“What are you smiling about?” Graham asks me as he rolls over onto his elbow. He’s sporting some serious sex hair. We are never leaving this bed.
“Nothing. Everything.” I slide my hand over to tangle up with his.
That makes Graham smile back and we lay there just grinning at each other until my mouth almost hurts.
“Are you hungry? We should eat. You should definitely eat.” He rolls over to grab the room service menu. This will be our fourth time to call down there since we got back to the hotel. After announcing to the entire lobby, “This is my wife!” to a nice round of applause, Graham’s been content to stay right here. We ordered in dinner, then ice cream around midnight, and breakfast this morning. That makes this lunch, I guess, but I have no idea what time it is or how long we’ve been cocooned up here. The only thing I care about is being wrapped up with Graham.
“What sounds good to you two?” Graham asks. You two because really there’s three of us in this room right now. “Will Bruiser let you eat a cheeseburger?”
I gag a little at the thought of that. “No, he doesn’t want a cheeseburger,” I tell him. “Bruiser could be a she, you know.”
“I know.” Graham puts his face close to my stomach. “Either way is fine by me as long as I can put him or her,” he raises his eyes to mine, “in my jersey.”
“Your jersey’s going to be a little big at first, don’t you think?”
“They make onesies.” Graham tells me this like it’s the most reasonable thing in the world. “And small sizes.”
“Let me guess, you’ve got a box of those somewhere in the house already.” Of course Graham’s got a stash of baby gear with his number on it.
“College and pro,” he tells me with absolutely no shame. He’s been waiting for this for forever.
“I love you.” I say it first now. Without any fear. Without any hesitation.
“I know,” he answers me back with his lips against my belly. “I know.”
“Wait, isn’t that…”
“From Star Wars?”
“Seriously, Graham?”
“What? That’s a great movie.” And then he rolls me over, pinning me underneath that massive body that I get to keep forever. “I love you, too.”
I feel myself relax into his touch, relax into the way things are now.
Yeah, I could get used to this.
Epilogue
Graham
“Here, hand him to me.”
“You have to go up and give your speech. You can’t hold him while you talk.”
“I’ll put him in the front pack. We’ll be fine.” I reach for my son and lift him up high.
“Don’t do it,” Cassie warns me.
“Don’t do what?” I pretend I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“Don’t do the Lion King thing.”
“But he loves it!” I protest. He really does like it. His blue eyes shine down at me, waiting for me to start singing. It’s one way I can always guarantee he’ll laugh. The laughing is new and I can’t get enough of it. I make a fool of myself daily just so I can hear Connor’s crazy belly laugh.
Connor. Named after my father.
It was Cassie’s suggestion because she gets me, knows exactly what I need before I even know it myself. Like today. She’s been right there with me helping to organize this event—the first fundraiser for my new charity. Cassie’s the one who originally gave me the idea to help kids and now here we are putting our money—and all the money I could coax out of my friends—where our mouths are. We’re walking to raise money, but really this is more about getting people excited, letting people know what we’re all about. And we’re at the zoo because Connor loves the zoo.
Cassie claims Connor’s too young to know much about what he’s looking at, but he knows what he likes. When we go by the monkey house he kicks his legs like crazy and makes these spitty bubbles with his lips. You can’t tell me that isn’t excitement.
“Come here, buddy.” I pull him close to me and work him into the baby carrier I’ve got attached to my torso. I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out this baby thing, especially since I’m home so much. I never thought I’d be happy not to be traveling with the team, but if I was still playing I’d be missing so much. Being retired means being here and being a hands-on dad. I don’t love changing diapers, but I wouldn’t trade my nights rocking Connor to sleep for anything. Not even a Super Bowl win.
I could never have imagined I’d love anything the way I love football, but from the moment Cassie and I decided to make this thing official I’ve come to realize that my feelings for a game can’t compete with the love I have for my family. The day Connor was born I had a high like I’d never had on the field. Watching the woman I love give birth to my son—there aren’t words for that. Cassie was a champ, fighting her way through hours of labor to give me the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. When they put Connor in my arms, I thought my heart would explode and that feeling keeps coming back with every new thing he does. He and Cassie are my team now and I’ve been lobbying hard to get Cassie to expand our franchise. She’s not ready yet, but as soon as she says the word, I’m going to be working on giving Connor a little brother or sister.
“You want him to face out like that?” Cassie asks. “No one’s going to be paying attention to you with his little guy looking at them.” She leans in to put a raspberry on Connor’s cheek. He grabs a handful of her hair and holds on, turning his round little face to put it in his mouth.
“Easy there, killer, let go of Mom.” I untangle them and smooth Cassie’s curls back down, letting my hand rest on the back of her neck. She smiles up at me and I lean down to kiss her, careful not to squish the baby between us. “He likes to face out,” I tell her, adjusting the straps that keep my son attached firmly to my chest. “So he can see everything.”
“Let me know if you change your mind and want to hand him off.” Cassie moves back into the crowd. She’s spent the morning greeting people as they come in, helping with the registration table, and corralling stragglers into the main area in front of the stage. She hasn’t stopped since we got here. In a few minutes I’ll need to get things started and then we’ll do a loop around the zoo.
