Marcus held onto his angry sneer while his young friend turned around, blocking Caleb from intervening.
“No, no problem at all.” I held up my hands in simple defeat. “I apologize if I offended your sister in any way.”
“You didn’t!” she called back.
I shot her a sidelong glance. She was all smiles again.
“There, you heard her. So if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be,” I said with a smirk, rattling his cage as I turned my back. I knew his type: He wasn’t leaving without a fight, and I wasn’t one to scare easily.
“You got a sister?”
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, fully aware of what he was getting at. There was only one way I was leaving the bar and it wouldn’t be quietly, so I played it up.
“I do, actually,” I said, twisting back halfway. “She’s a real pain in the ass.”
“Bring her by. Let me fuck her in this shithole bar, and then we’ll be even. Fair enough?”
It made sense in theory. “Unfortunately, I’ll need to decline that well-thought-out offer.” Taking the upper hand, I whipped around fully, my fist connecting with the side of his face. “Doesn’t work for me,” I growled.
He stumbled back, blood gushing from the point of impact. “You’re dead!”
He reared up and came at me. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, readying my system. I simply waited, watching the scene play out in slow motion. His sister bounced around in the background, her screams incoherently hysterical. Caleb was in front of her now, holding the other guy back, his arms locked around the guy’s neck and under his arm.
Only one thing crossed my mind when Marcus’s body rammed into mine: I couldn’t take a hit to the face. I wouldn’t let Oliver see me injured. I wouldn’t let him worry for me.
Chapter 4
Significance
“Oh my God!” Katherine shrieked, her hand flying to her mouth after she opened the back door. I’d texted her to meet me there.
I shot my hand out to quiet her and peeked inside. “Where’s Oliver?” I whispered.
Her alarmed gaze scanned down my body and back up, searching for answers. “In the front, waiting for you. He knows you’re late.”
My mood lifted at how perceptive he was. It wasn’t even half an hour, but our routine was set and he noticed any changes. It was the sole reason I hadn’t detoured home to clean up before I came over.
“Get in here, its cold out there,” Katherine demanded suddenly, opening the door further and ushering me in.
Glancing around, I followed her into the laundry room. “Stay here,” she said. “I’ll get the first-aid kit and one of Lawrence’s shirts.”
“Thanks.”
She stopped at the door, looking back hesitantly to ask the obvious. “Should I even bother asking what happened?”
I shook my head. “No, you shouldn’t.”
She nodded once. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Once she’d sneaked away from the small room, I slid my coat over my sore shoulders, kneading the pressure away. Marcus had some strength behind his fist, but luckily I’d gotten in enough blows to put him on his ass before he did any real damage. I looked down at the blood on my white dress shirt—mostly his—and had begun unbuttoning it when the door reopened.
It was Lawrence who strolled in instead of Katherine. He shut the door behind him quietly, studying me for any obvious injuries with his familiar calm-yet-scornful expression.
“Let me guess,” he said, tossing a clean shirt at me. “This was courtesy of your dick. So was it a wife or daughter you defiled this time?”
I ground my back teeth, insulted. I’d never touched a married woman, and didn’t plan to. I held his repulsed glare, matching it with my own of annoyance. “Neither. It was a sister.”
He lowered his head, shame obvious in his heavy sigh. “What are you doing, Logan? How long do you think you can live like this?”
“Don’t start.” I pulled the shirt over my head. “That fucker was just looking for a fight.”
“I don’t care about him, and I know you’re smart enough to take care of yourself. My concern is for that little boy of yours out there—the one who knows that when the small hand of the clock hits the number five that his daddy will be back to get him. Do you want to know what he’s been doing for the last thirty minutes? Huh?”
My shoulders deflated. “I get it. But I’m never late, so don’t put a guilt trip on me now.”
Lawrence continued, ignoring my plea.
“He’s been sitting in the foyer, refusing to play or even move from that spot because he knows any minute you’re going to appear through that door. And the longer he waits there, the deeper his frown grows. He’s worried about you.”
A sharp pain ripped through me. I pushed past Lawrence to go to my boy, but he shoved me back.
“Wash your face.” He held up a washcloth in his other hand.
I took it, ducking my head to look in the small mirror on the wall. Dried blood was splattered across my cheek and down my neck.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. Katherine wasn’t sure how to tell you, but Oliver’s been asking her about his mother a lot more.”
“Don’t.” I threw the soiled cloth down with my stained shirt.
“She doesn’t know how to avoid it any longer. He wants answers, Logan. He’s going to be four in a few months, starting preschool, and seeing all his classmates with their mothers.”
Anger boiled inside me. There was nothing I could do about that except make sure I provided everything he needed. “He’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” I started forward again, but his hands shot out, holding me back once more.
“Oliver’s going to find out about her, one way or another. It’s best that it comes from his father.”
Unable to control the fury brought on by even thinking about that woman, my fist connected with the wall, cracking the sheetrock. Lawrence didn’t even flinch.
“For Christ’s sake, he’s still a baby!” I roared.
