Change of Plans_An Echo Ridge Romance Read online

  Change of Plans

  Echo Ridge Romance

  Cami Checketts

  Copyright

  Change of Plans: Echo Ridge Romance

  Copyright © May, 2018 by Cami Checketts

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Mason’s Happily Ever After

  Excerpt - Counterfeit Date

  About the Author

  Also by Cami Checketts

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  Chapter One

  Kaitlyn settled into her seat in the front row of the New York Lizard’s lacrosse game. She’d started coming to the professional games because her boyfriend, Mason, played lacrosse at Syracuse. Unfortunately, living hours away in New York City and attending school at Fashion Institute of Technology, she couldn’t make many of his games. Her support of the Lizard’s games gave them a connection and something to talk about when he called. They were only twenty years old and already needing to think of things to talk about. It worried her. Mason was a great guy, but he wasn’t super talkative. Would they be that couple who went out to dinner and had nothing to say to each other? She used to assume they were meant to be, but now, when she thought about him, it was to try to figure out how to tell him she wanted date other people. Sad.

  She shook her head to clear away her doubts. It was an absolutely perfect spring afternoon on Long Island. Humid, but not enough to make you drip sweat, and the stadium was alive with people finding their seats. The man in the row behind her had a huge bag of buttered popcorn and it smelled tantalizing. Kaitlyn had forgotten to eat today, but now was not the time. She savored the sunshine and the view—the beautiful lacrosse field and an even more beautiful lacrosse player.

  Lolly squeezed her hand and squealed. “There he is!”

  Kaitlyn’s gaze was already there. Axel Olson. He was the best middie in the nation and so stinking hot with his well-built body, dark skin and hair, and brown eyes that made you want to beg him to look at you again. He had his helmet in one hand and his lacrosse stick in the other. His stick looked too small in his hands. It was like seeing a giant hold a toothpick for a club.

  Right at that moment, he glanced at Kaitlyn, and their gazes connected. It happened before and after every game. At least, she was pretty sure it did. There was a strong possibility that she was going crazy—daydreaming that this professional, world-renowned athlete was looking at her. His eyes seemed to sparkle when they caught hers, and she forgot that he lived in a different world than her and she had a boyfriend, to whom she’d been faithful throughout high school and the past two years of college. She hadn’t wavered in her commitment, even with the distance between them, the men who tried to convince her otherwise, or her own concerns about how lackluster their relationship was.

  “He’s looking at us!” Lolly sighed and fanned herself. “That’s right, handsome, check out what I got.” Lolly jumped to her feet and yelled, “I love you, Axel!” Then she proceeded to dance like a crazy woman. “You rock, man! You rock!”

  Kaitlyn didn’t dance or scream, unable to think or move with him looking at her like that. Axel smiled slightly before pulling his helmet over his head and breaking the connection. He grasped his stick and caught the ball his teammate Johnny the Jet tossed at him.

  Kaitlyn felt a rush of hot shame. Mason thought she went to the games to feel closer to him, not to check out other men.

  But Axel Olson. Whew.

  Mason’s little sister, Maryn, had posters of the guy covering the walls of her room, and Kaitlyn knew Mason also idolized Axel. She always teased him about having a man crush on Axel. Maybe he’d understand why Kaitlyn couldn’t keep her eyes off the man. She shook her head. Not likely. Teasing was one thing. Fantasizing about rushing the field after the game and giving the superstar a kiss of congratulations was a completely different story.

  Lolly sat down and grabbed her hand. “Did you see that? He always stares right at us. Oh, I am so in love!” Lolly was absolutely gorgeous with her dark curls and blue eyes and so fun to be around. It wasn’t far-fetched to think Axel would’ve noticed her.

  “Me too,” Kaitlyn murmured.

  “No, uh-uh, no fair. You’ve already got a hot lacrosse honey. Axel is mine, all mine.” Lolly tossed her black curls, her blue eyes determined, but then she laughed and Kaitlyn joined her. They both knew they’d never get anything more from the superstar than glances, if he even was looking their direction.

  The starting lineups were announced, and they both screamed and clapped loudly for Axel and all the Lizard players. Axel filled out his white and green uniform so nicely Kaitlyn had to force herself to concentrate on the game and not just watch where he was running. Even the striations in his calves were inspiring.

  The Lizards were playing the Atlanta Blaze, and Kaitlyn thought the Blaze, with their black uniforms with orange flames, were the perfect opponent. They just looked evil whereas her guys in white looked like avenging angels. She smiled to herself. Watching the game closely, she took mental notes so she could chat with Mason about the highlights after he watched the game online in his dorm tonight.

  Axel scored three goals. Kaitlyn screamed and danced as crazily as Lolly after each and every one. She was a little low on energy because she hadn’t eaten, but watching Axel play would energize any woman. She could wait until after the game to get some food.

  The game ended with the Lizards the victors, fourteen to twelve. The announcer’s voice boomed out as the crowd settled from cheering for the win. Many of the spectators were already up and moving to get out of the stadium as quickly as possible.

  “As a special treat, Axel Olson is going to give a ball with his phone number on it to one lucky fan. The fan will then be able to text or call Axel and setup a time to meet for lunch.”

