“But…”
Shaking her head, she let out a low laugh. “Nothing’s finalized yet.”
“There are no guarantees, sweetheart. Trust me.” He patted her on the knee. “But you’re a fighter and I know you’re going to do everything possible to make it succeed.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I’m going to miss you like crazy, you know.”
“Dad, I’m only going to be gone for a week.”
Chuckling, he stood. “This trip, but believe me, when you come back, it’s going to be to get the rest of your things.” He kissed her on the top of her head. “Now come on. Let’s go out and celebrate!”
He took her to her favorite Italian restaurant in town and ran into about a dozen different people they knew. Her father bragged about her to all of them and by the time they got home, her cheeks hurt from smiling and her throat was a little sore from talking.
And she still had one more person to talk to.
It was after nine and Piper wasn’t sure if she was supposed to call Logan or if he was going to call her. She knew he was going to be dealing with his father and decided to wait for his call. In the meantime, she did her laundry, started packing, and cleaned her room.
Her phone rang at ten fifteen.
“Hey,” she said casually as she answered the phone. “How was your day?”
“God, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. It’s been…well, it’s been a hell of a day.”
“Oh, no!” She sat down on her bed and got comfortable. “I take it things didn’t go well with your father?”
“Let’s just say things went pretty much the way I expected.” She could hear the weariness in his voice and ached for him.
“I’m so sorry.”
She heard his low hum before he said, “Tell me about your day. Distract me.”
Even though he couldn’t see her, she smiled and told him about her call from Michael and Eric.
“What? That’s amazing, Piper! Congratulations!” He paused and muttered a curse.
“What’s the matter?”
“It should have been me,” he said miserably. “You asked me to do that for you and I…I dropped the ball. I’m so sorry, Piper.” He groaned. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. You had more than enough on your plate.”
“Yeah, but…”
“I’m serious, Logan. Just don’t, okay? We’re good and even though I am super excited about all the possibilities, I feel guilty being so happy when you’re so miserable right now.”
“Well don’t, because you deserve to be happy. More than anyone else in this world, you, Piper Stewart, deserve to be happy.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that, but…”
“Trust me. I’m so proud of you,” he went on. “You’re going to go and blow everyone away. Although, I would like to mention, I never got to play your game.”
“I showed it to you and you said it was too hard and you’d never be able to figure it out.” Then she laughed. “Although, I kind of took that to mean you knew you couldn’t beat me at it since I created it.”
“Saw right through that, huh?”
Unable to help herself, she laughed. “Yup.”
“I wish I were there with you right now. I would have taken you out to celebrate.”
She told him about her dinner out with her father. “We did have a lot of fun and I’m going to miss him so much–especially if this all works out. I always knew it was a possibility for me to land on the West Coast, but now that it’s happening, I’m scared.”
And damn she hated to admit that.
“There’s nothing to be scared of–it’s going to be great. Plus, I would imagine you’re not in the kind of job where you’re locked to your desk or your office. I’m sure you could work remotely whenever you wanted to come home to King Harbor.”
“That kind of thing costs a lot of money, Logan.”
“Sweetheart, from what I know about the gaming industry thanks to having read your friend’s business plan, I’m pretty sure you’re going to be okay to fly home a couple of times a year.”
“Maybe…”
“No maybes about it. Now, how about we change this over to video chat and you show me what you’re wearing?”
“Oh, my God, are you suggesting we sexy chat?” she teased.
“Duh, I’m a guy and I enjoy watching you undress so…yeah.”
She rolled her eyes. “My father is in the next room; I’m not doing that.”
“Fine, be that way,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “So when do you leave?”
“Tomorrow. The guys are arranging my airfare and hotel. I’m hoping it’s someplace decent. Neither of them ever cared about where they slept, but I do.”
“Hopefully you can make changes if you need to.”
“I’ll have to check my emails when we get off the phone but…my fingers are crossed.”
“Mine too,” he said and she could practically hear him smiling.
“So what about you? What happens now?”
“I’ve got more meetings tomorrow and for the rest of the week. It’s going to be crazy.”
“Damn. And with the time difference, it’s going to be hard for us to talk.” She wanted to remind him how this was exactly why she hated long-distance relationships, but figured now wasn’t the time to bring it up.
So they talked about everything and nothing–without switching over to video chat. Honestly, she could have kept talking to him all night, but she was losing the battle with sleep. After she yawned for the tenth time, she knew it was time to give up.
“As much as I’m enjoying talking with you…”
“I know, sweetheart. I can hear it in your voice. Go and we’ll talk tomorrow night. Call me when you’re all settled in at the hotel, okay?”
She nodded and yawned again. “Sorry. Yes. Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thanks, I’m going to need it.” He paused. “Good night, Piper.”
“Good night, Logan.”
13
This was it.
She was doing it.
