6. Logan
Chapter Six
LOGAN
I watched as Bex took the little girl from me.
She held the baby close and turned to Dominic.
“If you don’t mind, I would like you to sleep in the guest room with the little ones tonight.
” She took charge in a way that was both sexy and loving.
“Tomorrow we’ll get a crib. If I can’t get to a store, I’m sure Julie will have something for us upstairs. ”
“Who’s Julie?” Dom’s frown showed his suspicion.
I stood between him and Bex. “She is the reason this is the safest building for you to be in. She has two kids. The youngest is just a little older than Landon.”
That mollified him.
“Is it a twin bed in the guest room?” Dom looked like it bothered him that Bex was holding Victoria. Not that Bex noticed. She was totally entranced by the bundle in her arms. “Landon kicks a lot and I would rather sleep on the couch.”
Bex looked up and shook her head. “Not tonight. He’s been through a lot over the last while. And tonight, he is in yet another unfamiliar place. He needs you.”
Of course she was right. I didn’t think she or Dom noticed that Landon had not said a word since they arrived. There was a lot happening. But usually when I did an exam on a toddler, they were more vocal and wanted to play with all my instruments as if they were toys. Not Landon, though.
It wasn’t that I was overly concerned. He’d been traveling all day. And he’d been through so much, it was normal to be weary of his surroundings
A trip from San Francisco had to be at least twelve or thirteen hours. Not that I could remember. The last time I had taken that trip was when Dominic was born. And to be truthful, I’d had bigger issues than watching the clock.
There was no way Dom would’ve been able to carry both kids for a prolonged period, and I had no doubt the trip took much longer than usual. But that was a story for another day.
“Look, kid, you came to me.” I knew he was exhausted too, but there were things he needed to hear. “But with me comes Bex and her family. And to be honest, those are the people you want surrounding you when trouble comes knocking. You will be safe but you need to understand that we are in charge.”
Dominic narrowed his eyes. “Are you two, like, together?”
“No.” Bex frowned and continued to pace with Victoria.
I glared at her and raised a brow before turning back to Dominic. “Not yet.”
“So did you break up?” I wasn’t sure if he was annoyed or curious. Or if that scowl had more to do with the fact that he was a teenager. “I mean, after me?”
The details didn’t seem pertinent to the discussion. The last thing he needed to know was that Bex had dumped me as soon as he was born.
“We broke up while we were still in high school.” It was vague but truthful. “I was headed to Columbia and Bex joined the Army.”
“But you’re still friends or something now?” Yeah, the kid was curious.
“We are friends for now.” I wasn’t going to lie. I needed his trust. Besides, there was no harm in being honest with the kid. The last thing we needed on top of everything else was for him to discover we were lying to him. “But we were… Uhm, we’ll see. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Well, that was less than truthful. I mean, we would go on our second first date at some point but that was so not what we were thinking a few hours ago.
Though, that would not be happening now.
Not with three kids in the house. I mean, I knew parents had sex with children in the house all the time.
And I’d even heard how they attempted to keep things quiet.
Noah, who had a teenage girl, had mentioned that sleepovers were great since he could make his woman scream.
I planned on making Bex scream the first time we were together.
“So, if you’re not together, that means one of you will take the couch.” He folded his arms as if he was the parent and we were the wayward teenagers. Which means I will be stuck in the room with Landy and Victoria until all this is over.
Bex rolled her eyes and stopped pacing to look at him. “I said you could have the couch tomorrow night, if you really don’t want to share. Logan and I are grown-ups. We are perfectly capable of sharing a bed.”
Well, we were, but I didn’t think that was a good idea.
Dom eyed her with suspicion. I was sure I did, too. It was the kid who spoke however. “I thought you were still new. Won’t you want to… you know?”
Bex’s cheeks turned scarlet. And the only reason Dom’s weren’t the same color was because of his darker skin tone.
Though I could just make out the light shade of pink.
Yeah, he was curious but I needed to shut down the conversation.
For one, it was not appropriate. And secondly, the idea of having Bex in my bed was making me hard. Again.
Bex did smile though. “Logan and I are grown-ups,” she repeated. What happens when that door is closed is nobody’s business. Besides, just because two adults share a bed, doesn’t mean they have to have sex.”
That had Dom’s cheeks turning a little more pink and he turned away from Bex. “I know.”
With that, the topic was shut down. I stifled a smile and imagined the situation was pretty close to what happened in homes with teenagers every single day. Everyone was embarrassed to talk about sex, but it occasionally creeped into conversation.
Instead of allowing the silence to grow awkward, I continued with the sleeping arrangements. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight, though. That way Bex can have some privacy.”
“I don’t need privacy.” She frowned at me and I knew I had a battle on my hands. “It makes more sense for me to sleep on the couch. I’m a little smaller. Besides, I’m the one who should be closer to the door.”
Yeah, that was not going to happen. “Really, where was that concern when Dominic wanted the couch?”