  A hush fell over the stadium, and those who had been vacating their seats froze. Kaitlyn couldn’t believe that Axel would give his phone number out and meet some fan for lunch. She had a brief vision of the two of them in an intimate booth at Milk and Roses, sharing a piece of apple pie. No, that was crazy thinking. The stadium was full of people, and he would probably give it to some cute little boy or girl. She thought of Maryn, a tomboy who loved lacrosse and would absolutely die to meet Axel Olson. Maryn was only six and adorable. Yes, Axel should choose someone like that.

  Her eyes were glued to Axel as he removed his helmet and palmed the ball. His dark hair was slicked back with sweat, and he probably stank horribly. That’s what she would focus on. He had to stink. She shouldn’t want to run her fingers through his short hair, tackle him, and claim the ball and his lips for her own.

  “He’s coming our way,” Lolly muttered. “Please, please, please pick me. Come on, I’ve been living right. I went to church last month. I even smiled at the Sorority Snots yesterday.”

  Kaitlyn echoed the plea in her own mind, except she went to church every week, so maybe she’d have some
bonus points. At the same time, she was afraid it was wrong to yearn for something she’d never have. She couldn’t be chasing after some superstar. It was simply an infatuation with someone who was talented, well-known, and much too good-looking—like crushing on Captain America or something. It had nothing to do with the man himself. His gaze focused in on her like it had before the game, and her heart stuttered. Oh, what a man he was though.

  He slowly made his way in her direction. The crowd cheered loudly, many of them screaming his name and begging him to throw the ball to them. In her mind, Axel never looked at anyone but her. She tried to shake her head to clear it and blink to break the spell he had over her, but when she opened her eyes again, he was still laser-focused on her.

  The noise of the crowd fell away as he crossed the last few steps and stood directly below her. Even Lolly was quiet. Kaitlyn leaned over the railing, unable to stop herself from getting as close to him as possible. He lifted the ball up to her, and she stuck her hand out. He’d chosen her. She wanted to dance and scream, but it was all she could do to stay upright.

  He placed the ball in her hand then closed his fingers over hers. Heat pulsed through her from his simple touch. That heat exploded into an inferno when he smiled. His cheek crinkled, and his eyes truly did sparkle. “I’ve been watching you all season.”

  Kaitlyn grunted out a surprised and weird sounding “Umph!” She cleared her throat and managed to say, “I think I’m the one that’s been watching you.”

  He chuckled and, unfortunately, released her hand.

  “Call me?” he asked in a husky voice as he pointed to the number on the ball.

  “Yeah,” she murmured, feeling slightly faint. Axel Olson wanted her to call him. He’d given her the ball that meant they would go to lunch. Oh my, she was honestly seeing stars.

  He grinned at her and backed up a couple of steps. Kaitlyn tried to return the smile, but the stars were replaced with black spots. Her legs buckled and collapsed underneath her. She went down in a heap.

  “Kait!” Lolly screamed.

  She blinked and struggled to sit up. “I’m okay.”

  The crowd murmured in confusion. Axel grasped the railing with both hands and vaulted over it. Kaitlyn’s eyes got even wider. She tried to push to her feet, but he knelt beside her and wrapped his arm underneath her back. My, oh my, he was a muscly dude, and why didn’t he stink? He didn’t smell like cologne or anything, but he didn’t reek either. He should definitely make her nose hairs curl right now.

  “I’m okay,” she muttered, lost in his dark gaze once again.

  “Are you sure?” His deep voice washed over her with concern.

  She held up the ball clasped in her hand. “Yep. I’ve still got my prize.”

  He grinned at that and helped her to her feet. “We can have the medics check you out.” His hand stayed on her hip to steady her, and Kaitlyn wondered if she’d black out again from the sheer joy of him touching her.

  “No, I’m fine. I forgot to eat today.”

  “She does that all the time.” Lolly interjected.

  “What can I get you?” he asked.

  Kaitlyn’s heart threatened to burst at the concern and kindness in his voice. This was a man that would take good care of his lady. She shook her head. Mason took amazing care of her. She shouldn’t be thinking these thoughts about Axel Olson. Her boyfriend was an absolute stud, and she was acting like a flake. It didn’t matter that she’d imagined breaking up with Mason many times. Since she hadn’t done it, she was still committed to him.

  The crowd had let out a cheer when she stood again, but now, they were watching them quietly. She glanced up at the big screen and saw her own face. Oh, this was embarrassing. She’d just passed out in front of everyone because of a guy! She’d actually swooned.

  “I’m good. Thank you.” She stepped away from his touch, bumping into Lolly who pushed her back.

  “For the love of your roommate, do not screw this up,” Lolly said.

  Axel chuckled. “I don’t think there’s any way she could screw this up.”

  Kaitlyn stared at him. Was this for real? Axel was talking to her, had touched her, and had jumped over the railing to get to her when she blacked out. It was like a dream come true. If only she wasn’t already living the dream with someone else. For some reason, she couldn’t even picture Mason’s blue eyes and reddish-blond hair right now, but she had to try to be faithful. “I’m in a committed relationship.” Kaitlyn blurted the words out.

