Page 325 of Sin Bin

“Of course.” Lucien sounded rueful. “Even if he weren’t indisposed, I’m sure he wouldn’t have taken my call.”

He was right. Logan wanted nothing to do with him. His therapist had also cautioned him that contact with his father was an emotional trigger he should avoid.

“I know I don’t deserve his forgiveness,” Lucien said quietly, “but I’m hoping he’ll have a change of heart someday. I want to get to know my son. I want to be part of your lives. And I want Logan to be integrated into the Brassard family where he belongs. I would also love to attend your wedding, but I’ll understand if my presence isn’t welcome.” He paused. “There’s a very good chance that the Leafs and Rebels will be facing off in the Stanley Cup Final. If that happens, I’d love to have you and Logan over for dinner while you’re in town.”

Meadow frowned. “With all due respect, I have no desire to see your—”

“Chantal won’t be here. I’m divorcing her.”

Meadow was shocked into silence.

“We’ve been having problems for a while,” Lucien confided grimly. “Her shameful behavior at the party was the final straw.” A note of bitter irony entered his voice. “I suppose you could say my failed marriages are karma for the way I abandoned Logan and his mother.”

Meadow didn’t know how to respond. She was relieved when she saw one of the vendors gesturing for her attention. “I have to go, Mr. Brassard.”

“Of course. I know you have your hands full with the community fair. I hope it’s a resounding success. I’ll be making a donation to support your advocacy efforts.”

“That’s very generous of you,” Meadow murmured.

“You’re doing good work. Keep it up.” Lucien’s voice softened. “If there’s ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Meadow thanked him and hung up, her mind reeling as she debated whether to tell Logan about the conversation. She didn’t want to anger or upset him. The Rebels were up by one game in the conference final. He definitely didn’t need any distractions, especially if the team advanced to the final round. It was best to wait until after the playoffs to talk to him.

Pushing the matter out of her mind, she got back to work.

By noon the park was packed. There were people everywhere eating, laughing and socializing while squealing kids raced from one carnival ride to the next. The air was filled with the smell of cotton candy, popcorn, funnel cake and other yummy stuff. The Dunwoodys’ food booth was a massive crowd favorite. People couldn’t get enough of their finger-lickin’ barbecue, grilled corn on the cob and spicy chili.

When Meadow, Nadia and Bianca dropped by to say hello, Mrs. Dunwoody insisted on fixing them each a plate. The smell alone had Meadow’s mouth watering and her stomach growling. She’d been too nervous and excited that morning to eat much breakfast—unlike Logan who’d wolfed down his food before carrying her off to the shower.

When she ate a bite of juicy brisket and groaned, Mrs. Dunwoody laughed and affectionately rubbed her back.

After stuffing their faces, she and the girls resumed walking the fairgrounds. She was pleased to see that the demo booth was a big hit with gamers. They were lined up in droves to test-drive Gamenetic’s upcoming releases.

A large tent had been set up for decorating and stuffing the care bags that would be donated to foster children. A panel of local artists would judge the finished bags and award prizes for the most creative designs.

Meadow was elated by the masses of volunteers who’d showed up to help. She shook their hands, personally thanking each of them. Many hugged her and congratulated her on her engagement to Logan.

Not surprisingly, their proposal video had gone viral. They were trending on social media, and their Twitter feeds were exploding with congratulations and well wishes. Not everyone was happy for them, of course. Heartbroken bunnies were having meltdowns and tweeting shady comments. But that was to be expected.

Rendezvous with Rosalie had debuted with high ratings and rave reviews. The network executives were ecstatic. So was Rosalie. She’d booked Off The Grid for late June, and the Rebels promised to come on her show if they won the Cup.

She had another reason to be walking on air. Barrett had showed up at last night’s taping, much to her surprise and delight. He’d taken her out to dinner to celebrate her new show, reserving a private room with sweeping views of the city. And now they were strolling along together, eating cotton candy and laughing as they watched Cam scamper around with his friends. The sight of the couple warmed Meadow’s heart and made her smile. She hoped their budding romance would blossom into something permanent.

When the Rebels showed up after practice, Nadia and Bianca escorted them to a tent where a table had been set up with Rebels T-shirts and baseball hats. Before long they were mobbed by fans.

Meadow saw the guys arrive while she was being interviewed by a local TV reporter. When she looked across the lawn and met Logan’s eyes, the brief connection sizzled through her blood.

As soon as her interview was over, she thanked the reporter and headed across the park.

Logan was already making his way toward her. Suddenly two small children darted across their path, squealing as they chased each other.

“Please pardon our offspring,” Sergei and Jenna said laughingly. “They’ve had a little too much cotton candy and snow cones.”

Logan and Meadow grinned as the couple passed in front of them holding hands.

“You boys are just falling like dominoes, aren’t you?” Jenna teased Logan. “Hunter will be next.”

Logan’s grin widened. “We’ll see.”

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