Chapter 22
twenty-two
BLAIR
“I can’t believe I missed their game on Wednesday and they won.” Adrienne huffs dramatically and folds her arms over her chest. I’m sitting in the same position, but not because I’m annoyed.
I’m freezing. I really do need to go coat shopping.
“It was a good game,” I reply, shrugging. Even wearing a sweater and a hoodie, it’s still cold out on the bleachers as we wait for the boys to be done with practice. Adrienne is picking Eddie up for her sister, and it’s given us a chance to catch up.
“Mmmhmm,” she hums. One eyebrow arches, and the corners of her lips twitch. “And I heard you had some company.”
Honestly, I should have seen this coming. Teenage boys gossip even more than teenage girls, and I saw the way Eddie lit up when he spotted Logan. Of course he told his aunt the hockey player was there.
Clearing my throat, I say a silent prayer that any pink tingeing my cheeks can be attributed to the November cold, and not the blush warming my face. “I did.”
“Girl. Seriously. Spill it.”
“There’s nothing to spill. I took Reed with me to work last week when they had that teacher development day, and Joe, the super nice security guard, let Reed watch the team practice.
I guess Logan recognized him from the family night and offered to give him a tour.
” I let my words trail off, hoping Adrienne would drop it, because the rest of the story will definitely pique her interest.
“And?”
I close my eyes and blow out a breath. “And Logan ended up inviting us to dinner, then he asked if he could go to Reed’s game. It was nice. A little out of the blue, but nice. Made Reed’s day.”
“Uh-huh. Just Reed? Because I gotta say, Blair, Bryse has told me about the way Logan seems to follow you around when you have to interact with the team. And I think maybe he has a bit of a thing for you.”
“What? No, he definitely does not.” I’m spluttering like an idiot, and I’m sure Adrienne sees right through me.
Her eyes narrow, fixed on me. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because you’re not a trusting person?”
That makes her laugh, and she bumps my shoulder. “No, that’s definitely not it. Just be careful with that one, okay? I may not follow the team gossip the way some superfans do, but even I’ve heard about Logan’s reputation. He’s known to hit it and quit it, and I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
Oh, god. I’m pretty sure I’m about to combust. My whole body tingles with embarrassment.
Because Logan has already hit it. But I was the one to quit it and run.
I can’t tell her that, though, because Adrienne’s dating Bryson, and Bryse told me the woman who had my job before me was fired for inappropriate relationships with one or more of the guys on the team.
And I cannot get fired because I slept with Logan Byrne before I even knew who he was. I definitely don’t want to admit that there was a moment at the game where I thought he might kiss me, and I would have let him. I’m not an idiot.
But I also really wish I could talk to her about all of this. Maybe it would help me stop obsessing over our every interaction on Wednesday. God knows it’s all I was able to think about yesterday and today at work.
“Don’t worry,” I manage to say. “I’m very aware of Logan’s reputation, and I’m not in any danger. I think he just made a connection with Reed.”
“And you don’t find that weird?”
Maybe I should, but I don’t. I watched the way he was with my little brother, and nothing about his behavior gave me even a moment’s pause.
“No, I don’t. From some of the things he said, I sort of think he sees a bit of himself in Reed.
And it’s been so long since Reed’s had any kind of adult male role models in his life, I guess I figure it couldn’t hurt to let them hang out once or twice. ”
I shrug, but as Adrienne is opening her mouth to no doubt lob another question my way, my phone buzzes loudly on the metal bleacher beside me.
“Sorry,” I say, grimacing as I pick it up. It’s probably the girls. Apparently, Logan must have told the guys about our adventures together, because this morning, the texts started rolling in, and they haven’t stopped.
Unknown
Hey, Blair. It’s Logan. I hope it’s okay that I’m texting you, but I wanted to say thanks for letting me come to Reed’s game. I had fun.
Well, that’s unexpected.
Adrienne, noticing my ridiculous expression of confusion, leans over my shoulder and reads the text before I can hide the screen.
“He’s texting you? Why do I feel like that must be out of character for him? Like, I bet he never gives his number out to women.”
Yeah. I wouldn’t bet against her on that. Although I gave him my number in case he couldn’t find me at the game, I never expected him to use it. Especially not for some random, nice text.
“Are you going to text him back?”
Am I? “What do I even say to something like that?” I muse aloud as I save his contact information.
“Ask him if some kind of alien life form has taken him over, because you didn’t realize he knew how to text anything besides a booty call,” Adrienne says, snickering.
“Jesus. No, I’m not going to do that.”
“You’re no fun at all.”
My knee bounces from the unexpected surge of adrenaline his text released in my body. Seriously, though. What do I say to him? We’ve spent the vast majority of our relationship thus far fucking or fighting, and this whole friendly thing is new and strange.
“Don’t overthink it,” Adrienne says, chuckling. “It’s like you don’t know how to talk to a guy.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten. It’s not like they’ve been lining up to chat me up the last five years while I’ve been busy working and taking care of Reed.
” Still, I can’t just ignore Logan. That would be rude, and he’s being nice.
I’m enjoying our ceasefire, and I really don’t want a return to the hostility he was throwing my way when I started at the Rogues.
Me
Of course, it’s okay. And you’re welcome. Are you ready for your own game tonight?
Adrienne bumps her shoulder against mine. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Logan
As ready as I ever am. Away games are always nerve-racking. It’s harder to get psyched up without having fans there to cheer us on.
You’ll do great.
Thanks. I hope so. What are you up to?
