Page 24 of The Summer We Made Promises (The Destin Diaries #3)

S he didn’t know what it was about Roman Matteo, but Tessa felt so comfortable around the young man. Familiar, even. And far less nervous than Lacey, who was a little on edge and jittery when he arrived for their fishing adventure.

First, Tessa took him into the garage to dig through the box that Kate had sent, and admired the way he handled Dad’s fishing gear.

With respect, but also with confidence. Most of it was in pretty good shape—good enough that they could use it to fish today before she donated a few rods and reels to The Abundant Catch.

And those that were broken, he seemed certain he could fix when he had the right tools.

They opted to drive the short distance to the marina so they could bring everything they needed for a day of fishing on the boat, plus a cooler for lunch and cold drinks. He easily unloaded everything onto the dock, commenting on how nice the marina was and how at home he felt.

“I want you to meet Seamus,” Tessa said. “He was a friend of my father’s and runs the charity I mentioned. Let’s make a quick stop in the marina office.”

“Sure.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Lacey said quickly.

Tessa threw her a questioning look. “Why not?”

She froze, and gave the weirdest look to Roman. “Do you want to do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Her eyes widened but then she shrugged and gestured toward the equipment and cooler. “We can’t just…leave this.”

“It’ll be fine,” Tessa said.

“No, no,” Lacey said. “That’s…too much. He’ll want your autograph and…you’re famous.”

Was she out of her mind? Tessa just laughed and tugged Roman’s T-shirt sleeve. “It’ll take two minutes, no autographs. You stay with the stuff, Lace. Come on, famous guy. Let me show you off.”

He walked with her, laughing. “Nothing to show off, really.”

“I don’t know about that or why”—she threw a look over her shoulder—“Lacey is acting so odd.”

“She’s just protective of me,” he said. “I like it.”

Tessa grinned at him. “You better stop being perfect, young man.”

“Hardly,” he scoffed.

“I mean it. You make that girl fall in love and leave us and I’ll never forgive you.”

He gave her a quick look, an unreadable expression in his eyes. But it was just enough to make Tessa uneasy. Why?

Was he planning to do just that? Leave her with a broken heart? She really wanted to know what his motivations were and intended to find out. Was he too good to be true? Tessa could suss that out in no time.

At the marina office, she peered into the open door, only seeing Clay at the desk.

“Hey, Tessa. Taking your boat out today?” he asked.

“I am, but I was looking for Seamus.” She stepped inside, inviting Roman to join her. “I wanted to introduce him to?—”

“Oh, I know you. Wait. Are you…Roman Matteo?” Clay stood up, his jaw loose. “No way, man! It is you!”

Roman smiled and took a step closer, the picture of humility. “Hi. Clay, is it? Have we met? I’m Roman.”

Clay took the hand Roman offered, shaking it way too hard. “This is insane! I’m a huge Jags fan! I make the drive to Jacksonville for at least one game every season and… wow . What are you doing here?”

Roman gave an easy laugh. “Fishing, I hope.”

“How…what…I can’t believe this.” He came around the desk, looking starstruck. “Seamus is going to be bummed he missed meeting you. Although, dude, you need to get off the bench more.”

Roman chuckled. “No kidding. Hey, I’m just glad I get to wear the jersey, but thanks. And I’ll be back to meet everyone. I’m here in Destin until training kicks into high gear.”

“That’s awesome. How do you two know each other?” he asked Tessa.

Roman glanced at her, giving that odd look again, making something deep inside her ring out an alarm.

“I’m dating Lacey Knight,” he said.

“Vivien Lawson’s daughter,” Tessa reminded Clay.

“Ooh.” The other man’s brows shot up. “That’s cool.”

And speaking of Lacey, she was probably melting in the sun with the cooler and gear. “Is Seamus going to be here today?” Tessa asked.

“He’s not,” Clay said. “But he’ll be back.”

“And so will I,” Roman promised.

