Chapter 4
Logan and Claire
“You’re awfully quiet, Logan.”
Logan glanced down at the beautiful woman lying in his arms. His Claire.
As far as he was concerned, she had been his since the day he’d first seen her at Lance and Asia’s wedding.
She hadn’t a clue, but he’d known then that she would have a permanent place in his life.
Only, at that time, she hadn’t been ready.
So he’d given her time to reach her career goals before revealing his intentions.
Then the incident happened. A restaurant in Algiers was bombed.
Claire was supposed to have been there that night, joining her close friends in a birthday celebration.
However, she’d begged off, because she’d had a headache…
and in the end, that decision had saved her life.
All sixty people inside the restaurant had been killed. Including her friends.
That incident had shaken him to the core—and it had been his wake-up call. Realizing he could have lost Claire had propelled him to step up his plan to capture her heart sooner, rather than later. Now they were happily married and living in Tampa.
She had resigned from the State Department where she had worked for years and taken a job as Vice President of Tampa Bay University. They had thought about buying another home, but their townhouse that overlooked the bay suited them just fine for now.
“I’m just trying to make up for all the noise I made earlier, when we made love,” Logan said.
She chuckled as she cuddled her naked body closer to his. “You did get pretty exuberant a few times, but I figured it was your way of letting off steam.”
He knew what she meant. “Honey, making love to you is always worth hollering about.”
“Good answer, Dr. Montgomery. Good answer. Now tell me what’s really bothering you.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute, then admitted, “Although Dad had given me a heads up about the letters, it still hit me hard when Dad confirmed she’s dying.”
“That’s understandable. She gave birth to you. That means something. Of course you care.”
“But why? Edwina was never like a real mother. And I’d known for a while, long before Dad, that she was cheating on him.”
“How did you discover that?”
Logan didn’t say anything for a minute. Then he sighed.
“I came home early from school one day, and he was there. He had to climb out of the bedroom window, but I saw him dash across the backyard with his shoes in his hands and his clothes barely on. I knew then what she was up to. When she ran off with the guy, I thought, good riddance. However, I hadn’t thought she would take Carrie, and I hadn’t expected Dad to take her leaving so hard. ”
He paused for a minute, then, making up his mind, he added, “If Pop goes to see her, I want to go with him. I don’t want him to see her alone. Lance, Lyle, and I saw her a few years ago when she was trying to blackmail Carrie. She was cruel and heartless.”
“And now, she is dying,” Claire said. “Facing death has a way of changing people, and can bring even the most horrid of people to their knees. They pray and then they think of ways to make up for all the hurt they caused. They seek forgiveness. Now is Edwina Montgomery’s time.”
He tensed up and knew his wife could feel it. “I wish she had not contacted us. Why couldn’t she have just died in peace?”
Claire raised up to look at him. “But that’s just it, Logan. She contacted you, your dad, and your siblings so she could die in peace. I think she needs closure.”
“Unfortunately, her need for closure is opening old wounds for us. Now I’m wondering if what Carrie said could be true.”
“What?”
“That the only reason Edwina sent those letters was to try and manipulate us one last time. She wants peace and closure on her terms. Not ours.”
“Even if that’s true, is it such a bad thing? She is the one dying.”
“For Edwina, yes, it is bad. Because it means that she doesn’t really care if she goes to heaven or hell. Leaving the Montgomery family in turmoil is what she truly wants.”
“And how is she doing that? Your dad pretty much stated that he wants you all to make up your own minds. That pretty much means he’s not going to coerce you.”
“I know he means that. But will he be able to resist trying to influence us, even if he only has our best interests at heart? I’m sure he doesn’t want us to have any regrets.
If I were in a similar situation, I’m not sure I could stand by and not say anything,” Logan countered.
“The only good thing about this situation is that we discovered we have a brother out there somewhere.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. Silas Kingston might not have told his son the nature of his birth. And if he hasn’t, all of you will need to respect his decision,” Claire said.
“And the four of us agreed that we would, though it would be hard. Family means everything to us,” Logan replied.
He glanced over at the clock. “It’s late, and our flight back to Tampa takes off at noon.
That means, Vice President Montgomery, that we need to leave the hotel no later than eight for Midway Airport. ”
“I will be ready, Dr. Montgomery. For you, I will always be ready,” she said, shifting her body to move on top of his.
“I believe you.” Placing his hand behind her head, he lowered her mouth down to his and thoroughly kissed her.