Chapter 11
POV: Suzy
I threw a pillow at him.
He caught it easily and tossed it right back.
I sat up slowly, the oversized shirt slipping over one shoulder. “You really are husband material, you know that?”
He glanced back at me. “I’m open to auditions.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed just as the girls stirred, tangled up in the mess of covers on the other bed.
The girls stirred again, and Logan looked over with instant tenderness softening his face.
“They’ll be up soon,” he said, standing to grab T-shirts and extra blankets. “We’ve got a golden medalist and a very brave trooper to feed.”
I sat up slowly, letting the covers fall from my legs. Logan watched the motion with heat in his eyes and a smile on his lips, but said nothing—just gave me one last, lingering glance before he turned to gently nudge the girls awake.
“Morning, champions,” he said, voice warm and reverent. “Room service is on the way.”
And I—still wearing his shirt, still wrapped in the scent of last night—just sat there watching him, heart wide open and already way too gone.
Lily blinked sleepily. “Is it morning already?”
“Sort of,” I said. “We’ll get breakfast soon, then pack up.”
As we ate—pancakes with syrup, fruit slices, coffee that Logan handed me like a sacred offering—I watched how natural this felt. Four people around a table, sleepy and happy. Like this wasn’t a temporary arrangement but… something real.
Logan wiped syrup from Izzy’s cheek. “After we finish here, we’ll pack up and head back. Sound good?”
Izzy, fork halfway to her mouth, tilted her head. “So... is Lily coming home with us?”
Lily froze with her cup of juice halfway to her lips. Her face flushed so pink I thought she might melt into the floor.
Logan blinked. “No, honey. She’s going home with Suzy.”
Izzy shrugged, looking smug. “I figured. You’ve been kissing and stuff. So she probably won’t show up for a while.”
I choked on my coffee. Lily made a strangled squeak and hid behind her hands.
Logan looked at Izzy, then at me, his brows raised. “Wait—what?”
“When did you see that?” I asked, voice a little too high.
Izzy smiled. “Last night. I opened my eyes and saw you guys. But it was cute, so I went back to sleep.”
Logan let out a breath that was somewhere between an exhale and a surrender. “You are entirely too observant for your own good.”
Lily groaned. “Izzy!”
But Izzy was unfazed. “I just think it’s cool. I like her, Dad.”
That shut everyone up for a beat.
Then Logan turned to me, that small, rare smile spreading across his lips. “If you ever wanted to show up at our house, Suzy… you’d be very welcome.”
I felt it all over. Warmth. Hope. A flutter in my chest that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but love growing.
“I might take you up on that,” I said softly.
Back in our apartment, the energy was different.
The competition was over. The chaos, the hotels, the constant brushing against Logan Kaiser’s gravity... it was all behind us. But somehow, my stomach was doing somersaults like Lily on the mat.
She was in her room with Izzy, picking out matching pajamas for their sleepover and stuffing popcorn bags into the “party basket” I helped them put together. They were having the time of their lives—and I was about to go on a real, actual date with the hottest grump in orthopedic medicine.
The trusted babysitter, Mrs. Agnes—a silver-haired woman with wise eyes and an accent I couldn’t place—had just arrived.
She gave Logan a squeeze on the arm earlier and cooed something about him “finally acting his age.”
When I asked if she needed anything, she just waved me off with a warm smile.
“Go. Enjoy. I’ve raised him once. I can handle the girls.”
Now, in the quiet of my bedroom, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection like a woman about to meet the man who might change everything.
I slipped into the dress I’d chosen—a deep red, curve-hugging thing with a neckline that flirted but didn’t scream. The fabric clung in all the right places, cinching at my waist and hugging my hips like it had been made for this moment.
High heels? Check. Lipstick? Classic red to match the dress. Hair? Soft waves that fell over my shoulders just enough to look like I didn’t try too hard. And then a final spritz of perfume, the kind that lingered like a whisper behind me.
My phone buzzed.
Logan: Almost there.
Oh god.
I pressed a hand to my chest. My heart was in a full routine of its own now. I gave myself one last look in the mirror and smiled. “Okay, Suzy. Let’s not fall in love tonight… unless he opens the car door. Then you’re screwed.”
The doorbell rang.
I opened the door and there he was.
Black button-down shirt, sleeves rolled just enough to show those veiny forearms, a dark blazer that hugged his shoulders perfectly, and slacks that… well, let’s just say they were doing good work. His hair was perfectly messy. His jaw freshly shaven. And those green eyes?
Those damn eyes flicked with pure joy the second they landed on me.
“Wow,” he said, breathless, gaze trailing from my heels to my lips. “You look…” He blinked. “You’re stunning.”
I bit my lip, heat rising to my cheeks. “You’re not looking too bad yourself, Dr. Kaiser.”
He stepped closer, hands sliding gently to my waist as he leaned in. “Tell me this isn’t a dream.”
“If it is, I don’t want to wake up.”
We were quiet for a second. Just… looking. Feeling.
Then he offered me his arm like a gentleman and said, “I’ve got reservations. You ready?”
“Born ready,” I replied, hooking my arm through his.
“Bye girls,” He said to my living room door, but they just waved back and got back to the game they were plaiyng.
And just like that, I let him lead me out into the night.