Roan swallowed hard but didn't say anything. He continued to get lost in Seg's steel-blue eyes, in the warmth he saw there. This man was for real, which was quite possibly what scared him most.
"Tell me," Seg insisted.
"No, it's just-" Roan leaned up and kissed Seg, unable to resist. "I'm good. I'd be honored to meet your mother. And if something changes, if you don't want to introduce us, I understand."
Seg kissed him back, cupping his face and swiping his thumb down Roan's cheek. The gentleness in the man's touch was so different than what he'd expected. Here was this formidable badass hockey player who took hits that most men couldn't handle, and he was being so sweet.
"Thank you."
Roan looked up, his confusion obviously showing. "For what?"
"For being at that bar that night, for showing back up out of the blue at the rink, for being on my doorstep when I least expected it, for … for everything."
"You make it damn near impossible to resist you, you know that?" Roan chuckled.
"That's my plan."
"Yeah, well, it's working." Roan had never admitted something quite that truthful in his life. Something that made him feel so vulnerable.
Yet the look on Seg's face didn't reflect an ounce of arrogance.
"You about done with those brownies?" Roan asked, changing the subject. "I'm waiting to get on to the brownie batter portion of tonight's entertainment."
"Oh, we'll get there."
Roan couldn't wait.
Eighteen
Wednesday, January 25th
SEG WAS AT THE AIRPORT late Wednesday night when his mother's plane arrived. The minute he saw her coming down the escalator toward him, his spirits lifted. The woman would never cease to amaze him. Although he knew it'd been a long day for her, she was still smiling, greeting him with a hug and a kiss before he grabbed her suitcases and walked her to the Range Rover.
"Tell me what you did today, Seggy," his mother prompted as he pulled out of the airport and onto the highway.
"I went shopping," he informed her.
"Grocery shopping?" She grinned.
"That, too."
"Really?"
Seg cast a quick look her way. "Of course. You sent me a list, remember?"
His mother giggled. "What else did you shop for?"
Feeling his face heat, Seg remembered the kind woman at the baby store who had helped him locate all the things he was searching for. This thing with Roan was permanent. Maybe they hadn't quite talked about it completely, but as far as Seg was concerned, Roan and Liam were it for him. Hence the reason he went in search of a car seat, portable crib, and books. Lots of books on all things baby.
Rather than tell his mother that, he grinned. "Just things." Knowing he had piqued her curiosity, he opted to change the subject. "How about Mexican food?"
"Oh, heavens yes. That sounds perfect right about now."
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a minute and Seg drove.
The drive back into Austin didn't take long, even after they'd stopped for dinner at a little Tex-Mex place his mother loved to visit when she was in town. Now that they were at his house, Seg's nerves were beginning to unsettle, and he found himself pacing his kitchen while she put her things away.
When she appeared in the doorway, he forced himself to stop moving.
"Okay," she said, her tone serious. "Let's talk. Spit it out, Seggy. I know there's something on your mind, and you're not that great at small talk."
He smiled despite his nerves. The woman knew him too well. And true, he'd probably used up all his small talk during dinner, which admittedly hadn't been much. They could only talk about the weather for so long.
"Wine?" he offered.
"Does anyone ever say no to wine?"
"I do," he admitted.
"You don't count."
Seg poured her a glass of wine, then led the way to the living room, urging her onto the couch. He fought the urge to pace and forced his ass onto a cushion nearby.
"What is it?" It was clear she wasn't going to be happy until he told her what had him so worked up.
"I met someone." That was the easy part of the conversation, he knew.
"I assume it's serious since you meet a lot of someones yet you never mention them to me."
"It's serious."
She nodded, watching him closely.
Seg took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how to say this because I'm just getting used to it myself." He wrung his hands in his lap, then lifted his gaze and met hers head on. "I'm gay, Ma."
Debra Seguine didn't move a muscle. She didn't appear shocked or outraged. There was no disgust or disdain etched on her aging face. And yes, he looked. He was searching for any nuance that would give away her initial thoughts. Somehow, she masked her expression perfectly. That or she wasn't at all surprised. In fact, his mother looked the same as she always did when he told her anything important. She was processing the information, likely coming up with a dozen questions.