“And we have some equipment to donate,” Tessa added.

Clay gushed some more and then they said goodbye and walked back out into the sunshine. Before they took a step, Tessa put a hand on Roman’s arm and looked up at him.

“I have to know,” she said. “I have to know and you cannot lie.”

She could have sworn all the color faded from his tanned skin. “What?”

“Are you for real?”

“I’m…I’m…” He blew out a breath. “Yeah. I mean, yeah.”

“I’m serious,” she said. “Are you too good to be true? Are you going to break that girl’s heart? Are you for real, Roman Matteo?”

His smile disappeared. “I’m real. I’m not too good to be true. And, please remember this, Tessa, no matter what happens—I’m not here to break any hearts.”

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Okay. I’m going to believe you. But you better be telling the truth.”

“I am,” he said, turning away so fast she couldn’t quite catch the expression in his eyes. But he walked a few steps ahead toward Lacey, leaving her standing in the sun wondering if he was all that…or a big fat fake.

They had the boat underway in no time, with Roman showing a natural affinity for managing the lines and helping them off the dock. Shocking no one, he was as at home on the deck of a cabin cruiser as he was on a football field.

He inspected every inch of the vessel, above deck and below. Afterwards, he settled in next to Lacey on the bow bench, tipping his head back to get sun on his face as he draped an arm around her.

And she stiffened as though she hadn’t been expecting it.

Maybe Lacey was just being cautious, too. After all, the guy was textbook perfection. Surely there was a red flag, a fatal flaw, a reason to run.

Could it be he was a kind, considerate, humble, warm, gorgeous NFL wide receiver who made millions and could do anything during the off-season but chose fishing with Lacey and Tessa?

Nah. Nobody was that perfect.

“How long have you had this boat, Tessa?” he asked.

“About a month and a half. Smartest negotiation I ever made.”

His brows lifted behind his sunglasses. “Negotiation?”

Tessa grinned, flipping back the ponytail that had fallen over her shoulder with purposeful smugness. “I persuaded a rich client to include it in my fee because he owed me this and a lot more.”

Roman choked on a laugh. “That’s hilarious.”

“That’s Tessa,” Lacey said, looking bemused and still proud. “Fearless, cool, and gets exactly what she wants.”

“I love that,” Roman said softly, regarding Tessa for a moment. “I mean, if you know what you want.”

“I usually do, and in this case? It was a boat. Do you know what you want, Romeo?” she asked with a tease in her voice. “I mean, beyond a good season of football and a renewed contract.”

“A good catch out here,” he answered glibly. “I did some research and heard that Destin is called ‘The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.’ Is that true or just good PR?”

“You should know about good PR,” Tessa said. “You have it down to an art.”

He sat a little straighter, the arrow hitting its mark as he slowly took off his sunglasses. “You want me to answer that question about what I want out of life?” he asked, all humor gone.

“Yes, I do.”

Lacey looked concerned. “Tessa, don’t?—”

She held up a hand to quiet Lacey. “I really do want you to answer the question, Roman. Honestly and without…spin.”

He leaned forward, dropping his elbows on his knees as he squinted with lush lashes and a direct gaze.

“I do know what I want. My parents pounded it in my head.”

“What’s that?” Lacey asked, her voice soft enough to barely be heard over the wind and the inboard engine now that they’d picked up a little speed.

He didn’t answer right away, but glanced at Lacey. “You sure I can be honest?”

“If you don’t want to be thrown overboard,” Tessa answered for her.

Lacey nodded, staring at him with a question in her expression, as if she had no idea what he was about to say and might be a little nervous about it.

He looked from one woman to the other. “My parents, Bob and Faith, have an amazing marriage. They’re connected in a way that very few people enjoy.

I’d like that one day, and kids. Several of them, if I had my way.

I think family is the most important thing in the world and I also think it’s not valued enough today. ”

Lacey stared at him, silent. Tessa felt her jaw loosen.

