How Cassie Got Her Grind Back(Divine Creek Ranch 23)(133)

“Are you still nervous about the helicopter ride in the morning?” Ivan asked, instantly reviving her butterflies.

“Yes, and you?”

“A little,” he admitted with a nod. “But I know the nerves will be worth it for the memory. Everyone says it’s the best way to see the islands, plus we’ll have complete privacy once we arrive.” The cottage was accessible only by helicopter.

“I’ll hold your hand,” Samson said with a chuckle as he drew her close and said, “I love you, Mrs. Cutter, even though you’re a chicken.”

“Hey, I made the airplane trip here, Mr. Cutter,” she said, twirling out of his loose hold to be enfolded in Ivan’s arms and squealing as he lifted her off of her feet and spun her around.

“Careful of your knee, honey,” she admonished. “Both of you. You shouldn’t be lifting me.”

“We can handle our woman,” Samson said with a soft growl.

She growled back and giggled. “It’s not because you can’t handle me but because I have plans for your bodies for the next several days and don’t want injured knees keeping us from our fun.”

Her men closed in at her front and her back as their friends and family teased and hollered for them to hurry up.

Samson tipped up her chin. “It took us thirty years, but we’re finally together, chiquita, the three of us.”

Ivan kissed her bare shoulder, sending shivers up and down her spine that made her pussy tingle as they pressed her between them. Ivan said, “And I can’t imagine anything better, unless it’s you always between us.”

Cassie nodded, that bittersweetness tugging at her heart again. “I can’t regret those years because they brought me Joseph and Tamara, but I’m excited to see what the next thirty or forty years hold for us. Together.” She kissed them both and let them lead her to the feast among the friends she loved.





Epilogue




Late spring…



Samson’s heart was so full his chest expanded with love and pride for Cassie as she walked to the microphone under the twinkling lights. Her performance marked the grand opening of Rudy’s new outdoor patio and party room.

Her cheeks were rosy as she eased onto the stool and did some final adjustments to her instrument and the microphone.

He and Ivan stood off to the side while Joseph and Tamara, who had come home from school for the weekend, took seats at one of the front tables. His mom and dad were in the audience, and many friends and even some of her family members filled the tables. Latecomers were willing to stand in the back.

Her Uncle Rudy joined her at the microphone and raised his hands for the audience’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the grand re-opening of Rudy’s. I hope you all enjoyed being able to find a parking space in our newly enlarged parking lot.”

The crowd chuckled, and many heads nodded. As part of his expansion, Rudy had purchased an adjacent lot when it had come up for sale and had paved part of it so his customers no longer had to park on the street or in the exceedingly narrow lot out front.

“Please join me in welcoming to the stage,” he continued as he turned to Cassie and squeezed her shoulder, “someone who is like a daughter to me. Many of you may recognize Cassie Cutter, the owner of Divine Drip, which is currently under reconstruction and expansion after a devastating fire in January. I hope when she reopens in mid-summer you’ll be sure to stop by and have a cup of coffee or explore her expanded menu. What many of you may not know is that she’s also a vastly talented musician, singer, and songwriter. Please welcome Cassie.”

Cheers and applause erupted as Rudy hugged Cassie and kissed her cheek before skirting the crowd to come and stand with Samson and Ivan.

Samson and Ivan both shook his hand when he offered it, and Rudy leaned close so they could hear him. “I meant that. She truly is like a daughter to me, and anything—absolutely anything—I can do to help her I’ll gladly do.”

Cassie scanned the crowd and then smiled at her uncle. “Thank you all. Rudy was correct. He’s like a dad to me, and I thank him for this opportunity to share with you tonight.”

She plucked the strings and tapped out the beat to the first song and began to sing. Her eyes were closed as she sang the first verse of one of his favorite songs she’d written. The crowd was quickly drawn in, just as he knew they would be, and they broke into applause as she finished.

Off to the side, he overheard someone say, “I’ve never heard that song before. Have you?”

Her companion said, “No, but I’ll bet we hear it on the radio someday.”