Three
LOGAN
Coming to the island was meant to signify a fresh start for me. Solace, and a new beginning. A clean slate.
I had a lot of baggage back home in Boston, and did some things I definitely wasn’t proud of.
My cousins knew the truth, since they wouldn’t let me work for them, let alone live on their property without fully disclosing my past and why I wasn’t on speaking terms with my parents, brothers, or sister.
Did it hurt that I was considered the screw up and failure of the family and they simply turned their backs on me because I made different choices than what they wanted for me?
Of course it did. And yeah, sure, I screwed up a bit too.
But weren’t parents supposed to love their children unconditionally and support them?
It’s not like I committed murder or tax evasion.
When I woke up the next morning, at first, I forgot I wasn’t in Jagger’s house, and nearly had a heart attack when the shrill call of an eight-year-old outside my bedroom door rocked me out of a deep sleep.
“Daddy, have you seen my purple fleecy hoodie?” Talia yelled.
“Talia, lower your volume, Logan is sleeping,” Brooke whispered. “Come on, sweetie, I’ll help you find it. I think I saw it downstairs hanging up in the laundry room.”
“Sorry, Logan,” Talia whisper-yelled before the soft thud of feet on the stairs spoke of their departure.
Right. I was in Clint’s house, not Jagger’s.
Since I worked the day-shift again, but didn’t have to be there until ten, I glanced at my phone, hummed in happiness that it was only seven-thirty, and rolled back over, hugging the pillow and closing my eyes.
Almost instantly, Renée’s face popped into my head, which prompted my dick to get hard, too.
It wasn’t the first time thoughts of her made me hard, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
At first, I cursed Chloe for meddling, but when Reneé said yes, I actually texted my cousin’s wife later that night to thank her. She sent me a heart emoji followed by a “Go get ‘em tiger” GIF.
While Chloe suggested we go to The Thatch Pub, and I wasn’t against it, I also didn’t want to just grab dinner with Renée, I wanted to genuinely get to know her.
That might mean you’ll need to let her get to know you too. Are you prepared for that?
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t against sharing more of myself with other people.
It just had to be the right people. I kind of felt like a fraud, since my past was a part of me.
It shaped the person I am today, whether I liked it or not, and I couldn’t be in a relationship with someone—not a healthy one anyway—without disclosing even the grittier parts of my life.
After what happened with Leila and all the lies she spun, I required full transparency from a partner, and intended to give the same in return. Life was too short to waste it with liars.
Once I heard Clint and Brooke leave with Talia to walk her to the school bus with the rest of her cousins, I climbed out of bed and headed across the hallway to the bathroom.
My dick was still hard, and ordinarily, I would have taken care of that in the shower.
But I was sharing a bathroom with an eight-year-old now, and the idea of jerking off in a shower that Talia also used just creeped me right out.
So I thought of other things. Like Jagger in a Speedo.
My brother Bill attempting to tell a joke—Bill was the dullest person in the world.
The man had about as much sense of humor as a slice of melba toast.
Yup, thoughts of Bill bumbling his way through a terrible joke and missing the punchline entirely successfully deflated my cock. It usually did.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to still use Jagger’s gym since he now had two new roommates, so I just showered and got ready for the day.
Brooke came through the front door looking as beautiful as ever in an off-white sweater and jeans, with her blonde curls tied up in a ponytail.
She smiled when she saw me. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” Her green eyes widened.
“Shit, did Talia wake you up? She totally forgot you were here and just yelled like a little banshee right in front of your door.”
I shrugged. “Not a big deal. It’s new for all of us.”
She grimaced as she ditched her Blundstones and headed for the kitchen. “The child can be volume challenged.”
I followed her into the kitchen. “I used to be just like her, so I totally get it. It’s all good. I needed to get up anyway.”
“I put on a fresh pot of coffee right before we walked the kids to the bus stop, so grab yours first,” she said, opening up her laptop on the kitchen table.
“Clint is down at the brewery, and I have a videochat meeting at eleven, but I’m going to head to yoga with the girls shortly.
So you’ll have the house to yourself for a bit. ”
“Not sure what I’m going to do with myself,” I replied. “Normally, I work out in Jagger’s gym, but I’m not sure if that’s okay now that he’s got two extra house guests.”
