That nauseous feeling in my stomach that was just beginning to go away after speaking with my dad stirs back to life. I place my hand on Logan’s thigh and he covers my hand with his as though we’re a united front.
“Hey, Vince,” Logan says.
Vince stops at Craig and pats him on the back, pretending he’s going to hit him. I’m fairly sure Craig could get Vince in a chokehold in three seconds flat if he wanted to, but Craig is a good enough sport to play along. Then Vince tells Zoe what to get him and, without paying, struts over to us. The guy looks as if he just came out of the late eighties but forgot his Members Only jacket in his T-bird.
“The newlyweds!” Vince comes over to me, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek.
Remind me to wash that cheek when I get home.
He does some kind of man-hug thing with Logan before he sits in Craig’s spot. “So how is married life treating you guys?” Vince props one foot up on his other knee, leaning back as though he owns the place.
Logan glances at me, smiling wide, then back at Vince. “Great.”
“You’ve managed to stay out of the press, I see.”
“No one followed us up here. They must not know where to find us,” I say.
Vince rolls his eyes. “They know where you are. I just think a lot of people aren’t willing to come up here.”
Logan squeezes my hand. I’m starting to really dislike Vince.
I collect my things. “I should probably get going.”
“That’s for the best, because I have to talk to Logan about a few things.” Vince’s foot drops on the floor and he leans forward.
“I’m going to walk her out.” Logan stands and takes my hand.
“Didn’t mean to make you run off, Nik,” Vince says.
The fact he used my nickname grates on my last nerve.
“I have plenty of things to do. Have a great flight back.” I have no idea when he’s leaving, but I’m hoping it’s tonight.
“Oh, I’m staying until Logan goes back to Vegas. We have to go over some of the promotional things. You know, so he can keep his career thriving.”
I feel like according to Vince, we’re on opposing sides when it comes to Logan.
“Let’s just go.” Logan’s hand on the small of my back urges me out of the coffee shop.
Once we’re outside and the sun beams down on us, I sigh.
Logan places his finger under my chin and brings my face up to look at him. “Don’t give him a second thought. All he cares about is the money from the fight.”
I nod, lips pressed together tightly.
“I’m going to talk to him about the way he’s talking to you. It’s unacceptable, but I figured you didn’t want to be there when I did.”
He’s right. Not that I’m shy about confrontation, but Vince makes me feel like an unwanted distraction. Maybe to him, I am, but not to Logan.
“Can we talk tonight?” I ask. Everything in me is telling me to run before things fall apart, but this man is my husband, and I made a commitment to treat him as such. Which means communicating with him when I feel uneasy about what’s to come.
Logan tilts his head.
“Nothing big. Just you go back to Vegas soon and I want to see where we stand, get prepared for any changes.”
He places a light kiss to my lips. “You got it.”
“Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Nikki, I’m your husband.”
I sigh at his declaration. He really does take this seriously. “See you tonight.”
“See you.” He kisses me one more time.
I turn away, walking back toward the house. I wish I could get rid of this feeling in my gut that the happiness between us is about to be tested. As much as Logan has reassured me, I can’t shake it. Maybe there is something to listening to your gut like Logan says.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“We’re still dating, Mr. Stone.”
Logan
I walk back into The Grind, ready to give Vince a piece of my mind, but he’s on the phone, laughing with someone. When I sit down, Craig glances over and hurries to tell Zoe bye so he can join us. He can always tell when something’s wrong with me. Which happens with Vince a lot, at least these days.
Politely waiting for Vince to get off the phone, I wait until our eyes meet. He must see something in my face, because he sits up straighter and his laugh dies before he tells the person on the line that he has to call them back.
“Sorry, I got word about Dale Campbell looking for a manager,” Vince says.
I lean back in my chair. “So the rumor is true? You’re looking to take on someone else?” He opens his mouth, but before he can answer, I put up my hand. “First, let’s discuss the way you talk to my wife.”
“Wife?” He points at me then looks at Craig with an expression of ‘listen to this guy.’ “A little quick to be her protector.”
“Vince.” Craig shakes his head, but that won’t shut Vince up.
“She is my wife. We’re together.” I whisper so no one overhears us.
“Together? Of course you are. You came here on your fucking white horse and bought her a bunch of shit. We’ve been over this, Log, she’s using you.”
I inhale a deep breath and stand. “If you want to continue talking about this, we’re doing it somewhere else.”
I burst through the doors of The Grind, Vince and Craig right behind me. I don’t stop until I’m at the storefront I bought to reno for Nikki’s podcast. I’ve been working as much as I can on it without Nikki’s knowledge, and Craig has been helping me during our breaks. I took to heart what Hank said, and after he showed me a few things, I got started.
The three of us walk inside, and I tell the crew I hired to do the soundproofing—since I want it done right—to take a break. They leave, staring at all of us. They can probably tell that none of us are happy right now.
After they leave, I turn the lock on the door. “Vince, you’ve been my manager a long fucking time and I’d hate for our relationship to go south because you’re acting like a jealous girlfriend.”
He holds his hands in the air. “What’s this place?” he asks as if he didn’t hear me and looks around.
“It’s none of your business,” I say, then I get mad at myself because the hell with what he thinks. “Actually, this is a studio for Nikki to do her podcast.”
“You have to be shittin’ me. You bought her a place to do a podcast and you’re what, redoing it for her? A bit much, isn’t it?” He walks around as if he’s foreman of a construction crew.
“I want my wife to have the best. Nothing wrong with that.” I shrug.
He purses his lips. “What does this mean? Is this your home now? Alaska? Really, Log?”
I’ve yet to broach the subject with Nikki for fear she’ll push me away or I’ll say something that scares her. Things are good between us right now, and in reality, this studio will be hers whether our marriage survives or not. But I hope that I’m next door, training at the gym, while she’s recording her podcast and we meet back at our shared house for an afternoon quickie. Hell, I’ll take her in the back room here happily.