But first I take a few minutes to look around. Julia and Zach are here with Charlie and Noah. Her parents are right next to them with my mother. All of them in their matching T-shirts, Julia’s fitting a little snug around the middle. I give the boys a wave and they both give me two thumbs up. It’s all the encouragement I need to go ahead and get started. I take the mic I’m handed and wait for the crowd to settle down. My old teammates are the last ones to get the message, of course, and I can still hear my agent blabbering long after everyone else is quiet. When Andre gives him an elbow he finally shuts up.
“Thank you all for being here today,” I start, looking out over more people than I ever imagined would come out on a not quite spring day. There’s still a chill in the air, but you’d never know it from the smiles on people’s faces. “It means a lot to me to have so many friends here to help kick things off. And I consider all of you friends now because anyone who gives their time and money to help out kids who’ve suffered the loss of a parent is a friend in my book. The money we raise today will help those families get counseling and support.”
I scan the crowd to find Cassie. “And I’d like to take a minute to thank my beautiful wife Cassie. She was the one who pushed me to start this foundation. The original seed for this idea was hers.” Cassie dips her head, blushing. “If you want something done, you go to the boss. She’s the smartest person I know. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Thanks for always believing in me, baby.”
Connor squawks and I bounce a little to keep him quiet. “I guess that’s my cue to wrap things up,” I joke. “Let’s have fun today!” I walk off the stage to more applause than my speech deserves and head straight for Cassie. I take her hand in mine and we move to the front of the crowd. Having her ne
xt to me makes me feel ten feet tall, and having Connor strapped to the front of me makes me realize all that I’ve been missing. But I have it now.
And I’m never letting it go.
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading Cassie and Graham’s story! From the moment Cassie appeared on the page in Fight For It, I knew she needed her own book. That she ended up with Graham was a surprise to even me.
Obviously there are some people to mention here that helped immensely in the early stages of this book. Special thanks to Austin Ryan and Jessica Devlin who read early versions. Their suggestions made the story stronger.
Thanks to Tamara Mataya for her editing skills and her suggestion that maybe Graham and Cassie need a bit more “bubble.” You were right.
And, as always, thanks to my crack team of live-in teenagers. How would I pick a cover model without you and your friends? How would I be able to determine if a blurb was about a book you “definitely didn’t want to read” but were confident “some other people might”? Kudos to the three of you for helping support your mom as she continues to embarrass you with her writing.
About the Author
Jessie Harper writes steamy, contemporary romance with a slightly Southern flavor. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, she has lived all over the world—from Europe to Asia. She currently resides in Park City, Utah with her husband, three children, and more rescue animals than she ever intended. She appreciates a nice glass of whiskey, homegrown tomatoes, and well-delivered sarcasm. She hopes to never have to “bless your heart.”
For updates and more visit www.jessieharper.com. Or sign up for Jessie’s newsletter so you never miss a thing.
SNEAK PEEK: FIX IT
(COMING SEPTEMBER 2020)
Chapter 1
Kat
“There’s no way you’re ever going to convince me this was how you wanted to spend your birthday.” I scowl at my brother over the rim of my glass and wait for him to contradict me. He doesn’t even bother as he gives me a giant grin from the bar stool next to mine.
“What?” Zach shouts, pretending he can’t hear me. He cups his hand around his ear and shrugs his shoulders, laughing. “Karaoke!” he tells me and then goes back to watching the poor woman up on stage belt out Madonna’s Like a Virgin. I’m pretty sure it’s been a few decades since this lady knew much about virginity. She’s rocking some late ‘80s hair and some serious pelvic thrusting to go along with her musical stylings.
Mercifully, the song ends and dime store Madonna starts taking her bows. My brother puts his fingers up to his lips and whistles. I curse his overzealous encouragement, bracing for the next performer. After an hour of neighborhood karaoke I’ve truly reached my limit, but I’m saved by the band’s announcement that they’re going to take a break. Yes, this bar has a band to accompany anyone who wants to get on stage and sing. Welcome to Nashville, folks.
“Whoa, that was kind of intense,” my brother’s wife tells us as she makes her way back from the edge of the stage. Julia’s never been subjected to karaoke night at this fine establishment either, but she seems less shell-shocked than I would have imagined. “We’re really going to need to up our game if we want to get on the list. Zach, are we still doing a duet? I’ve got the song list right here.”
“You guys are going to sing?” I ask, slightly mortified.
“Sure, Kit Kat. It’s fun. You and Amy could sing something together.” My brother gestures toward the other end of the bar where my twin sister sits deep in conversation with some glasses-wearing dude. I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be in the mood to make a fool of herself tonight by joining me on Eye of the Tiger. She’s the sensible one, anyway, and neither of us can carry a tune in a bucket.
“Do you have the song list?” Julia’s best friend demands as she reaches over me to grab it. “Graham and I call dibs on anything from Grease.” Cassie’s in on this too? I watch as her giant ex-football-star husband comes up behind her and agrees.
