Harmless (Pier 70 Book 4)

by Nicole Edwards

  “Well, I’m going to shower and then call Marjorie while you go to practice. Then we’ll meet back here around one?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Deb got to her feet and walked over to him. Seg watched her, then leaned down when she went on her toes to kiss his cheek. She patted his other and smiled warmly.

  “I’m happy for you, honey. I knew one day you’d find what you were looking for.”

  When she walked out of the room, Seg stared into the empty space behind her, smiling to himself. He had found what he was looking for.

  Even if he hadn’t known he’d been seeking it.

  “HE ROLLED OVER!” MILLY SQUEALED. “Oh, my goodness. Did you see it?” Her eyes widened as she shot Roan a shocked look over her shoulder.

  “I saw it.”

  Her expression sobered. “Has he done that before?”

  It was clear Milly wasn’t happy that she wasn’t the first one to see the milestone, which was kind of amusing. “Only once.”

  Milly’s lip protruded in a pout. “You have to tell me these things from now on.”

  Laughing, Roan said, “I’ll be sure to do that.”

  Milly’s small hand covered her rounded belly and smiled over at AJ. “One of these days, we’ll have a little one rolling over, too.”

  “We will,” AJ agreed, smiling at Milly.

  Roan had come over to Cam’s at his request. Milly had driven out to their house so she could go to the event at the children’s home with Gannon, but when she got there, she admitted she wasn’t feeling well. Since Gannon needed someone to assist, Cam had offered his services, and Roan had agreed to come chill with Milly. Not long after he and Liam arrived, so did AJ, as well as AJ’s brother, Hudson. Teague hadn’t been far behind. So, the six of them were having a regular old party right there and the homeowners weren’t even present to stop them.

  “I assume the pizza will be here soon,” Milly grumbled. “I’m starving.”

  “Ten minutes or so,” Roan added.

  “So, how’s the hot hockey player working out?” Milly inquired, shifting around to face Roan more fully while still being able to keep an eye on Liam.

  Roan knew there was no such thing as a safe topic with Milly. He also knew that she’d been chomping at the bit since he arrived to ask about Seg.

  “He’s good.”

  “And I heard you met Mom, too.”

  Great. Nothing was sacred anymore. He knew he shouldn’t have mentioned it to Cam. “I did.”

  “That go okay?” Milly’s expression was one of true concern.

  “It was fine.”

  “Either she liked you or she didn’t,” Teague mused. “Which was it?”

  “I’m sure she liked me just fine.” Roan didn’t know for sure, but he had no reason to believe otherwise.

  Milly held out her hand, and AJ got up to help her to her feet. “Does this mean things are serious?”

  Roan cocked an eyebrow. “Define serious.” He glanced down at her belly. “If you’re asking whether we’re gonna have kids together…”

  “Smartass.” Milly giggled. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  He gave Milly and AJ a pointed look. “Are things serious between you two?” Roan countered, wanting to get off this subject. He was quite content with how things were going between him and Seg right now. He didn’t want to jinx it by talking about it too much.

  “Define serious,” she mocked, rolling her eyes.

  Roan glanced at AJ, who was smiling at Milly, a slight shake of his head. The guy had been around her long enough at this point he probably wasn’t surprised by anything she said or did. The rest of them had long ago gotten used to it.

  It was obvious AJ and Milly were getting along well. For two people who’d had a quick fling on a cruise ship, things had turned out different than they’d anticipated. Considering they were having a baby in a couple of months, Roan figured it was drastically different.

  “When are you two gonna have kids?” Milly asked, her question directed at Teague and Hudson.

  Hudson grinned and Teague paled, making the rest of them laugh.

  “Leave the poor guy alone,” AJ told Milly. “They’ll have kids when they’re ready.”

  Or not, based on the wide-eyed look Teague was giving Hudson.

