Chapter 10 #2
“Mom,” Zoey deadpans, “you wouldn’t believe how fast the time flew. We hardly had enough time to get started. We had to break for lunch, and with all the setup…seriously. We need more time. Can I please, please stay? I promise not to stay up all night.”
Alice is firm. “Absolutely not. Don’t forget, Bridget is still recovering.
She doesn’t need to be responsible for two wildlings.
” Alice puts her hands on Zoey’s shoulders.
“And you know you are incapable of going to sleep early when you have a sleepover. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you inconvenience Bridget like that tonight.
Maybe when she’s all better, if Bridget thinks it’s okay. ”
“Why don’t we bring Mia to our house instead? We won’t keep anyone up there, and we can stay up all night.”
Alice bends to meet her daughter’s face and holds her cheeks between her palms. “You realize that’s really not selling me on the idea, right?”
But Mia jumps on that and wraps her arms around my waist. “That’s such a good idea, Mama. Can I? Can I sleep over at Zoey’s?”
I look at Alice, tilting my chin. “Honey, Alice didn’t plan on an overnight guest tonight.
I don’t know if…” I look at the woman. I hardly know her, but I have met her husband.
They invited me to a baby shower next week.
I don’t know these people, but is it really all that different from the kids Mia knows from school having a sleepover?
It’s not like I go over and do a house inspection every time my daughter has a playdate.
While I do insist on meeting both parents before letting her have sleepovers with anybody, that’s a box I can already check with Alice and Morris.
“I’m fine with it if you are,” Alice says. “Morris is going to be out riding with Tiny until probably suppertime, so having Mia around will keep Zoey entertained.” Alice looks at me. “We were thinking of picking up Chinese food for dinner. Is that okay with Mia?”
“I love Chinese.” Mia seems so happy. Nothing like the responsible, worn-out little girl she’s had to be the last few months. After what she’s been through this week, I feel like she deserves to have some fun with her new friend.
“Are you sure it’s no trouble?” I ask. “Really, Alice, if you think—”
Alice shakes her head. “Honestly, you’ll be doing me a favor. I’ve been more tired than usual, if you know what I mean, so having someone keep up with Zoey will be great. Morris and I can catch up on our shows tonight, guilt-free.”
I look at Alice and Zoey, then to Mia. This is all so unexpected, happening so fast. But I guess that’s how life happens. And this is a good thing for my daughter, so I don’t hesitate to accept the offer.
“Pack your toothbrush,” I remind Mia. “And no staying up all night. When Alice says it’s time to quiet down and get some sleep—”
The girls are squealing and hugging again, and I can’t help but feel happy for them. They thunder up the stairs, and I can hear Zoey telling Mia that maybe now her mom will let her get bunk beds.
“You’re going be sleeping over all the time, and we can’t just rough it in sleeping bags.”
Alice is laughing and shaking her head. “Rough it,” she echoes.
She makes sure I have every possible phone number I could need—her cell phone, Morris’s, the office number, and even the compound number. “Just in case,” she says. She also gives me her home address and asks if I know the neighborhood.
“I do,” I say.
“Well, you come by any time tomorrow, and… Oh, nope, nope. Never mind. You shouldn’t drive yet, right? I’ll run Mia back tomorrow in the afternoon. I’ll call first to see if you need anything before I come by.”
“No, really, that’s okay. I can do it. You’re doing enough just keeping her for the night.”
Logan is giving me a look but doesn’t say anything.
“Well, we can figure that out tomorrow,” Alice says.
We compare notes on food allergies and house rules for a minute, but then the kids come back down the stairs, and I swear I’ve never seen my child look happier.
“I’ll give you my car seat,” I say and grab my keys.
“I’ll get it.” Logan stands and takes the keys from my hands. When our fingers touch, he holds mine for a moment.
Electric pulses travel from my fingers to my toes at the slight contact, but I don’t move my hand away. I lean into it and breathe in the warm citrus smell that mixes with the light scent of wood dust. “Thank you,” I tell him. I don’t want to risk running him off again.
