Typical Rome. Buying an expensive suite just so his pregnant wife would be safe and warm while he played.
For a minute, I looked down at my pale-pink knee-length chiffon shirtdress, my black fitted blazer, and my favorite pair of brown cowboy boots that I’d had for years. My hair was tied with chopsticks and I wore large silver loops in my ears.
I’d asked Molly a million times if what I was wearing was okay. She assured me it was. But Molly really couldn’t give two shits about what she or I looked like, never had. What she didn’t see, however, was that she always looked beautiful no matter what she wore. And today was no exception, as she sported a long black dress, the clingy jersey material showcasing her growing bump and stunning figure. Her long brown hair was curly and flowing down her back, her square-framed Chanel glasses complimenting her pretty face.
Hearing someone enter the suite, I turned to see Lexi and Levi walk in. Lexi beamed a huge smile at us all, waving excitedly as she wore her “Carillo” Seahawks home jersey with a pair of jeans. Levi was wearing the navy-and-green jersey too. I expected him to come and say hello. Instead, he jerked his chin in a brief greeting and walked to the far side of the suite to sag down in a chair.
Frowning at his strange behavior, I held out my hands to Lexi and kissed her cheek. “How’re you doing, darlin?” I asked.
“Good, you?” she answered, but I could see she was distracted about something.
Blushing, I dipped my head. “I’m real good.”
Lexi cocked her head to the side as she regarded me. “What—”
“She’s been out all night, Lex,” Molly interrupted from beside us, and Lexi’s eyes widened in interest.
“Who with? Do tell?” Lexi asked, leading me to a couch in the corner of the room. Molly followed and we all sat down.
“Taking a deep breath, I couldn’t fight the smile pulling on my face. “Elpidio,” I confessed, and Lexi’s thrilled smile reflected my own.
“The reclusive artist?” she asked, curiously.
“Yes,” I replied, giggling.
“And?” Molly asked. “What happened last night? You’ve said nothing about it yet. You’ve kept me on tenterhooks!”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure how to explain what Elpi and I had shared. It wasn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination, and honestly, by both his looks and closed-off attitude to seemingly everyone but me, I knew my friends would warn me to stay away.
Lexi and Molly were waiting anxiously for my answer, so I simply said, “It was the best night of my life. He’s beyond anything I could ever have imagined.”
Molly reached over me and pulled me in for a happy hug, and Lexi could do nothing but smile. I laughed at Molly’s reaction when a server came by to hand us glasses of champagne.
As I reached out for my flute, I noticed Levi slumped further into his chair, looking out over the field, with headphones on, music blaring, blocking out the world, lost in thought. He looked miserable. My eyebrows pulled down.
“Lex?” I called and, stopping her conversation about Austin’s debut today with Molly, she turned to face me.
I nudged my head in the direction of Levi. “What’s wrong with Lev? He looks as miserable as sin and barely said hello when y’all walked in.”
Lexi ran her tiny hand, sporting black nail varnish, down her face, glancing sympathetically at Levi, then back to us. “Axel,” she said on an exasperated sigh.
I grimaced. “Shit. Yeah. Molly and Rome told me he’d got out of prison. How’s all that going? I haven’t had time to ask you much about it.”
“Axel’s quiet, don’t say much at all. Keeps to himself. I actually kinda feel sorry for him. He’s always on his own.” I leaned forward to pat Lexi’s hand. She squeezed my fingers. “But Levi… Levi’s just angry all the time. And it breaks me seeing him this way… both of them this way. Axel tries to speak to Levi, he’s really trying to make amends, but Lev just explodes if he does. It’s hopeless.”
“And what’s wrong with him today? It’s Austin’s debut for the Seahawks. I thought he’d be excited. And they’re playing Reece’s team too, so he’ll get to see him again.”
“He is,” Lexi answered, “but Axel’s due here any minute. Austin wanted Axe here so bad he begged him to show up. It tore me apart seeing how excited Austin was that Axe was gonna finally see him play in the NFL. That husband of mine hero-worships his big brother. Even after everything they’ve gone through, he loves him to death.”