Really? He was…looking for love? A family?

“I can imagine you meet a lot of…” Tessa left the question unfinished and drifting in the sea breeze.

“Yeah, I do,” he said, obviously knowing where she was going. “Haven’t met someone who’s down-to-earth enough for my taste.” He gave Lacey a little squeeze. “Present company excluded, of course.”

She just smiled, quieter than Tessa could ever remember.

“That’s it,” he said. “That’s my thing. Family.”

Wow. That was…a good thing. “Do you have siblings?” Tessa asked.

“No, no. I was…um, an only child,” he said quickly, as if correcting himself. “So that’s why I want a big family.”

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Just twenty-five. Plenty of time, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.”

Twenty-five. Tessa felt a jolt as if she’d driven over a wave, not the glassy harbor water.

That was exactly the age her son would be— was —somewhere in this world. Good heavens, she hoped that baby had turned out as fine and strong and impressive as this young man.

She felt Lacey’s gaze on her, intense and knowing. Of course. Lacey knew her secret and she had to guess exactly what Tessa was thinking.

“Okay, kids,” she said brightly, happy to see the break to the bay and change this subject. “Hang on to your hats and each other. We’re getting underway!”

With that, she kicked the throttle and the bow rose from the water, getting a hoot of happiness from Roman. He threw his arms around Lacey and gave her a hug as if protecting her. Tessa’s heart crawled into her throat, her emotions as wild as the wake behind her.

Was her son—the one she’d held exactly one time in her whole life—anything like this boy? Was he falling in love right now? Living his best life? Wondering about her?

She hoped so. And just thinking about it kind of hurt her heart.

So, she pressed the old pain away and took them for a fun joyride around the picturesque bay, then found a cove Seamus had told her was teeming with speckled trout and redfish. The spot was in the shadow of the bridge, tucked into thickets of mangroves and pepper trees.

“This is exactly like my backyard growing up,” Roman told them as they dropped anchor.

“Nice life,” Lacey said. “Beats the suburbs of Atlanta.”

“It beats everything.”

“Where exactly was that?” Tessa asked. “Near Jacksonville?”

He looked up at her as he pulled a rod from the collection. “A few hours south, near Cape Canaveral,” he said. “Close enough to grow up seeing space launches.”

“That’s cool,” Lacey said.

“It was awesome. Our house had a fat canal in the back, lined with these mangrove trees. There were dolphins, manatees, and pelicans everywhere. And so many fish it was crazy.”

Roman took some of the gear and the bait box to the back of the boat to set up, leaving Lacey and Tessa on the bow.

Tessa pulled her sunglasses down to get a good look at her young friend and protégé, who still seemed like she could snap at any moment.

“You okay?”

“I’m good,” Lacey said, fidgeting with some threads of her cut-off shorts.

“You’re really freaking out, aren’t you?” Tessa whispered.

“No.” Lacey shot her a glare. “I’m not freaking out.”

“You totally are. You’ve got the new-boyfriend jitters. Classic.”

Lacey groaned. “Can you not?”

Roman, clearly catching the tail end of their exchange as he came back, slung an arm around Lacey’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’m super low maintenance.”

Tessa grinned and pulled out the bait box. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll see how low maintenance you are once you have to get a hook from the mouth of a flounder.”

“I should be so lucky.” He handed Lacey a rod. “This one’s perfect for you, Lace. Let me show you my lucky cast.”

A minute later, the two of them were side by side, laughing and talking while Roman guided her through the process…exactly as Artie Wylie had guided little Tessa. He actually cast with the very same hitch at the halfway point, and lifted his chin like it would help the bait and hook go farther.

It was like her dear departed father had come back from heaven to be with her for the day.

Which was the silliest, stupidest thing Tessa had ever thought, but for some reason, the very idea comforted her. He wasn’t Artie reincarnated, but he was a great guy and all Tessa could do was hope he kept that promise and didn’t break Lacey’s heart.