31. Logan
Logan
Standing in the kitchen fixing Chase’s plate at damn near two a.m. while his girlfriend hangs off him without giving him a second to breathe is not my idea of a good time.
After heating up his lasagna and toasting a fresh piece of garlic bread, I pour him a stiff drink, assuming he could use it, as I set his dinner in front of him.
“Holy shit, this is perfect,” Chase groans. And no, my dick did not like it, fuck you very much.
“Babe, I could have picked something up and had it waiting if you’d told me what you wanted,” Kendra whines.
I want to chime in so badly with the snarky reply my brain conjures immediately.
But that’s just it, isn’t it? Chase needs someone to anticipate his needs because he doesn’t have time to assess what they are. He just needs someone to call the shots and make it happen without a million follow-up questions, adjacent demands, or a fucking guilt trip.
Changing the subject, Chase excitedly says, “Oh, Logan! You’ll never guess what happened tonight,” as he takes a sip of the whiskey I poured.
Meanwhile, Kendra, who has her feet in Chase’s lap, asks, “Should you really be drinking liquor this late if you have to be back at the hospital in six hours?”
Chase just laughs.
“Six? I have to be back in four. And trust me, I’ve earned every drop of this.”
Before she can give him more shit, I redirect the conversation, wanting to know what he was going to tell me.
“What happened tonight?” I ask.
“Romella was working upstairs, and she totally let me look through Marcy’s chart an—”
“Who are Romella and Marcy?” Kendra pipes up.
“A nurse and a patient,” Chase explains quickly, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.
“Anyway, the plan is for Marcy to go home in two and a half weeks!” he says, his face splitting into the widest grin I’ve ever seen.
“Ohmygod, no way!” I say excitedly. “Dude, that’s fucking awesome! I mean, I know you’ll miss her, but what great news!” I slap Chase on the back—partly in celebration, partly just to touch him because he feels too far away—as Kendra pulls her feet out of his lap.
“I’m sorry, you’ll miss her?”
It’s clear Kendra is jealous, which means she doesn’t know Marcy is a child. Understandable, since I made the same mistake, but I’m shocked that Chase hasn’t ever mentioned her. Or maybe he has mentioned her and Kendra just wasn’t paying attention.
“Relax, Ken. Marcy’s a little girl.”
“Oh.” It might’ve been fine if she left it there, but she goes on to pout. “Well, how was I supposed to know that? You haven’t told me anything about her.”
Chase jerks his head back and looks at her.
“It wouldn’t matter if she were a twenty-five-year-old supermodel. I’m with you, Kendra.”
The plate I’m rinsing slips from my hand.
He may be with her, but it’s my mouth his tongue was in on New Year’s… and as hard as I’m trying, I can’t fucking forget it.
Kendra giggles.
“You’re right. I’m being silly. Are you done? I want to take you to bed.”
“I need to help Logan clean up,” Chase says, making me turn around immediately.
“No, no, it’s fine. You’ve had a long day, and I’m basically in the middle of my afternoon. You guys go on ahead.”
“You’re sure?” I swear Chase sends me a pleading look, but I don’t know what he wants from me.
“I’m sure,” I confirm with a nod. “Goodnight.”
I stayed in the kitchen for two hours after they went to bed early this morning just to be sure I wouldn’t accidentally hear any moaning or high-pitched screams—honestly, I don’t know how straight guys stand that theatrical shit.
Cracking an eye and rolling over, I look at the clock and see it’s only one p.m., which means it’s too soon for me to be awake. So, why am I?
Then I hear it.
The unmistakable sound of a voice coming through on speakerphone.
Annoyed as fuck, I throw my covers off and storm out of my room.
Kendra has taken up residence in the living room. She has her laptop open, papers spread everywhere, and she’s conducting her meeting like she’s the only person in the condo.
When I make it to the doorway, I wave my arms to get her attention. I don’t want to be a complete asshole in case it’s her boss on the phone.
