They’d never tell anyone. As far as the world would know—with the exception of the city clerk and the witnesses they’d grabbed in the hallway of the building—they would marry the following June.
He didn’t care how they were married, just that they were. He had Sam by his side for the rest of his life.
He had resigned from Sutton Capital. Not because he didn’t love the people and the work there, but because he’d found something more important to do. Jack approached him and told him a friend of his was looking to donate a large chunk of money to fund a nonprofit. Jack was going to match the friend’s donation on the condition that the nonprofit was geared toward helping military service men and women with PTSI and Traumatic Brain Injury.
They wanted Logan to head it up, with Ernie as the head of the counseling side of things. It turned out, Jack’s mysterious friend who wanted to donate money was Samantha. She had more money than she knew what to do with sitting in the bank from Tangled Legacy and she knew Logan wouldn’t take her money if she offered it.
He’d been a little bowled over when he found out she had just over a billion dollars if you counted all her property and assets. He was still trying to convince her to let him split their bills, so letting her start a nonprofit for him was hard to swallow.
Still, in the end he did and he was glad she’d found a way to get him to accept it. Thanks to her, Logan would get to help other veterans. And he would start with his own father. They’d gone out to visit him, and his dad was struggling, but Logan and he talked—really talked—for the first time in a long time.
His dad checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility and Logan had lined up a place for his dad to come live in Connecticut when he got out. He’d help his dad get the long overdue help he needed.
They found a building to house the new nonprofit and they were working on staffing it. One of the first things Logan had done was to have a plaque made, dedicating the space to Nick “Dopey” James. Logan had chosen a quote from Henry Scott Holland for the plaque:
Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room … Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference in your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me … I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well.
“Kelly, I think we need to head on over to the hospital now,” Jack said, and Logan recognized the overly-easy, I-don’t-want-to-set-off-the-crazy-pregnant-lady tone of his friend’s voice.
Kelly’s dad tried to back Jack up. “Yeah, Kel, I think that’s probably a good idea. Head on over, let the doctor see how you’re doing. Get that baby on out of there.”
“Nonsense,” Kelly said with a wave of her hand, but Logan saw she was panting slightly now and he had to wonder how much pain she was in. “I’ve got three more weeks. Heck, Maddie was a week late. For heaven’s sake, I’ve most likely got another month with this one. These are Braxton-Hicks.”
“Um, Kel,” Jack said, scratching his head, and Logan caught Chad trying to stifle a laugh. Logan had to clamp down on his laughter, too.
The sight was priceless. Big Jack Sutton saying “um” to his wife and clearly struggling with how to get her to the hospital to deliver their baby without ticking her off.
Logan watched as Jack took a step toward Kelly and put a hand on her belly. “I think if they were Braxton-Hicks they would have stopped when you laid down earlier, right?”
They’d managed to get Kelly to lie down for about thirty minutes, but she was up again now. Logan cracked a smile.
“All right,” Kelly’s mom said, coming into the room, a whirlwind force to rival her daughter. “Let’s get my daughter to the hospital. No more dillydallying. Go get the car,” she said to her husband.”
“Mom,” Kelly began, but the word turned into half moan, half howl as she bent double and grabbed her belly again.
“Alright,” Kelly’s mom said. “It’s time, sweetheart. No more messing around.”
Kelly didn’t argue this time. She looked like she couldn’t speak.
They all made a path for Jack as he escorted Kelly through the room and down the stairs.
As the group filed out of the room after the couple, Logan hung back with Sam, wanting just one minute of alone time with her before they joined the crowd. He had a feeling they would be following everyone to the hospital and waiting for news of the next Sutton baby. He was happy to do that, wanted to be there with their friends. But first, he wanted a minute with Sam.
He turned her in his arms and kissed her mouth, fully, passionately, holding nothing back. He loved her more than he’d ever thought possible.
He pulled back and looked into eyes that matched the heat he was feeling, but the moment was cut off by Chad calling up the stairs to them.
“You guys coming?”
“Yeah,” Logan called back.
They’d ridden over to Jack’s with Jennie and Chad so they needed to catch up to them to get to the hospital.
He had only one question for Sam first.
“Do you think you’ll be that crazy when you have a baby someday?” He couldn’t wait for them to start a family. He hoped all of their children were like her. Strong and beautiful and so smart she scared him. Then again, if they were all that smart, he might be in trouble.
She smiled up at him and something about the look in her eyes told him she had a secret. He didn’t even realize he was holding his breath and probably holding her a little tighter as he waited to find out what she had to tell him.
“I guess we’ll find out in about seven months. Well, six months and three point five weeks, near as I can figure,” she said, and Logan lifted her and let out a whoop. He’d never felt such pure happiness flow through him. Sam was his. And they were building a life together. They were building a future together. A family. His family.
---The End---