  Roan glanced at AJ, then over to Hudson. He figured they were thinking the same thing he was: there was only one way to shut this woman up these days and that was to feed her.

  God, where the hell was that pizza?

  Twenty-Two

  Saturday night, January 28th

  THANKS TO ROAN CALLING TO ask if he could pick Seg’s mother up and bring her to the game, Seg had been able to focus completely on getting in the right mindset for tonight. That had paid off big-time. Not only did the Arrows win but they managed a shutout on top of that. Although Kingston Rush, their goalie, had been having an off month, it looked as though he was back. At least for now.

  Seg would take it. Well, that and the two assists he’d received tonight. Certainly not a bad way to end the day.

  And now as he rushed to get showered and dressed after spending twenty minutes on the bike, he couldn’t stop thinking about spending the rest of the night with Roan. No, he hadn’t talked to Roan about it yet, but he fully intended to just as soon as he saw him.

  It was a fucking wonder Seg could concentrate on anything at all, actually. No matter what he did, he thought of Roan. He thought about the past, present, and future. His brain insisted on pulling up mental images of how they’d met, the things they’d done to one another that night. Of course, the year of pain and misery between then and seeing Roan again was all a distant thought, shoved to the back of his mind where it belonged.

  Admittedly, he spent more time dwelling on how to convince Roan to spend more time with him. Not to mention, how to make that happen with the season underway. They still had two more months unless the Arrows made it to the playoffs, then it would be more. For the first time in his life, Seg was torn over whether or not he wanted to make it to the playoffs.

  No, that was only partially true. He definitely wanted to make it to the playoffs. This was what he lived for.

  Or it had been until he’d met Roan.

  As for the future, Seg had never been the type to think about what might happen tomorrow. With Roan in his life, he had plenty of those thoughts.

  But honestly, he needed to focus on the next few minutes of his future if he expected to see Roan at all.

  Twenty minutes later, Seg strolled out of the locker room to find the hallways nearly empty. Most of the players had jetted already, only a few still lingering to chat about the game and what their plans were after they left the arena.

  “Hey, Seg! You wanna meet us over at the Penalty Box?” Kaufman asked.

  “I’ll have to see what my mother wants to do,” he told him.

  Spencer grinned and Seg rolled his eyes. So what if his captain wanted to give him a hard time about his mother. Right now, nothing could bring him down.

  “Cool,” Spencer stated. “We’ll see you if we see you.”

  With a half-ass wave, Seg continued toward the players’ parking lot. He had no intention of going out tonight. The only thing he wanted to do was go home and spend the rest of the evening with Roan, Liam, and his mother. He smiled to himself. He was thinking like a regular old family guy.

  “Hey, Seg! Can you answer a question?”

  Seg turned at the unfamiliar voice. He spotted a young guy moving toward him with a purpose. The guy wore jeans and an Austin Arrows jersey. The ball cap on his head was also Arrows. Seg didn’t recognize him, but he stopped anyway. If he was a fan, Seg would offer a quick autograph and be on his way.

  “What’s up?” Seg replied, quirking a brow in question, waiting for the man to state the reason for chasing him down.

  “I saw your mom at the game tonight.”

  The hair on the back of Seg’s neck stood on end. He had no idea who this gu
y was, but anyone who started out a conversation like that was questionable. For one, Seg made sure to keep his mother out of the spotlight. And two, Seg didn’t know this guy from Adam.

  “She was here with a guy.”

  Definitely creepy.

  The guy grinned, as though he was Seg’s best friend. “They looked to be having a good time. Laughing. Joking.”

  Seg had no idea where this guy was going with this.

  “Is it true that you’re in a serious relationship?”

  Seg tried to play it cool, pretend he wasn’t sweating, because he had the sudden suspicion that this asshole wasn’t a fan. He was a reporter and he was fishing for some information. As for how he’d become privy to something like that, Seg had no idea.

  The guy grinned and this time he looked like a shark. “And your new … how do you put it? Boyfriend? He was here at the game tonight?”