She hits a button I presume is mute and then says, “Do you need something?”
“Do I need something?” I repeat in a tone of incredulity. “Yes, I need something. I need to go to sleep so that when I go back to work in two days, my schedule isn’t all fucked up, but you’re out here on speakerphone like you’re holding a press conference.”
Kendra looks me up and down, an expression of disgust on her face.
“Do you come at Chase with this attitude? Maybe you’re the reason he’s been so moody lately,” she accuses.
I should just keep my mouth shut, but this feels like war.
If it is, does that mean I’m fighting for him?
“I don’t have to come at Chase with any attitude because he doesn’t sit in the living room with the volume on full blast while I’m trying to sleep.”
“Well, excuse me for trying to get some work done. Speaking of which, you’re interrupting my meeting.”
I feel my eyes widen in surprise at her audacity.
Chase is literally the nicest guy I’ve ever met. How the fuck does he put up with this?
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say, ‘Do you come at Chase with that attitude?’ But I swallow the words at the last second.
Deciding my racing heart won’t allow me to go back to sleep anytime soon, I pad into my bathroom and grab a shower before starting on meal prep and cleaning the kitchen. Using my headphones to drown out the noise, I have a great time, slamming cabinet doors like a petulant teenager.
And while I understand that something is very wrong with me, I replay Chase and I’s New Year’s kiss in my mind the whole time I work, adding petty fuel to my fire.
I’m not proud of the fact that I willingly engaged in an act of adultery, but honestly, I feel less bad about it every time Kendra opens her mouth.
I’m currently so fired up that I’m really allowing myself to get lost in that moment—until I remember that today is their anniversary.
Suddenly, I wish I were working tonight.
Hell, I wish I had been scheduled to work this whole week.
Since I’m not, I decide to leave the condo for a while. Maybe fresh air and a change of scenery will help.
It’s five-thirty when I return home from running errands, only to hear Kendra grunt in the living room.
“Everything okay?” I ask, placing several bags on the kitchen table.
“He never answers his phone,” she whines, immediately erasing any sympathy and understanding I had tried to employ while removed from her presence. It seems she and I cannot talk about Chase without me getting defensive.
“Did you ever stop to think that he’s probably in an OR, helping save a life, or he’s calling a nurse back, or visiting with a patient, or getting his ass chewed out by the surgeons who judge every decision he makes because people’s lives depend on it?”
This bitch looks right at me and says, “All I hear is that he has time for everyone except me.”
“Are you fucking serious right now?” I bellow. “All Chase does is give to other people; what the fuck do you give him?” I ask.
Before she can answer, the front door opens, and in walks the object of all our heated conversations.
I see the moment the tension enters his features. He sees us facing each other, our belligerent tones and stances betraying our hostility toward one another.
But Kendra will win, of course, and I was insane to let myself get involved in whatever this is.
“Um, guys?” Chase asks with a note of hesitation.
Immediately wanting to set him at ease, I paste a smile on my face.
“Hey, Chase. Meals for tomorrow are in the fridge since you go back on call in the morning, and your laundry is folded on top of the dryer.” I slap him on the shoulder and snag my keys from the counter. “Happy anniversary, you two.”
“Wait,” Chase says, blocking my path. “Where are you going? I just got home.”
“To grab a drink with a friend,” I lie, needing to get out of this condo before their celebrations commence.
“What friend?” he asks, almost sounding hurt that he wasn’t invited.
“Alex, one of the pilots from the other team,” I lie, saying the first name that popped into my mind.
When Chase’s face falls, I almost confess that I’m making all of this up simply because I’m jealous of Kendra, and I can’t be here when they…celebrate. Although it looks like Chase will only be awake for another four minutes—but hey, that’s their problem. Not mine.
Having Kendra here has certainly been eye-opening, and I’d meant to leave my eyes firmly closed until Chase figured his shit out.
Because realizing that I’m falling in love with Chase Matthews isn’t going to help anybody right now.
Least of all me.