by Kat Mizera
Ryder burst out laughing. “Dude. Get a fucking grip, man.”
Sitting in a booth at the diner where they were waiting for her father to meet them, Cassie looked at her watch a thousand times. Her father was supposed to meet them at noon and it was now a quarter after.
“He’s not coming,” she said quietly.
“You want to call him?”
She shook her head. “I think I just want to leave.”
“Are you sure, babe?” Logan slid his arm around her shoulders. “You came a long way to not see him.”
“I think I’m…over it.” She looked at him. “And I’m really fucking sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“For dragging this out, making you wait for me, turning something that should have been little into something huge. I’m pissed and embarrassed, but you know what? I’m not at all hurt or sad.”
He leaned over and kissed her, his lips hovering over hers. “Don’t be embarrassed. As long as you’re not hurting, I don’t give a fuck about waiting and certainly not about him. If you’re sure you’re ready to move on, we can walk out of this diner and never come back.”
She paused, staring out at the parking lot, her thoughts seemingly far away. Then she scooted out of the booth and held out her hand to him. “Fuck him. Let’s go.”
“Babe, slow down.” He threw a ten-dollar bill on the table to cover their sodas and then grabbed her hand, pulling her up short so she was against his chest. “Are you a thousand percent sure you just want to leave?”
“He’s not coming,” she said quietly. “Deep in my gut, I knew he would blow me off. You should have heard his voice when I called and told him I’d come to town with my boyfriend, who was here on business. He totally panicked, fumbled over his words… He doesn’t want to see me. Otherwise, he would have invited me to the house. There was a small chance he was going to show up, but here we are at 12:20 and still no Dad.”
“But are you okay?” He stared into her eyes. “I’m happy to stay, get online, figure out where he lives and just show up… Whatever you need.”
“You know what? All I need is you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “She might be a hot mess sometimes, but I’ve got a good mom who loves me. I have friends, school, and an incredible coaching opportunity coming up, and now I have the greatest guy in the world. I truly don’t need anything else.”
“Then what was this trip about?”
“Closure. Saying goodbye to the fantasy about my daddy. He’s not, though. He’s nothing but a sperm donor at this point and I’m okay with it.”
“For real?”
“A thousand percent.”
“Does that mean you’re officially my girlfriend now?”
“A thousand percent.”
33
They headed back to the hotel and went to Logan’s room. The Blizzard wasn’t in town yet, so they had a few hours to themselves. The plan had been to spend a little time with Cassie’s dad, but since he was the disappointing prick she’d always thought he was, she was actually glad to have this time with Logan. Not only because she’d missed being intimate with him, but because she’d missed him period. She hadn’t realized how important he’d become over the last couple of months and now as they crawled into bed together, it was like she was finally free to be whoever she wanted to be.
Logan seemed different too, as if everything about who and what they were individually had somehow combined into what they were together. It made no sense but also perfect sense. Separately, they’d been lacking, but together they were strong and fulfilled. At least she thought so, and when his naked body pressed against hers, she knew she was right.
He moved over her, his lips skimming hers as he slid inside of her. Then he stopped and just looked at her. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this,” he said softly. “But I think you’re the most gorgeous woman in the whole world.”
“I think you’re the hottest guy on the planet, so we’re even.”
“I thought about nothing except how many ways I was going to fuck you when we finally got naked again, but now that we’re doing it, I realized I don’t want to.”
“You don’t want to have sex?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I mean, yes, I do, but I don’t want to fuck you. Today I need to make love to you.” He bent his head and captured her mouth for a kiss unlike any other. This time his lips were full of promise, the kind that hinted at forever and spoke of love and respect and friendship. There was so much intensity between them, it was hard to know where the friendship stopped and the lovers started, but it didn’t matter. Now that she had him, she was going to do everything in her power to love him, make him happy, and nurture their relationship. Because he made everything about her life better.
And the sex wasn’t shabby, either. Even now that he was lightly kissing her, his body moving slowly, without any of their usual ferocity, it was magnificent. The outside world disappeared and for the first time in her life, Cassie was emotionally at peace, exactly where she was supposed to be with the person she was supposed to be with. She wasn’t sure what was different, but it was.
As always when he touched her, her body had a mind of its own and she lost control, coming harder and faster than she had in a long time.
“God, I love watching you come,” he whispered, holding himself up so he could look into her eyes.
She smiled faintly, her heart still skipping beats as she tried to catch her breath. “I love you, Logan.”
“I love you too.” He rolled onto his back and she turned on her side to cuddle against him.
“I have a confession,” she said after a few minutes.
“Shoot.”
“I blamed myself for my dad leaving.”
“I figured.”
“You did?”
“You were a kid, and whether she did it on purpose or not, your mom made sure you knew that your dad never wanted you. Even though it’s the truth, she wound up transferring all of her hurt onto you, and that wasn’t fair.”
“No, but I don’t think she did it on purpose.”
“I don’t either.” His arms were wrapped around her, holding her close. “So what do you feel now?”
