Chapter 48 Logan
Logan
After Gwen left last night—and I kept myself from begging her to stay a little longer, but I knew it wasn’t wise while things were still in a weird place—I paced my apartment as my body surged with rage against my father.
All I wanted to do was race over to his house and demand answers.
From both him and my mother, seeing as she was keeping this from me as well.
I knew Gwen was right, that this was the ticket out of the mess he put us in.
Even if it caused a few more issues to handle, it was better to take care of it now.
Give this town a chance to move forward on their terms.
I was proud of myself for waiting until the sun began to crest over the horizon before I snatched up my keys and bolted to my parents’ house, not bothering to knock on the door when I wretched it open and shouted his name.
I expected him to pop out and demand to know why I was shouting, which doesn’t happen. What I don’t expect is my mother to come padding out of the kitchen, robe tied around her, and a cup of coffee steaming from her hand. Her face is free of makeup and a sleepy smile sits on her face.
“I had a feeling you would be here soon.” She jerks her head toward the kitchen and turns to retreat back to where she came from.
“It’s not as good as Gwen’s, but I have a fresh pot brewed for you.
” Not waiting for me to respond, she begins pouring a fresh mug, adding a generous amount of creamer before handing it to me.
“There’s more waiting if you need it. Judging by the manic look on your face, I’m going to go out on a limb and say Gwen paid you a visit last night.”
“Mom, why didn’t you tell me? This is seriously fucked up.”
She shrugs. “You already hated your father enough. I didn’t want to give you anything else to stress over.”
“You should have said something. That can’t be healthy to keep that in for as long as you did. The affair was going on for years. Those transfers started months ago.”
Her hand waves away my concerns. “I have a therapist. It wasn’t for you to worry about.
And truthfully, I would have been willing to take it to the grave, if only to keep you from having to deal with it.
I didn’t think it would do anyone any good to let that information out.
” She releases a heavy sigh. “When I was told Gwen found a loophole in the contract, I knew it was time. Especially after hearing your speech at the meeting. If I wanted the best for you, that meant the truth needs to come out. I can’t let this town suffer because of your father. I couldn’t let you suffer.”
“What about you, though? You’re going to suffer.”
“Logan, I don’t want you to worry about me, okay?
I can handle whatever backlash comes, but I’ll be damned if I sit back and let that man walk all over us anymore.
You are better than him. Better than me, too.
And I’ll support you no matter what you decide to do, but at least now you can have a chance to make a choice for yourself.
Though, I have to admit, you were quite the natural up there on stage.
You have the mind to lead, but more importantly you have the heart. ”
Taking a sip from her coffee, she watches out the back window before speaking again.
“I am so sorry for everything we put you through.”
“It’s okay,” I say, trying to stop her, but she continues on.
“Let me get this out. It’s been heavy on my heart since, well, forever.
You never deserved the way your father treated you, especially after your brother died.
I foolishly hoped he would wake up one day and realize how wrong he was.
Day after day, though, he continued to get worse.
Until it was too late and I had to lay in the bed I made for us.
When the idea of Triton Resorts was brought up, and he had this plan concocted to bring you in to take over while he enjoyed his retirement, I knew I needed to act.
I couldn’t sit back and let it go. So, I contacted an old friend from the paper, who sent someone out to do research.
Apparently the State Chronicle had a guy that was trying for years to bring down Triton, but was always too late. ”
A lightbulb goes off for me. “Mitchell Shepherd.”
Mom smirks. “He’s really taken your girl under his wing to get to the bottom of this. When they found the clause, I knew it was time. And I knew she was the right one to handle it.”
Running my hand over my head, I try to hide my small grin, but my mom sees it and hers grows too. “Yeah,” I agree. “She’s pretty great, isn’t she?”
“You picked a good one, son.”
My shoulders slump. “Then I fucked it all up.”
“No,” she says with conviction. “Your father fucked everything up. We were all just collateral damage.”
“Well, let’s hope we can get past all this.”
