Harmless (Pier 70 Book 4)

by Nicole Edwards

  And that was to have Liam and Seg with him.

  After all, that was the only way he’d be truly happy.

  STRESSFUL SITUATIONS TENDED TO MAKE people overreact. Then again, sometimes they did the complete opposite and came to their senses.

  Seg wasn’t sure which could be said for Roan’s sudden one-eighty.

  Now that they were at the hospital and they’d been informed by AJ—who, based on the quick rundown he’d received from Dare, was Milly’s baby’s father as well as Hudson’s brother—that Milly’s labor was going smoothly, things had calmed down somewhat.

  Mostly.

  Gannon seemed to be a mess, which was rather amusing, since it was obvious the guy was trying to pretend to hold it all together. The slight twitch in his left eye gave him away. Seg probably wouldn’t have noticed except Gannon continued to push his glasses up on his nose, which drew attention to it.

  That and the animated conversation about Roan’s dad sending Milly into early labor—Dare was overly dramatic—was the reason Seg had taken Liam for a walk down the hall. Technically, Seg was doing the walking, but Liam didn’t seem to mind. The little boy was doing quite well to be up so late past his bedtime. Then again, he’d slept for several hours, so maybe he simply thought it was morning.

  “What’s up, little guy? You ready for a … uh…” Seg didn’t know what Milly’s baby would be to him. Considering how close everyone was, he figured something more than a friend of the family. “We’ll call it your cousin. It because we don’t know the sex yet. But we will.” Seg glanced at his watch. “She’s been in there for hours.”

  Seg stopped and sat in one of the vacant chairs on the far side of the waiting room. He propped Liam on his knee so the little boy could face him.

  “Do you think you’ll be happy if it’s a girl?” Seg teased. “She’ll probably want you to play with girl toys.” Seg twitched his eyebrow. “Then again, she might want to play with your cars. You do like cars, eh?”

  Liam grinned, then reached for Seg’s mouth. Seg kissed his knuckles.

  “Okay, good. Cars are high up on the list of things you have to have.”

  “Boats, too.”

  Seg looked up to see Teague had joined him, his dog at his side, service animal vest and all.

  “Boats are good,” Seg agreed.

  “Hudson wants him to be a mechanic.”

  “Ahh.” Seg glanced at Liam. “So, maybe have a hobby? Hockey player by trade though. Boat mechanic in your spare time.”

  Teague barked a laugh that sounded a little rusty. “Don’t let Hudson hear you say that. Or Noah. They’re in competition to see who can recruit the kid first.”

  Seg didn’t take his eyes off Liam. “You’re a lucky kid.”

  “He is,” Teague noted.

  “So, what’s with the dog?” Seg asked when Liam leaned over to grab a handful of the animal’s hair.

  “Service dog.” Teague appeared sheepish. “Let’s just say I’ve got abandonment issues. Hudson got him for me. He keeps me company.”

  Well, there was no shame in that. Seg knew better than to ask for details. It wasn’t his business.

  “What’s his name?” Seg scratched the dog’s wide head.

  “Charger.”

  Seg took Liam’s hand and showed him how to rub the dog’s head.

  “So what’re your intentions here, hockey man?”

  Smirking, Seg peered up at Teague. He figured the guy couldn’t be much younger than he was. But he was definitely younger, which made the topic of conversation entertaining. He looked like a surfer just in off the water, not a care in the world. Teague was wearing baggy cargo shorts in the middle of February. His shaggy hair was long, his clothes wrinkled. The look that said he’d rather be at home, but someone had insisted he tag along. Yet he sounded like Seg’s father.

  “What should my intentions be?” he tossed back, trying to throw Teague off.

  Teague took a seat next to Seg. “I’d say they shouldn’t be fuc—” Teague snapped his mouth shut as he glanced at Liam, then took a deep breath. “Messing around with some chick.”

  “I agree.” Seg wasn’t going to argue that point. He deserved to have to face the music. He’d fucked up. It was only fair that Roan’s friends had a chance to tell him how they really felt. Perhaps this wasn’t exactly the appropriate place, but whatever.

