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Harmless(96)

By:Nicole Edwards


And now here they were, small talk out of the way. Seg anxiously awaited Phoenix's news, his hands practically vibrating from the tension coiling tight throughout his body.

"I wanted to talk to you first. Give you a heads-up on what's going on. I'm sure you've heard some talk."

Seg nodded, encouraging Phoenix to continue.

"Valeri is looking to be traded. His contract is not up yet, but when his agent came to me about the request, I didn't put up a fight. He'll be snatched up pretty quick, I'm sure. But it'll probably cost him."

Seg knew Phoenix meant in regards to a new contract. When a player decided to leave a team for personal reasons, the potential new team usually did some digging. No doubt about it, there would be some team out there with compassion for Mattias's issue, whatever that might be. However, it'd likely include less money than he would've received if he'd been a free agent.

"Because of me." Seg dropped his gaze to the table as it all made sense.

"He claims to have an issue, but Seg  …  look at me."

Seg looked up.

"He's the only one who's come forward with a problem. Do you realize what that means?"

No, he didn't.

"You need to relax. Not everyone in the world is going to be happy with the decisions we make for ourselves. But those who don't like it have options. You can be who you are and they can be who they are." Phoenix leaned back, his position casual. "He's handling this well, in my opinion. He hasn't come out publicly, and he doesn't intend to."

That was a relief. Seg had suspected Mattias had a problem with him, but he wasn't about to stir shit up for no reason.




 

 

Phoenix leaned back. "Plus, I've got a bead on a great winger who'd be perfect for the team."

That caught Seg's interest. For one, he hadn't expected Phoenix to share any more details than he had to.

"Heath Rush."

Well, that was a name that everyone knew. Kingston Rush's brother played for Colorado, and he was one of the best damn forwards in the league right now. Not that Valeri was a lightweight.

"If all works out, we'll have Heath in place for next year, and Mattias will be leading the line for someone else." Phoenix's eyes softened. "How are you doing otherwise? Any issues?"

Other than the fact that he'd practically given Roan a reason to walk away? "No. No issues."

"Good." Phoenix sat up, took a deep breath. "Well, I'll let you get back to it. Good luck tonight."

"Yeah. Thanks."

When Phoenix disappeared, Seg remained where he was, staring at the coffee cup in his hand while he processed everything that was going on. He reached for his cell phone as his mind whirred with so much chaos. He pulled up his contacts and hit the button.

"Seggy?" his mother greeted. "Are you okay?"

"I am." He hadn't talked to her but briefly in the past week. Ever since he put her on a plane home, he'd kept from burdening her with his issues. He knew she worried, which was why he was calling her now.

"Are you in Boston?"

"Yeah. Got here a couple of hours ago."

"How are things back home?"

Seg went on to explain about Roan's father, about Milly having the baby a little early, and also about his decision to walk away should Roan feel that was the right thing for him.

"You've always been good at that," Deb said when Seg finished.

"At what?"

"Putting everyone above yourself."

Seg didn't think that was true, but he knew that arguing with his mother would get him nowhere.

"I'm so proud of you," she continued. "You are one of the finest men I've ever known. And I'm not just saying that because you're my son either. I want you to be happy, Colton. And I think you understand what that means now. I hate what Roan is going through. It's not easy being a parent in general, and to have to deal with his own turning on him …  I hope he makes the right decision."

Seg chuckled, although he found little humor in it. "The right decision for him."

"The right decision for him is to stand up for the ones he loves. To never give up. To give you the same love and devotion that you give him. But I think he knows that." 

Seg wanted to have his mother's optimistic viewpoint, but he just couldn't. He knew that walking away from Roan, not insisting that this thing between them was right could potentially backfire in his face. However, he'd been the one pushing since day one, and he'd come to a point last night when he needed to know that he mattered to Roan.

Roan easily said he would push everyone else away to do what was best for Liam. He understood that to a degree, but Seg had no desire to find out one day he was on the back burner again. He needed to be a partner in this relationship, not a liability.