He grunts in response and follows Alice to my car. I watch from the windows as he secures the car seat beside Zoey’s in the back of Alice’s SUV. Alice goes around to check it while I give Mia a last list of instructions.
“Baby,” I say. “It’s been a while since you’ve had a sleepover. Listen to Zoey’s mom and dad, and if you need anything, you just call me. Okay? You’ll be good?”
Mia grabs me in a tight hug. “I will. I promise. Love you.” And then she, her backpack, sleeping bag, and her new best friend are tearing down the front lawn toward Alice’s car.
I watch them drive away, waving until Logan comes back into the house.
He hands me the keys to the car. “I double-checked the seat,” he says.
I nod. “Thank you so much for doing that.” I know I could have done it myself, but somehow having Logan here, letting him do something for me, just feels better than words. Better than talking.
By now, it’s nearly four, and the afternoon sun has dipped behind the clouds. “I’m going to make some tea,” I say. “Do you want some?”
“I’d love that.”
I head into the kitchen and start the water to boil. I can hear Logan start to hammer, but then he stops. His footsteps are behind me.
“Birdie?”
I turn toward his voice, so low and insistent.
“Yeah?” I step closer to him, searching his eyes. I’m not sure if he’s come for an apology, to talk, or something altogether different, but I’m here for whatever it is.
He holds out a hand to me. “You should wear these. The hammering.”
Of course. The earplugs. “Why are you so thoughtful?” I ask. I step close to him and reach out my hand. He sets the earplugs in my palm with his right hand, but his other hand is beneath mine. He closes them together, enveloping my hand in both of his.
“I don’t want to make things worse for you,” he says quietly. “You’ve been through enough.”
“Are you talking about the headache?” I ask. “Or other things?”
“Everything,” he grits out. His eyes are inches from mine, their depths so dark and intense, I feel like I could get lost in them if I keep looking.
But I refuse to look away.
He nods slowly, bringing his forehead to touch mine. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I wish I were a different man.”
“I don’t,” I tell him.
I bring my hands to his face and angle his head back from mine so I can look into his eyes. I lightly stroke the stubble on his cheeks and chin, and his lips part. I drag my eyes away from his perfect lips and beautiful teeth and meet his eyes.
“If you were a different kind of man, we would never have met.” I trail a fingertip along his lower lip, and I can feel his whole body react. It’s like my touch has shocked him and every muscle has gone tight.
“Birdie,” he whispers.
“Crow,” I echo.
“Can I be honest with you?” Logan asks.
“I would love that,” I say. “You can tell me anything.”
“Anything?” he asks. “You’re sure?”
I nod, braced for whatever is coming. I’m oddly not nervous or scared.
I don’t feel like there’s anything he could tell me that wouldn’t bring me closer to him.
I want to grab him and bring our foreheads back together, so I can smell him and feel him as we talk, but what we just shared feels so intimate, I don’t know if I should push for more.
Logan steps close to me and puts two fingers under my chin. “Birdie,” he breathes, “your sweet tea is kind of awful. And I’ve been to prison, so that’s saying something.”
I’m shocked at first, a hand over my mouth. But then I’m laughing. Laughing so hard tears gather in the corners of my eyes. Then Logan is laughing, and before I know it, I’m reaching for him, pulling his face close to mine.
When I lift my lips, he’s there, ready for me.
His lips touch mine, and the sensation is light and soft, like he’s tasting something he’s unsure about, but then quickly, the kiss grows dark and intense, like him.
I open my mouth, and his tongue tangles with mine.
My breath quickens, and liquid heat surges through my core.
But he pumps the brakes on the kiss, pulling back reluctantly, slowly.
Nibbling my lower lip and arcing a hand beneath my hair to hold the back of my neck.
“Birdie,” he breathes.
“Mmm?”
“There’s more I need to tell you.”