Page 232 of Catch Me
Jumping to my feet, I went into the kitchen. I could feel Roman’s eyes on me, which might’ve been what made me take extra long to find a frying pan in the lower cabinet. When I straightened, I twirled it around and turned back to him.
“Get up. We’re making breakfast.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Too bad. Tessa doesn’t like to sleep in.”
He looked at her where she was lying on his feet. “She hasn’t complained.”
I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes at her. Not once had she allowed me to sleep this late.
“Wanna wrestle?” I asked. Tessa’s head popped up, and Roman’s eyes widened. A moment later, she stood and whirled on him. He swore when she started batting him with her paw, but then he laughed. It brought a smile to my face as I grabbed the eggs from the fridge.
As I put the pan on the stove, Roman’s arms came around me from behind. “I don’t want you to coddle me.”
“This is me not coddling you.”
“I know.” He kissed my shoulder, making my heart speed up like it was the first time. “Can I take you out?”
I turned around and cocked my head. “Why?”
“We’ve spent so much time on me, but I want to celebrate you.”
My nose wrinkled. “Too many people have celebrated me lately. They won’t really shut up about it.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be about baseball, dumbass. We can go to lunch, maybe hit up the art museum. I’ll challenge you to a game of mini golf. And if anyone tries to get a picture with you, we’ll start running.”
Standing straighter, I nodded toward the wall where there was a large canvas. “Don’t you have to work on that?”
“Not today.”
“Alright, I’m making extra eggs then. We might be doing a lot of running, and once that club is in my hand, I’m not going easy on you.”
“Bring it on.”
I grinned as I turned around to start the food. I hadn’t been this excited since I threw that final pitch. There was no way I’d let him beat me at mini golf. No freaking way.
Chapter 75
Roman
“Merry Christmas!” Mom announced as she carried a stack of presents over to the couch.
Travis got to his feet and took some of them from her. She smiled at him, and it made me feel warm in a way that had become familiar in the two months we’d been together. There was something about him that made it impossible for anyone to dislike him, except for people like Anthony and my dad.
I pushed the thought of him away. I sent him a text this morning to wish him a happy holiday. He texted back, just something reciprocal. It was like he still acknowledged that I existed, but that was the extent of it. I didn’t think it would ever be more than that, which I would come to terms with someday. Allegedly. My mom, the Holloways, my friends, and Travis were my family, and they accepted me, even when I was a dick, which still happened often enough.
Ross, Noah, and Theo were talking to each other off to the side. They were all very different people, but they got along really well. Brooks’ dad was surprisingly nice and down to Earth. A far cry from his batshit crazy son.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Travis said as my mom passed a gift to him.
“You’re part of the family,” she replied.
He smiled and looked down at the box as if trying to hide it. Travis didn’t look timid often, but there was a different kind of softness that he displayed around my mom. I didn’t want to point it out, but I wondered if it had to do with his own mom.
He unwrapped the gift, then his eyes widened. “Oh my god. This is beautiful. Tessa, come look at this.”
She bounded over, followed by Cocoa, Ross’ mastiff. They sniffed the wood sign and wagged their tails.
