Page 82 of Catch Me (Becoming Us #4)

Roman

The park near my place was dead quiet, just me, Travis, and Tessa crunching through leaves under a grey sky.

It was barely December, cold enough that my breath fogged, and I’d dragged us out here because the apartment felt too small, like the walls were shrinking.

Tessa tugged at her leash, sniffing everything, while Travis walked beside me with his hands in his pockets, his Braves cap pulled low.

My mom had called yesterday, and her voice was tighter than usual. She told me that my dad was coming to Seattle, allegedly to fix things. I didn’t know if that meant our relationship or me. I hadn’t said anything to Travis yet, but it was eating me alive.

I kicked a pebble hard enough to send it skittering across the path. “I’m gonna talk to my dad. In person.”

Travis stopped, turning to me. “You sure?”

“No.” I laughed humorlessly, shoving my hands deeper into my jacket. “But he’s coming anyway. He thinks he can fix me, I’m sure.”

He grabbed my arm, pulling me to face him. “He doesn’t get to decide that. ”

His eyes were fierce, the brown burning like molten amber, and it hit me how much he meant it.

I pulled my tablet from my bag, navigating to a page I’d done last night.

It was a shot of me and Travis at the final game, kissing in the stands.

It was the moment that sealed my fate, and drawing it had reminded me of my conviction that day.

“This is what matters to me,” I said, holding it up.

Travis took it, and a smile formed on his lips “We face it together.”

I nodded. “I’ll have him come to my studio.”

“Good.” He handed the tablet back, and I tucked it away. “You’re in control, Roman.”

“What if he hates you too?” I asked, the fear slipping out before I could stop it. “He will, you know. He’ll see us and—”

“Let him.” Travis shrugged. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

I stared at him. The wind ruffled his hair, and something loosened in my chest. Not much, but enough.

“Okay,” I said, stepping closer. “Together.”

He dipped his head to kiss me, and I let out a breath through my nose. Tessa circled back to us and whined like the impatient princess she was.

“She’s done with our shit,” I laughed.

Travis snorted. “It’s all the attention lately. Everyone wants her at interviews. She’s even been requested for a damn dog food commercial.”

“Welcome to fame. Looks like you’ve become a household name after all.”

“You jealous, baby?”

I hummed thoughtfully as I took his hand and started walking again. “Depends. If Calvin Klein reaches out, you’ll have to tell them I don’t approve of you being shirtless and posted all over the internet.”

“What if we did it together?”

“Fuck no. I have standards.”

“You boned your stepbrother.”

I shoved him away from me, making him laugh. It drew the attention of a couple further down the path, and Travis lifted his hand in a wave.

“We’ll chalk it up to you being hormonal,” he said .

“Gee, thanks. I’d actually rather forget about my mistakes if that’s okay.”

“Pussy.”

Tipping my head back, I groaned. “You’re annoying, but I guess I like you.”

He stopped suddenly, and I was going to ask what was wrong, but the look on his face halted me in my tracks. It was serious but also warm in a way that made something flutter in my stomach.

“Shit, he was right,” Travis said. He took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair before he put it back on.

“Who?”

“Brooks.”

My nose wrinkled. “I don’t know what he said, but I bet it was something ridiculous.”

“He told me I was in love with you.”

I opened my mouth, but I had no words right now. Travis broke into a smile, making my heart beat again. Tessa barked, and he crouched to give her attention, all while I stood there, completely lost.

The other couple in the park passed by us, snapping me back to reality.

Looking down at Travis and Tessa, I decided to lower myself to their level.

She nudged at my hand, so I scratched her ears while I met Travis’ eyes.

He didn’t seem nervous or awkward about what he’d said, and maybe that was what emboldened me.

“You love me,” I ventured. His smile grew wider, almost comically so. “Why do you look giddy about it?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “It kinda just makes it all make sense, you know? Like I don’t have to feel afraid about what it all means.”

I rolled my lips as I thought about that. “I always heard love was kind of scary.”

“Maybe those people aren’t doing it right. Personally, I’ve never felt safer.”

His words settled deep inside of me, and it was as if they found some lock that had been hidden away.