Staring up at the departures board from her seat at the gate at Logan International Airport, Piper felt a little overwhelmed that she was really doing this. When Eric emailed her the travel itinerary, Piper was confused as to why she was departing out of Boston rather than King Harbor. He had told her that he couldn’t get any direct flights out of King Harbor and, while she knew it was true, she wouldn’t have minded a layover.
“Nonsense,” he had said. “We’re flying you first class all the way, Piper. Enjoy it!”
She wanted to argue that they weren’t being practical with their money, but she refrained.
Her flight was called and she was a little self-conscious about lining up with the other first-class passengers. Self-conscious, but excited. Never in her life had she traveled this way and she was dying to know if it was going to be everything she dreamed of.
Not that she spent a lot of time dreaming about flying first class, but…still.
Once she was seated, Piper settled in with her Kindle and her wireless headphones and prayed her seatmate wasn’t going to be overly chatty. A few hours of peace and quiet were what she was hoping for so she could focus on everything she was going to need to do once she landed in Seattle.
“Can I get you something to drink, Miss Stewart?”
Piper looked up and smiled at the flight attendant. “Thank you, I would love…”
“Can we please get two glasses of champagne?”
“Logan!” she cried, fumbling to unbuckle her seat belt. She flung herself into his arms and held him tightly.
Beside them, the flight attendant gently cleared her throat. Grinning, Piper turned to her and said, “Champagne sounds fabulous. Thank you.”
Together, they sat down and she had a million questions for him. She was holding both his hands in hers and couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “I wanted to stop by and see you thi
s morning, but it was a very long drive and I was so scared I wouldn’t get here in time so I didn’t.” Gazing up into his eyes, she still couldn’t believe he was here. “What are you doing here? Are you coming to cheer me on?”
Before he could answer, their drinks were served. Logan handed a glass to her and tapped it with his. “Here’s to a successful trip.” They each took a sip and after a minute, he spoke. “I lied to you.”
Her eyes went wide and her stomach dropped. “Um…what?”
He nodded. “I lied.”
“About…?”
“Everything,” he stated simply. “Well, not everything, but a lot.”
Piper looked around and tried to figure out how she was going to get off this plane without making a spectacle of herself.
Logan must have sensed her need to leave because he grasped one of her hands and held it tightly. “Before you freak out, let me explain.”
She wanted to throw her champagne in his face but it was really good and she figured she was essentially stuck with no means of escape. “Fine.”
He grinned and that just angered her more.
The smile was gone and he instantly sobered. “Okay, here it is,” he began. “I read over everything Eric and Michael sent to me and I was instantly intrigued. I did some research and did, in fact, reach out to them. We’ve had multiple conversations and…I’m the one helping with the financing.”
“What?! Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Because I thought this would be an incredible surprise.” He paused. “But judging by the look on your face, not so much.”
“Logan…”
“Just…hear me out. I wanted to talk to them because it’s honestly the best way to do business. I understood your reasoning but if I was going to help them, I needed to speak to them directly.”
She nodded.
“It was a no-brainer for me. Once I read over everything, I was actually excited about all the possibilities. I mean, I don’t plan on being hands-on with game design, but on the business and marketing end, I will be.”
“But…what about Blackthorne? I thought your father wanted…”
Logan held up a hand to stop her. “Graham Blackthorne wants a lot of things and he needs to get over it.” He chuckled as he told her about his initial phone conversation with his father.
“Wow.”
He nodded. “I know. I was pretty ballsy, but I definitely got my point across.”
“And what about when you got to Boston?”
“Well…he listened to my pitch about the gaming venture and was seriously impressed. You see, once we hung up the phone, he did his own research and he had a lot of questions for me. I answered the best I could and promised to find out the rest for him.”
“So…Blackthorne is investing in the company?”
“Not yet. I don’t know if it will be necessary.”
She frowned. “But…why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because I’ve already set up meetings with other potential investors.” He winked. “I’m more than just a pretty face.”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “This is crazy. I can’t believe your father didn’t put up more of a fight.”
“Well, we came to a bit of a compromise.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve also got meetings with some commercial Realtors in Seattle so I can scout out a location for the first official remote location of the Vault.”
“No!” she said excitedly. “Really? That’s amazing! How…I mean…when…?”
“It was something that came up during a conversation with my brother Ross. I threw it out there just as a throwaway idea, but then it seemed to stick. You know I love that place and if I can make it a success in Seattle, we’ll start looking at other places around the country. We could have an entire chain of them in a few years if everything goes as planned.”
She shook her head, unable to believe this was all really happening.
“So…are you really mad at me?” he asked.
Was she?
“I wish you had told me what was going on, but I have to admit, this was a pretty cool surprise.” Leaning in, she kissed him softly on the lips. “Thank you for believing in what the guys are doing.”