  Seg grimaced. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He didn’t bother waiting for a response before turning and heading toward his Range Rover.

  “Come on, Seg. It’s cool if you cross swords in your spare time. No one’s gonna judge you, bro.”

  Seg didn’t respond, and it took everything in him not to turn around and punch the dickhead in the face.

  He reached his SUV and hit the button to unlock the door.

  “So, I take that as a yes. You won’t mind if I make it public record, will you?”

  Unable to refrain, Seg spun around and grabbed the guy by the front of the jersey. Clearly the asshole hadn’t been expecting it. His eyes widened and he sucked in air.

  “Leave me and my personal life alone,” Seg growled.

  The bastard smirked.

  “Hey, Seg? You have a problem?”

  Shit.

  Kaufman strolled toward them and Seg was forced to release the asshole. The last thing he needed was to be brought up on assault charges. This dickweed wasn’t worth it.

  “No problem,” the guy said cheerily. “Seg and I were just chatting, Optimus. Talking about good times. New relationships. Did you know Seg was dating a dude?”

  Kaufman stopped beside Seg, glaring down at the asshole. Seg could only assume he was a reporter. Fans didn’t usually take to harassing him.

  “Fuck off,” Kaufman growled, his voice low. “What Seg does in his off time is none of your goddamn business.”

  Son of a bitch.

  Seg understood that Kaufman thought he was standing up for him, but the way he worded that gave the little fucker all the ammunition he needed.

  “That’s what I thought.” The guy brushed off his jersey and turned to walk away. “Thanks for the confirmation, Optimus. I’ll make sure you’re quoted in the article.”

  “Fuck.” Seg’s hands fisted at his sides and his teeth clamped together so hard he thought he might crack a molar.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  Seg glared at Kaufman, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he shook his head and opened his door. No way could he trust any damn thing that came out of his mouth right now.

  “I THINK YOU’RE THE FIRST person who hasn’t freaked out when I get so excited during a game that I dump half my popcorn,” Deb stated as Roan sat on the couch across from her.

  He smiled. She did get quite animated during a game.

  “In case you didn’t figure it out, I’m quite the hockey fan.”

  Oh, that was obvious.

  “Even before Seg started playing when he was little. His father had played some in high school. Never wanted to go pro, but he sure looked good out there playing. Granted, when Seggy took it up, it only fueled my passion for the sport. His father used to make fun of me.”

  Roan didn’t know what to say to that.

  “So, how’s Liam? Have you checked on him?”

  Roan nodded. He’d already called Cam twice tonight. Once during the first period and again after the game. Based on what Cam told him, Milly had come over to help watch him so there was absolutely nothing for Roan to worry about. Not that Roan was worried. He knew his son was in good hands. Didn’t stop him from missing the little boy though.

  “Have you taken him to a game yet?” Deb inquired.

  “Not yet.”

  “That’s probably for the best. Wait until he’s a little older. It’s cold in there.”

  Roan smiled, refusing to check his watch. It wasn’t that he minded spending time with Deb, but he was hoping to spend a little time with Seg tonight. He was torn between running home to see Liam or sticking around for a while. The selfish side of him won out. He could easily go home later or even first thing in the morning.

  It wasn’t lost on him that he’d started doing the exact opposite of what he’d set out to do. Originally, he’d intended to put his love life on the back burner, dedicate every waking moment to raising Liam. Then Seg came along and he’d gotten some of his priorities mixed up.

  Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Roan knew what his priorities were. Liam, first and foremost. But he was trying to compromise because this thing with him and Seg was going somewhere. He could feel it. And the last thing he wanted to do at this point was miss out on what could possibly be something real and true.

  “I thought Seg would be here by now,” Deb said. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “No, I’m good. Thank you though.”

  “Suit yourself.” Deb yawned again. She’d been doing it for the past half hour.