“Relief and this incredible feeling of freedom, like I’d been holding on to that pain and guilt, using it as a crutch for everything that went wrong in both my life and my mom’s. But now it’s gone because I realize he’s the one with a problem, not me. He could’ve left my mom and still been my dad, and yet, given the chance now that I’m an adult, he still doesn’t want me.”
“Screw him. I want you. Your mom wants you. Frank told me he thinks you’re awesome and wants to be your stepdad.”
“That’s pretty freakin’ great. I don’t need the sperm donor in my life.”
“Good for you.” He leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose.
Somewhere in the distance, one of their phones was buzzing and Logan got up, found both phones and brought them back to bed.
“Oh, look at this,” she said, showing him the screen of her phone where she’d gotten a text.
DAD: Sorry I missed you. Something came up.
She stared at it for a moment and then pushed a few buttons.
“You’re going to block him?” Logan asked in surprise.
“Yup. Like I said, I’m a thousand percent done with him.”
“I’m really proud of you, babe. Just make sure you don’t have any regrets.”
“I have no regrets about anything except waiting so long to do it.” She blocked her father’s number and then pushed Logan onto his back. “Now, where were we?”
“I dunno.” He looked up with a sexy smile. “I was thinking you might want to do a lap dance for me.”
“How much?” she teased, reaching down to guide his erection inside of her.
“Fuck.” He let out a breath as she slid all the way down. “How about…all of me, forever?”
“Sold.” She closed her eyes and the world disappeared onc
e again.
Epilogue
“I’m so nervous.” Maya smoothed down her dress. “Are you sure I look okay?”
“You look gorgeous, Mom.” Cassie grinned, shaking her head. “Now let’s go do this before you’re late to your own wedding.”
“I never thought I’d get married again.” She stared down at her left hand, where a diamond engagement ring sparkled in the light.
“Frank is so much better of a man than your first husband ever was.” Cassie no longer referred to her father as “Dad.”
It had been three months since she and Logan had gone to meet him in Nashville, and she’d written Anderson Reynolds off in every way possible. And now she was about to gain a stepfather, which was a nice change of pace. He’d already been more of a father to her in three months than her father had been her entire life, so she was happy for both herself and her mother.
They walked out of the large hotel room where Maya and Frank would spend their wedding night, and headed down to the lobby. They were going to walk across the street in a few minutes, to the Las Vegas chapel where Frank and Maya would elope and then had dinner reservations. Logan was standing up for Frank and she was standing up for her mom, and she and Logan were making it a vacation for themselves as well.
Things had been really good between them since their trip to Nashville. She’d officially moved into the master bedroom with him, she was starting her new job in August, classes would start in September, and Coco was probably the most spoiled Bernese mountain dog in the world. And she might have been one of the most spoiled girlfriends in the world, too.
She’d never imagined Logan would be the romantic type, constantly surprising her with flowers, little gifts, a day trip somewhere, brand new hockey equipment, and so much more. She constantly told him to stop, she didn’t need material items, but he kept doing it and she kind of loved it.
Mostly, she loved him, and she couldn’t help but smile when she spotted him and Frank waiting for them in the lobby. Frank looked great in tailored slacks, a button-down shirt and sports coat, but Logan looked hotter than hot. Even in the summer heat, his blond hair still damp from the shower, he looked like something out of a fashion magazine, though she’d never tell him that.
“Hello, beautiful.” He leaned over to kiss her.
“Hi.” She slid her hand into his as Frank whispered in Maya’s ear.
They walked across the street to the chapel and Cassie was surprised to feel herself getting choked up as Frank and her mother read the short but sweet vows they’d written, something about it being better late than never and soulmates and true love.
“It would be super easy for us to get married, too,” Logan said as they walked out of the chapel.
Cassie squinted in the bright sunlight, unsure whether or not he was kidding. “Like, today? Right now?” she asked, thinking he would laugh and change the subject. Instead, he turned to her and brought one of her hands to his lips.
“If you wanted to.”
There was nothing teasing about the way he was looking at her and Cassie could only stare back. “Logan, we’re barely, I mean…really?” She was shocked but a little bit excited too.
“I don’t want to pressure you, and I know you’ve done it twice before, but all I want is for us to be together and be happy. You marrying me would make me even happier than I am now.”
“Who are you and where’s the footloose and fancy-free hockey player I know?”
He laughed. “I’m right here, baby, but that’s the old me. The new me loves you and wants to take care of you. As long as becoming my wife would make you happy too.”
She studied him carefully and then pretended to shrug indifferently. “Even if I say yes, it’s definitely not going to be today. I do not, in any way, shape, or form, want to share an anniversary with my mother.”
“Agreed.” He chuckled. “So the last day before we leave Vegas?”
“Well, then you’ve got five days to talk me into it.”
“That kind of feels like a challenge.” His eyes glittered with amusement and an unspoken promise.
“Uh-huh.”
He slid an arm around her shoulders as they started to walk. “You know how I love a challenge.”
“I do.”
“Our friends are going to be pissed if we do it and they aren’t here for it.”
“There’s time for them to get on a plane.”
