Dolce Vita

Roman was sitting with a few of the guys on the team in the hotel restaurant grabbing a bite to eat after the game, which they had won. He hadn't heard from Sloane all day, part of him was worried she might have given in to her mother's demands and that she would be packing up to move home instead of into his place.

"Dude you spaced out again." Craig stated, laughing when Roman looked up across the table at him in alarm. Curiously Craig asked, "Heard from Sloane yet?"

Roman shook his head, hit the lock button on his phone and set it down beside his water glass. Shea let out a chuckle and when Roman looked at him with his eyebrow raised he told him, "You're like a lost puppy."

"Whatever." Roman muttered, taking a drink of his water as their waitress came back around to bring everyone refills.

"It's absolutely adorable how helpless you are." Pekka stated without even looking up from his phone as he sent a text.

Roman rolled his eyes, "What do you know you're a goalie."

Pekka raised his eyebrow as the men at the table laughed at Roman's comment and asked, "What does that have to do with you being helpless?"

"Ah come on guys he's not helpless." Craig stated, and when everyone turned to look at him he grinned and said, "He's just hopeless."

Again when everyone laughed Roman rolled his eyes and told Craig, "You're an asshole man."

Craig shrugged and smiled at his teammate, telling him, "Better than hopeless."

Roman's phone beeped and before he could grab it Pekka did, sliding the unlock button and reading this text. He got a big wide grin on his face and he handed the phone back to Roman he told him, "You really should have a password on your phone."

Roman snatched the phone from Pekka's hand and read Sloane's message. His lips turned up slowly into a smile before he was full blown grinning, causing the table to turn their glances to Pekka who shrugged.

I got my wish. Hockey skates and sneakers. Wish you were here.

Finally Roman tilted his phone so Shea could read his message, and everyone was confused when their captain grinned like a Cheshire cat. Shea let out a laugh, clapped Roman on the shoulder and told him, "Just for that I'm buying you a drink."

"What's the most expensive they have?" Roman joked, making Shea laugh.

"Are any of you going to tell us what's going on?" Mike asked them curiously.

Roman looked up to find four pairs of eyes on him, and he smiled and said, "It's a boy."

Everyone burst into excitement and Seth reached out, giving him a pat on the back before saying with a grin, "We got a boy!"

Roman let out a laugh and asked, "What's with this we thing you guys have going on?"

Seth shrugged and told him, "We've just decided that since you're clearly still a child yourself this is gonna be the teams baby, like a second mascot or something."

Roman let out a loud laugh and said, "Sloane is gonna love that."

"Team baby. That's a good one." Pekka stated with a laugh. After a few seconds his laugh faltered and he asked seriously, "Does that mean I'm gonna have to change diapers? Because I didn't sign up for that."

"Like you would do it anyway." Craig stated.

Pekka grinned and said, "Shea needs the practice."

Raising his eyebrow Shea asked, "Why me?"

"Ah come on you're the only one out of us that's headed in the kid direction." Pekka stated and when Shea kept his eyebrow raised he continued, "Everyone knows you and Riley want a bunch of babies. You however need practice with them."

"I need practice?" Shea asked with amusement.

Pekka nodded and said in confirmation, "I've yet to see you hold a kid that doesn't start crying immediately."

Everyone got out a laugh out of this and Shea rolled his eyes. Craig attempted to defended him by stating, "He's a scary guy what do you expect?"

Roman shot Shea a look before he said, "See. Asshole."

- - -

"You ready for this?" Kim asked as she sat beside Sloane on her bed folding clothes. Sloane raised her eyebrow, picked up an almond from the pile sitting on her stomach. Kim chuckled at that, placed three shirts in a suitcase and clarified her question, "Moving in with him."

Sloane shrugged, "Honestly? Yeah. I mean aside from the obvious like how it makes sense and it's easier for both of us I want to move in with him. Kim call me crazy but I really think he's it for me."

"It's not crazy babe." Kim told her, wrapping her arm around Sloane's shoulder. She grabbed an almond, tossing it into her mouth and chewing it. Eventually she told Sloane, "You've known each other for what five months? You've had plenty of time to develop feelings, plus you're pregnant. That changes things. It's okay to love him."

"What if he doesn't feel the same?" Sloane asked her, watching as Kim gave her a look and slapped her leg. She rubbed her thigh and asked, "What?"

"You sure are dense you know." Kim told her, rolling her eyes when Sloane raised an eyebrow. She told her, "He is so in like with you it's honestly amazing you can't even see it."

"You think so?" Sloane asked her with a grin.

Kim nodded and kissed her cheek loudly before singing, "Roman and Sloane sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage… oh… awkward."

"Guess we did things a little backwards huh?" Sloane asked with a smile.

Kim giggled and said, "Just a little but it's okay I'll still love this little bastard."

Sloane burst into laughter, Kim joining. After a few seconds Sloane stated, "I cannot believe you just called my baby a bastard."

"Well technically he is. But like I said it's okay I still love him anyway." Kim told her, the two of them laughing again.

That was what Roman walked into, Kim and Sloane on the bed laughing. He raised his eyebrow and asked, "What did I interrupt?"

Sloane grinned and while still chuckling she told him, "Hi there, absolutely nothing."

She reached out, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him onto the bed with them. He got comfortable and Kim told him, "She's almost packed."

