She turns to me. “Do you like it?”
I take in the sparkle in her eyes. “It’s perfect.”
Just like you.
“Oh, look, it’s Braxy,” Oliver sings. “He’s part of the club too, but he’ll deny it.”
Erin turns and backs up as she takes in the six-foot-six beast of a man decked out in an all-black suit.
“Gentlemen,” Brax says cooly. His gaze moves to my girl. “Hey, you must be Erin.”
She straightens. “Uh, yeah, hi.”
Brax smirks and sticks out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my brother. I’m Brax.”
A war cry erupts from behind him.
“ARGGGHH! TAKE DOWN!” A blur crashes into the backs of Brax’s knees with an oomph.
Roman.
Brax, who is built like a wall, barely flinches.
“Daaaaaad,” Roman whines, his voice high-pitched and dripping with frustration. “You’re s’post to fall over.”
“You gotta hit harder than that, buddy.” Brax chuckles, a deep rumble of laughter vibrating from him as he looks down at his son.
I squat to Roman’s level and ruffle his dark brown curly mop of hair before I lift him into my arms.
“Erin, meet my godson, Roman—nickname Firestorm. He’s the Hulk’s son, a part-time wrestler, the best gamer around, and the future MVP of baseball.”
Roman’s deep brown eyes glow with pride as if he’s the most important person in the room and sticks his hand out.
“Hi, Erin,” he says with a lopsided grin that could break through the toughest walls. “Your sister kisses my Uncle Brodie on the lips.”
Erin laughs, her eyes wide with amusement.
“Yeah, she does. It’s very nice to meet you, Roman. I love your nickname.”
“What’s yours?”
“Night Owl,” she answers, her voice light.
“Cool. Do you kiss my Uncle Chasey on the lips?”
A laugh bubbles up at the back of my throat as the tips of Erin’s ears turn bright red. The innocence in Roman’s question makes me love him just a little more.
“Roman,” Brax chides with affection as a quiet laugh escapes him.
“Can you ask your sister to build me a treehouse?” Roman blurts out, not missing a beat. His excitement explodes into a rush of words. “My dad says she designs stuff, and I want my treehouse to look like my hideout from my favorite game, Gargoyle: Legacy of Shadows. The second game just came out. Do you play? My character’s name is Nightwing.”
Roman’s voice barrels forward, he’s a rapid-fire machine, barely pausing for breath, and it’s clear Erin understands how he got that nickname.
“I don’t play, but maybe you can teach me,” she says.
Roman’s mouth drops, and his eyes shine. A grin lights up his whole face. “Really? You want your own character name and for me to teach you the whole game from zero?” He looks at Erin like she’s the best thing to exist. She opens her mouth to answer, but Roman carries on. “Uncle Brodie’s character’s name is Skywatcher, but he only plays sometimes. Everyone else just uses my character when they want to play. You really want to play it with me?”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” Erin says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looks up at Brax for a moment, uncertainty present in her gaze, but when she catches his eyes, his amused expression eases the tension.