He grinned. “Is that a yes?”
“I already told you—you have five days to talk me into it.”
“Maybe tonight, when I’ve got you tied to the bed and make you come a few dozen times, we’ll revisit this conversation.”
“Sounds like fun.” She leaned up for another kiss just as her mother called out to them.
“Come on, you two! Unless you plan on getting married too, let’s go to dinner!”
Cassie grinned as she and Logan picked up the pace to keep up with them.
The next five days were going to be so much fun.
And the next fifty years would probably be even better.
Thank you for reading Calling Cassie! I hope you’ll consider leaving a review at the retailer of your choice. In the meantime, turn the page for the first chapter of Playing Peyton, the next book in the Alaska Blizzard series!
Excerpt from Playing Peyton (unedited and subject to change)
Chapter One
Normally after a rough game in the middle of a two-week road trip, Ryder Kingston went up to his room and to bed. Tonight, however, he’d dropped off his things, changed out of his suit into jeans and a T-shirt, and headed down to the bar. It was probably going to be a long, fun night, but tomorrow was a travel day so he could nap if he had to.
Playing hockey against a good friend and former teammate was part of the game, but it was still tough. Meeting up afterward and having a chance to catch up, though, was awesome. Donovan Legori had been the back-up goalie for the Alaska Blizzard before getting traded to Buffalo, and it had been months since they’d seen him. They’d all been tight so his trade had been hard, but many of them kept in touch.
Donovan was married to the sister of one of Ryder’s teammates, so she was at the bar too, as they waited for the rest of the Blizzard to arrive.
“Hey, man.” Donovan came over and shook Ryder’s hand. “How’s it going?”
“Good! How’s life in Buffalo?”
“I think we’ve finally settled in.” He glanced over at his wife Tara and she got up to hug Ryder and kiss him on the cheek.
“Hey, Tara.”
They chatted for a few minutes before settling at a handful of tables they’d pushed together in the back of the hotel bar. Tara jumped up when her brother Miikka came in, running to hug him and there was a lot of excitement as they all reconnected again.
Ryder’s roommate and closest friend on the team, Logan Pelletier, came in grinning from ear to ear as he hugged both Donovan and Tara.
“I have a surprise for you,” he told Tara.
She made a face at him. “Unless that beautiful wife of yours is here, I don’t want it.”
Logan’s eyes twinkled as he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. She let out a yelp and then a squeal of delight as Logan’s wife, Cassie, came running forward. The two women hugged and laughed and hugged some more.
Ryder leaned back in his chair, smiling at his friends. Logan and Cassie had just gotten married over the summer so Logan had surprised her with a plane ticket to join them on the team’s first road trip of the year. Since they were playing Buffalo, and Tara had been her best friend in Anchorage, he’d flown her out for a few games. Cassie didn’t know it yet, but she’d be spending a few days with Tara in Buffalo before meeting Logan in New York City and then flying home.
“It’s good to see you, man.” Donovan said to him. “What’s new?”
“Nothin’.” Ryder shrugged. “Just doing my thing. I’m sure Cassie told Tara I got a dog and now my entire life revolves around her?”
&n
bsp; Donovan laughed. “Yeah. I think everyone in the league knows about you and the Bernese mountain dog from hell.”
“Aww, that’s not fair. She’s a little wild sometimes, but she’s super sweet. You’d love her.”
“I’m sure I would.” Donovan nodded.
“She’s a lot better now. I did some hardcore training with her in the off-season and she’s settling down. Thank god, because she was freakin’ exhausting.”
“Heard she cost you a girlfriend, though,” Donovan teased.
Ryder rolled his eyes. “Nah. Cindy was cool but she doesn’t like dogs at all, and when she met Coco, it was pretty much over. We tried to get past it, but neither of us were budging, so it was moot.”
“Well, I’m sure your bed is never cold.”
“Not usually, no.”
They grinned at each other.
“Tara!” Danielle Petrov, the Blizzard’s assistant trainer, who was married to another one of Ryder’s teammates, came running in and there was more hugging and laughter.
Ryder ordered a beer, watching the festivities around him and enjoying the moment. He hadn’t liked Anchorage at first, and having a female head coach as well as a woman assistant trainer on the bench had been hard to get used to. Now he couldn’t imagine it any other way. Coach Caldwell was a badass coach and former Olympic champion, and Dani was amazing, both on and off the ice. He didn’t even look at them as women anymore, just two integral parts of the organization. And friends. Though Laurel Caldwell was his coach, she was also a friend. Someone he could talk to. And that was special.
“So Tara has this friend,” Donovan was saying to him. “She’s gorgeous. Smart, fun to hang out with, has a good job so she’s not a gold-digger. You want me to invite her up to the bar? I think you’d like her.”
Ryder hesitated. “We’re leaving in the morning, and I live a six-hour flight away. You think it’s a good idea to meet someone I’m not going to be able to spend time with?”
“How will you know if you don’t try?” Donovan asked. “I mean, if you like each other, you could get to know each other long distance and then make a date to meet up again in the future. Might be good for both of you.”