At Reed’s practice.
And are you wearing a coat?
Glancing over at Adrienne, she has one eyebrow cocked at that. I ignore her and hope she won’t ask.
Me
No, but I’m bundled up.
Logan
You two need coats. You’re going to freeze soon.
I ordered one for Reed, but I haven’t found one I like yet. I’ll get it done, eventually. I’m just so busy right now.
You’re always taking care of Reed, but who takes care of you?
Adrienne and I both suck in a surprised breath at that. My blood roars through my ears as I stare at the last message.
“That doesn’t sound like someone who wants to hit it and quit it,” Adrienne says. She looks up at me. “He likes you.”
“What? No. He doesn’t. He’s just being bossy.”
“Oh, sweetie. Men aren’t as evolved as we are. They equate bossiness with care.”
“He doesn’t care about me, Ade. I think the only people he truly cares about are the guys on his team, and maybe their wives and girlfriends. There’s no way I make it anywhere near even the bottom of that list.”
The hum Adrienne makes is not a sound of agreement, and it makes my stomach do this weird bubbly thing that is somehow a combination of anxiety and hope.
Which is ridiculous, because Logan made his position on relationships very clear that night we met in LA.
He doesn’t do them. And there’s no way I’m going to be the one who makes him change his mind.
“I don’t know. You’re very care-about-able, Blair. Not sure why you don’t see that. But is it really so difficult to believe Logan could be developing feelings for you?”
“Yes.”
She laughs at that, but I’m not joking. I also don’t want to admit how much some sadistic, na?ve part of me would love if he did.
But that’s also the part of me who believed Noah would stick around, even after I moved back home and gained custody of my traumatized little brother.
When it all first happened, I truly believed Noah would still marry me, and we’d be a family together.
I’m not that na?ve anymore.
There’s no world in which Logan Byrne, serial playboy, develops feelings for a woman who is, for all intents and purposes, the solo parent of a thirteen-year-old boy.
“Would it be so bad to give things with him a chance?”
“I think it would be one of the most dangerous things I could possibly do, Ade.”
My friend’s face softens, and she grabs my ice-cold hand and gives it a squeeze. “You like him.”
“I don’t,” I say a little too vehemently. Even I don’t believe it. “I’d feel warm and fuzzy toward anyone who was good to Reed. I feel warm and fuzzy about you and Bryse for that reason.”
“So you feel the same things for Logan as you feel for me and Bryse?” Her tone is teasing, and she’s got that one eyebrow arched again. I’m bullshitting her, and she knows it.
“Yes.”
“Uh-huh. That’s why your thumb is hovering over the keyboard and you haven’t replied to him?”
Ugh. Looking down at my phone, I still don’t even know how to respond to his text.
Who takes care of you?
Me
I’ve been taking care of myself just fine for the last five years.
It’s been a long enough pause between his last text and mine that I figure he’s probably busy doing something else, and I’m not expecting his reply to come back as quickly as it does.
Logan
Of course you have. But you two have people in your corner now. It’s okay to ask for help.
“Shit, girl. That’s awfully sweet. How are you going to continue lying to yourself if he keeps that up?”
Me
Are you offering to get me a coat? LOL.
Logan
That’s exactly what I’m offering.
There’s a warmth spreading throughout my entire body at his words, even if I don’t really believe him. Adrienne’s right. He’s being very sweet. But they’re just words. Just flirty text messages. I’ve had plenty of experience with men offering pretty words. Doesn’t mean they’ll follow through.
“You should let him buy you a coat. It’d probably be designer or something. You know he’s one of the highest paid members on the team, right?”
I shake my head at my friend. “I didn’t, and I really don’t care, either. Money’s not a priority for me, outside of making enough to support me and Reed.”
Not that he’s actually going to buy me a coat.
Me
I don’t need your money or your help, Viking. It’s sweet of you to offer, though.
There. Now he has an out, and I won’t feel that irrational twinge of disappointment that would be inevitable when he didn’t follow through. Win-win.
Logan
So stubborn.
That was a compliment, by the way. At least, mostly.
Me
LOL. Don’t you have a game to get ready for?
I do.
You should do that, then. Good luck tonight.
You and Reed should watch. Chasers always plays the game on every screen. They have fantastic appetizers.
Maybe. You gonna score a goal for us?
Why am I encouraging this? Flirting with him is just so easy. I love the back and forth with him, and I have since that night in California. Still, it’s only going to end one way. With me getting hurt.
Logan
I’ll score one for each of you if you promise to watch.
Adrienne squeals beside me. “Girl. Eddie and I will go to Chasers for dinner with you. You have to say yes. This is too good.”
My lower lip aches as I suck it between my teeth and worry at it. “You have to promise not to tell Bryse. He’d give me so much shit for it, and I don’t want anyone at work knowing that Logan and I are talking.”
“I don’t think Bryse would give you shit, Blair. But if you really don’t want him to know, of course, I won’t tell him. For now, at least. If you guys end up dating or something, I don’t know how I’d keep that from him. I’m not great with big secrets.”
That makes me chuckle, because the idea of Logan and me dating is so absurd. “Deal. I guess we’re going to Chasers.”
Me
Fine. I promise. Don’t let me down, Viking.
Logan
Never.
That one word reverberates through my body like the clang of a church bell.
Never.
I’m going to regret this, I just know it. Still, there’s a much-too-large part of myself that can’t seem to care. And when Logan does, in fact, score two goals that night? I almost completely forget why all of this is such a bad idea.