Chapter 17
Stella was struggling to get to sleep. It was perhaps no surprise given how badly her day had been, but Stella simply couldn’t control her thoughts for long enough to quieten them down and doze off to sleep.
To say Stella’s inability to drift off to Snoozetown was causing frustration would be an understatement…
‘Argh! Crappers!’ Stella shouted, tossing over from one side to the other and finally throwing her spare pillow out of the bed. ‘I give up!’
Stella hauled herself out of bed and walked over toward the soft white robe that was hanging from a hook next to the bedroom door.
It was the middle of the night and Stella hadn’t had a single second of sleep.
Having had a torrid previous few nights too, Stella was beginning to wonder whether she would ever have a satisfying night’s sleep again.
Being a healthy-living young lady, Stella knew all about how important sleep was to physical and mental health and couldn’t help but worry what the next day in work was going to be like if she was up all night.
Yesterday was a disaster.
Another day like that would be worse.
What am I going to do?
Stella walked out of her bedroom and into the living area.
Logan had been absent without leave for a few days and the place just didn’t seem the same without him.
Yes, it may have been tidier but Stella was even beginning to miss the sight of Logan’s black boots being left next to the kitchen worktop rather than in the shoe cage by the apartment door.
‘Okay. Okay. Think…’ Stella said, opening up the cupboard where she kept her selection of herbal teas. ‘I need something soothing… good for sleep… not too stimulating.’
Stella fingered her way through the various types of tea available to her and settled on a calming rose and chamomile tea that she had used to good effect a few months ago.
As she waited for the kettle to boil, Stella absentmindedly fiddled with the tea bag and tried as hard as she could to keep any worrying thoughts out of her mind.
‘I wonder if Nicki or Lilah are awake?’ Stella mumbled, reaching over to her cellphone and having a look at her messages. ‘Nope. Doesn’t look like it.’
Stella wasn’t expecting to see any unread messages this late but was nonetheless disappointed to see that she had nothing to occupy her mind. Of course the ultimate distraction would be a message from Logan…
I miss Logan. I miss Daddy Logan to be precise.
He’s big, wild, and totally unreliable.
But he was mine… I just hope wherever Logan is, he’s safe.
Stella poured the now boiled water into her mug and dropped the tea bag into the piping hot water.
Just as she was turning to walk back to the bedroom and attempt to get some sleep, Stella heard the sound of someone attempting to open the apartment door.
Stella nearly dropped the mug of herbal tea on the floor.
What the hell was happening?
Was she about to be the victim of a break-in?
‘Hey! Hey! Whoever you are, go away!’ Stella shouted, doing her absolute best to hide the trembling fear in her voice. ‘I’m calling the cops right this second!’
Stella gripped Huggle in one hand, and even held her mug of tea in the other and readied herself to throw it should the unknown intruder manage to open the door and enter the house.
‘I’m warning you!’ Stella said, her voice now full of belief. ‘I don’t back down for anyone!’
Then, the sound of a key jangling in the door lock was quickly followed by the door itself opening.
‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ Logan said, a knowing smile on his face. ‘Looks like you’ve gotten all tough in my absence, babygirl.’
Stella paused and allowed herself to take a breath.
With her heart racing and emotions rapidly escalating inside, Stella didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Logan was back, but there were so many questions. Stella tried to speak, but the words simply wouldn’t come out.
‘I… I… I don’t know what to…’ Stella stammered, her brain trying to process the situation, but failing.
‘No need for words,’ Logan replied, stepping into the apartment fully and walking toward Stella. ‘Can I give you a big specialty Logan Rain bear hug?’
Stella nodded, a big smile on her face as her eyes filled with tears of joy.
The two hugged and Stella felt a tangible sense of love and acceptance between her and Logan. There was a lot to talk about, but unless Stella was very much mistaken, Logan was back – and back for good too.
‘I love you, Stella Streep,’ Logan said, his voice tender and sincere. ‘And I want to be your Forever Daddy. All the way. No holding back.’
‘And I love you too!’ Stella replied, the quiver in her voice one of excitement. ‘And I want you to stay and be my Forever Daddy too! And I want it to be really, truly forever too. I insist, in fact.’
‘Well, seeing as you put it like that,’ Logan replied. ‘Nothing would make me happier than to stay with you, darling. I know I fucked up. I should have talked to you. But I’m back. And I want this time to be the real thing.’
Stella and Logan looked at one another for a moment before leaning in and kissing. It was a kiss full of passion, love, and carried the kind of intensity that Stella would remember for the rest of her days.
‘Okay, I think it’s time we talked, don’t you?’ Logan said, breaking away from the embrace and holding Stella’s hand. ‘Any chance of a cup of that herbal tea for me too?’
Stella chuckled.
‘If you’re asking for herbal tea, then I know something’s different!’ Stella said, smiling. ‘I’ll make you all the herbal teas you want if it means we’re together again.’
Logan smiled and walked over into the kitchen with Stella.
Stella made the tea for Logan and the pair of them sat down at the table together and began to talk. The conversation flowed back and forth as both Stella and Logan got some things off their chest and laid out their truths as they saw them.