  “Are you insane?” Lolly grabbed her arm, digging her fingernails in.

  Axel said nothing. He studied her for a few seconds as if he could find out everything he needed by simply staring into her eyes. Kaitlyn hardly noticed Lolly’s grip on her as she met his dark gaze. Why did he have to be so good-looking, so perfect to her? Why did his eyes on her make her hot and cold all over? He’d touched her hand, her back, and her hip. Every part of her felt singed from the feel of his fingers. That brief touch would be something she’d treasure always. Who knew a touch could feel like that?

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he finally said. He gave her a nod and half a smile then grabbed the railing and swung over it, landing on the field effortlessly. He waved to fans and gave children high fives or fist bumps as he walked along the wall toward the locker room.

  Kaitlyn watched him go, sadness overwhelming her. She’d better get some food in her fast or she was going to pass out again. This time, Axel wouldn’t be there to help her up. She turned to her roommate.

  “I hate you right now,” Lolly said, her blue eyes were usually mischievous and full of fun, right now they were sparking fire.

  “Just a little bit?” Kaitlyn asked hopefully.

  “Nope. Completely. Utterly. If you weren’t so pathetic and passing out and all, I’d leave your butt here.”

  Kaitlyn smiled, but it was tremulous. She blinked to stop the tears. Then she noticed her hands trembling. She hated when she forgot to eat. Her entire body felt off—weak and shaky, and she always wanted to cry. It had nothing to do with the fact that she’d just had the most magical yet twisted moment of her life and then ruined it.

  Lolly looped her arm through hers. “Come on. Let’s go find you some sugar.” She shook her head. “Axel Olson? Really? You had to tell Axel Olson you were in a committed relationship? Are you dumb, like for real a raving nincompoop?”

  Kaitlyn managed a shaky laugh. She couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder and trying to catch one more glimpse of Axel, but he was already gone. The entire thing felt like a dream already. Within a few weeks, she’d probably forget it had even happened.

  Chapter Two

  Kaitlyn fingered the lacrosse ball, her lacrosse ball, as she walked into work at Kenworth’s. Almost three months had passed since the day Axel handed her his number, and she still dreamed about him regularly—night and daydreams. She’d tapped his number into her phone more times than she could count and even composed lengthy texts, but she always deleted them before she pushed send. She had his number memorized, which was a good thing since she’d rubbed it, and his signature, to a dull black smudge by fingering the ball so often. It was her good luck charm.

  Letting go of the ball, she swung the door wide and inhaled the wonderful scents of Kenworth’s—new clothes and chocolate. She’d come home for the summer to work at her favorite department store, staying busy in her free time keeping her and Lolly’s online swimwear company on track for its spring launch. Now there were only a few weeks left until she’d be back at school in the city. She liked the city, but it was nothing compared to Echo Ridge—the lush, green mountains and people she’d known and loved her entire life. Like Mason. She smiled thinking about her boyfriend. He was one of the best guys she knew. They’d had a month together this summer before he’d headed back to Syracuse to start practicing for fall lacrosse. They’d done a lot of fun things, but something was very off with their relationship. The entire summer there had been a nagging feeling in the back
of her mind, something that kept drawing her back to thinking about Axel. It was silly and far-fetched. She shouldn’t be so sad that she and Mason didn’t have much to talk about anymore or the fact that when he kissed her it was quick and she felt nothing. They’d been together a long time and were going through an odd patch. That’s all. It would get better. They’d still had a lot of fun moments—mountain biking, hiking, and taking his little sisters on picnics and park visits. Sure, it was hard not to miss the excitement and romance she thought she’d have in her life, but dreams of Axel needed to stay tucked away. It was like envisioning herself as the heroine in a romance novel—fun, but not reality. Axel was never going to happen for her.

  “Hey there, my beautiful friend,” Jessica called out as Kaitlyn approached the women’s department.

  “Good morning,” Kaitlyn said, smiling at her boss, mentor, and friend. Jessica was living the life as far as Kaitlyn was concerned—managing Kenworth’s, married to the love of her life, and expecting a baby at Christmastime.

  “Such formal speech. You doing okay?” Jessica dropped the t-shirts she’d been rearranging and wrapped Kaitlyn up in a hug, her baby bump coming between them.

  “Yeah, just not ready to go back to school.”

  “You’ve got three more weeks. Stop stressing about something that isn’t even here yet.”

  Kaitlyn nodded. Jessica was right. Truthfully, the worry wasn’t about going back to school. Yes, she’d hate to leave Echo Ridge and Kenworth’s again, but she really liked school and the city, and Lolly made everything fun. She’d missed her friend who was touring Europe this summer with her parents. The truth was she was weighed down by guilt that she was falling out of love with her boyfriend because of some guy who could never actually be hers. It was nuts and very depressing. Even if she broke things off with Mason, which would be horribly sad and tough on both of them, she’d never get up the nerve to text Axel. She was sure he’d forgotten all about her, and she wouldn’t see him until April when the professional lacrosse season started up again.