Chapter Two
LOGAN
It was a king-size bed... yet somehow, those two tiny girls managed to take up all the space.
I spent the night on the couch, wide awake, just watching them and turning everything over in my mind. Most of that time was spent on my phone, scouring social media and the internet for any trace of Eleanor—anything that might tell me how to reach her.
There was nothing.
How could I possibly be their father? Children weren't part of the plan, not for a long time. I had too much to accomplish in my career; it consumed my every waking hour. And I never wanted to bring kids into the world just to pawn them off on nannies.
My father was a man who rarely had time for his family—though, ironically, he’d always found time for his countless affairs.
My mother, on the other hand, was a superstar before she retired, yet she always made time for us.
Even when she was filming abroad, she called every night and would move heaven and earth to get home for weekends.
During school breaks, she often took us with her.
It made me wonder if it wasn't the work itself that made a parent neglectful. Maybe it was a choice. My mother was living proof you could be present if you wanted to.
But I was convinced I wouldn't be able to handle it. I’d inevitably end up like my father, which was exactly why I’d chosen not to have kids.
Yet here they were. No takebacks.
What was I supposed to do now? How was I supposed to adapt my life?
They were five years old… were they supposed to be in school, or was it still preschool?
I couldn't feed them my diet of hospital cafeteria food and takeout.
I didn't know what they liked to eat, if they were on any medication, or if they had allergies.
I knew absolutely nothing about them beyond their names: Aurora and Anna.
I hadn't even heard Aurora speak. And while Anna had said a few words, it was clear she was just as unhappy with this situation as I was.
"Why did you do this to me, Ellie?" I whispered into the dark, my eyes still fixed on the girls. "Why did you do this to them?"
I couldn't understand what would drive Ellie—after vanishing from my life for six years—to just dump the girls on me without so much as a conversation. All I got were a few vague explanations in a letter.
I finally drifted off just before dawn; grateful my first conference event wasn't until the afternoon. At least I could get a little more rest after a sleepless night.
I couldn’t have been asleep for more than two hours when a loud clatter jolted me awake. I pushed myself up on the couch to see Anna standing by the open minibar, a soda can rolling on the floor.
"There's no milk in here," she complained, noticing I was awake.
I glanced at the bed and saw Aurora was also awake, sitting up and watching her sister.
"Is juice an option?" I asked, figuring it was the healthiest thing in that fridge.
"We have milk for breakfast," she retorted. "And cereal. And Mom makes scrambled eggs."
"Well... we have no milk, no cereal, and no eggs. So, it's juice and cookies. Take it or leave it."
"We're hungry."
I sighed, realizing this was a battle I wouldn't win. I was responsible for them now, and I couldn't let them go hungry.
I grabbed my phone from the floor and checked the time: 8:50 A.M.
"Room service starts at nine. Can you wait ten minutes?"
Anna rolled her eyes with impressive exasperation and marched to the bathroom. I looked at Aurora, who was still sitting quietly on the bed.
So similar, yet so different.
"Is your sister always this irritable?" I asked.
She just blinked at me, silent.
My phone buzzed with a series of messages. When I saw they were from Janet, I opened them immediately.
JANET:
I've contacted the acting agency.
They're sending over a few candidates who fit the profile, and I'll be conducting interviews starting at 10 a.m.
The story has already hit other outlets.
Do not leave that room until I get there.
On a separate note, I've hired that excellent, discreet private investigator I've used before. If anyone can track down Eleanor, he can.
Also, your secretary mentioned the Spanish translator you hired is in room 231.
Call her.
Tell her you won't need her this morning and, preferably, that she should stay in her room. If the press finds out you hired her, they'll be all over her.
Sit tight. I'll be there by lunch with the new mother of your children.
Mother of my children...
Since it still felt surreal to accept I was a father, I thought maybe I should talk to my younger brother about it.
Michael had gone through a vaguely similar situation almost a year ago. He’d discovered he had a daughter and, after the mother passed away, entered a legal battle with the maternal grandparents for custody.
The youngest Turner brother used to be the family's irresponsible one, but fatherhood had completely changed him. I, on the other hand, was plagued by an excess of responsibility. So, accepting the whole "father of two" thing should have been easier for me.
As if summoned by my thoughts, Michael’s name flashed on my phone screen. It was strange for him to call so early on a Saturday.
“Holy shit, Logan. What the hell did you get yourself into?” he asked immediately, confirming the news had already reached him.
When in my entire life had I ever imagined hearing that question from my younger brother? That was usually my line with him.
“Did Janet tell you?” I asked.
“What? Janet knows? I heard from Mom. She’s been getting calls from reporters nonstop since last night.
She said she’s been texting you, and you’re not answering.
But that part isn’t exactly news, is it?
She decided not to call because she knows you’re at a conference, but I don’t give a damn if I’m disturbing your work.
