Page 30 of The Summer We Made Promises (The Destin Diaries #3)

Turning, they caught sight of a flash of brown disappearing around a tree, then back on the path, shooting off at breakneck speed.

“Whoa!” Roman shot off in the same direction, like a proverbial bullet. Pickles was quick and made it at least fifty yards but he was no match for Roman, who caught up with him in a second and scooped the dog up like, well, like a football.

He turned in a circle and held the dog in the air. “And he scores!” he called out, twirling Pickles playfully in a touchdown dance. “It’s a…Pickles Six!”

Lacey laughed, hustling toward them, her mind spinning over the conversation about change. It was coming—and fast.

Lacey opened her eyes with a start, not sure where she was for a moment.

Her head rested on something hard and…beating. Roman’s chest. His cotton T-shirt, warm and a little damp. The snoring she heard was Pickles, curled in the crate they’d brought back to Roman’s rental house hours ago.

They’d eaten dinner, watched a movie, and crashed. Now it was…very dark outside. She squinted at the kitchen clock.

Eleven?

Jeez, she was as bad as her mother, disappearing until late at night in the arms of a man.

And, oh. She laid her head back down on his beating heart. What a man he was.

“You awake?” Roman threaded his fingers into her hair, easing her head back so they could look at each other.

“Mmm. Kinda. That’s Pickles, by the way,” she added, leaning her head in the general direction of the crate. “I don’t snore.”

He chuckled and adjusted her whole body as if he wanted her even closer. “I had a dream,” he said softly. “You were in it.”

“I was? What happened?”

“We adopted…”

“Another dog?” she guessed.

“Kids. Four of them.”

She sat up a bit. “Wow. That’s quite the dream. Four?”

“I want to adopt,” he said, finger combing her hair as he pinned her with whiskey eyes. “But in the dream, you did, too. It was cool.”

“It sounds…daunting.”

“But my parents were there. In fact, we were in their house and I was really happy.”

“Maybe I’ll go there someday,” she said, unsure how to react.

“I hope so. Because you know what? My parents would like you as much as I do. Which…” He added some pressure to his touch. “Is a lot.”

The admission made her whole body light and weak and… lost .

As if sensing that, he tucked some hair behind her ear, letting his thumb stroke her cheek. “You know why?” he asked.

“I can’t imagine,” she cracked.

“Because you’re real, Lacey. You’re the first person in a long time who makes me feel…normal. You don’t care about the fact that I’m an NFL player or what car I drive or how many followers I have. You didn’t even fangirl when we met.”

She smiled. “I didn’t know who you were. No offense, of course.”

He held his hands up. “Please. None taken. To everyone else, I’m ‘Roman Matteo, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver.’ But to you…” He trailed off.

“To me, you’re Tessa’s son. And believe me, that’s the best thing you could be.”

His gaze sharpened as he focused on her. “Is that why you like me?”

That and a million other reasons she opted to keep to herself. In fact, she had to bite her tongue—literally—to keep from saying all the things rolling around her head and heart.

That she was falling for him. That she didn’t want this to end. That she was terrified of what would happen when the truth came out.

But instead she whispered, “I just like you. Do I need a reason?”

“No, but you need…this.” He leaned down and kissed her, long enough for Lacey to forget everything but how good it felt. But she heard her phone vibrating on the table and knew she had to answer the call.

Very slowly, smiling at his grunt of frustration, she slipped out from under his arm. “Just a sec.”

But her heart jolted when she saw the screen.

Tessa .

“Speak of the…angel,” she whispered, swiping the phone screen to answer. “Hey, Tess.”

“Hey!” Tessa’s bright voice filled her ear. “Where you been, child? Never mind—you don’t answer to me. Consider this a work call and I want to know if little Pickles has been safely secured.”

Lacey looked over at the crate. “Oh, yeah. He’s out cold and dreaming about his new owner. He can stay here with Roman, I think it’ll be easier.”

“Here? With Roman?” Tessa’s voice rose, then she chuckled.

“Well, I mean, the Summer House is crowded and…he’s happy.”

“Sounds like you are, too,” Tessa teased. “Hey, you deserve a little fun, girl. You work hard. You’ve done all the heavy lifting for tomorrow’s Bat Mitzvah and the client is so happy, Lace.”

“Oh, it’s nothing?—”

“Not nothing.” Tessa’s voice dropped into something gentler.

“You’ve been amazing. I don’t say that enough, but I really feel that way.

This whole business—Tessa Wylie Events—only happened because of you.

I never thought I could do something like this, and here we are, planning a perfect party for a client who worships you.

Plus our schedule is filling up with two new projects on the books as of today. You’re my secret weapon, Lacey Knight.”

Lacey’s throat tightened. “That’s sweet. Thank you.”

“I’m just so glad I can trust you,” Tessa said casually—unaware that she might as well have stabbed Lacey right in the gut.

She forced a laugh, even though her stomach twisted. “Well… I try.”

Tessa chuckled. “Okay, ignore me and go back to your boy. Just don’t be too late, or I’ll assume you’ve eloped, which would break both your mothers’ hearts. Also, tomorrow’s a big day.”

“I know. I’m on my way home, I promise.” Lacey ended the call, her fingers trembling slightly as she set the phone down on the coffee table, then dropped back on the sofa with a moan.

Roman inched away, regarding her closely. “Everything okay?”

She stared straight ahead, heart pounding, and whispered the only thing that wasn’t okay. “We have to tell her.”

Roman didn’t speak right away. Instead, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

“I can’t do it anymore,” Lacey said, sensing he would push back. “She just told me she trusts me. She said I helped her build her dream.”

He nodded, quiet.

“I’m lying to her every day, and she’s the woman who took me under her wing, believed in me, gave me a job and a direction and a purpose. I love her, Roman.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry this has been hard on you.”

Lacey swallowed hard. “When can we come clean?”

Roman reached out, took her hand in his. His touch was warm and steady, grounding her like always. “I want to tell her. I will tell her. But I need to talk to my parents first.”

“I know. When?”

“As soon as possible,” he said. “I’ll stay for the big Pickles reveal and drive over to Satellite Beach the next day.” He leaned into her. “Unless you want to come with me. Like my dream? Only no adopted kids.”

She thought about it, searching his face and wondering what it would be like to meet his parents. Under these circumstances? Awkward.

“Never mind,” he said quickly, obviously reading her expression. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’ll be a very personal, private time for you,” she added.

He nodded slowly. “I wouldn’t hate you seeing where I grew up and meeting them.”

“Another time?” she suggested. “After this is behind us?”

“Yes, definitely.” He put his hand on her cheek, thumbing her chin. “You okay, Lace?”

“I’m scared this will hurt Tessa. Worried I’ve way overstepped my bounds, concerned about your parents and…” She let her voice fade out because one more sentence and she’d be revealing to him just how real this pretend relationship was starting to feel.

He leaned closer and gave her a sweet kiss, making her believe—and hope—he felt the same.