Free The Bad Boy's Secret by Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen

after the tips he gave them, and was locked away for life. It turned out the mob boss had been rigging ice skating championships for years,  his niece and nephew that competition that had taken Cassie and Scott down.  With the peace of mind that the criminal was behind bars, Cassie had woken up one morning, picked up her skates, and gone skating at the Y. Since then, she was training to re-enter the competition circuit. She was only doing solo skates, and it was clear that she never skate partners again. Although those who saw her said that her jumps were as if someone was lifting her, invisible arms controlling her movements.
    She felt Scott’s presence the strongest on the ice, his arms around her waist, his voice in her ear, his hair brushing against her face. She missed him more than anything. But she had to move on, and she knew that. These days, Dave’s arms dulled the pain, although they could never replace him. And he never got on the ice with her. That was her one rule, and he was happy to abide by it.
    “And I’m so glad that someone else is taking her,” Chuck continued, with a grin.
    “I can take myself, you know,” Cassie replied. “I did get my learners permit.”
    “Ah, but that’s no better fun than 5am at an ice rink,” Chuck teased as she came to sit beside him.
    “What are you working on?”
    “Fractions. This is boring as shit.”
    “Yes,” she replied. “But necessary.”
    “Why? So I can divide up how many criminals I’m going to capture between me and my partner?” he grinned at her and she shrugged.
    “Sure. Practical use,” she replied.
    “I think everyone’s here, please can we open presents?” Peter asked, looking around. Forever the child, he was practically sniffing at the presents like a dog. Richard laughed.
    “Fine. But don’t go throwing the wrapping paper everywhere again.”
    “Do you think I’m five?” Peter asked, and then did just that.
    There was a marked difference between the price in the presents from Dave and Cassie, and the presents from the gang. But what was no different was the thought behind it. The three hundred dollar video game for Steve was just as valuable to him as the dollar store sunglasses holder for his car, as Steve was famous for constantly losing and breaking his dollar store sunglasses. It was common to get into Steve’s car and crunch through several broken pairs.
    Cassie nearly cried when she opened her present from Chuck, a framed picture, nearly 5 years old. It was her and Scott on the ice, and Chuck sitting in the stands on the first row, yawning and drinking coffee. It captured the past perfectly, and she put her hand to her mouth, trying to stop her lip from trembling. Silently, she got up, wrapping her arms around him.
    “Thanks,” she whispered, fighting the tears even then. He smiled, giving her a quick hug.
    “It’s just so you don’t forget that I remember.”
    “Yeah,” she replied, knowing that she had felt alone in her pain for awhile. “Thanks.”
    In the end, everything given was perfect. There was wrapping paper everywhere, much to Richard’s dismay, and gift boxes and ribbon scattered about, but everyone was happy, and he made sure to threaten starvation if they didn’t help clean up after dinner.
    Cassie was the first to the table when dinner was announced. She was still thin, but it was a different kind of thin this year. Racked with lean muscle, strong legs, and well defined arms, she once again looked like an athlete, who was ready to take on the world. She was still hesitant about food, cautious to only eat things that were considered ‘healthy’, but she ate none the less, and sometimes asked for seconds.
    It was a family atmosphere, shouts and screams of laughter, arms flailing everywhere as they passed plates and salt, and picked foods off each other’s plates. Cassie laughed so hard she cried, and nearly knocked Dave’s plate off the table, which caused another fit of giggles. There were no