Page 84 of If You Love Me

She ducks her head and picks the burned cheese off her crust. “About me not having parents, and that they only made me goalie because they feel sorry for me.”

“Did you tell any of your coaches about this?” Roman, bless his gorgeous heart, looks like he wants to flip the table.

Callie shakes her head.

“Why not?” I ask.

“Because I don’t want to cry in front of my team. So I keep it inside until I’m in my bedroom, and then I let the feelings out,” she admits softly. “But today they came out in the wrong way, and now I’m in trouble.”

My stomach twists, and my heart squeezes. This poor little girl is struggling to keep it together, and I had no idea. “I can share this with your coaches, Callie. They should know what’s going on.”

“I don’t want it to get worse,” Callie admits.

“You’ve done a great job being level-headed on the ice,” I assure her, glancing at Roman, looking to him for support, for assurance, because I’m so new at this and he has experience I don’t.

He dips his chin in agreement. “It’s an important job when you’re the goalie.”

Callie peels a pepperoni off her pizza. “You never lose your cool.”

“I’ve had a lot of years to practice,” he reminds her. “Andsometimes I do lose my cool. Ask Lexi. She’s had to school me more than once this season during practice.”

“Really?” Callie’s eyes are wide.

“A couple of times, sure. No one is perfect,” I explain. “I understand that you want to prove you deserve your place on the team, Callie, and that this boy is jealous because you have the position he wants. But not telling your coaches means he thinks what he’s doing is okay, and it’s not.”

“He makes me so angry I want to cry,” she says.

“Your teammates are supposed to be an extension of your family, so it’s okay to cry in front of them,” I explain.

“Tears make you human. And we all cry,” Roman adds.

“Even you?”

“Yup. Even me.” Roman turns his attention to Fee. “Your turn.”

She sinks in her chair. “Lexi can just tell you.”

“We’d prefer to hear your version,” I press. Having a partner to do this with is so much less stressful. I don’t feel like I’m second guessing every word that comes out of my mouth. And I trust that Roman will redirect if it’s necessary.

She sets her pizza on her plate and gives me an imploring look.

I shake my head. “Why don’t you want to explain what happened?”

“Because I feel stupid.”

“Callie, do you have ranch dressing?” Roman asks.

“I dunno.” She shrugs and lines all her pepperonis up on one end of her pizza. It’s what she always does.

“Can you check the fridge for me, please?” he asks.

“Okay.” She slips off her chair and heads for the kitchen. Roman waits until she’s out of earshot before he drops his voice and addresses Fee. “When I was your age, I got my high school girlfriend pregnant because neither of us thought to read the fine print on her birth control pills. So whatever life changing thingyou think you did, I’m pretty sure I have you beat. Now, Peggy is hands down the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I wouldn’t change having her for the world, but it definitely would have been better for her if I’d been about ten years older and a lot more settled before I brought her into the world. However, that’s not how it went.”

I didn’t think I could find him more endearing, but this absolutely takes the cake.

Fee wrinkles her nose. “You were my age when Hammer was born?”

“I was eighteen. I’d just been drafted. It was quite the eventful year.” He leans back and crosses his arms. “The floor for questionable choices is now yours. See if you can one-up me.”

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