I stepped back, turned away, and inhaled deeply. The oxygen filled the lungs constricting within my chest before I finally exhaled. I never even thought about Natasha. She was a box I’d locked up long ago and wasn’t about to open again.
My next words were spoken with my back still to him. “I can’t give him a mother, Lawrence, but when I believe he’s ready, I’ll answer his questions about her.” I turned back to face him, my expression as hard as the clamp around my heart. “Now move out of my way.”
“Maybe you can’t give him a mother, but you can try a little harder to find someone worth caring for again. I have a friend who works for a matchmaking—”
I groaned, running my hands through my hair. “You know me well enough to know that’s not happening!” I interrupted. “Now move, or I’ll move you myself.” I stepped into him, making it clear the conversation was over.
“You need to stop whoring around and find a good woman,” he pressed, despite my evident turmoil.
My hands ran up over my jaw and wrapped around my neck, fingers locking there so I wouldn’t hit anything else. “Give it up—I’m not interested. I take care of my son, and I take care of business. That’s all I have time for. That’s all I want.”
Lawrence said nothing. He just opened the door and moved aside, allowing me to pass. I dropped my hands and walked out.
“You’re better than all this, Logan,” he said behind me, his tone dejected. “You’re just lost right now.”
“And I don’t want to be found.”
***
I found Oliver sitting crossed-legged across from the front door, just as Lawrence had described, his little hands holding up his chin. He looked as miserable as I felt, and I was the only one to blame.
I moved toward him with light steps and lowered myself down the wall, stretching out my legs as I sat beside him. He jerked forward, startled at first, then jumped into my lap and hugged me tightly around the
neck. I held him close, kissing the top of his head. My entire body relaxed. He was my home.
“Daddy!” He pulled back, smiling big, but with a hint of concern still lingering. I wanted to clear it away immediately.
“Sorry I was late. Did you have fun today?”
“Lots. Let’s go home.”
He stood up and held out his hand to help me do the same. I took it and lunged forward to my feet. “When did you get so strong?” I placed my hand over my heart, my expression one of exaggerated mock intrigue. “You nearly lifted me in the air.”
He laughed, pleased with himself.
“Me air! Me air!” Charlie called out, running toward us. He crashed into my legs and wrapped his arms around my knees. “Me air!” he demanded once more.
Laughing, I swooped him up above me and swayed him from side to side, aware of Lawrence’s uneasy presence when he entered the room a moment later.
“All right, Charlie, say goodbye,” Lawrence told him. “It’s about time for dinner.”
I squatted down to set him back on the ground. “We’ll see you Monday morning, buddy.” He gave me a big hug, choking my neck, which only made me grin wider.
Oliver was already yelling out a quick goodbye to Charlie and attempting to open the heavy front door, which he couldn’t budge.
I pretend to unlock the door. “Try again. It was locked.”
He pulled the handle, squeezing his eyes shut tight, using all his strength. I wrapped my finger near the top of the long ornate handle above his hand and pulled the door open.
“I did it!” he boasted, twisting back to make sure everyone saw. Katherine clapped, building Oliver’s confidence. “It was easy.”
I chuckled. “Told you you were strong.”
Before we stepped outside, I zipped his coat and placed his hat over his ears. Impatient as ever, the second I moved back, he ran right for my car.
“See you Monday morning,” Katherine said softly.
“Thanks for everything,” I replied, glancing from her to Lawrence, who was now holding Charlie in his arms. His expression was thoughtful but pleasant. It told me we were good—that there were no issues standing between us. That was the thing with my family: As quickly as an argument arose, it was put to rest.
I walked out, and Katherine closed the door behind me.
“How about we go home, make some pasta, then hang out in the studio tonight?” I suggested, buckling him into his booster seat.
“I want ham.”
Smiling, I agreed. My boy was like me: He knew what he wanted, and wasn’t afraid of making it clear.
“You got it.”
I stood upright and shut his door. When I climbed in the front seat, I glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “I think we have some cupcakes left for dessert.”
“Choc’lat!?” he squealed, eyes bright.
“I believe so.”
“Hurry!”
I laughed, relieved the day was ending the way it was supposed to: with a smile on my son’s face.
***
We spent Saturday at the local children’s museum, Oliver enthralled with all things dinosaur. His visit to the gift shop had us up late, transforming his bedroom floor into a rough terrain of voracious carnivores and friendly herbivores that Oliver tried to convince me could talk in voices that sounded a lot like dancing chipmunks. We played until he could hardly keep his eyes open, and he dozed off soon after I’d read the first page of his new book on fossils.
When Sunday morning rolled around, I woke early to make breakfast only to find Oliver’s bed empty when I went to his room.
First came the tug of panic, then the racing down the hall only to be stopped abruptly by his giggles echoing from the kitchen. They were soon followed by the familiar hum of my sister. My rush of adrenaline disappeared.
“See, and this is where Grandma and Grandpa used to live,” she told him.
I stood in the doorway, watching her cook at the stove while Oliver sat on the countertop a few feet over, looking through a small stack of photos.
“Oh, and Grandma said this is where she used to work when she was in high school like me.”
“And where would that be?” I asked, strolling in and plucking Oliver from the counter before he fell.