“There’s a treadmill and rowing machine as well as some weights in the home office you’re welcome to use,” she said with a smile as I poured myself a cup of coffee, then lifted the mug to ask if she wanted one too. “Yes, please.”
I brought down a second mug and poured her one as well, adding a splash of oat milk to each, since I knew how she liked her coffee—which was exactly the same way I liked mine.
Bringing Brooke her coffee, I marveled at the fact that I was literally standing in a kitchen with an award-winning actor.
A Hollywood bombshell and ridiculously famous person.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that was going to happen when I rocked up to this little island in the Puget Sound.
Or that Brooke would turn out to be one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I’d ever met.
I set her mug down beside her laptop, and she thanked me, her fingers tapping away on the keyboard.
I went back to the kitchen to make myself some oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate protein powder. Jagger got me onto this breakfast and it kept me full until lunchtime or even later.
“So I hear you’ve got a date tonight,” she said, glancing up at me from her screen, a cheeky glint in her green eyes. “It’s about damn time if you ask me. You two have been dancing around each other for an annoying amount of time.”
My eyes went wide. “We have not.”
“Have too. You’ve been in love with her since you arrived here. Admit it.”
I didn’t say anything, and her smirk was the only response I got.
“What else is there to do here in the wintertime besides watch the stormy water and eat? If this were any other season, and any other weather, there’d be a million things to do.
Hike, mountain bike, kayak, go to the beach, paddleboard …
but when the weather is like … this,” I glanced outside, “that the hell is there to do?”
She smirked again. “Why do you think Dom and Chloe are having a baby when they’ve only known each other since October?”
I narrowed my eyes at her as I scooped a half cup of dry quick oats into a bowl. “Not helping.”
“Watch a movie. Play a board game. Teach each other a different card game that the other person doesn’t know. Cribbage is always a good one. You’re going to The Thatch?”
I nodded.
She tapped away on her laptop, then smiled. “You’re in luck; it’s music bingo night at The Thatch. Perfect!”
I frowned in thought. “That’s actually not a terrible idea.” I added hot water from the kettle to my bowl and gave the oats a stir. “But what if her taste in music sucks?”
Brooke snorted. “First of all, it doesn’t. Everybody who lives and works on this property knows Renée has excellent taste in music. Second of all, if music taste is a make or break thing for you, I’m going to text her and tell her to call the date off right now.”
I loved how real and unfiltered Brooke was.
She didn’t hold back, and that just made her all the more wonderful and relatable.
She wasn’t afraid to call out any of us on our bullshit.
And the beautiful part was, she could also take being called out on her own shit—not that she had much.
I went to the fridge and grabbed the jar of peanut butter.
“Yeah, okay, her taste in music is pretty great.”
“See.” Her expression turned serious, and she took a sip of her coffee. “What’s really going on, Logan?”
I sighed and gave my oats another stir. “I want to be honest with people about the shit in my past. About my non-existent relationship with my parents and siblings. While I’m ashamed of the stupid stuff I did, I know I also need to own it. I’m just worried.”
“About …?”
“Her thinking less of me.”
“If Renée had the same past as you, and she decided to be honest and transparent and tell you the truth, would you think less of her?” She lifted her dark blonde brows. “Food for thought.”
“I’d like to think that I wouldn’t,” I said slowly. “But I don’t know.” Heat crept into my cheeks. Fuck. “I know that makes me sound like a hypocritical asshole. But I was an idiot. How can someone know what I did and look at me … the same? Look at me with the same amount of respect as before?”
“Well, I’ve only known you as the person who has done that stupid shit, and I have a considerable amount of respect for you.
Maybe, I’d have more for you if I knew you before, but maybe not.
We’re not defined by our pasts, Logan. Sure, they help shape us, but they’re not the end-all-be-all definition of who we are.
” Her humorless laugh caught me off guard. “Think about my past …”
“You’re one of the bravest people I know. What are you talking about?”
She shrugged and sipped more coffee. “I’ve still done some stupid shit. I trusted Inez.”
It was my turn to lob a mirthless laugh. “Let’s not play the game Who’s Done Stupider Shit. Because you’ll lose every time. I hardly think giving someone the benefit of the doubt is stupid. Or comparable to my dumb choices.”