Mom rubs her hand along my back in a soothing pattern. “You will. If my suspicions are correct, you two will be just fine. It’ll be hard, because no relationship is always happy-go-lucky, but you’ll be okay.”
“How long have you known about us?”
Her lips purse in an attempt to hold back a giggle.
“Oh, honey, I knew you were done for from the moment she stepped into that conference room. You were smitten with her as kids. I was always having to keep you from sneaking over there to see her at all hours of the day. She’s a wonderful woman.
There was no way my son wasn’t going to fall head over heels in love with her. ”
I jerk my head up so fast, I spill some of my coffee over the rim of the mug.
She points at me accusingly. “Don’t even try to lie to me, Logan. A mother knows these things. And I am beyond happy for you two.”
Mom taps her hands on the counter top as she glances at the clock on the stove. “You should get going. Your father should be at the office by now. A little birdie might have mentioned there was some damning news being released this morning. He rushed out of here like his ass was on fire.”
“Were you the little birdie?”
“Damn right, I was.”
Wrapping my mother in a tight hug, I whisper in her ear, “We will figure this out.”
“I know we will. Now, go take care of your town.”
***
In the time it takes me to get to Town Hall, the news must break with the day.
People are milling about on the steps, with news vans lining the streets.
Nothing really out of the norm this week after everyone found out about Triton coming in, but this felt different.
The reporters practically vibrated with excitement as they talked into their microphones animatedly, wide smile almost splitting their faces.
When they catch sight of me walking quickly toward the side entrance, shouting out my name to grab my attention, I pick up the pace and duck in right before they reach me.
I don’t bother looking back when someone comes down the hall also calling for me to stop. No, I have my sights set on one person right now, and I make it to his closed office door without even remembering taking the elevator up.
Stopping outside the door, I take a cleansing breath to calm my nerves as much as possible.
I wanted to be fully focused when I faced him.
I wanted to remember everything that’s said between us, so I can carry it with me for the rest of my life.
When someone asks me how I got to where I was, I could recount this day from memory perfectly.
I give a courtesy knock, ignoring him when he shouts “not now” through the wood. Pushing the door open, I slip inside and slam it shut hard enough that both occupants of the room jump from where they are standing in front of the window.
“Convenient finding both of you here,” I say to them smugly.
“What the hell do you want, Logan?” My father sneers.
“This.” It takes three wide steps for me to get in front of him. Planting my left foot, I swing my entire body with my right fist, connecting with his jaw and laying him out with one hit.
“Oh my god!” Camila screeches as she rushes to his side. “Richard, are you okay?” She glares up at me. “You’re ridiculous, Logan. Can you not be happy for him?”
“And you’re insane. Both of you.” I sniff, rubbing my already throbbing knuckles against my slacks, Watching as my father blinks in a daze up at us.
“That’s for cheating on my mother, you asshole.
Stand back up so I can get a few more hits in.
It might make up for all the shit you did to me over the years. ”
“I’m calling the cops!” Camila pulls my father to a seated position, leaning against a nearby chair while she rummages in her purse for her phone.
“To tell them what exactly? That the old man’s son decked him? They might actually let me have at him again when they hear about what he’s been doing. I bet it doesn’t stop with the affair or stealing money.”
Camila’s eyes are wide. “I don’t—what are you—” she sputters.
“You can cut the act, Cami,” my father grunts as he slowly gets to his feet. “He knows. They all know.”
“You told them?”
He rolls his eyes. “Of course not. Margot found out. When, I don’t know, but she ran her big mouth and now the news is out. That’s why I called you in. I’m leaving.”
“What?” We both shout at the same time, but he only addresses me as he swipes at his jaw. A bruise already blooms along the edge.
“You got what you wanted, didn’t you, boy? Tearing me down with the help of that little girl.” He spits on the floor. “How I failed with you, I’ll wonder forever. You don’t know loyalty.”
“Says the man sleeping with his best friend’s daughter.”
He releases a humorless chuckle. “Well, you didn’t want her. It was a shame to let her go to waste.”
