Harmless(101)

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah. They had a file on her, a note to keep track of the baby if she made it to term. She knew she had a problem, and no, she didn't make much effort to fix it. But she did know what was right for her child. When they were handling the birth certificate, they asked about the father. She had no clue who the guy was, and honestly, I don't think she cared.

"I think CPS put the fear of God into her, telling her in no uncertain terms that they would be keeping an eye on her. After that meeting, Cassie and I had a heart-to-heart. First one ever, I think. She told me she wanted me to be Liam's guardian. She said she knew she wouldn't be a good mom, but she wanted to give it a shot. She wanted to try. Unfortunately, Cassie never was good at following through on anything."

Seg was grateful that Roan had been there to pick up the pieces. That Cassie had been smart enough to know she needed her brother.

"As for Lydia … " Seg shifted closer. "She has experience with that gay household thing? Two moms? Or two dads?"

Roan chuckled, just as Seg had hoped he would. "No, she's merely judgmental."

"Well, if we don't make headway tomorrow night, we'll let my mom get ahold of her," Seg joked. Only he wasn't completely joking.

"It turns my stomach to think about fighting with them on this."

"There's no need to fight," Seg told him, turning so he could get more comfortable. "You're the best thing that's happened to Liam. They'll see that if they just open their eyes."

Roan yawned.

"Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Mmm-hmm."

As Roan drifted to sleep in his arms, Seg held on to him. He didn't want to close his eyes although it would be so easy to do. He wanted to call his mother, to ask her what she thought about Seg going to dinner with Roan's parents tomorrow.

Then again, he knew what she'd say. She'd tell him to fight to win because that was what he was good at.

It was true. He didn't usually give up on what he wanted. Not with hockey, anyway. That had been his dream when he was a kid. He still remembered his first NHL game. He'd been a nervous wreck, but he'd made it through the game without any mishaps.




 

 

Surely he could do the same tomorrow.

Pretend dinner with Roan's father and stepmother was just like any other game. He'd go in with a plan.

To win.

And if they didn't like it?

Well, he'd deal with that when they came to it.

Because Seg hadn't been kidding when he said Roan's parents wouldn't want to go up against an army. And Seg would make sure they paid heavily for doing this to Roan and Liam. He had the money to fight them for as long as necessary.

However, he knew it would be best to resolve this amicably. No reason to cause Roan any undue stress.

Seg hugged Roan tighter, brushing his lips over his forehead, then closed his eyes.

And for the first time in at least a week, Seg fell into a dreamless sleep.





Thirty-Three

EVEN AS THEY WALKED UP the path to his father's front door, Roan wished he were anywhere but here. He'd tried to back out of this dinner a half dozen times today, but Seg had assured him that it would be fine.

Clearly Seg hadn't met Roan's stepmother.

It wasn't that she was a bad person. Lydia Gregory had a good heart beneath her overabundance of prejudice. Although no one was as prejudiced as his own mother, Lydia certainly wasn't a member of PFLAG.

Thankfully, Roan had been out of the house by the time his father and Lydia made the decision to get married. Cassie had still been at home, but that hadn't lasted long. Cassie and Lydia had butted heads. But Cassie had butted heads with everyone at that point in her life.

Taking a deep breath, Roan glanced over his shoulder. Seg was standing directly behind him, carrying Liam. Their eyes met and Roan knew Seg was letting him take his own sweet time.

"Okay, let's get this over with." Roan knocked, then took a step back, keeping Seg at his side.

When the door opened, Roan's father stared back at him, his face a little more weathered than he'd remembered. The man looked tired.

What was he thinking wanting to raise an infant? Even if it was Lydia's grand scheme, surely the guy knew he was getting too old to be starting over.

"Roan." Daniel's dark brown gaze drifted over to Seg.

"Dad, this is Colton Seguine. Colton, this is my father, Daniel Gregory."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Seg said instantly, holding out his hand. "You can call me Seg."

Roan's father nodded, shaking Seg's hand and then stepping out of the way. The man had never been much of a conversationalist.

"Lydia's in the kitchen," Daniel informed them.

"I'm right here," she said, stepping into the small living room. Her eyes darted from Roan to Seg, then back. "I didn't know you were bringing  …  a friend."