“Hi, Daddy.” He pressed a picture to my face. “See Gramma?”
“Hi,” I pulled my head back to focus on the photo of my mother when she was still young, standing outside a large building with The Harmony Tribune carved over the entrance. “Very nice.”
He handed the rest to me and I closed my eyes for a brief moment. If Julia was planning a presentation about me, it was too early.
“Did Aunt Julia wake you up early?”
He shook his head, smiling. “We making toast for you.”
“French toast,” she clarified for him.
“French toast,” he mimicked.
I sat him on a dining-room chair. “I can’t wait to try it.”
I gave an easy smile despite my less-than-truthful admission. My sister was far from even a basic cook; I always had trouble swallowing whatever she served.
“It’s early,” I said, directing my comment at Julia as I sat beside Oliver, waiting.
She didn’t say a word as she brought over a pitcher of juice and three glasses.
I turned my attention to Oliver, asking how he’d slept. He quickly explained how the penguins that play under his bed at night were up late playing with his new dinosaurs, keeping him awake.
“Next time, just tell them to go to sleep,” Julia advised, giggling.
“I do. They neva listen,” he pouted. I messed his hair, chuckling.
“Here you go. Enjoy.” She marveled with pride as she set our plates in front of us. She grabbed a knife and fork and began cutting up Oliver’s toast before I had the chance.
My first bite was the hardest to swallow. The spice she’d used was one I didn’t recognize and the egg was overcooked, but with my glass of juice it was edible enough.
“I have something to tell you,” she started, sitting across from me. She took a bite from her plate and made a face she quickly tried to cover when my brows shot up in amusement. Yeah, she’d be eating her surprise breakfast as well.
She took a drink and I waited, giving her the go-ahead expression.
“It’s official: I’m moving to Harmony next summer, and I’ve even gotten a job there.”
I took another drink from my glass, then set it down slowly.
She hurried with her words before I could speak. “It’s minimum wage, but it’s in a little boutique on Main Street, not far from the dorms.”
“How did you find a job?”
“I, um, I went there. Mom said I could.”
“I see. You did that this week?”
“Yesterday.”
“Mmm hmm.” I set my fork down and pushed my plate forward, not willing to suffer through her breakfast anymore. “And how will you pay for your classes, books, dorm?”
“I applied for student loans.”
I slid my chair back and stood, carrying my full plate to the sink and dropping it in. What was she thinking? Loans? She didn’t have to go that route. I pulled a yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the silverware drawer, grabbing a banana from the counter as I walked back over.
“Here you go.” I opened the yogurt and handed it to Oliver, having noticed him moving his French toast around his plate, also not continuing to eat after his first bite. His gloomy face lit up as he took it.
“So then it sounds like you have everything figured out,” I added, peeling the banana and placing it beside Oliver.
“Mom offered to help if I needed it.”
That sent my temper churning further. Of course she’d need help! “Mom doesn’t have the money to help you. She lives on savings, Julia.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mom took me out for a twenty-dollar sandwich yesterday, Logan, with her Chanel handbag and matching gloves. She has money.”
“Fine, do what you want. But our mother has nice things because Lawrence and I take care of her.”
“And Dad. He does too.”
That wasn’t a lie. Even divorced, he’d give my mother the moon if she asked, but she never would. He’d even had to trick her into keeping the house she lived in when they split. She asked for nothing and was as stubborn as my sister, so I should’ve known then that I’d lost.
“Bring Oliver in to me when you leave.”
My sister was moving to Harmony, and it was about time I went to see what the little town was about. I left the kitchen and made a call.
Caleb answered on the first ring. “Hey, it’s early.”
“I’m picking you up Friday night at 6 PM. Make sure we have something of interest to do in that hometown of yours.”
“Hell yeah! I’ll set it up.” The call ended, and I headed to my studio.
Chapter 5
Angelic
Where the hell was I going? The interstate exit had led to a long country road with nothing except bare trees and a ratty fence that became more dilapidated the farther I drove. This was where Julia wanted to live? Perhaps a drug test was in order.
Just the thought of my sister set my nerves on edge. Now that she had our mother’s support and a meaningless job lined up, she thought she was set. But she’d be calling for my help after a month in this new place.
“The town’s still a few miles ahead,” Caleb explained from the passenger seat, glancing up from his phone. He’d been texting on it for most of the drive.
I turned down the radio, the chatter of the DJ poking at my aggravation. Or maybe it was the nagging sense that I was going to be sorely disappointed with my night.
Caleb finally tucked his phone in his coat pocket.
“Any luck?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’re gonna meet at my buddy Josh’s diner. He promised to provide a night to remember.”
“Right,” I grumbled. I couldn’t help the annoyance eating at me. Aside from Julia and the traffic from the city, there was also the little fact Caleb had failed to mention until we were halfway there: Harmony was without a local bar.
How was that possible? It was truly an oddity to me. I’d planned on drinking my weight in liquor and burying myself in some local darling. I didn’t want memorable—I wanted pleasurable—and if that didn’t happen after driving all the way to the fucking boondocks, I was going to kick this Josh guy’s ass.