And that’s just how it’s going to stay, Carmelo be damned.
34
Lia
“Wake up, sleepy head. Come and see!”
I blink my eyes open, then open my mouth and let out the loudest yawn known to man—only to shut my mouth at once, when I see Logan chuckling.
“Asshole.”
“Come and see your new home,” he insists, pulling me gently out of the car… well, I’m not sure most people would call the way he pulls me to my feet gentle. But for him, it definitelyis.
Aurora and Dolores are both sleeping in the back seat. After all, we’ve driven pretty much nonstop since last night. I don’t think it would have taken that long to get to Washington, but Logan has been driving on rough country backroads pretty much the entire time. We’re all exhausted, but Logan is the only one who hasn’t slept at all. And yet, he doesn’t look all that tired.
Maybe he’s used to it.
“Aurora...” I begin.
“I think we can trust her. Dolores, I mean.” Logan pulls me into a hug. “She’s been taking excellent care of Aurora for one month. We won’t let a little scare change anything.We’rethe ones who are on edge, running from Carmelo. She’s been justas loyal as ever. Now, come on, ghost girl. Let me show you around.”
I nod, allowing myself to be reassured by his words. He’s right—Doloreshasbeen pretty much holding the house together.
I follow Logan into something that looks like a glass cube. The house is sparsely furnished, each room in a different style. The living room is modern, the kind of place that Logan looks right at home in, whereas the kitchen looks straight out of the 1950s.
Then Logan leads me to a glass-encased porch, empty except for a daybed, and I forget all about the mismatched decor when I take in the beautiful forest and the waterfall in the distance.
“Oh, my gosh, Logan,” I breathe.
He wraps me in his warm arms. “It’s ours. Our first home. How do you like it, Lia?”
I turn around, unable to find my words. Instead, I sink into his arms, raising my face for a kiss. He gives it to me, pressing his soft lips to mine, slipping his tongue into my mouth.
“What do you think, little brat?” he teases, pulling away at last. “Do you think you can behave in our new home?”
“Do you think you’llallowme to behave?”
“Well, now,” he smirks against my mouth. “That wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”
He tweaks my nipples through my dress, and I can feel his arousal pressing against me. “Try to conjure up some tears, crybaby. I’ll put our kid to bed.”
Ourkid. I lean against the wall, watching him cross the room and go out the front door to wake Dolores and bring in Aurora. How did I get so lucky? How did I find such a father for my baby?
That’s what he is—there’s no doubt about it. She finally haswhat she deserves. A father and a mother.
Logan looks passingly disappointed when he returns to a dry face and a smile.
“I’m sure you can give me something to cry about,” I tease him.
“Mhm.” He grabs my wrist—again, very gently for him—and pulls me down on the daybed. “Let’s try something different.”
“Something different?” I ask uncertainly. “What kind of something?”
“You’ll see.”
He lies down beside me and tilts my chin up so that I’m facing him.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so close. Well, of course I have, but never with this level of intensity. We’re nearly nose to nose, but we’re not kissing, only gazing at each other. I can see every single part of his beautiful face, from his dark eyes, brown flecked with green and yellow, the shaggy eyebrows on top, the brown, glossy curls tumbling around his face, the aquiline nose and small mouth that looks like it was made to smirk. It’s hard to believe he’s mine. Really mine.