“Really,” my dad assures me. “I’ll arrange it with Gray and Ryker. I’m sure Georgia will be on board. Hold on a second…”
I’m confused when my dad stops talking and I hear him have a muffled conversation. When he comes back on the line, he says, “Okay, Georgia says she’s in and she’ll cover your normal work in between singing so you can hang out with us.”
I blink in stunned surprise. “Georgia’s with you?”
“Well…yes,” Brian stammers. “I invited her over to dinner tonight.”
“At your house?” I ask, this time with a sly tone.
“Yes,” my dad grits out. “I’m an adult. I can have someone over if I want.”
I chuckle into the phone. “I’m glad…Dad. Georgia’s amazing and I’m happy for you.”
Brian coughs and says, “Okay…I’ve got to get going and make dinner for Georgia, but would you like to come sit in the owner’s box for tomorrow night’s game? That is, if you have tomorrow off from work.”
“Actually,” I tell him candidly, “Roman’s asked me to come and sit in his seats down near the ice.”
My dad chuckles into the phone, and in a sly tone says, “That boy’s hooked, isn’t he?”
I chuckle and cut my eyes to Roman, who has no clue what my dad just said. Then I smile as I say, “I think it goes both ways.”
“I’m glad, honey,” he murmurs. “Okay, I’m going to let you go. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Dad,” I murmur, not even stumbling over the word this time. “Talk tomorrow.”
The minute I hang up, I turn slowly so I’m facing Roman head-on. “I take it you got the gist of that.”
“Pretty much,” he says. “Brian is definitely your dad and he wants to go out to celebrate Friday night, but since you’re taking tonight off to be with me, and tomorrow night to see my game, you really can’t do Friday night too.”
“Pretty much,” I repeat to him, but then give him an easy, reassuring smile. “But they’re going to come to The Grind on Friday night and listen to me sing, and Georgia’s going to cover other stuff I do in between sets, so I’ll have time to hang. And Brian also invited you to come as well.”
“If you want, why don’t you just hang with them tomorrow at the game up in the owner’s box,” he suggests. “I mean…this is sort of monumental, finding out Brian’s your dad for sure. You should spend tomorrow night with them, and you can come to my next home game if it works out with your schedule.”
Oh man that’s sweet, but it’s also not necessary. “No way. I committed to you first and the celebration will be just as good on Friday as it would be tomorrow. So tonight I’m yours, tomorrow I sit in your seats at the game, and I’ll be yours then too, then Friday you come and hang out with my new family.”
Roman’s eyebrows furrow and suddenly looks extremely uncomfortable. “Listen, Lexi…I don’t think I should go on Friday.”
“What?” I exclaim in confusion. “Why not?”
“That’s a family thing,” he says.
“So?” I say quickly. “It’s a group thing and Brian, I mean Dad, explicitly invited you.”
One of Roman’s arms releases me and he scratches at the back of his buzzed haircut as he gives me an even more uncomfortable look.
“What’s wrong?” I ask softly, bringing my palms to his cheeks.
His eyes drop from mine momentarily, but when they lift back up, I see resolve in them. “I don’t feel comfortable, really, in that situation.”
“Why not?” I ask perplexed, but then immediately it becomes clear to me. “Because of Gray?”
Roman shrugs. “Sort of.”
“Well, it either is or isn’t,” I say, frustrated that he’s making me pull this out of him. So I implore, “Just lay it on me, Roman. I’m a big girl and can handle it.”
After letting out a big sigh, he brings his arms back around me and says softly, “Part of it’s Gray. Things are just tense between us and I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to hang in a social setting. But also, I’m just uncomfortable with the whole family thing.”
“The family thing?” I ask.
“This is a special moment for you, and on the best of days, I’ve never been a family type of guy. It’s just foreign to me. I never had get-togethers or celebrations. I’ve always been sort of a solitary person. I do better in one-on-one situations, so try to think of it as my social game just really sucks in those situations. Add in the pressure that this is a really big deal, you finding your family and trying to establish a bond with them, I just don’t feel comfortable with it. So if it’s okay with you, I’d really like to pass on hanging out with everyone on Friday.”
My stomach sinks with disappointment over Roman’s words, and while I don’t like them, I can understand them. I mean…I can at least try to understand where he’s coming from.
Sort of.
Well, not really.