3. Roman
THREE
ROMAN
I stare at the most perfect woman I’ve ever met and all I can think is, how is she this stupid. Seeing her in that wedding dress knocked the breath out of me. I’ve never been so surprised in my life. God, she’s beautiful. A hockey playing, Disney princess brought to life.
I don’t even know why I showed up today when I wasn’t invited.
Maybe to talk to her? To tell her…I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since Josh brought her around two years ago.
Is it a shitty thing to confess your…feelings?
thoughts?...to someone hours before their wedding?
Probably. But if there’s something I’m known for, it’s for breaking the rules and testing the boundaries.
I never expected her to demand that I take her away from there. For a second, I thought I was dreaming. Because yes, I’m the idiot who dreams Lavinia Callahan wants to run away with me when in real life, she probably wants to run away from me.
“You’re quiet,” she says now. “That means I’m right.”
Her voice has this husky, phone sex quality that goes straight to my cock. Shit. She definitely doesn’t need me lusting after her right now. Maybe in a couple of months when she’s realized that Josh is truly an asshole.
How the hell did she not see it before? “You’re an idiot, that's what you are.”
Vin gasps, her perfect mouth opening in shock. “Damn Roman, tell me how you really feel.”
“Oh, I’m fucking about to. You agreed to marry a fucker like Josh and now you’re surprised he’s a fucker?
You’re Lavinia Callahan. There are a million Josh’s out there.
There’s only one Lavinia Callahan. Does Josh have any Olympic medals?
Is Josh a role model for every little girl who dreams of playing professional sports?
Fuck, no.” Vin’s eyes widen at my tirade but I’m too far into it to stop.
“The only thing special about Josh is that he can handle a stick. He’s got the personality of a wet blanket.
How he got you to date him and then agree to marry him is beyond comprehension.
The dude must have made a deal with the devil or something.
Let’s hope the devil comes to collect his due soon. ”
Lavinia blinks at me, her mouth opening slightly, though no sound comes out. Any other person in my situation will be embarrassed by her non-reaction because they’re normal. Embarrassment is not an emotion I recognize.
“Roman, don’t take this the wrong way, but you should really be more loyal to Josh. He’s your team captain,” Vin finally says.
I roll my eyes so hard I see the back of my head. This woman. “Josh hasn’t done anything to earn my loyalty and I’m morally against being loyal to absolute degenerates for arbitrary reasons.”
Vin’s nose twitches and I think she’s fighting off a smile.
The gesture is familiar and reminds me of our childhood.
Because our fathers played on the same team, Vin and I spent a lot of time together, with her twin brother Andrew hanging over us like a shadow.
He’s probably tearing up the resort looking for Vin. That’s a funny image.
“Josh is not a degenerate.”
“He’s a degenerate, and you agreed to marry him.”
Vin breathes out, placing a hand over her chest. “Roman, be a little gentle.”
I pick up a piece of her copper hair and rub it between my thumb and forefinger. It’s softer than I expect. I lift my eyes to hers and find her staring at me. There have been very few moments that I can remember looking directly into Lavinia’s eyes.
“Are you telling me you can’t handle it rough, Callahan?”
Her mouth tilts up into a devastating smile. “I’ve had rougher.”
I place a hand over my heart in mock hurt. “Take care of a man’s ego, Blossom. He doesn’t want to hear he doesn’t give it to you rough like you need.”
She scoffs, her eyes sparking with fire. “As a woman, the last thing I want to be responsible for is a man’s ego. If it’s so fragile, maybe you should go play with other little boys.”
I feel my mouth turning up into a smile which feels as unfamiliar as any kind of happiness does. I’ve had reporters question why I’m not happy after a win and the honest answer to that has always been that I don’t know what happiness looks like.
Except when I’m around Lavinia. Because if there’s one thing I know about her, it’s that she’s going to give it as good as she gets it.
She’s an athlete; competitiveness is woven into her DNA.
“There she is,” I say softly. “The Vin I know is not someone who doubts herself because a man fucks up.”
Her lashes flutter as she blinks. Setting aside her empty ice cream cup, she wipes her hands on the napkin before burrowing them into her jacket. When her eyes meet mine, there’s a soft gratitude in them.
“Thanks, Roman.”
“Anytime you need a hype man, I’m right here.”
Her laugh is a gentle, quiet thing. Talking with her is easier than I expected, especially since I’ve been ignoring her for two years.
“I don’t understand why people want to get married, anyway. Marriage is you signing up to haunt someone for the rest of your life all the while regretting saying yes. Even if you get a divorce, that person is going to be in your life forever, and you’ll always be bitter.”
Lavinia blinks at me once, slow like a cat. “Not sure I should be taking marriage advice from a renowned playboy such as yourself.”
“At least I’ve never left anyone at the altar.”
Lavinia gasps, and I feel a kick against my leg under the table.
“Did you kick me?” I ask, incredulously.
“You deserved it,” she says, with a laugh. “You’re not allowed to joke about my misery.”
“The only miserable thing would have been your life if you’d married Josh.”
Lavinia doesn’t look upset about the whole thing, so I think she’s starting to realize that.
She sighs deeply and frowns as she pulls out her phone from her pocket. “Jules says it’s okay to return. She’s broken the news to everyone, and the guests have left. My family is wondering where I am.”
It’s a bitter reminder that she belongs to them.
“Can I ask you something?”
Lavinia looks up from her phone in question.
“Why did you run away? Why not go to your family and let them know yourself?”
Glancing out the window, she chews on her bottom lip as she thinks.
“It’s hard to explain. I guess I feel like I’ve failed, somehow.
I know I’m not the one who fucked up.” She looks back at me.
“Being an athlete in a male dominated world has made me realize that no matter what I do, someone, somewhere is going to find a fault in me and I didn’t want to deal with that.
I didn’t want to have people wondering what’s wrong with me. ”
“None of it is your fault,” I say with conviction.
I have half a mind to track Josh down and drag him back here so he can apologize to Lavinia. The other half selfishly doesn’t want anything to lead to a reconciliation.
Lavinia gives me a soft smile. “I know.”
I offer her a nod, standing up and giving her my hand. She glances between it and me in wonderment before placing her hand in mine. I half expect her to pull it back when she’s standing, but she doesn’t. Instead, she keeps her hand in mine as we walk out of the ice cream shop.
I help her get on the bike, putting the helmet over her head. I get on and without hesitation, Lavinia wraps her arms around my middle, pressing her body against mine. The feeling of her against me makes me freeze for a moment and I have to clear the fog of lust before I start the bike.
“You ready?” I ask, over the roar of the engine.
“I am.”
I pull the bike into the flow of traffic.