Chapter 2 – Logan
Two
LOGAN
Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I pull my cell from my ear and listen for the sounds of Billie and Cooper up and moving around, getting ready for school. Instead, I hear Cooper talking to someone on what sounds like his game system, and Billie’s alarm beeping.
“Fuck me.” Pressing end on the call to my shop voicemail, I toss my phone down on top of the island. With Dozer, our family’s bulldog, following behind me I walk through the living room then take the stairs two at a time to the second floor.
Bypassing the TV and guest room, I knock on Billie’s door and push it open, flipping on the light.
“Oh my god,” she cries, yanking the blanket over her head.
“Girl, you better get your ass up and out of bed.”
“I’m sick.”
“You’re not sick.”
“No, I’m like really sick, Dad,” she whines, and I draw in a breath, seeking patience.
“Alright, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel good.”
“Come downstairs, eat something, and we’ll talk again after that.”
“Dad.”
“Billie, it’s the second week of school, you miss days now, and when you’re really sick, you won’t be able to get an excused absence.”
“Fine.” She tosses back the blanket with the attitude she’s perfected over the last sixteen years of her life. “But if I puke all over the kitchen, I’m not cleaning it up.”
“When have you ever cleaned up after yourself when you’ve been sick?” She doesn’t answer because that has never happened. “I’ll see you downstairs. You want some toast?”
“I’ll make something,” she mutters, and I step away from her door but leave it open. Going down the hall to Cooper’s bedroom, I push the door in and press my lips together. With his VR headset covering his face, he doesn’t even notice me standing in his doorway.
“Coop,” I clip, and he jumps three feet off the ground and takes the headset off with his eyes wide. “Dude, you know the rules: no video games before school and none after unless your homework is done.”
“They did an update on…”
“I don’t care,” I cut him off. “Get dressed, brush your teeth, and come down to eat.”
“Okay,” he agrees with his shoulders slumped.
Leaving him to it, I head back to the stairs, and Dozer meets me at the bottom step with his tail wagging.
He’s never been able to navigate the stairs, and the few times he’s tried, he’s ended up rolling down them.
Then again, he’s built like a sausage, and regardless of our monitoring his treats and food, he can’t seem to shake the extra weight he’s gained.
“Come on, let’s get you fed.” I walk into the kitchen and fill his bowl with food then refill his water.
As I’m taking a sip of coffee, Cooper comes into the kitchen in shorts, a tee, tall socks with his slides on his feet.
I don’t mention his choice of outfit, I learned with his sister to keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself.
“Is Billie coming?”
“She was in the bathroom, so I think so.” He wanders to the pantry to get out a box of cereal. Grabbing the milk for him, I put it on the counter while he gets himself a bowl and a spoon.
“You have baseball practice tonight; Gigi is picking you up from school and you’ll hang with her until practice then I’ll meet you two there.”
“Okay.” He dumps some cereal into his bowl. “Do we have to go to Mom’s after the game Saturday?”
“That’s the plan,” I tell him, and he drops his eyes to the bowl.
“What if I don’t want to go?” He shoves a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
“How about we talk about that later in the week and see how you feel then?” I suggest.
“Whatever,” he mumbles, keeping his eyes on his bowl, and I let out a breath.
His mom, Kristy, and I met when we were both in the military, and we had a good run, but we were always better off as just friends.
We split when Coop was five and Billie was ten, but still spent holidays together, hung out at the kids’ activities, and threw shared birthday parties, never wanting the kids to feel like they weren’t the priority.
The intention behind us building a healthy coparenting relationship was good, but because of all the time we spent together, I think he and Billie both believed that we would get back together eventually, something that was never going to happen.
Then, a year and a half ago, that dream of theirs was washed away when Kristy started dating a guy named Aaron, and things got serious pretty quickly.
Navigating that was difficult, but around the time he moved in with her a month ago Billie started putting up a fight refusing to go to their house every other week for Kristy’s scheduled time and Coop hopped on that train with his sister.
And Kristy, not wanting the kids to be uncomfortable, has given in and just let them stay here with me.
I don’t mind, I love having them around, but I know it’s not helping the situation.
They aren’t going to get comfortable around Aaron if they never have to see him, and all the distance is doing is building a rift between her and the kids.
