Page 105 of If You Love Me

He moved in with Flip at the beginning of the month and seems to be roped into everything involving the team these days.

“It’s perfect,” I agree. It’s her team colors and takes up almost an entire wall. There’s also a photo booth, complete with dress-up options.

“Okay. Cool. Did you get your shirt? There’s a special one for you. You should change into it.” He checks his watch and runs his hand over his chest. It reads #TeamCallie Birthday Crew. “The kids are arriving any second. Bea? Babe, do you think there are enough balloons marking the entrance?”

“Tris, babycakes, take a breath.” Rix hugs his waist. “There are more than enough balloons. This birthday party will be fabulous, and Callie will love it.” Her shirt reads #TeamCallie Party Brigade.

“I want it to be a good day for her, you know? She doesn’t have a mom or a dad, and not because either of them sucked as parents, but because they’re fuckin’ gone.” He takes a calming breath. “Sorry. I just know how hard birthdays were after our mom bailed.”

Nate mumblesexcuse meand disappears down the hall to the bathroom.

“I know.” It’s a sore spot for him, but he’s been channeling it into something good, and this party is one of those things. “You’ve done a fantastic job, Tristan.” I assure him. “I’ll put my shirt on.”

I leave him with Rix and move to the table with all the shirts. Peggy, Hollis, Dred, and Connor are already wearing theirs. Connor’s reads: Callie’s Favorite Player.

He grins at me. “No hard feelings, right, Roman?”

I laugh. “None at all.” Because if all goes according to plan, I’ll get to take that little girl on family vacations. I’ll be the one who reads her bedtime stories, gets on the ice with her, goes to parent-teacher interview nights, and cheers her on at games. While I’ll never replace her dad, I’ll sure as hell do my best to fill the void his loss has caused.

I’m falling just as hard for those girls as I am for Lexi. I’m excited about the possibility of stepping into the role of parent again. Unconventional, maybe. But this time I’ll have a partner who feels the same way about me as I do about her.

I grab my shirt and chuckle. Mine reads Callie’s 2nd Favorite Player. The “O” infavoriteis replaced with a sad-face emoji. It’s perfect. Everything about the party is.

Callie’s school friends and teammates arrive, along with her grandparents from Niagara. Lexi’s dad is in the middle of a huge court case, so he’s planning a visit in the next few weeks, but he sent a gift to Tristan and an apology that he couldn’t make it work. Hopefully the party will make up for it, but I wish he was more present for them.

The kids are so excited, especially when they realize they each get a jersey and will meet a bunch of Terror players. They’re already familiar with me and Connor, since we’ve both attended Callie’s games.

Flip, who’s been helping organize the food with Rix and Essie, hands me a napkin with a cookie. “This is looking good. When does the birthday girl arrive?”

I check the scoreboard instead of my phone for the time because I don’t want Flip to see my messages with Lexi. “Soon.” He’s just another person to add to the never-ending list of people I’m hiding the truth from.

He frowns as he scans the room, stopping at Tally, Dred, and Connor, who are busy making sure the loot bags are all tagged. “Talls’s boyfriend didn’t make it today, eh?”

“Doesn’t seem like this would be his thing.”

He crosses his arms. “I don’t think anything is that kid’s thing. What’s his name again? I always forget.”

I shrug. “Dunno. Peggy just calls him Tally’s boyfriend.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s not here. He’s a wet blanket, and Tally can do better.”

“I think the girls would agree.”

“Why don’t they say anything?” he asks.

“Because it’s Tally’s decision who she dates, and they want her to feel supported and not judged. Or at least that’s what Peggy told me when I asked.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” He rubs his bottom lip.

“You and Grace seem to be getting along better these days.”

Flip makes an irritated sound. “I’m going to go help Rix in the kitchen. See you later.”

He hustles off.

My phone pings.

Lexi

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