Chapter 34 #3
“We can meet here,” Bryce said. “Whatever works for you is good for us, boo.”
“Thank you.” A few tears slipped free, but I knew none of my friends would judge me for them. “Fuck, I’ve missed you all.”
Suddenly I was enveloped in a massive bear hug with three different sets of arms holding me tight.
For the first time in months, my heart felt whole.
We’d finished dinner hours ago, but we were still sat around the table, chatting. Evan had excused himself a little while ago, using the washing-up as an excuse. Really, he was giving me time alone with my friends while letting me know he was close by.
It was moments like these that had me loving him more and more with every passing day.
After catching up on months of news, we were now discussing the latest Demon Hunters update. The conversation was so heated that none of us heard the front door open.
“Is this a friendly chat, or should I be concerned?”
We all jumped at the sound of Logan’s voice. I laughed, getting to my feet to greet him. “Logan, we weren’t expecting you back yet.”
Logan smiled, but his eyes were on someone behind me. “Things wrapped up faster than expected. I didn’t realise you were having guests.”
We hadn’t bothered to tell him, not thinking he’d be home for a few more days. “Come meet my friends,” I said, dragging him forwards, excited for my two worlds to be colliding. “Everyone, this is my friend Logan.”
Bryce smiled, extending a hand for Logan to shake. “A fellow short king, I see.”
“Good things come in small packages,” Logan quipped, but his voice was strained, missing its usual levity. “Lovely to meet ye.”
“And this is Mac, and Cole,” I said, turning to face them.
I frowned. For some unknown reason, Mac had gone white as a sheet, while Cole was blushing furiously. “Are ye two okay?”
Mac recovered first, getting to his feet. He did it so abruptly that his chair clattered to the ground. He extended his hand to Logan, and I couldn’t help but notice that it was shaking slightly. “Nice to meet ye, Logan.”
Logan’s face was completely impassive as he shook his hand and released it quickly. “Mac, is it?”
Mac cringed. I’d said that, hadn’t I? “Aye. Mac.”
“Hullo, Cole.” Logan nodded at my silent friend, who hadn’t moved an inch since Logan had walked in.
Cole didn’t extend his hand, which didn’t surprise me. He only liked touch on his own terms.
What surprised me was that Logan didn’t either.
Mac was staring at Logan, an unreadable expression on his face. Cole, meanwhile, had his gaze locked on the table, a muscle jumping in his jaw.
And Logan? His narrow gaze flicked between the two of them as he stared. That he was doing so silently was perhaps the oddest thing of all. Logan never usually held a thought back. His lack of filter rivalled my own.
Evan appeared from the kitchen, a small frown on his brow. “Everything okay?”
I shrugged while Bryce snorted. “Well, these three are being shifty as fuck, but aside from that, yes.”
The three in question jumped slightly. Mac stepped back, tugging on the back of Cole’s chair. “I think it’s time we were making tracks.”
“It is getting late,” Cole said, not looking up as he stood.
“You seem like two men who know when you’re supposed to leave,” Logan said lightly. “But don’t do so on my account. I’m going out.”
Then he was gone, the front door slamming behind him.
Bryce blinked. “Is it just me, or is that dude scarily fast?”
Evan and I exchanged a private look. Logan knew as well as the others to mask his supe abilities around humans.
It was unlike him to forget.
“We do need to go,” Mac said apologetically. “It really is getting late, and we have work tomorrow.”
Saying goodbye was easier knowing I’d be seeing them again soon. Evan reiterated his open invitation for them to come back.
I couldn’t help but notice that, while Bryce accepted readily, Mac and Cole were slower to agree.
So strange.
After lots of hugs, we waved at their car as it disappeared out of sight. “Okay, so what the fuck was going on with Logan and my friends?”
“No idea,” Evan admitted. “We can ask him about it, but he’s surprisingly tight lipped when he wants to be.”
That was the thing about Logan—he was a bundle of sunshine and fun, but he was also a spy. It meant he had a specific skill set, part of which meant him locking down whenever he felt it necessary.
Hmm. Well, it’d either come out or it wouldn’t, but I resolved to keep a close eye on the situation.
“All in all, I think that was a success,” Evan said, leaning his chin on my head.
“What was the third thing?” I didn’t know why my brain chose that moment to remember it, but I’d given up questioning it long ago.
Evan blinked at me a few times. “What?”
I shook my head impatiently, annoyed that my thoughts weren’t presenting themselves in an orderly fashion. “The day of the snowball fight, you said there were three things I had to accept but that I wasn’t ready to hear the last one. So, what was it?”
He laughed. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
“Technically, I had forgotten, but my brain decided now was the perfect moment to recall it.”
“I love your brain,” he murmured, kissing my temple. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said, “but what was the third thing?”
“That’s it,” he said, amusement coursing through the bond. “I wanted you to accept that I love you, but you weren’t ready to hear it then.”
“Oh.” I snuggled back into his chest. “I’m ready now.”
“Good, because I can’t stop saying it. Question is, after tonight, are ye happy, Reid?”
I knew he meant about the evening, but my mind couldn’t stop racing over the ways my life had changed for the better. All in ways I could never have expected or predicted. I was a fully accepted part of a clan. I had a family. Friends.
Best of all, I had Evan. Evan, who saved me every day, just by loving me.
“Yeah, Ev,” I said softly. “I’m happy.”