Chapter 105
Macey
My phone rings at four-thirty a.m.
“Hey.” I feel more than hear Logan’s slow drawl come through the receiver.
“What’s wrong?” I say automatically.
“Nothin’,” he says. “I just wanted to talk is all.”
I struggle to wake up and clear my head.
“I’m in the lobby of the nicest freaking hotel any of us have ever laid eyes on,” he says to me.
“Oh, yeah?”
“My dad’s shitting himself,” he says.
I smile. “Better than the ranch life?”
“Just…different. He needed a change of pace after thirty years and no vacation.”
“How’s your mom liking it?”
“She went on the upside-down coaster three times,” he says. “We dragged her on the first time, and she swore she’d get us back once we got home. All’s you could hear the whole ride was her screaming her head off.”
I laugh.
“As soon’s the ride ended,” he continues. “She got right back in line to do it again.”
“You’re joking.”
“No,” he says. “And then a third time. She took my dad with her every time. He went to bed right after.”
“Nauseous?”
“And a headache. But she’s convinced him to do a flume ride tomorrow. They’re getting their money’s worth off of that day pass the hotel concierge talked them into.”
“I’m glad your dad was able to go,” I say. “I ran into Reid.”
“He said,” Logan says, and I can tell he’s about to say something.
“Don’t say anything. You don’t owe me any explanation.” I laugh. “I went to the airport, though, to try to catch you.”
“You did?”
Does he sound happy? Or just polite?
“Yeah,” I say. “The desk attendant quickly steered me away from any hope of getting on that plane even to say goodbye. He must have known what he was doing.”
Logan breathes in, and my breath catches in my throat at the same time.
“It rained red today here, Lo,” I say.
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Red rains. First time in three years.” My tears are coming hard, but I charge ahead and try my best to run over them. “I got wet.”
“That sounds…” he starts to say.
“That sounds…” I prompt him after a moment. “It sounds what?”
Silence.
“Are you there?”
No answer.
“Logan?” I say almost desperately. “Are you still there?”
When there’s still no answer, I look down at my phone and see the connection’s ended.
I know it was probably his cell phone cutting out, but he doesn’t try me again, and I can’t call him back.
He’s gone, and the next time I talk to him, everything will have changed.
I lie back down, but when tears continue to hit my pillow, I get up for good and reach for the phone.
Logan
Blake’s rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he meets me at the hotel bar at dawn.
“What the hell is so important you had to wake me up? I was enjoying being away from ranch hours for a change.”
“I’m sure you were. And I’m sorry to interrupt your time off.” I hold up my phone showing my new airline ticket. “I wanted to let you know I’m flying home.”
He’s awake now. His blue eyes widen as he grips my shoulder. “I need more than that, Wild.”
“Let’s just say I had a problem. And I’ve figured a way out of said problem.” Not a soul is around at this hour, but I lower my voice anyway. “I love Macey. I always did, but I thought I had to do this.”
He scratches his chin. “I don’t fucking get it.”
“I know. And I can’t explain more right now because I have to talk to Macey first.”
“Okay.” He holds up his index finger. “So the wedding’s off?”
“Yes.”
He holds up a second finger. “And you’re going home? To your girl?”
“Yes.”
Third finger. “You’re going to fix everything that you fucked up this summer?”
I roll my eyes. “Blake. Quit while you’re ahead.”
He pulls me into a hug. “I’m happy for you, brother.”
I slap his back. “Thanks. I’ll leave it up to you and my parents to fill in the guests.”
“Not a problem,” he says as he steps back and signals to the bartender. “But before you go to the airport? You and I are having a shot of whiskey to celebrate.”