Until they did.
“Cassandra.” Her dad’s terse tone made her sit once more. “If I know my daughter at all, the wheels are already turning in that brilliant mind of yours. So, let me make something clear. Roman cannot live under this roof and date my daughter who happens to live in the room next to his. I love that boy like my own son, but he is still a boy.”
“What are you saying?” She sucked in a breath.
“If I find out a relationship continues behind my back, I will have no choice but to send him to his parents.”
“In Estonia?” She jumped to her feet. “You can’t.”
“I don’t want to do it. But Cassie, I am your father. I will always do what I think is best for you.”
“If you think this is what’s best for me, then you don’t know me at all.” She scowled down at him. “Roman has been there for me the past few weeks. Roman, not you.” He flinched, and she wasn’t sorry for her words. “He is the best guy I know. I spent two years unable to speak to him or anyone not in this family. Everything changed for me when he moved in. Did you know he took me to the diner last night? Or that I drove us home?”
She turned her back on him. “I’m finally feeling like me again. And it’s because of him.”
“No, honey. You’ve come this far because of you, your strength.”
Whether that was true or not, she couldn’t have done it alone. “Needing other people doesn’t make me weak.” The words were for herself as much as him. She yanked open the door.
Her dad’s final words followed her out. “Guess we answered the question about your feelings.”
He was right. Her outburst told him everything he needed to know about what she wanted from Roman. A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek as she ran up the stairs and into the solitude of her room. She couldn’t tell Roman how she felt now, not without risking losing him.
Throwing herself down on her bed, she reached under her pillow until her fingers grasped the smooth surface of her e-reader.
The real world sucked. She’d rather live in her romance novels for a while.
22
Roman
“I promise. I don’t have feelings for Roman.”
He didn’t believe her. Maybe Cass didn’t want to have feelings for him, maybe she wished they could just be friends, but that wasn’t real.
And he’d prove it to her.
Once he figured out how.
Roman tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, not quite understanding why he’d driven to Hadley’s community of McMansions. He’d needed to get out of the Carrigan house to clear his head.
It didn’t help that the only person he could really talk to besides Cass was also a Carrigan. Jesse wasn’t an option.
A knock sounded on his window, and he lifted his gaze to find Hadley peering in at him, her blond bangs sweeping across her forehead. She smiled and knocked again.
Roman rolled down the window.
“I was starting to wonder if you were going to sit out here all night.” The kindness she showed to so few people at school was what he needed, why he’d come.
Hadley Gibson was the wild girl of Gulf City High, but he realized in that moment she’d also become one of his best friends, one of the few friends he counted on.
Her smile fell as sympathy entered her gaze. What did she see on his face? He didn’t dare ask.
“Come inside.” She pointed to the massive brick structure behind her that looked all too similar to every other house in the neighborhood. Gulf City as a whole was an affluent community, but Wentwood took that to a new level.
He turned off his car and opened his door. “Just for a few. I needed to get out of the house.”
“Perfect because Gramps just took his famous key lime pie out of the fridge. We’re about to cut into it.” She flashed him a grin and bounced toward the door.
He knew little about Hadley’s home life except that she lived with her mom and grandfather. Every few weeks, they left Hadley home alone for the weekend as they drove to Naples to visit her aunt. Hence the epic parties she threw.
The Gibson house looked even bigger on the inside. Warm wooden banisters rose with the spiral staircase to the upstairs. Black wooden flooring lined the lower levels with rugs interspersed throughout.
Hadley led him into an open concept living room and kitchen. A middle-aged woman sat in a recliner near the TV while an older man served pie in the kitchen. Four plates. Roman looked to Hadley.
She shrugged. “We all saw you sitting out there. He figured whoever you were, something on your face screamed “I need pie.” But to be fair, pie is his solution to everything in life.”
Her grandfather looked up and smirked. “Dearest gran, has there ever been something my deserts couldn’t fix?” He lifted an eyebrow as his gaze found Roman. “We don’t like Hadley’s boyfriends idling in the driveway and creating oil stains.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
He pointed the pie server at Hadley. “He called me sir. You hear that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Papa, I already told you, Roman is not my boyfriend. He’s madly in love with this other girl who has no idea.” She turned to Roman. “And he doesn’t care about your car in the drive. Don’t listen to him. I never do.”
“I heard that.” Her grandfather turned to open the fridge. “And no more of this “sir” business, young man. Call me Jack.”
Her mom walked in from the living room, a tight smile on her face. “Hello.”
“Um…” He wished he hadn’t come. He just wanted to see Hadley, not her family. “Hello, Mrs. Gibson. I’m Roman.”
“Oh, we’ve heard all about you, Roman.”
“Laura.” Jack pointed a can of whipped cream at her. “Cut it out. Don’t make the kid uncomfortable. He’s got girl problems.”
“Girl problems?” Laura slid onto a stool at the counter. “A good-looking young man like you?”