  “Despite your obvious lack of sense at times, I think you’re good for Roan.”

  That surprised Seg. “Do you?”

  Teague waved him off. “Oh, don’t go gettin’ all gooey on me. I’m probably the most screwed up here, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. My husband does.”

  Seg noticed Teague grinning as he glanced across the room at said husband.

  “And I like that you tell him like it is,” Teague noted, peering sideways at Seg as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “He needs that. Roan’s the quiet type, always lost in his head. He’s proven he knows best for himself. Or thinks he does, anyway. I haven’t known many people to change his mind either.”

  “You know quite a bit about him.” It wasn’t a question. What Seg was wondering, though, was why Teague was sharing all this.

  “I don’t, actually. I’ve been a partner for years, but I’ve managed to keep my distance. Personal shit and all that.” Teague caught his slip, his eyes darting to Liam in apology for the curse word.

  Sitting up straight, Teague smacked his hands on his thighs, then pushed to his feet. “Well, that’s all the words of wisdom I have for today, children. I’m off to irritate my man.” He grinned. “It’s what I do.”

  When Teague walked away, Seg turned his attention back to Liam. “I can only assume that’s the first of many talks I’ll have in the near future.”

  Liam grinned as though he knew what Seg was talking about.

  “You got my back though, right?”

  Liam swatted at his mouth.

  “Good deal. With you on my side, I can handle anything.”

  In fact, with Liam and Roan on his side, Seg had the key to his happiness.

  “It’s true, you know?”

  Seg looked up to see Cam walking his way. “What’s true?”

  “That little boy makes you feel like you can conquer the world.” Cam took a seat in the chair Teague had vacated. “You’re good with him. You got experience with kids?”

  “Not a lick,” Seg admitted.

  “Wouldn’t know it by looking at you with him.”

  Was he supposed to say something to that?

  Cam sighed. “I wanted to get in my two cents.”

  “Get in line,” Seg told him, keeping his voice low.

  “Teague’s harmless. He means well.”

  “He does.”

  “And so do the rest of us. Roan’s like a brother to me,” Cam told him, his eyes watching the men on the other side of the room. “He’s got his faults.” Cam peered over at Seg, grinning. “But don’t we all?”

  Seg nodded, glancing back at Liam.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not here to read you the riot act. I like you. I like that you’re fighting for Roan. He needs that in his life.”

  “He makes it difficult,” Seg admitted softly.

  Cam laughed on an exhale. “Ain’t that the truth.” His face sobered. “Just keep in mind that he’s trying. Why he thought he had to take this all on himself, I don’t know. I think I’m partially to blame. We were closer before Gannon and I got together.”

  Seg knew how that was. He’d spent years hanging out with teammates. Women came and went in their lives, but every now and then, one stuck. And when that happened, the guy got snagged in her web faded away from the pack, spending time with the person who meant most to him. It made sense.

  “You mentioned earlier that you didn’t know about Liam,” Seg prompted, bouncing Liam on his knee.

  “Not until the night Roan’s sister died. He kept it a secret, which again falls back on me. We grew up together. Shared everything.”


  Until Gannon. Seg got it.

  Cam’s voice lowered as he looked directly at Seg. “Don’t give up on him. He’s the one who usually gives up. Until Cassie, I’d never seen him fight for much of anything. Then Liam came along…”

  Seg understood. However, he also knew he couldn’t be the only one fighting for this relationship. If Roan didn’t want it, Seg had no recourse. As much as it would kill him to do so, he would have no choice but to walk away.

  Peering down at Liam, Seg’s heart squeezed in his chest. He’d only been part of their world for such a short time, but he felt like he’d been there forever. He didn’t want to walk away, but he couldn’t do all the work either.

  “He cares about you,” Cam said. “I know he does.”

  Seg nodded, never looking away from Liam. He didn’t want to see the sympathy in Cam’s eyes. He could hear it in his voice.

  “He needs you in his life, Seg. You’re good for him.”

  That was exactly what Seg had thought. It’d been his reason for coming to Roan tonight.

