Pittsburg Titans # 19
Atlas & Maddie
This author is usually my go‑to for comfort reads—the kind of stories that wrap around you like a soft blanket and leave you smiling. But this time? She shattered me. I cried more than once, and not the cute, misty‑eyed kind of crying. Full‑body, heart‑in‑my-throat crying. And somehow, I loved every second of it.
At the center of this story is Gray—Atlas’s best friend, a devoted single father, and the kind of man who deserved a lifetime he didn’t get. Stage‑four lung cancer, despite never smoking a day in his life. Aggressive. Unfair. Cruel. And from the moment the diagnosis hits, you feel the countdown ticking. Gray’s love for his baby girl, Grayce, is so pure it hurts. He stepped into fatherhood without hesitation, rearranged his entire life, and became the kind of dad who changes diapers like a champ and sings lullabies at 3 a.m. Atlas admires him deeply, and honestly, so did I.
Atlas visits whenever he can, but as a Titans player, his time isn’t his own. Maddie—Gray’s other best friend—drops everything to care for Gray and Grayce. She’s prickly, defensive, and armored in ways that make perfect sense once you learn her history. She and Atlas clash instantly. Oil and vinegar. Sparks, but the sharp kind.
And then Gray dies.
Even though you know it’s coming, it still guts you. The simplicity of his arrangements, the quiet dignity of it, the letter he leaves behind… it all lands like a punch. Maddie thinks she’ll be Grayce’s sole parent, but Gray had other plans: he wants Atlas to be Grayce’s dad, with Maddie as her mom. Legal papers already drawn. His last wish.
Atlas takes a day to think, but let’s be honest—there was never really a choice. His heart already knew.
What follows is messy, uncomfortable, and so painfully human. Maddie and Grayce move to Pittsburgh. Maddie hates it. Atlas tries so hard to make her feel at home—emptying rooms, hiring movers, coordinating everything so she and Grayce walk into a fully set‑up space. And still, Maddie bristles. Snaps. Retreats behind her titanium walls.
But slowly—slowly—she softens. She sees Atlas’s sincerity, his respect for her role as Grayce’s mom, his desire to be included rather than take over. She watches him fall in love with fatherhood, with Grayce, with the life they’re building. And she lets herself laugh. Accept help. Trust. It’s a transformation that feels earned, tender, and so deeply moving.
And then there’s the romance. Yes, it’s sexy and sweet and full of chemistry, but for me, the heart of the book is the grief and the healing. Two people broken open by loss, choosing to build something beautiful for a little girl who deserved the world. Gray’s presence lingers through the videos he left—birthday messages, songs, advice, love poured into every pixel. Those scenes destroyed me in the best way.
And Maddie’s journey? From isolated, feral, and fiercely self‑reliant to someone who lets herself be loved—not just by Atlas, but by the Titans family, the WAGS, the girlfriends who drag her to brunch and refuse to let her hide? I loved it! She becomes brighter, softer, still herself but finally supported.
This book is heartbreaking and uplifting all at once. It made me laugh, cry, ache, and swoon. It’s about grief, found family, unexpected parenthood, and the kind of love that grows in the cracks left behind by loss. And yes, the sexy times were delicious, but it was Grayce—their precious little girl—and the legacy Gray left behind that made this story unforgettable for me.
A comfort read? Not this time. But a beautiful one? Absolutely.
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About the author
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
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