“That will be tomorrow when I’ll have organized more security for the apartment and the building.” Bex moved Victoria to the other shoulder. “For now, I’m the best person to guard the apartment.”
She was starting to piss me off. Not that I could do much about it other than standing my ground.
“Thanks to the trained guards looking after Julie, this is most likely the most secure apartment building in its price range in the whole of fu… freaking California. If someone tried to get in here, you’d have plenty of time to come from the bedroom to protect us.
” The truth was I knew Bex was better at that kind of stuff.
It didn’t bother me. I would always defer to her judgment when it came to our safety.
Especially with Dominic and his siblings in our care.
Still. “There is no way I will sleep in my king-sized bed while my woman sleeps on the couch. That is not happening.”
Her shoulders slouched and I knew I had won that argument. She knew it had nothing to do with wanting to protect her and everything to do with the kind of man I was. The kind of man her dad taught me and her brothers to be.
“Fine.” She handed the baby to Dom and walked to the small open plan kitchen. “Is anyone hungry? I’m sure I could make us something quick.” She opened my cupboards and then the fridge. “Tuna sandwiches?”
I shook my head, but Dom nodded. “Landon and I had a burger a few hours ago. This is way past his bedtime, but I am sure he’s hungry.”
The little boy was lying on the couch tucked into Dom. His eyes were drooping, showing how tired he was. Still, he needed to eat something.
Bex frowned. “Where did you get the money to travel here? Did you take a plane or a bus?”
“I used the credit card my mother gave me for emergencies.” Dom shifted as if he were guilty.
“I drew as much cash as I could. I didn’t want anyone to know where I went and I was sure they’d be able to track the transactions.
Then, I bought a bus ticket and traveled to San Diego.
When I was there, I did a search for where you stayed.
Took another bus and then a RideShare. I used cash every step of the way. ”
Bex nodded. “That’s good. At the very least, you bought yourself some time.”
“We left while it was still dark this morning. I hid in the locker room of a gym overnight. I got us breakfast before we got on the bus and lunch when we stopped on the way. I bought us a burger at the diner here in Marina De Ferrier before getting another RideShare here.”
It was my turn to frown at the kid. “How’d you get into the building?”
“I told them my sister was sick and that Dr. Evans said I could call him whenever I needed him. When they said I could wait, I asked if I could get my sister out of the cold.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I think the guard figured he could overpower me if he needed to.”
I glared at Bex. “I’m glad he got in, but if we’re gonna keep him safe, they’re gonna need to do better checks.”
So, he came here from Bowzer’s. The diner had been operating on skeleton staff, since Harry Bauman and his family had been at the wedding. Which meant no one who was normally around had seen the teenager lugging around a baby and a toddler. That was a good thing.
“Wait.” Bex called from the kitchen. “You’re only fifteen. That means that account belongs to your mother. Why are you still allowed to use it?”
“No idea.” He shrugged. “That was the only time I’ve used it. I’ve never had an emergency before now.”
“I’ll look into that.” Bex looked good in my kitchen. She looked good lecturing Dom. Fuck the damn circumstances. “In the meantime, no more emergencies. Okay? You need anything, speak to one of us. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
That sounded good, too. She plated the sandwiches and brought them over.
She handed one to Dom and put the other on the coffee table.
She placed Landon on her lap and handed him one quarter of the sandwich.
I took Victoria from Dom so he could eat comfortably.
As I walked around the room with the tiny bundle who had stirred with the transfer, I was happy.
Not content. For one thing, I knew Dom was in more trouble than he realized.
I also knew he was more traumatized than he let on.
He was fifteen. I didn’t know what happened when he lost his dad, but I would find that out.
Then he lost his mom and his stepfather.
Not only that but he’d heard what had happened.
I wasn’t sure if that was worse or better.
Yeah, it would’ve been brutal to watch and his memories would make it worse.
But he only heard what was happening. Heaven only knew what his imagination was doing to him.
Whatever else happened, I would make this right for him.
As soon as Brie returned from her honeymoon, I would get Dom onto her couch.
She would make sure my boy would get through everything that had happened to him.
She dealt with kids who had seen trauma.
Hell, she had a group session for kids who had lost their mothers. I would see if Dom could attend that.
As the kids ate, I placed little Victoria in the gap between Bex and Dom. I fetched a spare blanket out of the hall cupboard and made sure to put an extra towel in the main bathroom.
“If you want to shower this evening, go ahead.” I said to Dom. “I think Landon has had a long day. He can go straight to bed. Do you have pajamas for him?”
“In the bag.” Dom pointed at the diaper bag he had lugged with him. “There’s a change of clothes for her, too. And a few more diapers and some formula. I figured I could buy what we needed when we got here.”
“Dom.” Bex put her hand on Dom’s thigh. “Just relax. Get some sleep. Whatever we need, I’ll sort it out. You did so well. And you came to the right place. But you are not alone. Logan and I have this. We’ll make it right for you.”
It had been less than three hours since Dom had arrived. And already, I knew. Our lives were changed forever. I just didn’t know how much.