Chapter 18 – Nalia
Eighteen
NALIA
“Dad and I were thinking of getting everyone together this Sunday for a barbecue since the weather is probably going to start changing soon, and we’ll need to close the pool,” Mom tells me as I type up an e-mail to a client who inquired about changing the tile they picked out.
“That sounds good.” I look over at her since we’re on FaceTime. “Are you going to invite everyone or just our family?” By our family, I mean my parents and all my siblings, by everyone, I mean my dad’s brothers and all their kids, which there are a lot.
“Everyone, since Hanna and her husband will also be in town.” She pauses, then says, sounding unsure, “You’re welcome to bring a few guests if you’d like.”
My first instinct is to tell her that I won’t be bringing anyone, but then I think about Logan and the past few days that we’ve spent together. It’s probably way too soon for him to meet my entire family, but having met his parents, it might not be a big deal.
“I’ll ask Logan.”
“Okay.” She smiles brightly, and I laugh. “Oh, are you expecting someone?” she asks when my doorbell rings.
“No, it’s probably UPS just letting me know they put a package on the porch.
” Getting up, I leave the half-written e-mail I was typing up and grab my cell before I walk down the hall to the front door.
I swing it in and double blink when I find Logan standing outside dressed in jeans and a tee holding a brown paper bag.
“Hey, baby, I brought you lunch.” He wraps his free hand around my waist and drops his mouth to mine for a quick touch of his lips. Hearing my mom gasp, I clear my throat.
“Umm, Mom, I’m going to have to call you back.”
“I kind of figured.” She laughs. “Enjoy lunch and ask him about Sunday.”
“I will,” I mumble, telling her I love you before I end the call.
“What’s going on Sunday?” Logan asks, closing the door behind himself. Then he heads into the kitchen, and I follow.
“My parents are having a barbecue.” I watch him place the bag he has on the counter.
“Okay.” He stares at me expectantly without saying a word, but there is a glint in his eyes that tells me he knows what I’m supposed to ask.
“Mom said you and the kids are welcome to come,” I sigh.
“To meet the family?” He grins.
“Don’t be weird about this.”
“I’m just asking.” He comes around the counter and captures my waist in his hands. “Will I be meeting your family?”
“Yes, but it’s not a big deal, I’ve met your parents.”
“You have,” he agrees, never losing his smile.
“I said, don’t make this weird.”
“You’re making it weird.” He laughs, and I roll my eyes. When they come back to him, his face is soft. “I’ll be there.”
“Okay.” I relax into him.
“The kids might be able to come, but it depends on what time they get home Sunday, since they are staying the weekend with Kristy while Aaron is out of town for work.”
“That’s good.”
“It is.” His gaze roams over my face. “You okay with me coming?”
I think about it for a long moment and dissect what I’m feeling.
Of course, I’m a little nervous. Between my dad, my brothers, and all my uncles and cousins I’m sure that he is going to be interrogated.
And they will likely try to intimidate him, and he might have to arm wrestle someone at some point but deep down I like the idea of him being there. “Yeah.”
“It took you a long time to answer.”
“Just be prepared to defend yourself.” I rest my hands against his chest.
“I might need to defend myself?”
“With my family, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”
“Thanks for the warning.” His hands slide back then down to rest at the top of my ass, and he pulls me impossibly closer.
“You’re welcome,” I say a little breathlessly when he squeezes my ass.
“Anything else I should know?” He tips his head down and brushes his lips across mine in a move that feels a lot like torture.
“Not that I can think of at the moment.”
“You’ll let me know.”
“Yeah.” My eyes slide closed when he coasts his lips across mine. Letting my ass go with one hand, he captures my face in his palm, then threads his fingers back into my hair, forcing my head back.
Sliding his tongue across the seam of my mouth, I open for him, and he deepens the kiss, exploring my mouth as his fingers in my hair force my head back further so that he can take what he wants.
With deep strokes of his tongue, he devours me, and it feels good, better than good, to not be in charge, to have someone lead, allowing me to follow.
His grip on my hair tightens, and I whimper, pressing closer, feeling the length of his hard cock pressed against the softness of my belly.
I want to touch him, but with my hands locked between us, there isn’t room, and it’s obvious that this is his show.
