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)
Roman
Middle of nowhere. Just the two of us.
Pretending he’s just a player and I’m just a coach is breaking me down. If I have something to hold on to, even if it’s still weeks away, then maybe it will get easier.
Lexi
I miss you.
Roman
I miss you, too.
Stay strong for me, angel.
CHAPTER 31
ROMAN
“Do you think it looks good? Do you think she’ll like the cake?” Tristan’s hands are on his hips and he’s wearing his customary scowl. He’s standing in front of a table set up just inside the rink, surrounded by decorations. The whole room has been transformed.
“It’s a pretty kick-ass cake,” Nate assures him.
Tristan ignores his brother. “Roman, what do you think?”
I clap him on the shoulder. “It looks awesome. She’s going to love it.”
“Should we check with Coach Forrester?”
“Bro, chill out. It’s not like you’re going to have another one made between now and when everyone starts showing up. The cake is a masterpiece.” Nate doesn’t seem the least bit fazed by Tristan and his mild freak-out.
“It’s exceptionally cool,” I add. And it is. The cake is shaped like a hockey rink, and it boasts an entirely edible net and a miniature sculpture of Callie in her goalie gear that she can take home.
“Do you think the balloon arch is big enough?”
“Yeah, dude. The arch is big enough.” Nate rolls his eyes.
He moved in with Flip at the beginning of the month and seems to be roped into everything involving the team these days.
“It’s perfect,” I agree. It’s her team colors and takes up almost an entire wall. There’s also a photo booth, complete with dress-up options.
“Okay. Cool. Did you get your shirt? There’s a special one for you. You should change into it.” He checks his watch and runs his hand over his chest. It reads #TeamCallie Birthday Crew. “The kids are arriving any second. Bea? Babe, do you think there are enough balloons marking the entrance?”
“Tris, babycakes, take a breath.” Rix hugs his waist. “There are more than enough balloons. This birthday party will be fabulous, and Callie will love it.” Her shirt reads #TeamCallie Party Brigade.
“I want it to be a good day for her, you know? She doesn’t have a mom or a dad, and not because either of them sucked as parents, but because they’re fuckin’ gone.” He takes a calming breath. “Sorry. I just know how hard birthdays were after our mom bailed.”
Nate mumbles excuse me and disappears down the hall to the bathroom.
“I know.” It’s a sore spot for him, but he’s been channeling it into something good, and this party is one of those things. “You’ve done a fantastic job, Tristan.” I assure him. “I’ll put my shirt on.”
I leave him with Rix and move to the table with all the shirts. Peggy, Hollis, Dred, and Connor are already wearing theirs. Connor’s reads: Callie’s Favorite Player.
He grins at me. “No hard feelings, right, Roman?”
I laugh. “None at all.” Because if all goes according to plan, I’ll get to take that little girl on family vacations. I’ll be the one who reads her bedtime stories, gets on the ice with her, goes to parent-teacher interview nights, and cheers her on at games. While I’ll never replace her dad, I’ll sure as hell do my best to fill the void his loss has caused.
I’m falling just as hard for those girls as I am for Lexi. I’m excited about the possibility of stepping into the role of parent again. Unconventional, maybe. But this time I’ll have a partner who feels the same way about me as I do about her.
I grab my shirt and chuckle. Mine reads Callie’s 2nd Favorite Player. The “O” in favorite is replaced with a sad-face emoji. It’s perfect. Everything about the party is.
Callie’s school friends and teammates arrive, along with her grandparents from Niagara. Lexi’s dad is in the middle of a huge court case, so he’s planning a visit in the next few weeks, but he sent a gift to Tristan and an apology that he couldn’t make it work. Hopefully the party will make up for it, but I wish he was more present for them.
The kids are so excited, especially when they realize they each get a jersey and will meet a bunch of Terror players. They’re already familiar with me and Connor, since we’ve both attended Callie’s games.
Flip, who’s been helping organize the food with Rix and Essie, hands me a napkin with a cookie. “This is looking good. When does the birthday girl arrive?”
I check the scoreboard instead of my phone for the time because I don’t want Flip to see my messages with Lexi. “Soon.” He’s just another person to add to the never-ending list of people I’m hiding the truth from.
He frowns as he scans the room, stopping at Tally, Dred, and Connor, who are busy making sure the loot bags are all tagged. “Talls’s boyfriend didn’t make it today, eh?”