Chapter 33 #2
“You should’ve never tried to explain that term to her,” Tamara sighs, setting a fresh platter of pancakes on the table.
“What term?” Zoe perks up, far too gleeful.
Charlie shoots her a look. “Making love.”
Zoe snorts so hard her mimosa almost goes up her nose. “Brilliant.”
Meadow’s oblivious, eyes shining. “Mama says making love doesn’t mean like making cupcakes, but I didn’t get it, so Dad said there’s different kinds of love and I wanted to know them all!”
Jake’s already red in the face as every set of eyes in the room turn to him.
“I panicked, okay?!”
Meadow holds up a sticky finger for silence, her voice taking on full lecture mode. “So! There’s family love, like how Mama loves me and Noah and Dad.”
“But Mama loves Dad more than just family love, and that’s called true love.”
“Correct.” Jake nods proudly.
“And there’s friend love, like how Auntie Tamara loves Zo Zo even though Zo Zo said her salsa tastes like sadness.”
Zoe sputters as Tamara turns to her. “I… I didn’t!”
“And I love Dusty even when he farts, that’s dog love.”
Dusty wags his tail like he’s been complimented.
“Then there’s married love, because Mama said Uncle Chase wants to wife-up Auntie Zo.”
Charlie covers her face. “Please stop talking.”
“And how Miso loves Logan—”
Everyone turns to Miso, who is gnawing on her favorite Logan-shaped chew toy.
“—that’s bitey love.”
Logan tips his head toward Miso, who glares at him from her corner with the half-destroyed toy clamped in her teeth. “That tracks.”
Meadow turns to me, eyes bright. “And then there’s heart love, like Logan loves Lulu!”
Every sound in the room dies, and I freeze mid-sip.
“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to—”
“It’s heart love.” She barrels on, utterly undeterred. “Because Logan looks at Lulu like the heart-eyes emoji man!”
Tamara presses her lips together. Jake chokes, and Zoe grabs Chase’s arm, seconds away from dissolving. Traitor.
“Jesus Christ, Meadow” Charlie whispers into her hands.
Eli’s the only one not laughing. He sets the spatula down with slow precision and turns, expression deceptively calm. “Heart love, huh?”
Logan’s mouth opens, then closes, then opens again.
“Yep!” Meadow chirps, completely oblivious. “I can tell! He gave her special heart-eyes smiles at Halloween. And he always gives her his hoodie! So he makes heart love to her all the time.”
Charlie lets out a strangled noise. “I said sharing is nice—”
“See?” Meadow insists. “LOVE!”
Logan’s face has gone pink, eyes turning to Jake. “She’s six! How does she remember a whole damn syllabus on love?!”
Eli’s stare slides from Meadow to Logan. “Better question—why’s she including you, Miller?”
“Who wants more mimosas?” Zoe blurts, and starts pouring before anyone answers.
“It’s okay!” Meadow reaches out her hand toward Logan to assure him. “Mama said love makes you do weird things like share blankets and make pancakes and stare at people when they’re not looking!”
My heart stops as Eli’s head snaps toward Logan. “You stare at her?”
Logan looks like he’s rethinking every decision that led him to this moment. “I—uh, no—don’t not—”
Eli’s voice spikes. “What the hell does don’t not mean?!”
“Elijah,” Tamara warns, but he’s already turning red.
“Because it sounds a helluva lot like you’re—”
“—invested in a good neighborly relationship,” Logan cuts in quickly, palms up like he’s warding off a bear. “Relax, man.”
“What do you mean, relationship?” Eli sputters. “You live across the damn street, not in her bed—”
“He doesn’t! Definitely doesn’t!” Zoe coughs loudly, almost choking on her mimosa. “That’s—uh—insane, right Lulu?”
“Right,” I say sweetly, kicking Logan under the table. “Completely insane.”
“Meadow’s also six.” Reid adds dryly. “She thinks Miso and Dusty are married.”
Tamara nods. “Exactly. Kid logic. Heart eyes, dog weddings—it’s all the same.”
Eli looks between us, unconvinced. “You all think I’m an idiot?”