"I'm surprised." Roman told her and Sloane rolled her eyes. He grinned and said, "Ms. Proctrastination."

"You're rude." Sloane stated.

Kim glanced around at the boxes and suitcases in Sloane's bedroom, put her chin on Sloane's shoulder and said softly, "This place is gonna be really quite without you here."

"You'll find a way to make some noise." Sloane assured her with a smirk.

Kim shrugged, "I'm taking a break from boys."

"That'll last." Sloane stated, jumping when Kim pinched her thigh.

"I'm serious. They've brought me nothing but misery in the past, pardon the melodrama." Kim told her, rolling her eyes when Sloane chuckled. She tightened her grip around Sloane's shoulders and said, "I just don't see why I need to keep putting myself out there when it's just gonna blow up in my face again."

"You'll find someone." Sloane assured her. She then added with a grin, "Besides if you don't you can always cougar it out with baby Josi."

Kim narrowed her eyes, "Hoe."

"Slut." Sloane retorted back.

Roman glanced between the two and stated, "You two are so weird."

They looked at each other, shrugged and then they both laughed at his comment. It was true. Sloane glanced at Roman's watch before she told Kim, "You're gonna be late for work."

Kim shrugged and when Sloane shot her a look she asked, "I answer phones at a mall office, who's gonna miss me that bad? Besides it's an evening shift."

"Go." Sloane told her.

She practically jumped out of her skin when Kim dropped onto the bed in front of her, and with her head in front of Sloane's belly she yelled, "Okay but I love you baby! I love you little baby I love you I love you!"

Sloane swatted at her and muttered, "Get off of me."

Roman chuckled when Kim got up and told her, "I love you too mama!"

"Yeah yeah get to work." Sloane said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Once she was gone Roman wrapped his arm around Sloane and pulled her into his side. She looked up at him with wide eyes and he smiled, asking, "So mama what do you want to do for dinner tonight?"

"Mmm… pizza." She stated with a shrug. Roman chuckled and she said, "With extra cheese and lots of bacon."

"You are odd. But your wish is my command." Roman told her, pulling his phone out to order. He then told her, "Let's get to work on getting your stuff out of here and pick up the pizza on the way home."

"Home." She mused, and when he raised his eyebrow she smiled and told him, "I like the sound of that."

"Someday, maybe once the baby is here and things are back to normal I'm gonna get you a real home. One with a big backyard and a pool." He told her, smiling when she leaned up and kissed him.

When she pulled away from him she said, "Careful. A girl could get used to being spoiled."

"I'd buy you a country if you asked. A continent even. Anything you want." Roman told her with a nod of his head.

"Roman Josi are trying to offer me the world?" Sloane asked him with a grin.

He nodded, "And everything in it."

"Well let's get this show on the road huh?" Sloane asked once their moment was over. She wiggled off the bed, narrowing her eyes at Roman as he stifled a laugh.

He immediately stopped and grabbed three suitcases, asking, "Jesus what do you have in these things?"

Sloane looked at the suitcases and told him, "Shoes and sweaters."

Roman looked down at the suitcases and shook his head, taking them to the door. Sloane slung a duffle bag over her shoulder and wheeled one last suitcase out to the others while Roman went back for the two boxes. He told her as he met her at the door, "I'll come grab your desk and stuff tomorrow."

She nodded and as he started bringing her things out to his vehicle Sloane wandered back into the apartment. She looked around and sighed. She might be happy to move in with Roman but it didn't mean she also wasn't sad to leave this place, and Kim, behind. They had been living here for years, there were so many memories. But she also knew she would be making new memories with Roman. It was all very odd.

"Ready?" He asked, standing in the doorway.

She turned her head over her shoulder and nodded at him. She was ready to leave when she walked into the dining area and grabbed a photo frame from the wall, the one of her and Kim on her birthday the year previous. They were laughing, leaning against each other and Kim was adjusting the plastic crown on Sloane's head. Finally she linked arms with Roman, locked the door behind them and got into his car.

He reached for her hand as he pulled out of the parking lot and Sloane told him, "Let's go home."

He smiled at her, gave her hand a squeeze and reminded her, "First our food, because if I'm hungry I know you probably are."

"True." She said with a grin, making him laugh.

They drove in silence and Sloane sat in the car while Roman went inside to grab their pizza. She was making a grocery list on her phone, Roman's fridge was more stocked than usual lately but it still needed some work. Pre-pregnancy Sloane was okay living off chicken, Gatorade and rice but now that she was paying a lot more attention to what she was putting in her body she was eating much better.

Roman set the pizza on her lap before he got into his seat and raised his eyebrow at the long list on her phone. He asked her curiously, "Whatcha doing?"

"Making a grocery list so I can go shopping tomorrow." She informed him, adding a few more things before she said, "Can we do tacos tomorrow because my God I want tacos."

Roman let out a laugh and nodded, "We can have tacos tomorrow."

"Have I told you how much I love you lately?" Sloane asked him with a smile, and upon realizing what she said her smile faded and her eyes got wide.

Roman blinked a few times, watching her, before he smiled and said, "No but feel free to say it any time you want."

She rolled her eyes at him, pushed his shoulder and said, "You're annoying sometimes you know."

Shrugging Roman told her, "So I've been told. But for the record I love you too Sloane."

"Really?" She asked him, her voice raised just slightly in the way it always did when she was surprised. Something Roman had noticed a long time ago.

"Really."