Chapter 39 Logan
Logan
Guiding Gwen, hand in hand, we return to our spot at the lake beneath the willows. The sun is long gone, replaced by the full moon shining all around us. The branches and leaves around us sway to their own beat as the wind rides over the water.
Finding the same overturned log from last time, Gwen takes her seat next to me huddled into her sweater.
Her skirt and tights combination that I love so much is not doing anything to protect her from the gust of air, so instead of laying the checkered blanket on the ground for us to sit on, I lay it across her legs, tucking it around her so it does blow away.
Her berry colored lips grant me a small grin in return. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you,” I wink, then start digging into the basket, pretending like I had no idea what would be in it.
Presenting the bottle of wine to her, I say “Here we have a Cabernet with a round bold flavor with,” I check the label, “blackberry, black cherry, and a hint of vanilla and tobacco. Would you like a glass, m’lady? ”
When she giggles, her entire face lights up, but tonight there’s a bit of sadness around the edges. I know I put it there, but I’m determined to take it away.
“Please,” she says softly, holding out the plastic wine cup for me to give her a good pour. She swirls it under her nose and takes a tentative sip. “My favorite, how did you know?”
I lift one shoulder, setting down the bottle to continue removing the remaining contents. “Lucky guess,” I smirk. Pulling out the covered tray, I read the card placed on top telling us what the platter contains. “Looks like we have some cheddar, gruyere, prosciutto, and salami.”
She reaches into the basket to remove the remaining tray. “Olives, pickles, and fig jam.”
“Whoever picked out these trays has exquisite taste.”
Laying the trays on top of the picnic basket between us, we silently nibble. Her eyes are on the water, but mine stay on her.
“You absolutely knocked this festival out of the park, Gwen. I am so proud of you.”
Her nose scrunches before her grin breaks through. “I think you said that a couple of times today, but a few more wouldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll tell you every day for the rest of our lives,” I reach out and grab her hand, bringing her fingers to my lips. “I am so proud of you.”
She ducks her head. “Thank you.” I don’t let go of her hand, instead dropping it to my lap where I forget all about the food and focus solely on her.
“You know, usually I would try to minimize my accomplishments, but this really was the best possible outcome for the day.” Her lips purse for a second.
“Well, almost the best possible outcome. Victoria showed up.”
“Is that who won the bid for Jackson?” Gwen nods in response, and I release a low whistle.
“And don’t forget it was my sister who had to win the bid for you.” Gwen takes a sip of her wine, her eyes looking anywhere but me.
“I asked her to do it.”
Gwen’s eyes return to me, though full of confusion. “But you said you didn’t want me to bid.”
I shake my head, trying to figure out the right way to say this so I don’t fuck it all up.
“I was being stupid. I only wanted you to. I only want you. I want to shout from the mountaintops that I am absolutely, insanely crazy about Gwendolyn Prescott. But…” I trail off, fighting against the words, not wanting to ruin this moment but not wanting to keep her in the dark either.
“There are some things going on with my father that I need to talk to you about, that I’ve been trying to talk to you about, but I just haven’t found the right time.
Honestly. I don’t think there is a right time. ”
“Things as in?”
“My father wants to change Willow Grove from this loveable, small town to a man-made consumerism dream.”
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. What does that have to do with us?”
I heave a deep sigh, clutching my hand around hers. “There are deals in place. Ones that I have no control over, but I can lessen the blow on the people I care about.”
“That means what exactly?”
“I have to follow my father’s rules for now. He needs to believe I can be persuaded, that I can be molded to what he wants and needs to make sure his master plans go through. And it’s not just him. This goes bigger than Willow Grove.”
“But if you are taking over as mayor, why can’t you just tell them no?”
I shake my head slowly. “It doesn’t work like that. These contracts and deals have been in place for years.”
“I’m sorry if I sound dumb and repetitive, but I still don’t see what that has to do with our relationship if we want one.”
Running my hand over my mouth, I drop my head for a second as the truth starts to bubble up.