Fortunately, both Stella and Logan were now very much on the same page.
To Stella’s great joy, it turned out that Logan wanted exactly the same thing as she did. But Stella still had some questions she needed answering…
‘But… why not just tell me about Cole, I could have helped?’ Stella said, a slight hint of frustration in her voice. ‘I’m actually kinda smart, you know?’
‘Of course. I know you’re smart,’ Logan said. ‘You’re smarter than me, that’s for sure. But I know how important your work is. The last thing I wanted was for you to jeopardize your career. I could never have lived with that.’
Stella was about to answer Logan but paused.
I don’t know what Logan will think of me if I explain…
He thinks I’m a highflier.
But the disastrous presentation has probably changed all of that.
Stella needn’t have worried.
After explaining the situation with Lauren Treen and how it had gone from bad to worse, Stella went into the details of the presentation disaster and didn’t hold back. It felt good to get it off her chest, and Logan listened attentively and without judgement.
‘Okay, the first thing is that everyone screws up sometimes,’ Logan said, taking a sip of his tea and putting his hand on Stella’s.
‘Even the smartest girl in Blue Rock has a whoopsy sometimes. Screwing up is how we learn. You’ll do better next time.
You’re going all the way to the top, I know you are. ’
It felt so comforting to hear Logan talking like this. Logan may not have operated in the corporate world, but his life experience was invaluable, Stella knew that.
But that still didn’t solve the issue of Lauren Treen.
For all the positive talk, Lauren would still be at work the following day.
And the day after.
And the day after that.
Lauren was a problem that wasn’t going to go away in a hurry, and unless Stella did something the situation wasn’t going to get any better.
‘Bullies like Lauren never win,’ Logan said, his voice carrying a hint of stern authority to it.
‘As long as you stand up to her, she will fold in the end. If I know the kind of woman she is, and I think I do, then you’ll beat her.
But just to be on the safe side, I’m going to come to work with you tomorrow just to cast my eyes over her. ’
‘Thank you, Daddy,’ Stella said. ‘I want to sort it by myself, but that would mean a lot to me.’
‘Good. That’s agreed then,’ Logan said. ‘Now, if we go to bed now and get straight to sleep, you should still get a decent amount of down time before work.’
‘But I want to stay up and talk!’ Stella protested, stifling a yawn.
‘Yeah, that would be fun,’ Logan said. ‘But I think I’m going to put my foot down on this one and say it’s bedtime. Daddy’s orders.’
Stella knew that Logan was right.
It was indeed bedtime. And with a new day at work tomorrow and a fresh dawn to her relationship with Logan, Stella had every cause for optimism.
The only slight shadow still hanging over things was Lauren. But Stella wasn’t going to let that bully stop her getting her head down and enjoying a nice sleep next to Logan, her one true love.
Stella woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. It may have been far from the ideal night’s sleep, but simply having Logan back in bed with her made Stella feel like a brand-new Little.
Stella downed her juice in record time and decided to cycle into work. Logan even said that he would run in behind Stella, albeit at a more leisurely pace of course. Logan wasn’t ready to ditch his muscle car just yet, but running instead of driving where possible was a good enough start.
The cycle into work was glorious too, with the early morning sun beating down on Stella as she whizzed through all her favorite neighborhoods.
Stella knew that she still had to face the senior bosses and try to explain what had happened with her presentation, but she was going to do it with a whole new sense of purpose.
Logan’s right.
I CAN make it to the top.
I just need to learn from the presentation and keep growing…
As she parked her bicycle in the bike shed, Stella noticed that all the senior management parking spots were fully loaded with the top of the range, latest model Teslas.
All the bosses must have been in super-early for one reason or another.
This made Stella’s heart skip a beat.
But rather than worry, Stella decided that she was going to seize upon this moment. She may have been a careful planner, but now maybe it was time to take a leaf out of Logan’s impulsive book of tricks.
Stella had an idea. It may have been crazy, but Stella was going to go straight to the top floor and formally request a do-over of the presentation.
Without waiting a single second longer, Stella entered the EcoPlay building and made her way to the top floor. Nothing was going to stop her. Even as her heart thumped in her chest, Stella was determined to follow through on her gut instinct.
Be brave.
Be bold.
You can change their minds about you…
After fighting past their initially skeptical and surprised response, Stella was able to deliver pretty much a pitch-perfect presentation that received a standing round of applause from the senior members of the board.
To say that Stella’s presentation went over well would be an understatement. Even the notoriously prickly CEO Mr. Michael Mapother was impressed.
‘Stella,’ Michael said. ‘I really wasn’t sure what to expect after yesterday. But you’ve just shown me the future of this whole organization. And I know now that you absolutely must be front and center of that future too. Anyone care to disagree?’
Michael’s fellow board members dare not disagree with her. It was undeniable, Stella had smashed the presentation so far out of the park it was practically entering the next state.
Michael Mapother offered Stella the role of VP For Stuffies, Toys, & Games on the spot, and Stella received it with as much enthusiasm as you might expect. This was huge news, and Stella wanted to share it with the man who made it possible.
The only question was, had Stella’s Daddy made it to EcoPlay yet?