“Logan.” I drop my head back to my shoulders when his mouth leaves mine and travels across my jaw, then down my throat.
“I wake up thinking about your mouth.” He nips my throat, then my chin.
“Do you?” I whisper against his lips as he leans over me.
“Every fucking day.” He kisses me again, this time just a peck that catches me off guard. Wrapping his arm around me, he hugs me to him, using his hold on my hair to tuck my face against his chest.
“What are you doing?” I mean, I like this. His big body wrapped around me feels good, but now my body is on edge. I’m on edge after that kiss.
“You need to eat lunch.”
“No, I don’t, I’m not even hungry,” I lie, and he laughs softly. Loosening his hold, he leans back to look me in the eye, then slides his hand out of my hair, skimming his fingers across my jaw before running his thumb along my bottom lip.
“I brought you Olive and Oregano.”
“Oh.” My mouth literally waters. “I’ve been dreaming about their hummus.”
“Brownie points, since I got you the exact thing you had the last time we were there.” He doesn’t need brownie points; he’s literally the definition of if he wanted to, he would.
I shouldn’t compare him to Cole. It’s not fair when I was totally okay with the amount of time Cole and I did or didn’t spend together.
But with Logan, he’s always checking in and making it clear that he wants to see me.
It’s nice, nicer than I thought it would be.
Touching his mouth to mine in a soft kiss, he lets me go and walks over to the counter, and begins unloading stuff from the bag he brought in.
“What do you want to drink?” I go to the fridge and open it up. I went shopping recently, so it no longer looks like a college kid who games all day is the only one who lives here. “I have Coke, Diet Coke, sweet tea and juice.”
“Coke works.”
I grab a can of Diet Coke for myself and his Coke, then walk back to the counter. Taking a seat on one of the stools, he comes to sit next to me.
“How’s working going?” he asks, passing me a fork wrapped in plastic. I almost laugh out loud; we were just making out, and now we’re sitting down to eat together and talking like nothing happened. Is this normal? I’ve never done it before, so maybe.
“Good, just going through e-mails and making calls. You?”
“Alright, I’m just focusing on getting Billie’s car ready and hoping it will motivate her to get her license.”
“Does she want to drive?” I know I did, but I also know that Harmony was not even a little interested in getting her license. She was all too happy to have Mom or Dad drive her everywhere.
“Yeah, and she took the written and passed it with flying colors, but it’s taking her some time to work up the courage to take the road test.”
“I remember how nerve-wracking that is.”
“I think a couple of her friends psyched her out when they took the test and failed, and she’s worried that’s gonna happen to her.”
“The good thing is you can always retake it,” I tell him between bites of food. Seriously, it’s so good I have to stop myself from wiggling in my seat.
“That’s what I told her.”
“What kind of car did you get her?”
“It’s her mom’s old Toyota. I know some parents are cool with getting their kids a new car, but I’ve had way too many parents come into the shop after their kids total their first car that was way too expensive for a teenager in the first place.”
“My first car was a hand-me-down, and it passed through both of my sisters before it was given to me. I loved that car, and honestly, I was just happy that I didn’t need to depend on my parents to drive me around.”
“I’m sure she’ll feel the same, she’s not a kid that is big into labels or name brands, which I’m thankful for since I can barely afford the face products she asks me to buy.”
“Girls are a different breed, even Zuri is starting to get into that stuff, and she’s only ten. I can just imagine how expensive she’s going to be in a few years.”
We share a smile.
God, this feels good, normal, and… My phone starts to ring, cutting off my thoughts.
I look down at it on the counter between us and see that it’s coming from a correctional facility in Colorado, which means it’s Sharon.
Like someone took a needle and pressed it against my skin, I instantly deflate like a balloon.
I don’t want to answer, but she hasn’t called in a while, so I don’t feel like I have a choice but to slide my finger across the screen and put the phone to my ear.
“Hello, this is a call from…” An automated voice comes on, then it goes to Sharon’s voice. “Sharon Herbert, an inmate from the Colorado correctional facility, would you like to accept?”
“Yes,” I say as I feel Logan stare at me.
“Nalia,” Sharon greets.
“Hey, Sharon, how’s it going?”
“I’m still locked up, so how do you think it’s going?” she asks, sounding tired and angry, not a great combination.
“I’m sorry,” I say out of instinct.