  Only now, as he glanced over at Roan, he wondered whether or not the opposite was true. If he wasn’t in Roan’s life, they wouldn’t be here. Milly probably wouldn’t be having the baby early. Roan wouldn’t be dealing with his father’s shit.

  Ultimately, Roan would likely be happy.

  Which meant only one thing.

  Seg had to make a choice.

  His happiness.

  Or Roan’s.

  He wished like hell that wasn’t a no-brainer.

  Thirty

  MIRANDA LYNN BALLARD WAS BORN at 3:07 a.m.

  The precious little girl came screaming into this world with a head full of dark hair, weighing in at a whopping eight pounds, six ounces, with a set of lungs that could rival an opera singer.

  At least according to her father.

  Roan had been right there with the rest of them when the proud dad joined them in the waiting room to give them the good news. Possibly for the very first time, they witnessed Gannon break down in tears.

  Of course, Hudson, the proud uncle, informed them all—via sign language—that he had dibs on teaching Miranda to fix a boat. AJ didn’t protest, but Roan was fairly certain AJ was hanging on by a thin thread himself. Had Gannon not been the one to fall apart, AJ would have.

  “Time to call it a night,” Cam informed them all, putting a strong hand on Gannon’s back. “Momma and baby are in good hands with AJ, so we’ll be back bright and early to visit.”

  Roan wasn’t about to argue. He was dead on his feet and it was time to get Liam in his bed. As it was, Liam had fallen asleep on Seg’s shoulder more than an hour ago, and the man refused to let the kid go.

  “You about ready?” Roan asked Seg when the others started filtering out into the hallway.

  “I am.” Seg met his gaze, held it briefly. “Do you want me to take you and Liam home? Or back to the marina to get your truck?”

  The man was giving him an out, Roan knew.

  “I didn’t take my truck,” Roan told him. “I drove Gannon’s. So yes, you can take us to my house.”

  “Okay.”

  The guy wasn’t much for talking, obviously. “It’s late. You want to stay?”

  Seg didn’t answer, and Roan didn’t push. He would wait until they got back to the house before he broached the subject again.

  The drive from the hospital to Roan’s house was quiet. Liam snoozed in his car seat while Seg focused on the road. Roan had no choice but to stare out the window, which he did when he wasn’t sneaking glances at Seg.

  He wasn’t sure whether they’d made any progress tonight or not. He’d run to the marina with the intention of thinking, and that seemed to be the last thing he’d done. Not about what he’d set out to think about anyway. While at the hospital, Roan had spent more time watching Seg with Liam than anything else.

  “Looks like the reporters called it a night,” Seg noted when he pulled into Roan’s driveway.

  “They’ll learn soon enough that I’m not a hot topic,” Roan said, turning to look at Seg, who hadn’t turned off the SUV. “What are you thinking about?”

  Seg shrugged, his attention on the garage door in front of them. “I don’t know how this plays out, Roan.”

  The man sounded tortured and it slashed at Roan’s heart. “I don’t either.”

  “The last thing I want is to be a burden on you. You’ve got your hands full with Liam and now dealing with your father. The only thing I’ve wanted since the very first day I met you was to have a little bit of your time. Then I got it and I wanted a little more. Now I want everything. And I’m not sure that’s fair to you.”

  Roan’s chest constricted. It sure sounded as though Seg was going to walk away. As much as Roan had pretended to want that, he didn’t. Not at all.

  Reaching over, Roan turned Seg’s face so he was forced to look at him. “Don’t give up on me yet.”

  Seg’s eyes were sad. “I could never give up on you. But I’m not above walking away if it makes things easier for you.”

  “That won’t make it easier,” Roan said, searching Seg’s eyes, needing him to know that this was what he wanted. Sure, he was confused and he had a ton of shit to work out, but he wanted Seg in his life.

  Not that he’d been good at expressing that. His constant flip-flopping was probably making Seg dizzy.

  “Are you sure?”

  Swallowing hard, Roan leaned closer. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I just need time to work it out in my head.”

