Harmless(97)

Seg had been as clear as he could be in his feelings for Roan. He'd told him repeatedly that he wanted to be with him, to stand behind him, to love him. Now he needed Roan to do the same.

Because no matter what, Seg had tackled the biggest obstacle of his life. He'd come out. Risked his career even. He was finally free and that mattered to him. He wasn't going to settle for second place for anyone. Not when it mattered most.

"I want you to go out on that ice tonight and play like you always do. Play to win, Seggy. That's what you do. In every aspect of your life."

Wanting to break the melancholy mood, Seg forced a smile and sat up. "I will, Ma. Is Marjorie coming over to watch the game?"

Deb giggled. "She is. Which means I've got to come up with a way to freak her out again. So, maybe you could score a goal or something. That should send me right over the edge."

Seg chuckled. "I'll do my best."

"You always do. Oh, and Seggy?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Ma."





Thirty-One

Sunday, February 12th

"YOU'RE SURE Y'ALL DON'T MIND watching him?" Roan asked Cam, observing his best friend closely.

It'd been a hell of a week for Cam and Gannon. Ever since Milly brought the baby home, she'd been in rare form. From what Roan had been told, she called them with a million questions. Mostly about work and her fear that Gannon would not be able to survive without her. Of course, Gannon had assured her that he would barely scrape by, but he would manage.

"We're sure," Cam assured him. "We're just hanging out tonight, so you're good. Go."

Roan nodded, then headed over to Liam. He kissed his son, told him he'd see him first thing tomorrow morning, and made his way to the door. He hated leaving Liam right now, but with Seg coming home, Roan needed to fix things between them. Only then could they move on with the rest of their lives.

"Thanks," Roan called out as he opened the door. "And call me if you need anything."

"We won't. We're pros at this now."

That wasn't far from the truth. Cam and Gannon had helped more than Roan ever expected them to, and he was beyond grateful.

Roan made a beeline for his truck. Five minutes later he was on the way to Austin. He wasn't exactly sure what time Seg would be home, but he'd waited as long as he could. He had purposely not called or texted-however, Seg hadn't either-for the last few days. Roan had focused solely on trying to figure out what he wanted.

It hadn't been difficult. He knew what he wanted; he merely didn't know how to go about getting it. Did he want what Cam and Gannon had? Or Noah and Dare? Hudson and Teague?

Of course he did. Would he be able to sustain a relationship with little effort the way those guys did? Doubtful. Roan wasn't perfect. He'd proven that already.

However, he didn't think he'd gone so far as to kill this thing between him and Seg. It was clear he'd pushed too far, not giving Seg a chance. That was on him. And tonight he intended to lay it all out for Seg. Tell him how he felt and just what Seg meant to him. He'd spent hours thinking about how he would deliver that message, but he'd never come up with the perfect plan, so he intended to wing it.




 

 

Along with thinking about Seg these past few days, Roan had also had to deal with his father. They'd talked, but not at length. His father had invited him and Liam to dinner tomorrow night. Roan had tentatively accepted but had every intention of inviting Seg to go with him. That would likely shock the shit out of his old man, but it was the way it was going to be.

If all went well tonight, Roan would be moving on to the rest of his life.

He only prayed Seg was on board for that wild ride.

Forty-five minutes later, Roan pulled up to Seg's house. It took him a few minutes to get the nerve to get out of his truck, but he finally got some starch in his legs and managed to make it to the front door.

He knocked.

There was no sound from the other side. He prayed that meant Seg wasn't home and not that he was ignoring him. There was no way Roan could accomplish his goal if Seg didn't give him a few minutes at least.

Still, he stood there, staring at the door, willing it to open.

"Come on, Seg," he whispered.

A tap on his shoulder had Roan spinning around so fast he nearly toppled them both off the front porch.

"Damn it," Roan grumbled. "You scared the shit out of me."

With his hands securing Roan's upper body, Seg glanced over his shoulder to where he'd parked his Range Rover. "I thought for sure you heard me."

Roan shook his head. "No. I was too busy pleading with a higher power to open the door."

Seg grinned and the move caught Roan's breath. He hadn't seen Seg smile like that in a while.