“My father is all about optics. He wants to paint a united front so that no one sees him or his family as anything other than powerful, as loyal. Part of this deal includes the Antonio family. They are helping back the project.”
Gwen sucks in a sharp breath, and it’s a knife straight to my heart. When I feel her hand go slack within mine and then slide away, I let her go even though my entire being wanted to just reach out and shield her from any hurt this was going to cause.
“Antonio as in… Camila Antonio.”
I stare out at the water, willing it to come up and swallow me whole. It would be a hell of a lot better than what I’m feeling right now.
“Is this you telling me you’ve been in an arranged marriage this whole time?” She nervously chuckles. “What is this, the 1800s? You have free will. You do know that, right?”
“It’s not that simple, Gwen.”
“Unless he has something on you, I don’t see why it is your responsibility to marry two families together. This is insane.”
I just stare at her, seeing if she realizes what she just said.
“Oh my God. Is your father blackmailing you? What could he even have on you?”
I don’t say anything, just let her work it out in her head. I see the moment it dawns on her. The moment she pieces it together.
“Me,” she whispers. “I’m the blackmail, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, Gwen. You are.”
Her mouth drops open, then she slams it shut as she looks out to the lake. “I don’t understand. How can I be used as leverage?”
“Your cafe, Gwen. He threatened to find any way to get it shut down. As soon as he caught wind that there was something going on between us, he used it. And I know I should have stopped whatever was growing between us as soon as he did. And I tried, I really did. But, dammit, I fell for you long before I realized what was going on. I was already falling in l–-”
She jumps up from her seat, the checkered blanket falling to the ground at her feet. “No!” She shouts. Her finger pointed right at me as she took a step back. The green of her eyes are vibrant as they cut into me. “You do not get to finish that sentence.”
I clench my jaw, feeling the emotion taking over my body, ready to shout the words so she knows how I feel about her. But I know it’s not the time. She’s right. I don’t get to say that right now. Probably ever.
I watch as she paces the edge of the water. Her hands raked through her long hair. I can almost see her processing this information in real time by the waves of emotion on her face. She turns slowly back to me.
“So, let me make sure I have this right. You knew this,” she waves her finger between us, “would go nowhere.”
It’s my turn to jump up, my feet immediately taking me to where I belong. Directly in her orbit. The small step she takes away from me hurts, but I understand as I stay firmly planted facing her.
“No! I had hoped that I could fix this. And I can. I just need time.”
She swipes at a tear that drops from her lashes.
“To do what, exactly? Take your place as mayor? Because I have to assume until that happens, you will continue to play puppet as long as your dad pulls the strings. So, February? That’s if you get to cut the cords as soon you take office.
But if my gut is telling me correctly right now, there’s no way your father will let go so easily. Am I right?”
“I don’t know yet. But Gwen–-”
She holds up a hand to stop me. “No, let me work through this so we can both see how this will play out. Because to me, it looks like either way I will have to sit back and watch you play house with Camila. After I already fell—” She sucks in a breath, stopping the words from falling out.
“Already what, baby? Tell me.” I beg her to tell me. To say the words I need to hear.
She shakes her head, and another tear falls. This time she lets it; leaving the trail of it glistening in the moonlight. “No. This isn’t fair. Why didn’t you just come to me about this? We could have done something, anything other than leaving me in the dark until it was too late.”
“It’s not too late. I am still trying to fix everything. There’s so much more to this whole situation than just us right now.”
“Right, like my livelihood being threatened.” She leans her head back for a second before leveling me with another stare. “And Camila is getting exactly what I want yet again.”
“What does that mean? Again?”
Gwen places her hands on her face and groans. “I always wondered if you knew.”
“Knew what?”
Placing her hands on her hips, she gives a sad smile. “Do you remember my graduation? The year after yours.”
I think back to all those years. “I think so. I came back after my freshman year of college. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Did you know I had a crush on you in high school?”
I take a step back. “No, you didn’t.”
She nods. “I did. Not that you ever noticed me. At least not until Biology my junior year.”
My lips part in surprise. “I noticed you,” I admit.