  Seg nodded, as though that was all he needed to hear.

  “Stay the night with me. We can go back to the hospital in the morning to see the baby.”

  Seg shook his head, and Roan’s stomach plummeted. “We’re heading out on the road in a few hours.”

  Roan glanced at the clock. It was already 5:45 a.m. It looked like the day was already underway. He looked at Seg. “For how long?”

  “I’ll be back on Sunday.”

  This was something that Roan understood. Seg was a hockey player. They were on the road a lot. He didn’t like that he couldn’t have the man all to himself, but he got it.

  “Then stay. It’s almost six. Sleep for a couple of hours and then you can drive home.”

  Seg peered into the back seat at Liam, then turned his gaze back to meet Roan’s, and Roan instantly knew that the answer he was going to get was not the one he wanted.

  “I need to get home.”

  Roan’s knee-jerk reaction was to get his feelings hurt, but before he could turn to get out of the SUV, Seg reached for him, holding him in place.

  Seg pressed his forehead to Roan’s. “I want whatever the next steps are, Roan. Whether that’s dating or more than that. But I want you to have the time you need to think on it. I can’t be left in the lurch, not knowing.”

  Damn it. “Fine.”

  “No, not fine,” Seg countered, pulling back. “Why do you do that? Why do you get angry when I’m giving you what you asked for?”

  Roan swallowed back the retort, hating that Seg was right. He managed to take a deep breath.

  Their eyes locked together as Seg held the back of Roan’s neck, not allowing Roan to move.

  “I love you,” Seg whispered. “I don’t say that lightly. And yes, I’ve got my own sins to atone for, but I gave it some thought tonight at the hospital. I’m going to give you the space you need to think, to work it out in your head. And when I come back from this trip, I need an answer. You have choices. You can keep me in your life and we move forward and fight for our family. You, me, and Liam. We confront your father together—you and me—or you move forward and fight him on your own. Either way, I know you’ll win. Liam is lucky to have you. But I want to be in your life because you want me there. I’ve gotten too attached. To both of you.”

  Roan could hear the emotion in Seg’s voice, see the way he swallowed hard to hold it back. He wanted to tell him that he already knew what he wan
ted, but he understood where Seg was coming from. This way, Roan got the time he’d said he needed, and he could prove to Seg that this wasn’t one-sided.

  “Okay.”

  Seg’s gaze dropped to Roan’s mouth briefly, and the next thing he knew, Seg was kissing him. Gently, softly.

  Roan was caught up in the emotion, his chest constricting, his heart ready to burst at the seams. He loved this man, there was no doubt about that.

  But Seg was right. Roan needed some time to think. Some time to process what his father was doing. Hell, he needed to have a rational conversation with the man without having to deal with any of the other shit.

  When the kiss ended and Seg pulled back, Roan reached for him, cupping his face. “Call me the minute you get back?”

  Seg nodded.

  As Roan climbed out of the SUV, as he unbuckled Liam and pulled the sleeping boy from the car seat, as he walked to his front door, a million thoughts were running through his head.

  And not a one of them good.

  Why was it he felt as though his world was ending right here and now? The eerie feeling that he’d never see Seg again shredded his composure, threatening to take him out at the knees.

  He didn’t know why he felt this way. Seg was merely giving him time.

  Right?

  Whatever the reason, he couldn’t shake it.

  And that scared him more than anything ever had.

  SEG DIDN’T GET A CHANCE to sleep after leaving Roan’s, but he figured he could easily grab a nap on the plane to Boston.

  That had been his thinking right up until he arrived to find everyone talking about Mattias leaving the team. No, it wasn’t official, but it did sound as though the guy had an issue. Seg could only guess what that issue was. Surely it wasn’t a coincidence that Mattias had given him the stink eye in the locker room last week.

  “Hey, man,” Kaufman said, leaning down near Seg’s ear from where he was standing in the aisle, arm landing over the back of Seg’s seat.

  Seg turned his head slightly to hear what his captain had to say.

  “Phoenix wants to talk to you when we get to Boston. He said not to freak out. It’s nothing bad.”