“You guys cannot be serious,” I say more to myself than to any of my assembled family and friends.
“Do you want something from Grease? We could try to choose something else, I guess.” Cassie turns to her husband and she and Graham pore over the piece of paper in front of them. “Oh, we could do something from Frozen! We know all those songs by heart.”
“What other Disney have they got?” Julia demands. Of course they’re all going to do down the Disney rabbit hole. They’ve all got kids eight and under.
“You want to spend your one night with a babysitter singing all the songs from the movies your kids torture you with on a daily basis?” I ask, incredulous, and four confused faces stare back at me.
“Well, if we want to really kill it, we need to pick songs we know,” Graham explains, shrugging. “You should really think about getting up there. You know, introducing yourself to your new neighbors.”
I frown as Zach and Graham high five.
“I guess that would be one way to make sure everyone remembers me.”
“Who needs drinks?” Julia asks and scans the crowded bar for someone to take her order. There’s not a bartender in sight.
“I could use another beer.” Graham drains the last of the amber liquid in his glass. “Do you need anything, babe?” He looks down at Cassie and she shakes her head.
“I’m still good, thanks.” Cassie’s been nursing that glass of water since we got here while the rest of us are hitting the sauce. No one mentions the fact that our resident party girl has decided to get serious about her eight glasses a day.
“This end is too crowded,” Julia groans. “I’m going to try further down.” She pushes her way through the crowd to find an opening closer to a bartender.
It is surprisingly crowded in here for a Thursday. I wouldn’t have thought karaoke night would be such a big draw. I watch as a mix of old and young patrons mingle in front of us. More than a few of them give my brother a fist bump or clap him on the back.
“Is it always this busy?” I ask him once he’s back to sipping on his beer. Zach would know better than anyone. This bar used to be his local. It’s walking distance from his old house, the one he lived in after his divorce and before he married Julia. The house I live in now after officially moving in this afternoon. So I guess this is now my local, for better or worse.
“Not always,” Zach shouts over the hum of drink orders and laughter. “But everyone comes out for karaoke at Smitty’s.”
“Great,” I say and don’t really mean it. I’m not sure if I can acclimate to a neighborhood that loves karaoke night the way this one does. But part of moving into my brother’s house is to give this whole neighborhood thing a try. Instead of living downtown in my old loft I’ll be learning the ins and outs of yard maintenance and water heater repair. And karaoke, apparently.
I’d initially pitched the idea to Zach as a way of getting out of my rent increase. He hadn’t wanted to sell his place once he’d moved further out to the suburbs with Julia and my landlord had decided he could bump my monthly rent up to astronomical levels. But in truth, I’d wanted the chance to see how life might be if I slowed down a little. Zach’s old house has everything in walking distance, a great yard, and plenty of space. Just not enough for his family. He went from a single guy running to work every day to a father of four in the blink of an eye. Between Julia’s two boys and now their set of twins, it made sense for him to move into her larger house and rent his out.
It seems that suddenly everyone’s coupling up and starting their families. Cassie and Graham already have a toddler and, if her water drinking tonight is any indication, he’s managed to convince her to have another. I can’t help but be envious of the way he keeps putting a protective hand on her belly every now and again. Which sucks because for me these feelings are coming out of the blue. Zach is my younger brother but somehow he’s the one with a house full of kids, not me and not Amy. She and I are both still single and up until about five minutes ago I was loving it. Unt
il my biological clock decided to flip itself over to something closer to the doomsday clock.
That ticking is getting damn near impossible to ignore and I’m screeching up to forty in a few months. So, without a partner in sight, I thought maybe dipping my toe into the shallow end of parenthood might start with moving into a more kid-friendly neighborhood. Although if I’m serious about it I might need to start swimming in the deep end sooner rather than later. But I haven’t told anyone else about this little experiment yet. Not even Amy knows that I’m seeing emoji hearts whenever I think of squishy little babies. I’m keeping that to myself.
“Is that guy cute?” Zach asks me, pointing down to the other end of the bar.
“What guy?” I squint in the direction of his finger. I can see Julia down there talking to the owner of a surprisingly broad back. When he turns his head a bit, I get a handsome side profile.
“Yes,” I say and wait for my brother’s reaction.
“Is he hot?”
I laugh. Zach is not the jealous type. He literally works at the gym and has the kind of face most girls appreciate. I’m sure he doesn’t have anything to worry about. If some guy is talking to his wife, he can probably just count the seconds until she makes her way back down here to kiss him on the mouth.
“Is he?” he demands and I take another look.
“Yep.” From what I can see Julia’s having a nice chat with an exceptionally attractive man. Dark hair, strong jaw. When he tilts his head back to laugh at something she’s said, I get a glimpse of dark eyes and a mouth full of white teeth.
“Go down there and talk to him,” my brother orders and I give him a look.
“I’m not going down there. If you need to collect your wife, you’re going to have to do that yourself. I’m not getting in the middle of some sort of caveman death match.”
Forget About It Page 25