  Roan grinned. “You don’t have to stay up for my benefit.”

  Deb chuckled. “Oh, thank heavens, because I’m pooped. I didn’t want to seem rude.”

  “Not at all.” Roan leaned back into the cushion of the couch. “I’ll just wait for Seg.”

  Deb got to her feet. “Okay, then. I’ll see you in the morning?”

  Roan swallowed as heat engulfed his face. Once again, Debra Seguine had managed to embarrass him.

  She clearly knew that she did because she giggled as she passed by. “Tell Seg I thought he was fantastic tonight.”

  “Will do.”

  “Good night, Roan. And thank you for taking me to the game and for putting up with me.”

  “It was my pleasure.” And that was the truth. He’d had a good time with Deb tonight. The woman knew her hockey.

  When Deb disappeared at the top of the stairs, Roan glanced down at his watch. He’d figured Seg would be home by now, too. A trickle of unease skated down his spine and Roan reached for his phone. He dialed Seg’s number, but the call went straight to voice mail. Made sense. Seg probably turned his phone off during a game. Maybe he forgot to turn it back on.

  Figuring Seg would be home shortly, Roan turned on the television and got comfortable.

  Two hours later, Roan woke up in the same spot he’d been in. He glanced around to see Seg’s house looked exactly the same. And no Seg anywhere in sight.

  He got to his feet and yawned, stretching his back muscles. Sleeping on the couch sucked ass, especially doing it sitting up.

  Roan made a quick trip to the bathroom, then peeked into Seg’s room to make sure the man hadn’t simply gone right to bed. The bed was still made.

  He tried Seg’s phone again.

  “What?”

  Roan’s eyebrows shot upward at the rough sound of Seg’s voice.

  “Hey. You okay?”

  “Fine.”

  Roan glanced around the house, confused. “Are you … uh … coming home?”

  “Nope.”

  Roan frowned. What the fuck? “No?”

  “You heard me. I’m not coming home.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Does it fucking matter?”

  Roan dropped onto the couch, phone clutched to his ear. “Actually, yeah. It does matter.”

  “Well, too bad. No, not you, sweetheart. You just keep that sweet little ass right here in my lap.”

  “What the fuck?” Roan shot to his feet, a furious growl escaping when he did.

  “Sorry, man. This is the way shit goes some
times. I stopped to grab a beer with the guys, and this cute little puck bunny found her way right into my lap. Yep, I’m talking about you, doll.”

  Roan couldn’t help but notice Seg’s words were slurring. “Did something happen, Seg?”

  “Not yet. But give me another couple of beers and this cutie’ll be bouncing up and down on my dick.”

  Roan felt sick to his stomach. The thought of Seg and someone else…

  Nope. He wasn’t going there.

  Rather than listen to any more, Roan cut the call and raced to the bathroom. His stomach erupted violently, his chest so tight he thought for sure he was having a heart attack. It took a few minutes for his body to settle, and when it did, he washed out his mouth and went in search of his keys. Within minutes he was in his truck on his way home.

  He was tempted to stop and pick up Liam because he didn’t want to be alone, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Liam was fine where he was. Roan would go home, get some sleep, and start over again tomorrow.

  Maybe then some of this would make sense.

  Twenty-Three

  “FUCKING HELL,” SEG GROANED WHEN he rolled over. His head was spinning, the blood pounding behind his eyes. He fought to keep them open, to look around.

  He recognized his room. His alarm clock. His bed.

  Well, the good news was that he’d somehow managed to make it home, but he must’ve face-planted on the mattress, because the damn thing was still made, but his pillows were on the floor.

  “Thank Christ,” he grumbled.

  He got the feeling that was all the good he’d get for today. Maybe forever.

  Rolling over onto his back, he closed his eyes again, trying to remember what the fuck happened last night.

  It all came back to him in a blinding rush and his stomach lurched.

  The game. The reporter. The Penalty Box.