it out together.” A car starts. “You don’t have to do this on your own.” He keeps talking, assuring me I’ve got this, and he’ll help me through it.
My walls are crumbling. Having Roman come here is the wrong thing to do. But I need him. So I don’t lie and say I’ll be fine. I stay on the line while he drives to my place.
“Okay. I’m here and parked. Just buzz me in, and I’ll be up in a minute.”
CHAPTER 26
LEXI
I’m under control enough to pick myself up off the closet floor and buzz Roman in. When I open the door, he takes one look at me, steps inside, and folds me into his strong, warm embrace. “I’ve got you. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”
I grip his jacket and hold on for dear life, like he can stop me from sinking. Like he’s a life preserver in rough waters. Like I finally have permission to be vulnerable. With him, I don’t have to be strong and in control all the time. “I don’t know how to do this. I’m failing them.”
“Oh, angel, no you’re not.” He tips my chin up. “Tell me what happened. What’s going on?”
I recount the whole story through stuttered breaths and hiccups.