Jake lifts a placating hand. “No one said that. We love how observant you are.”
“Yeah,” Chase adds. “Really sharp, big-picture guy.”
Eli points his finger between me and Logan. “You better not be lying.”
I grin, resting my chin on my hand. “Absolutely not. If Logan was making me com—giving me fireworks, I’d definitely tell you all about it.”
“LU-LU!”
My hands fly up in surrender as I laugh. “Okay, okay—but you hear how insane you sound, right? Sit down and have a mimosa before you burst a blood vessel.”
“Anyway,” Meadow chirps, completely derailing the standoff. “Then there’s kiss love. That’s my favorite one!”
Charlie places her palms flat on the table. “Meadow Grace, maybe that’s enough—”
“But that’s the love we want Uncle Hutchy to find because you said he needs it!”
Reid looks up from his coffee, unimpressed. “Appreciate the concern, kid. I’ll add it to my to-do list.”
Settling down at the table, Chase grins. “Maybe you just haven’t kissed enough frogs yet, Hutchy.”
“Frogs are just wet turtles, Walton. Pass.”
Jake snorts coffee out his nose and Zoe wheezes. Charlie has her face in her hands, half-laughing, half-dying.
“I am begging the universe to swallow me whole.”
Tamara clears her throat, placing a giant bowl onto the table before sitting down. “Who wants fruit salad?”
Jake waves a hand. “None for me, thanks. I’m full from secondhand embarrassment.”
Chase slides a platter toward me. “Here, have some love pancakes, Lu—”
“Those aren’t gluten-free,” Logan cuts in smoothly, swapping them for the smaller stack.
Eli’s head whips toward him again. “How the hell do you know that?”
Logan hesitates. “She… told me once?”
“Once?” Eli repeats, incredulous. “And you remembered?”
Zoe sighs dramatically. “Because he’s a decent human, Eli! Besides, we all know Lulu is gluten free!”
Reid nods. “Not a crime to possess basic observation skills.”
Logan shrugs, avoiding eye contact, tone too casual as he cuts into his own stack. “And she’ll get sick otherwise.”
It’s a small sentence, but the silence that follows could split granite.
Under the table, I slowly reach across to find his hand. He doesn’t look at me, just threads his fingers through mine, palm warm against my own. We share one quick squeeze, a silent I’ve got you, before we both let go again.
Eli glares at all of us, then finally exhales, stabbing at his own pancake stack. Across the room, Miso gnaws viciously on her headless Logan toy as if she’s foreshadowing his demise before our very eyes.
It’s Noah who finally breaks the tension. “Can I please have more syrup?”
Charlie passes it to him. “Drown us in it, buddy.”
***
The table’s a graveyard of syrup-sticky plates and coffee cups by the time everyone’s full. The kids have vanished into the sunroom, and the rest of us move lazily between the kitchen and dining room, picking up the wreckage of brunch.
I duck out into the hallway, making my way to the bathroom for a breather.
It’s tiled and bright, smelling of lemon cleaner and Tamara’s lavender hand soap. I grip the sink, take a breath, and try to will the blush off my cheeks.
The door creaks open behind me.
“Occupied,” I hiss.
“Didn’t look occupied.” Logan slips in, closing it with a quiet click. His reflection meets mine in the mirror—rumpled hair, guilty smirk, eyes still dark from every almost-touch we’ve had all morning.
“You’re out of your mind,” I whisper, turning to face him.
“Probably.” He takes another step. “But you bailed and left me out there with your brother and kiss love.”
“Self-preservation.” I glance toward the bathroom door. “Your near-death experience didn’t need a sequel.”
He steps close enough that my back brushes the edge of the counter. “You handled him better than I did.”
“I’m his sister. It’s a sport.”
Logan’s mouth twitches. “You mean what you said about the fireworks?”
I try not to smile, but fail miserably. “Maybe.”
His hand finds my hip, and he dips his head, mouth hovering a breath from mine.
“Logan,” I whisper again, but it’s not a warning this time.
“Just one,” he murmurs. “Then I’ll go back out there and let your brother finish plotting my death.”