“Ew, Mom. That’s gross.” Hadley lifted herself onto the counter, her legs dangling over. “Papa, don’t forget the—”
“Extra whipped cream.” He shook his head. “Think I was born yesterday?” He covered each piece of pie completely before sliding them across the counter along with a pile of forks. “Now, Roman, take a seat and tell us all about these girl troubles.”
He looked from Hadley to her mother to her grandfather. They expected him to tell all of them the details of his love life? Who were these people?
He tried to find help in Hadley, but she only shrugged and dug into her pie with a moan. “Take a bite, Rome. It’ll make you feel better.”
Digging his fork into the pie, he brought it to his mouth and had to hold in his own moan. It was the best thing he’d ever tasted.
Jack grinned and leaned against the counter. “Want to know my secret?”
“Papa!” Hadley’s eyes widened. “You don’t even know him.”
“He looks like a trustworthy young man. So, Roman, the secret to a great key lime pie is not to use key lime juice. Instead, half lemon and half lime.”
Roman swallowed. “So, it’s really lemon-lime pie?”
“You take that back. In this house, we still call it key lime.”
Roman smiled as he took another bite. Before he knew what was happening, the entire Cassie saga spilled out of him. How they’d been friends growing up until her mom died. How she’d stopped speaking to him for two years until he was forced to move in. The kiss she’d asked for. Roman making it his mission to help her heal. Cassie taking care of him when he was sick.
And finally, what he’d overheard her say.
When he was finished, silence filled the cavernous room until Hadley sighed. “It’s like a movie.”
“Or a romance novel,” Jack added before clearing his throat. “I mean, if I knew what was in those.” He rubbed his face. “Okay, I know what you need.”
“With all due respect, I just met you. How could you know how to fix this?”
Hadley nudged Roman with her
foot. “Did I ever tell you my gramps was magical?”
“Magical?”
“Yeah, every time I go to him with a problem, he knows how to fix it. It’s magic.”
Laura slid from her stool and gathered all their plates to take them to the sink. “Listen to my father, Roman. The old man knows a thing or two.”
“Who you calling old?” Jack reached for the whipped cream. “Roman, tilt your head back.”
“Why?”
“Just do it. It’ll make you feel better.”
Not wanting to argue, Roman did as he asked. Jack pulled open his jaw and sprayed whipped cream right into his mouth.
“How do you feel now?”
Roman swallowed. “Full of sugar.”
Jack nodded. “Better than full of crap, young man. This girl of yours, what’s she worth to you?”
“Everything. She’s… perfect.”
“Perfection is an impossible standard, but the Gibson family is going to help you get the girl.”
“We are?” Hadley looked to him in surprise.
“Love, no matter the age it comes about, is always worth fighting for, Hadley. Remember that.” He turned his gaze back to Roman. “This Mr. Carrigan… his issue is that you currently live next door to his daughter?”
Roman nodded. “But my parents moved to Estonia. I can’t risk being sent there.”
“Well, I’ve always thought this house was too big for the three of us.”
“What?”
Both Hadley and Laura snapped their eyes to his.
Jack didn’t seem to notice. He swiped his finger in the leftover pie and licked it off as he thought. “Hadley likes you, Roman, and she’s the best judge of character I know. You’ll move into one of the guest rooms. But I have a condition.”
Roman’s heart pounded in his chest. Was he really inviting him to live there? Did people like Jack Gibson really exist? “What’s your condition,” he rasped.
“You have to come clean with this Cassie. Whether it works out or not, she deserves to know how you feel.”
Could he really move out of the Carrigan house? Leave Jesse and Will and Eli? It was the only house that had ever felt like home to him. The day they’d offered to let him stay instead of moving to a foreign country was the lifeline he’d desperately needed.
Maybe this was another.
“Can I think about it?”
Jack patted him on the shoulder. “Of course, son. I’m going to give you some more advice though, and you have to listen because I’m old.”
Hadley laughed. “But I never listen to your advice.”
“That’s because you’re a disobedient ingrate.” His eyes twinkled with affection. “Roman, you’re young and a lot of people will tell you that means what you feel doesn’t matter. But in my experience, love always matters. Whether it lasts forever or only a short time, it’s real. It’s also impatient and doesn’t wait forever. So, take your time to consider your options, but just make sure you don’t wake up one day and realize you waited too long.”
“Thanks, Jack.” He looked at each of them in turn. “I’m not used to having people in my corner, and you don’t even know me.” First the Carrigans, and now the Gibsons. Was it only his parents who didn’t think he was worth their trouble?
Hadley hopped off the counter and looped her arm through his. “I’m going to get Roman out of here before you scare him away, Papa.” She pulled him toward the front hall, out of sight of her mom and grandpa. “Paps met my gram when he was fifteen. They were married for forty years before she died. So, you could say he’s an advocate for the young love thing. I, on the other hand, think you’re dumb.” She punched him.
He jumped away from her. “Ow! Why?”
