Oh well…baby steps.

“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m ready for some birthday cake,” Georgia says as she pats my shoulder. She’s been sitting on the armrest of the couch right beside me since we retired to the formal living room after dinner. My woman—and yes, Georgia is that in every sense of the word now—cooked an amazing dinner for Lexi as well as a phenomenal-looking red velvet cake, which is the birthday girl’s favorite.

“Yay,” Ruby shouts, and jumps up and down. She’s been eyeballing the cake since everyone arrived.

“Want to help?” Georgia asks as she holds her hand out.

Ruby doesn’t need to think about that and flies across the room to take Georgia’s hand.

“You too, Violet?” Gray prompts as she rubs her fingers over Violet’s head. She merely nods and pushes away from her perch on Gray and follows Georgia and her sister into the kitchen.

Lexi also stands up, but turns in the opposite direction. “I’m going to use the restroom real quick. A full bladder while blowing out candles can become disastrous.”

I laugh at my daughter and her humor.

Roman also grins in a knowing but satisfied way, which means he adores her humor as well.

A quick look at Gray and I see the same appreciative look on her face that we have a member of the family now who will always keep us laughing.

“I’m going to get another beer,” Ryker says as he stands up, his gaze sweeping the room. “Anyone want anything?”

Everyone shakes their head, and as soon as he’s gone, Gray turns to me and says, “I’ve updated the final trade report recommendations and will have them to you tomorrow.”

I keep my smile to myself, because Gray’s mind is never far from business, and that means she’s a chip off the old block. But I gently divert her because we are not at work, but rather here to relax and celebrate Lexi’s birthday. Also, this could be a good time to get Gray and Roman to interact.

“I’m sure you’ve done a thorough job and I look forward to reviewing it,” I tell her before I turn my gaze to Roman. “And what are your big secretive plans with Lexi tomorrow? She’s really excited.”

While we’re celebrating Lexi’s birthday today, it’s actually tomorrow, and Roman has apparently told Lexi he has a big surprise for her. She jabbered about it to me earlier tonight with Roman watching with smug confidence he’d outdone himself.

Roman shifts on the couch, scoots forward, and puts his elbows on his knees. His face turns stony when he says, “Well, I’d hoped for a nice romantic evening with your daughter, complete with something I’ve been working on for a few weeks now, but looks like instead I might be having a serious conversation with her about what appears to be my impending exit from this team. I’m sure you’ll read all about it tomorrow.”

My entire body stiffens and a sweeping chill seems to permeate the room. My head snaps to the right and I see Gray has a slight smirk to her face that she desperately tries to hide before I see it.

“Gray?” I ask in confusion at Roman’s implication that he’s going to be mentioned in the trade report. While it’s solely within Gray’s realm to make trade recommendations and ultimately decisions after any counsel she wants to receive, I usually have a good idea what’s coming down the pike. We look to trade our weak players to strengthen the team, and Roman Sýkora is no weak player.

With a nonchalant shrug, Gray merely says, “Just exploring options.”

Before I can respond, Roman says in a low but deadly serious voice, “Which includes calling my agent yesterday to ‘inquire’ as to whether I had any interest in making a move from the team for a good price. Clearly, you’ll find my name on the report tomorrow.”

A swift burst of anger toward Gray blooms within my chest, not that she would do such a thing, because any player is fair game as the trade deadline approaches, but because she clearly wasn’t making a serious inquiry. She knows damn well he’s not a player we would legitimately consider releasing from this team, and this is just a way to make him aware that she’s still the boss.

Frankly, I’m a little disappointed in her at this moment, an emotion I’ve rarely felt toward my daughter.

Movement from behind both Gray and Roman catches my attention, and I see Lexi heading back to the living room. She immediately freezes when she hears Gray say to Roman, “This shouldn’t be a surprise to you, Roman. You’ve clearly not taken any of my advice to heart, and I need you to understand that you are the paid athlete, I am the boss.”

Roman gives a disrespectful bark of a laugh and says, “I take advice from people I respect.”

I quickly glance at Lexi, whose face has turned pale as she listens. She looks at me, and I open my mouth to stop this conversation before it gets any more heated, but Lexi shakes her head slightly, her eyes now narrowing as they go to Roman and then Gray, neither of whom are aware she’s standing there.

“If you’d get over yourself for just one full minute,” Gray snaps at him with ferocity, “you’d understand that this is a team, and the whole is more important than your overinflated egotistical self.”

Roman’s face turns red with anger and he bites back at her just as fiercely, “And if you’d get off your high horse for just a minute, and quit punishing me for a variety of offenses that are in the past, you’d probably get what you want from me.”

Gray snarls something back at him, but it’s at this moment that I see Lexi’s face morph into complete frustration and disappointment and she quietly turns away from the living room, passing out of my eyesight, but I know she’s headed for the front door.

I don’t call attention to her impending exit but instead stand from my chair, which effectively causes the room to go silent.

“Where are you going?” Gray asks in quiet surprise, perhaps even a little chagrined to have indulged in this pettiness.

“Away from you two children,” I snap at her, and without another look I follow Lexi.

The foyer is already empty by the time I get there and I quietly slip out the front door, seeing her walking down the long, dark driveway, her body hunched against the icy cold.

Trotting to catch up to my daughter, I sidle in next to her as I match her pace and put an arm around her shoulder. She stops midstride and pulls away from me, turning to me with tears in her eyes.