Camila gasps from the middle of the room. “Richard!”
“So you blow up all of our lives just to leave? Yeah, it’s me with a loyalty issue, Pops.”
“I set you up for success! You ruined that.”
“No!” I shout, stepping closer to him. “You set yourself up for success. At the cost of all of us.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Logan.” He steps behind his desk, bypassing Camila as she reaches out for him. I almost feel sorry for her as she flinches like she was the one hit. Almost.
Shoving the stacks of papers on his desk into his open briefcase, he doesn’t bother to give us attention.
“What are you doing?”
“I already told you. I’m leaving. I have a flight out of Charlotte in a couple hours. Y’all can enjoy your shit little town life.”
I slam my hand on the top of his briefcase, barely missing his hand as it snaps shut. He sighs, hanging his head low with his hands braced on the edge of the table.
“You think you just get to run away after all of this?”
“Yes, that was the plan all along. You just sped up the timeline because you couldn’t be happy with the empire I was handing over on a silver platter.
And after that show you put on the other day, I know I shouldn’t have trusted you to carry on the Spencer family legacy.
You’re a disgrace. You and your sniveling mother.
You couldn’t be happy with having everything, could you? ”
“Not when it’s at the expense of the people I care about.”
“You always were weak. I don’t know where I went wrong.” He shakes his head in disappointment.
“If caring about people is weak, then that’s fine by me. Better that than to be whatever you have become.” I toss a hand toward Camila. “You cheated on your wife. You stole money from the town for her.”
“Um, I’m right here.”
My father cuts his eyes to her. “I wouldn’t have stolen that money if she hadn’t threatened me.”
My eyebrows fly into my hair line as I move my gaze to her. Disgust rolls off me in waves that she must feel as she rolls her eyes, scoffing like I’m absurd.
“Please, like you wouldn’t have done the same.”
“You two are unreal. Really, you deserve each other. What I can’t understand is why you were so hell-bent on making sure I end up with her.”
“I needed you to give her the status that she wanted to get her off my ass.”
I release a low whistle, watching as Camila’s cheeks burn bright red with fury. I wouldn’t be surprised if lasers shot out of her eyes with how hard she was glaring at him. “You’re disgusting, Richard.”
He raises his hands to his sides with a shrug. “Yet you still come back every time.”
The screech she emits stabs into my ears. Stomping her foot down, she hustles her way to the office door. “Go to hell!” she shouts as she throws the door open and leaves.
“You know,” he starts as he locks his briefcase, “I can see why you didn’t want to tie yourself to her. She’s a piece of work.”
He starts making his way toward the door himself, only stopping when I yell his name.
“You really are going to leave us behind? Just destroy it all and run away, is that it?”
Whirling around to me, he levels me with a stare. “Don’t act like you need me now. You think you can do better than me,” he waves his arm around the room, “have at it. I’m done with all of you.”
“Answer me one thing. I think you owe me at least that.”
He sighs, his hand on the doorknob, ready to turn at a moment’s notice. “What is it, Logan?”
“Why did you do it all? Was the family with the loving wife and the son that wanted nothing more than to make you proud not enough? What about the town that would have done anything for you?”
He shakes his head, a sad smile on his face. “You’ll learn soon that that’s not enough. You’ll want more, just like I did.”
“That’s where you are wrong again, Dad. You had everything I want in life. Unlike you, I won’t get greedy and lose it all.”
“You say that now, kid.” His parting words echo in my ears.
I wonder if I should call out, beg him not to leave.
Beg him to tell me exactly what I did wrong for him not to be the father that I needed.
Was it the loss of Jake? Was it simply because I wasn’t what he wanted?
That wonder dies off quickly, though, when I realize it didn’t matter anymore. He didn’t matter to me anymore.
Turning the knob, he opens the door, ready to flee from the scene of a father letting his son down one final time.
However, he doesn’t get very far when two large men in police uniforms stand in his way.
“Richard Spencer, you’re under arrest for embezzlement.”