“Well, it wasn’t only because of them,” he said, taking one of her hands in his and kissing it. Then he met her eyes, his expression serious again. “Piper, when we were growing up, I considered you a friend. Then we met up again and honestly, the last thing I was thinking about with you was friendship.”
She could feel herself blushing.
“But at the end of the day, that’s our foundation and I love that about us,” he went on. “I want you to know that…”
Her heart began to beat furiously. If he was going to tell her that’s all they were going to be, she knew she’d cry right here in first class. Big ugly sobs and all.
“I love you, Piper,” he said.
Say what?
He nodded. “I know you probably think I’m crazy and I know it’s fast and maybe you don’t believe me, but…I’ve never said that to another woman. From the moment you got all sassy with me at the bar–before I realized it was you–I knew I was done. You’re it for me.”
Piper let out a shaky breath as she held his gaze. “I don’t think you’re crazy and I know it’s fast too, but…I love you too, Logan. Back when we were younger…”
She never got to finish. He was kissing her like his life depended on it and she wished they weren’t in such a public setting because she’d like nothing more than to climb into his lap and show him just how much she loved him.
Someone cleared their throat and there was no doubt in her mind it was the flight attendant. “Excuse me, but we’re preparing for takeoff and I need to collect your glasses.”
Without breaking the kiss, they each held out their champagne flutes and as soon as their hands were free, they used them to hold each other close.
At some point the plane took off and Piper had no idea how much time had passed before they both came up for air. “Wow.”
“I know. I’m good,” he said with an easy grin.
“Ugh…you are so conceited. What am I going to do with you?”
“Just love me,” he said, taking her hand in his again and kissing it.
“I do, Logan. I really do.” Resting her head on his shoulder, they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. “We’ve got six hours on this flight. I wish we had some privacy.”
“Yeah, me too. I thought about asking to use the family jet, but there wasn’t enough time.”
Lifting her head, she stared at him. “There’s a family jet?”
He nodded. “And a helicopter.” He kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”
Somehow, she doubted it.
But she was willing to try.
It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game…
And right now, Logan Blackthorne was playing to win.
“Do you ever wonder how heavy that gear is?”
“What?”
“You know, all the padding, the helmet, the skates…if you think about it, hockey is really like three sports in one–skating, boxing, and hockey. You have to admit, that must take a lot of skill. I mean, look at the size of these guys! That’s got to be awkward.”
“Oh my God! Stop talking!” Piper cried, her eyes glued to the large TV screen where they were playing NHL 19. “I swear, you are worse than Eric!”
“I don’t know, imagine being knocked down by one of these guys? That’s got to hurt. I would just be like…Score! Yes!” Tossing down his controller, he stood up and did a bit of a victory lap around the sofa. “That’s right! I scored! I’m winning three-to-one! Ha!”
She mimicked his move, tossing her controller aside. “You have got to be cheating. You were horrible at this the last time we played!”
“Yeah, well…I practiced.” Sitting back beside her, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, givi
ng her a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Admit it, you’re a sore loser.”
“I am not,” she pouted. “I’m just finding it hard to believe you got this good so fast. Who taught you? One of your brothers?”
“Um, no. I mean, we played a lot of games while we were growing up, but I haven’t played with any of them lately. They’re all too busy with their new girlfriends.”
“Hmm…so when you had dinner with Devlin and Hannah?”
He shook his head. “No gaming.”
“And you haven’t seen the rest of them? Not Ross or Trey?”
He laughed. “Can you imagine my workaholic brother Trey gaming? Be serious.”
“None of your cousins play?”
“I’m sure they all do. Brock and I are competitive and used to love playing all the Crash Bandicoot games, but we haven’t done that in years.”
“It had to be someone. Phillip? Jason? I bet it was Phillip. He was always good at playing games.”
“No, Phillip was always good at playing jokes. Big difference,” he said. “And why can’t you just admit that I’m a good player and learned on my own?”
“Be serious,” she murmured. “Was it Michael? No, he’s just as bad at some of these games as you. It had to be Eric. I’m going to kick his ass when we see him tomorrow.”
They were staying at the Four Seasons in Seattle–something Piper wasn’t aware of until they pulled up in front of the hotel. Eric had told her she was staying at one of the basic chain hotels, so it was definitely a surprise. Logan made the reservation himself and had requested a game system be put in their suite and he was so glad he did. They were having way too much fun and he was loving how he was able to beat her at at least one game.
Pitiful, Blackthorne. Positively pitiful.
There was a knock at the door and he paused the game. “That must be dinner.”
“Good, because we’re done playing.”
Yup, she was totally a sore loser.
Their food was set up on the dining room table and Logan tipped the waiter and closed the door behind him.
Holding out a chair for Piper, he waited until she was seated to take the seat beside her. Their surf and turf looked amazing and he was very happy she had suggested it.
Logan Page 17