“Oh, it’s not because of the Cassie thing. Just a general Roman is dumb thing.” She flashed her teeth as she opened the front door. “Only in part, because you should have already had the talk with Cass.” Her expression grew serious. “It’s never a bad idea to tell someone how you feel, Roman.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Your grandfather invited me to come live here without a second thought. Will he wake up tomorrow regretting that?”
“Papa never does anything without thinking it through, Rome. And for the record, it would be cool to have you here. I’ve never had any siblings, so it’s always just been me and them. Do you know how often I watch Wheel of Fortune?”
He shook his head.
“Every. Freaking. Night.” She paused. “But if you tell anyone that, I’ll super glue your lips shut in your sleep.” She waggled her fingers at him. “See you later, housemate.”
The door shut in his face, and he stood on the stoop just staring at it. How were they so sure he’d accept their offer?
Maybe they were right. He had no other choice.
Cassie said she didn’t have feelings for him, but everything hinged on that being a lie.
Planning to get the girl of his dreams took time. First, he needed to be out of the house, and he couldn’t do that alone.
That was what scared him. Telling Jesse.
He waited a couple days after going to Hadley’s to broach the topic. A couple days of Cassie avoiding him and Roman throwing himself into hockey practice, needing something to erase the doubt in his mind.
Loving someone was new to him, a foreign terrain, and he was stuck with no map.
But hockey… that, he knew. When he was on the ice, confidence raced through him.
He expected Jesse to be the one to notice something was off with him, to notice how quiet he’d been, but when Charlotte dropped to the bench beside him, it surprised him. Practice ended five minutes before and most of the guys headed to the locker room to shower and change.
But Roman couldn’t bring himself to leave the ice.
Charlotte removed her helmet and sweaty hair stuck to the sides of her face. She brushed it back, still not speaking as they both watched the Zamboni clean the ice. Back and forth it went in a mesmerizing dance.
“You had a good practice today,” she finally said.
He grunted in response.
“Almost like you had some sort of hyper focus.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Jesse told me things are awkward at your house.”
“It’s not my house.”
“But you’re living in it.”
“For now.”
She pursed her lips. “Okay… That answers my question. You’re considering Hadley’s offer.”
“She told you?”
“She’s my best friend. She tells me everything.”
Roman sighed. “So, I guess Jesse knows?”
“Knows what?” Jesse appeared at the end of the bench. “Why you’ve been weird lately? No, I don’t know that. But apparently, my girlfriend does?”
“Jess—”
Roman cut her off. “It’s okay, Charlie. I should talk to him.” She said Hadley told her everything because they were best friends. Well, Jesse was his. He deserved to know.
Charlotte walked to the end of the bench, eyeing her boyfriend as she passed him.
Jesse joined Roman, sitting in Charlotte’s spot. “What’s going on, man? Is this about Cassie? I know my dad says you can’t date while you’re living with us, but it’s only for a few more months, right?”
Just rip off the Band-Aid. “I’m moving out.”
Jesse froze, his lips forming a frown.
Before he could offer an argument, Roman explained. “I’m in love with your sister.”
“Oh.”
“I need to be with her more than I need to live at your house. You’re my brother, Jess. You always will be, same as Will and Eli. I’m grateful for everything your dad—”
“Rome.” Jesse put a hand on his arm to stop him. “You don’t have to explain. I’m glad it’s you who loves my sister.”
Roman nodded, his gaze once more going to the Zamboni.
“Where will you live?”
“Hadley offered me a room.”
Jesse nodded. “Good. I… I don’t care if you live in my house, Rome. I just can’t stand the thought of you moving overseas where I won’t see you all the time.”
Roman knocked his shoulder into Jesse’s. “Getting mushy on me?”
“No, getting real.”
“I can’t tell your sister. Not yet. I need to be out before I do. We need a fresh start, a do over, and we won’t get that while I’m still in your house.”
“I get it, man. When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow. I’ve already talked to your dad.”
“Then we need to hang tonight. Emma’s?”
“You do realize we’ll still be able to go to the diner whenever once I’m living at Hadley’s, right?” Roman laughed as he got to his feet.
“Just go with it, bro. It’s your last night on Earth.”
“It’s always drama with you, Jess.” The tightness in his chest loosened now that Jesse knew. He’d always needed his friend on his side. There were few people in life who meant more than a best friend.
And it wasn’t something Roman was willing to lose.
The Carrigan siblings were his compass. They always had been in different ways. Jesse had always pointed to safety while Cassie led the way to trouble.
And Roman was definitely someone who needed both in his life.
23
Cassie
Cassie had never cancelled an appointment with her therapist before. Not for illness or any other reason.
But yesterday, she found herself on the phone with the receptionist doing just that.
Because she hadn’t wanted to talk. They’d been talking for two long years. The last month saw her reaching for pieces of her life back, and she was so close.
Annie couldn’t help with this next part.
Cassie’s phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.
Roman and the Hopeless Romantic (Gulf City High Book 2) Page 14
