22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
IZZY
“Logan will pick the kids up from school and take them to soccer this afternoon.” Maggie moved around her kitchen as she made her to-go cup of coffee. “I'm not sure I'll make it. You’ll need to be at Logan’s by six thirty.”
Logan would have the girls back until Sunday afternoon. Honestly, I had no clue how either of them could stand to be away from them that long. It definitely helped that they got along and made sure they were both there for their daughters when possible, regardless of whose day it was.
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
Tonight would be my first night shift at Logan’s. I was basically getting paid to spend the night at his house. I just wished he would be there with me.
Maggie looked over at me like she either knew where my thoughts went or wanted to say something else, but uncertainty flashed through her eyes before she finally turned away. The girls appeared, giving her hugs goodbye, and before the door even closed behind her, they were already getting out the tools and ingredients for breakfast.
“Can we make French toast?” Alice asked as she pulled the loaf of bread from the bread box on the counter.
“Of course.” One of the things I enjoyed most was baking and cooking with them, especially since, between the two of them, they were willing to try just about anything. So far, I’d learned that neither of them liked beans, Alice didn’t like bananas, and Nikki wasn’t a fan of cheese. I grabbed my phone and brought up my music app. “What do you want to listen to?”
“Taylor Swift,” Nikki said as Alice nodded her agreement.
Not sure why I even asked. That was always their response. I got the music started, and we prepared the egg mixture for the French toast. They laughed at me when I used the whisk to lip sync along to Taylor's voice.
“You're so funny.” Alice giggled.
We finished up, and once they were at the small table of the eat-in kitchen, I cleaned up the mess we made.
“Alright, girlies.” I grabbed their plates. “Run and get dressed and brush your teeth.”
They darted out of the room and I shook my head, chuckling. I didn't literally mean run. My phone chimed and I pulled it out of my back pocket. A smile tugged at my lips as I clicked on the text notification from Logan.
Logan: Did you want to swing by and grab the SUV?
Did I care if I used the SUV today instead of my car? Not particularly. But even though I was seeing him for lunch today, the thought of seeing him for a minute this morning excited me.
Me: Sure. I'll swing by.
I had to kind of pass his house to get to the elementary school anyway, so why not?
Logan: You can use it to go to and from the hospital too, so you can go straight from dropping them off and it'll save you on gas.
Me: Are you sure?
That would actually be easier.
Logan: Yes. I'm going to give you the spare key so you have it. Feel free to use it anytime you need it.
Me: Ok. Thanks.
Did he just offer me the use of his car whenever I needed it? He probably meant anytime I needed to use it for driving his kids around.
After packing their lunches, I threw them in their backpacks before ushering them out the door and heading toward Logan's house. I parked my car on the street, and the girls climbed out onto the sidewalk as I walked around the front of my car. Logan opened the front door and made his way down the sidewalk.
“Daddy,” both girls squealed, taking off toward their father.
I smiled as he lifted each of them up with one arm. Every time he did that it amazed me, reminding me how strong and muscular he was. As he got closer, I read his shirt and laughed. Firefighter Dad: Like a normal dad, but badass.
“Cute shirt,” I said as he came to a stop in front of me.
“Thanks.” He looked between his daughters. “The girls got it for me for Christmas.”
The smile he aimed at me had my stomach fluttering, and the way he held my gaze so intently reminded me of two months ago at Jay's wedding. I was so sure then that something lay between us, and now I didn't have to question that anymore.
“Alright, girls.” He kissed the tops of their heads. “In the car. Izzy needs to get you two to school.” He sat them down and they ran to the SUV parked in the driveway.
He took a step toward me and then another, his gaze trained on my face, and held the key to the SUV out toward me. “Here.”
Our fingers brushed as I took the key from him, both of us lingering at the touch.
“Use it anytime you need to.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the SUV before looking back at me. “And I ordered you a credit card you can use for gas and such.”
“Thank you.” I shifted, trying to tamp down the way my stomach flipped from his touch. “I'd better get going.”
His hand twitched like he wanted to reach out. But I understood not wanting the girls to ask questions that neither of us had the answers to quite yet. I brushed past him and smiled as he reached out with one finger to trail along the back of my hand.
Alice and Nikki chatted excitedly in the back seat during the short drive to school, and all I could think about was their father. He was everything I'd ever hoped for and more. And I was intent on showing him exactly that.