Coming out of my thoughts when Billie ambles around the corner into the kitchen, I lift my coffee mug to my mouth to hide my smile.
She didn’t come down in her pajamas with a blanket wrapped around her like she does when she’s sick.
Instead, she’s fully dressed with her hair and makeup done.
Not that she needs the makeup, she’s a gorgeous girl with blonde hair like her mom’s, big blue eyes, and freckles that she inherited from her great-grandmother.
“Just so you know, I don’t feel better, but I don’t want to miss today because it’s auditions for the play.”
“Sure.” I put my cup down.
“I’m serious, I like totally don’t feel good.”
“Okay, and if you are sick, you shouldn’t go to school.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s just my period.” She glares at me.
Fuck. I’ve obviously never had a period; I don’t know what it’s like to have cramps, but my sister used to get physically sick every month when she got hers, so I can only imagine how painful it is.
“Do you have something to take for it?”
“I took some Midol.”
“If you want to wait until it kicks in, you can go in late.”
“It’s fine.” Her tone softens and her shoulders relax. “My first class is just study hall, so I’ll be okay.”
“Alright, sweetheart, but if you need me to pick you up early, just call.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she says, taking the frozen waffles she pulled out of the freezer over to the toaster.
“Do either of you need money for lunch?”
“I still have money on my card left over from last week,” Cooper tells me.
“I have money on my card too,” Billie says, pouring herself a cup of coffee. I don’t know when she started drinking coffee, but I’m pretty sure my mom is to blame. She lets the kids get away with murder whenever she watches them and is a regular at the local coffee house.
“While you two finish eating, I’m gonna go get dressed.”
“Okay, Dad,” Cooper says, and Billie mutters.
“Sure.”
I leave the kitchen with Dozer right behind me and walk down the hall to my bedroom.
I purchased my house from my parents four years ago when they decided it was time for them to get into something smaller with less maintenance.
They found a two-bedroom condo not far away with lawn care included, and since I had been looking for a bigger place, I put an offer in on their house without them knowing, so they didn’t take a cut to their profit in order to help me out.
Before the kids and I moved in, I had the house gutted and remodeled.
I updated the kitchen, all the bathrooms, the floors, and I finished out the basement so the kids can hang there if they need space.
It took forever, but in the end, the house was like new.
But in the old part of town, where the yards are bigger, and you don’t have the hassle of an HOA telling you what you can and can’t do.
So, in the winter, I can park my boat in the driveway, and in the summer, if I miss a week cutting the grass, I don’t have someone sending me a letter in the mail telling me I need to get on it.
After I get dressed, I grab my wallet and my keys and walk back into the kitchen, where the kids are talking quietly.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Cooper was just telling me about a kid in class that is bullying him and another girl?”
“Seriously, Billie?” he shouts at his sister.
“Dad should know.” Billie shrugs.
“Coop.” I wait until his eyes come to me. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, the kid is just a jerk, Dad.” He sighs.
“Is he picking on you?”
“He wasn’t, he was picking on the new girl in our class, and I told him to stop so he started just making comments and being dumb.”
“Do I need to talk to your teacher about this?”
“No, it’s okay.” He slides off his stool. “He’s just stupid.”
“You sure?” I try not to step in too much when Cooper and his classmates or friends are having disagreements. Kids are kids, and they fight, then get over shit a day later. And in life, you won’t always have someone there to step in. You need to learn early to stand up for yourself.
“Yeah.” He walks his bowl to the sink and rinses it out. I look at Billie for some insight, but she just shrugs.
“Alright, bud, but if he keeps it up or if it becomes too much, I want you to tell me.”
“Okay, Dad,” he mutters.
“Do you have all your school stuff ready?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I just need to get my backpack and fill my water bottle.”
“Do that now.” I look over at Billie. “Do you have all your stuff packed?”
“Yeah, my bag is by the front door.” She carries her plate to the sink.
“Are you up to riding today, or do you want me to drive you?”
“I’ll ride.” She puts her plate in the dishwasher then I follow her to the mudroom and Cooper meets us there a minute later. With my cup of coffee in hand I walk with the two of them into the garage where their bikes are parked.
“Coop will be at Gigi’s after school until baseball practice. You can go over there or come home. Just let me know.”