Page 146 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“Yeah. And so, I got to meet my…” He swallowed. “My daughter.”

His mom went quiet for a moment. “You’re seriously a father?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s her name?” she asked.

“Stevie.”

“Stevie?Is that a family name?”

He settled back in the chair, resting his feet on the patio table. “No, she’s named after Stevie Nicks. From Fleetwood Mac?”

“Yes, I know Stevie Nicks. I’m just…I’m agrandmother. I wasn’t expecting that. But none of that matters. How areyou? This must be overwhelming.”

“It is, but in a good way. She’s a great girl. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do—I even considered signing away my rights, but George asked me what Dad would do, and I just…knew.”

“You knew what?” His mom sounded wary. “Why does it sound like you’re going to drop another big one on me?”

“I’m going to move out here.”

“ToCalamity?”

It was the fear in his mom’s voice that drove it home more than her words. Her concern for a grandchild she hadn’t met growing up in a town that drew extreme athletes to its rugged terrain made her motivations clear. His mom had never belonged in Calamity, with its wild-at-heart residents and inhospitable land. And the quiet life she was suited to with a husband and one child never panned out for her, thanks to his need for adrenaline-fueled fun.

“Why there? Lorelei Calloway can live anywhere in the world.”

“She’s got family here.” And he really couldn’t explain the stark beauty of the place to someone who preferred a big city. Calamity was a place that drew adventure-seekers. That wasn’t his mom. “And I like it.”

“Okay, well, I’ll come out there?—”

“No. Not yet. I just found out, and I need some time with her. Let me get through the wedding and figure out what’s going to happen with my job.”

“Okay.” His mom said it quietly. “I know you were always closer to your dad. He was better at accepting you for who you were. I couldn’t relate to your need for danger.” She sighed. “Well, he couldn’t relate to it, either, but he wanted to be there for you…with you. You chose such a brutal sport, and I had a hard time watching you get slammed into the walls.”

“The boards, but yeah, I know.” It was his dad who drove him to games. Even when he played travel hockey and had games in Washington and Idaho, it was his dad who drove the team van. “I love you, Mom.”

“But you don’t trust me.” She sounded defeated. Resigned. “I don’t think you’ll ever forgive me for keeping the truth from you about your dad.” She paused. “Then again, you’re a father now, so maybe you will.”

ChapterTwenty-Eight

Tonight,everyone was in the kitchen for the cooking competition. He wanted the bride and groom to have a great time, so he forced himself to put his conversation with his mom out of his mind.

At the various islands, Ginty, Noa, her sister, and Jaime’s wife, Grace, stood at their stations while the three judges sat in the banquette with pads of paper and pens.

After tasting each dish, they’d assign a number based on a scale of one to ten, with ten being flawlessly delicious.

The other guests stood in clusters, some picking at the hors d’oeuvres, others gathered at the makeshift bar where the bartender made cocktails, and everyone else listening to Hellcat, the MC, explain how the competition worked.

Every time Booker looked at her, warmth spread through him. It was just like in the cabin—when he recognized her on a level he didn’t understand—only so much deeper now because he knew her.

He loved her mind.

Her body.

Her smile.

He loved the way they needed to stay physically connected whether holding hands or a simple touch. After a lifetime of very little physical intimacy, he craved it—her—constantly.

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