We’re your family. We need to know what’s going on. ”
As if I didn't have enough on my plate, now I was getting a lecture from Michael. This felt like a parallel universe.
“What exactly are they saying? I haven't had the courage to look.”
“That you have five-year-old twin daughters. And there’s endless speculation about who the mother is. Is it true? Do these girls exist? Who is she, anyway?”
I glanced at Aurora, who was still watching me curiously. I turned my back and walked to the far corner of the room, lowering my voice.
“Yes, they exist. They’re here with me now. Their mother was my college friend, but I don’t know where she is.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“She left them at my doorstep and disappeared. I have no contact information. I’ve looked for her online, but she’s wiped her social media. All she left was a letter and a power of attorney making me their guardian.”
“And you believe they’re really yours?”
“The timeline fits. Eleanor and I were friends in college, and we were…
each other's regular hookup. But we weren't in a relationship. She would have told me if she was seeing someone else; we were open about that. Back then, a mutual friend told me Eleanor was pregnant. When I confronted her, she said it was just a suspicion, and she’d get a test. A few days later, she told me it was negative. Less than a month after that, she dropped out and said she was moving back to Texas to be with her family.”
“…And you didn’t suspect her sudden departure back then?”
“Medicine wasn’t her passion. She had other dreams and said she was going to pursue them. I believed her. Now the girls are here, and… let’s just say we’re not exactly hitting it off. One of them seems to hate me, and the other hasn’t said a word since she got here.”
“What did you expect, Logan? For them to run up and hug you? They’re five years old. They’re probably terrified, missing their mother, and they don’t even know you. You need to give it time.”
“You felt like Alice’s father from the moment you saw her.”
“It was different. I got the news first and had a few days to process. I saw pictures of Alice and was already attached to the idea of being her dad before I ever held her. And she was just a baby. Your girls are five. They need to adjust to you.”
I didn’t want to think about the long-term adjustment or how the three of us would manage. I’ve always been shortsighted, focusing on the present and solving one problem at a time.
And my most immediate problem was the conference.
“Janet is hiring someone to pretend to be their mother,” I said.
Michael was silent for a beat. “What? What do you mean?”
“I’m a finalist for the director position at New York Center Hospital.”
“Wait… you want to move to New York? We barely see you as it is.”
“Did you miss the part about it being the director position? CEO of the largest hospital in the country, Michael. It has one of the top neurology departments in the world.”
“Okay… I get it,” he said, though his tone suggested he didn’t. “So where does the fake mother come in?”
“The director must have an impeccable reputation. If the board thinks I abandoned a pregnant woman to avoid acknowledging my children, they’ll never hire me.”
“But you didn’t abandon her. You didn’t even know!”
“I can’t prove that. The letter isn’t enough, and I have no idea where Ellie is. So, we’re hiring a woman to pose as their mother. She’ll say she chose not to tell me about the pregnancy but has now returned, and I immediately stepped up to be their father.”
“And when the real mother shows up?”
“That’s a problem for future Logan. I’ll deal with it after I’ve been hired. This is an opportunity I can’t pass up.”
“Logan…” Michael’s voice was heavy with disbelief. “Why do I get the feeling you’re more worried about a job than the fact that you’re a father and the mother of your children is missing?”
I knew he wouldn’t understand. Still, I tried to explain. “I’m worried about all of it. But I’ll be in a much better position to handle the girls after I secure the job I’ve been working toward since college.”
“Fine. Well, while you’re juggling all this… maybe deal with Mom, too. She’s worried sick.”
“Okay, I’ll call her.”
“And if you get a second, call Sebastian. I know you’re in crisis mode, but he’d appreciate it if you took five minutes to wish him luck.”
“Luck with what?”
“…His wife was admitted for her pre-op today, Logan. Did you forget Bonnie’s heart surgery is on Monday?”
Oh, god. Bonnie.
My brother’s wife had been living with a heart condition and was scheduled for a major operation. I knew it was serious, but she was under the care of one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the country. She was in good hands. It would be fine.
“Right. Okay, I’ll call Sebastian, too.”
“Let me know how your plan works out.”
“I will. And, Mike?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. For caring. And… you know. For everything.”
“For reminding you that you have a family? Yeah, you’re welcome.”
“I don’t forget I have a family. I just… you know how my schedule is.”
“I do. Your work comes first. But you have two daughters now, Logan. You’re going to have to rethink that, or you’ll end up just like our father. Good luck.”
He hung up.
Did he have to bring our father into this? That was a low blow.
I sighed, staring at my phone and debating whether to call my mother now or let her simmer a little longer. She was probably panicking.
But first, I needed to call the translator.
“Where’s Rory?”
I turned at the sound of Anna’s voice. She was standing in the bathroom doorway; her eyes fixed on the empty bed.
My own eyes darted to the slightly open hotel room door.
Perfect. This was just what I needed.