As soon as they touched it, I was struck by that exact same feeling.

Safety. Freedom. I felt like I belonged, like I was actually alive.

It was if I’d been posing for so long, but finally, I could be something more than a caricature of my true form .

Art wasn’t alive. But I sure was.

“I love you,” I said with as much conviction as when I’d run into the stands after that last game.

“Are you sure?”

There wasn’t even a flicker of vulnerability in his expression. He knew already, and the trust I saw in his eyes made me lean forward to kiss him.

“Since the first hey back.”

He raised a brow. “You said the third.”

“Well, I lied.”

The sky darkened, and there was a hint of rain in the air, but with Travis in front of me, the sun might as well have been shining.

My dad could yell, could hate me and call me names, but he couldn’t take this from me.

“Thanks for not letting me do this alone,” I said.

“Never.”

For the first time, I thought maybe I could face the fear, the anger, that loomed ahead.

Maybe we could .

*****

“When is your dad coming?” Linc asked.

I looked up from my beer, then spun it slowly on the counter. The bar was busy tonight, which I was actually glad for. It helped that there were no lulls of silence that would allow me to sink into my head. Being with the guys was good too.

“Friday,” I replied, keeping my voice neutral.

“And Trav will be here, right?”

“Of course.”

He smiled a little. “If I say I’m proud of you both, is that weird?”

“Super weird.”

With Linc on one side and Kai on the other, I didn’t feel like I was in danger.

I wished Travis was here, but he couldn’t be in Seattle at all times.

After I dealt with my dad, I was thinking about going to Atlanta for a little while, as long as I didn’t have any work obligations in Seattle.

Most of what I did was virtual anyway, so as long as he wasn’t tired of me, I’d jump at the opportunity to be with him.

If he needed to travel for all of his famous person shit, I’d go with him.

I knew that there were some big companies that wanted to spo nsor him now that he was a World Series winner and the highest grossing pitcher in his rank right now.

That was wild to think about. I didn’t give a fuck about money or even fame, although it would be nice to have my name known for my art someday. Travis could be broke as a joke and I’d never think twice about it.

“Are we watching a movie after this?” I asked.

“Maybe there’s something at the theater,” Linc suggested. “Willow is hanging out with West at our place, so it’s not a good spot for a movie right now.”

“They never shut the hell up,” Kai agreed with a laugh. As always, there was warmth in his eyes when he talked about West. As much as he bitched about him and acted like he was the bane of his existence, he adored the guy.

“I’ll watch whatever’s playing,” I said. “If it sucks, we can drink away the cringe.”

“No wallowing.”

“I’m not wallowing. It’s about the cringe, I said.”

“Have you practiced what you’re gonna say?”

“Do we have to come back to this?”

“Hey, I think it’s best to be prepared. When I have something big happening, I stand in front of a mirror for hours.”

I grimaced. “That’s awkward. I can’t talk to myself like that. Travis does, though.”

Linc chuckled. “He’s such a dork.”

“We’re all dorks,” Kai countered. “Just different flavors.”

“I think practicing is a good idea.”

“What are we practicing?” someone asked from behind us.

I glanced at Til with a frown. He had a massive hickey on the side of his neck, which probably explained why he was late.

“Telling his dad to fuck off,” Kai explained.

Til’s eyes lit up as he hopped onto a stool. “Can I do it?”

“No,” I said immediately.

“Boo. Your dad’s a dick. Since I’m the only one who’s met him, I should be him.” He cleared his throat and leaned his elbows on the bar. “Hey, Rome. Why’d you kiss that hunk of man?”

The deep voice he put on made me choke on my beer. “Bro, what the hell was that? ”

“I don’t know. It sounded like him. At least, after I throat punch him.”

Despite everything, I burst into laughter, along with the rest of them.

I realized, not for the first time, how lucky I was to have these guys in my corner.

If I hadn’t run away from Travis, it was unlikely we’d all be here like this, making jokes to keep the bad shit at bay.

Without them, I didn’t think I’d have the courage to do what had to be done, so for that, I was incredibly grateful.