I don’t even get a chance to answer before he kisses me. Slow at first, then his other hand slides up my spine, pressing me flush to him until I feel the solid line of his body.
The kiss deepens, all breath and hunger and muffled sounds that would get us both killed if anyone walked in. I grab his shirt, fingers twisting in the fabric, and pull him harder against me. He tastes like coffee and sugar and the kind of trouble I’ll never stop craving.
A floorboard creaks outside.
We break apart, breathless and hearts pounding.
“Lu? You in there?”
Logan’s eyes go wide at Eli’s voice. “Shit.”
“Occupied!” I call, a little too high-pitched.
There’s a pause. “You okay?”
“Fine! Great! Just—uh—soap emergency.”
“Soap emergency?”
“Yeah! It’s... frothing.”
Logan looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, and I gesture silently to him that I panicked.
Eli’s voice interrupts our interaction. “Can I come in? Just wanna talk for a sec.”
Logan mouths, oh, fuck.
“Uhh, yeah!” I call out to my brother. “Just a sec!”
I shove at Logan’s chest, pushing lightly. “Get in the shower!”
His voice is barely a whisper. “You’re kidding.”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
“This is insane.”
“Go!” I hiss, practically herding him behind the curtain. He mutters something that sounds like this is how I die, but he goes.
I smooth my hair, take one steadying breath, and crack the door open. “Hey.”
Eli’s standing there, expression sheepish. “Can I come in for a sec?”
“Uh—sure.” I edge the door open, praying Logan’s holding his breath.
Eli lurches in and leans against the counter, hands shoved into his pockets.“I didn’t mean to go nuclear out there. I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve me snapping.”
“It’s fine,” I say softly. “Really.”
“That’s generous.” He huffs out a quiet laugh. “I know I can be a bit over protective, but you’re my little sister, Lu. You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I know, and every idiot you’ve dated’s taken advantage of it.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, nibbling my thumbnail. “I know.”
“It just pisses me off. You’ve had too many guys who didn’t deserve you. Guys who wanted a pretty face on their arm, or bragging rights, or worse. None of them ever stuck around long enough to know how damn lucky they were. None of them ever saw you.”
My throat tightens, because he’s right.
Eli shrugs, looking down. “I just think you deserve someone who loves you loudly. Proudly. No games or hiding.”
From behind the shower curtain, I hear the faintest shift—the sound of Logan’s breath catching.
I force a smile. “You’re a sap, Eli.”
“Yeah, well. Don’t tell the guys.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
As he walks past me, he squeezes my shoulder. “Come back out soon, Meadow wants to marry the dogs.”
“Can’t wait,” I say dryly.
He grins, then heads down the hall. The moment the door clicks shut again, I sag against the counter and Logan exhales from behind the curtain.
I turn just as he steps out slowly, guilt written across his face. “He’s not wrong,” he says quietly. “You deserve all of that.”
Something inside me twists. “He’s out there defending me, and I’m in here…” I trail off, the words caught in my throat, but Logan finishes them for me.
“Hiding with his teammate.” He lets out a hollow laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re kinda assholes.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “But I love you anyway.”
His laugh fades, replaced by something softer. “You shouldn’t have to hide that.”
“Neither should you… You sure you can give me all that, Pookie?”
He shakes his head, lips pressing together. “Not the loud part, not yet. Only because we need to plan how we tell him…”
I nod, picking at my thumbnail again.
“But seeing you for who you are, loving you for who you are, and being proud to call you mine? As sure as the sun in the fucking sky, Tallulah.”
Something inside me tugs, and I cross to him, slipping a hand up his chest, feeling his heart hammering under my palm. “You’re already giving me everything I want. It’s very efficient.”
He lets out a shaky laugh, leaning his forehead against mine. “You’re gonna make me do something stupid again.”
“Like what?”
“This.”
I laugh, but he’s already closing the space between us. It starts gentle, then deepens. He drags his thumb along my jaw, tilts my chin up, and everything else—Eli, guilt, and the whole damn world—drops away.
When he pulls back, his voice is low and teasing again, the tension broken.
“Mmm, kiss love.”