Page 4 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Roman
Home was where the heart was, as they say, and Roman’s heart wasn’t in his own house. Heck, his parents were rarely even there as they traveled back and forth to Eastern Europe for some business he didn’t understand.
But he never missed them, and that should have been sad.
Instead, he ingrained himself into the Carrigan household, not caring if they got sick of his constant presence or not.
Roman Sullivan didn’t care what anyone thought of him. It was part of his charm.
“Yo, Carrigan, open up!” Roman pounded on the front door, surprised to find it locked. Jesse was more like a brother to him than a friend. He hadn’t been at school and that meant one of two things. Either Jesse was on his deathbed or Cassie needed him.
No one came to the door, which was a surprise. There was always someone around at chez Carrigan. A minivan pulled into the driveway, and Roman turned around to watch two boys scramble from the back and run toward him.
“Rome!” Will, the more talkative of Jesse’s brothers yelled in excitement—as if he hadn’t just seen him at dinner the night before. Eli followed in his twin’s footsteps, smiling with less effusive excitement.
“Roman.” Mary, the boys’ nanny since they were born, sent him a kind smile. “Good to see you, young man.”
When Jesse’s mom died, Roman lost her too. Morgan Carrigan was more of a mother to him than his own. He’d known her since he met Jesse when they were five.
But Mary helped soothe the burn for all of them. She stepped in with her gentle hugs and motherly presence.
Glancing at the watch on her wrist, concern washed over her. “Is Jesse not home? I have to go pick up my daughter.”
“I don’t know where he is.” Roman shrugged. “But I’ll keep the boys company.”
She patted his cheek and moved past him to unlock the front door. “You’re a good one, Roman.” After kissing Will and Eli on the tops of their heads, she went back to her car.
Roman followed the boys into the house where they dropped their school bags in the hall and ran for the backyard where the dry grass sloped down to a pond.
“Don’t go out there,” Roman hollered.
“But Jesse said we have an alligator!” Will pushed the sliding glass door open.
Roman cursed and followed them. He stopped as he went past the staircase where a silent Cassie sat. Her face flushed when their eyes met, but she didn’t say a word.
Roman should have been used to her silent presence, to the way she avoided him whenever he was in the house. There was a time when they were friends. He spent a lot of time with the Carrigan siblings before their mom died.
After that night, Jesse clung to the friendship tighter, while Cassie let go of it altogether.
“Hey, Cass.” A smile slid across his lips.
She didn’t return it, and her stare unnerved him. He rocked forward on his heels and stuffed his hands in his pockets, unable to tear himself from her gaze. What was it about her that always intrigued him? Every time he entered their house, he looked for her, hoping to catch her eye.
But he never did. Because one thing was certain: Cassandra Carrigan didn’t care one lick about him.
The front door opened, breaking them from their spell. Jesse and Charlotte bickered like an old married couple as they walked into the hall. Their relationship was new, and they were complete opposites, but it worked.
Roman would never admit it, but he envied Jesse.
They stopped when they found Roman and Cassie. Jesse lifted an eyebrow. “She let you in?” They all knew Cassie didn’t answer the door. Ever.
“Mary.”
Jesse cursed. “I forgot she had to leave early. Charlotte needed a ride, and it slipped my mind.”
Pushing what he called “Cassie confusion” from his mind, Roman put a hand on his chest. “It’s a good thing you have a friend as great as me. Sometimes, I wish I had a Roman in my life.”
“Shut up.” Jesse shoved him with a laugh. “Where are the boys?”
