That was good. That was smart, giving Logan time to adjust.
I was looking at Ian thinking it was a shame he didn’t have children. I bet he would’ve been a good dad.
“Why the serious faces?” Dee asked as she joined us on the patio. “Oh, darn it to heck, I forgot my wine.”
Dee turned to go back into the house when Ian called out, “Come sit down, sweetheart. I’ll get it.”
Dee turned back and smiled so huge it split her face.
And it hit me, something that Logan had said to me way back at Drake and Liberty’s wedding.
A man doesn’t let his woman get her own drink and he sure as fuck doesn’t let her get his. He makes sure her ass is sitting and enjoying herself then he goes and gets her a drink.
We’d been arguing about Guy and why I was at the bar getting a drink instead of sitting with my friends while Guy got them. The truth was, Guy had offered, but I saw Logan at the bar. My errand was two-fold—keep Guy as far away from Logan as possible and find an excuse for me to be close to him. Since the day Logan came to work for TC I’d found a multitude of excuses to be near him.
“Do you like to furniture shop?” Dee asked bizarrely.
I wasn’t sure where she was going with her question so I answered with one of my own, “Um. I guess?”
“The girls report that Logan has a couch, a TV, a bed in his room, and a lumpy old bed in his guest room. No other furniture. I was hoping you could talk him into furnishing his home so the next time I visit I can stay with my son and not in a hotel.”
Oh, boy. When that happened I hoped she came solo, or Logan’s attitude would redline at the thought of Ian staying at his house.
“I didn’t raise that boy to eat sitting on the couch. That was a rule in our home—food stays in the dining room only. No eating in the living room or bedrooms. Besides, it’s rude to have your girlfriend over and not have a table to offer her to sit at.”
Oh, shit.
“Dee…” I started, needing to explain that Logan wasn’t my boyfriend. But I stopped because I couldn’t very well tell her that her son and I had a friendly sex arrangement.
I was back to wanting to strangle Logan.
“We spend most of our time at my house. Actually, I’ve never even been to Logan’s house.”
Yeah, and that kind of stung admitting that.
“You’ve never been to his house?”
“We’ve only been seeing each other a week. We’re very…” I was stammering like an idiot. I was so going to choke Logan. “We’re new.”
Dee blinked, then blinked again, then smiled hugely.
“I never would’ve guessed, the way you two behave. You’re very attuned to my son.”
“We’ve known each other a while. But he and I being together just started.”
“It might’ve just started, but it doesn’t change the fact that you put him at ease. He looks to you to calm himself. A touchstone if you will. I like that he’s found that in you. He’s never had that. Someone who he can look to when he’s anxious. And someone who will pinch him when he’s getting ready to open his mouth and be rude.”
Damn. I had indeed pinched Logan. Twice when I felt him getting ready to say something obnoxious. But I thought I’d been stealthy about it. Apparently, I had not been.
My face flamed hot and suddenly the water in the hot tub felt like it was boiling my skin.
“You caught that, huh?”
“A mother, she worries about her children. Being a parent doesn’t stop when your child turns eighteen. It’s a job that lasts the rest of your life. After what happened to my family, I was most worried about Logan. He endured the most to protect his sisters. He saw more. He felt more. I worried his childhood would jade him, and I was right to worry. It has. I never thought my son wouldn’t allow himself to find love. Yet, he has, and now he’s struggling with what to do with it. He is not what his father showed him. Logan would never hurt you.”
I was caught on the part where she thought her son was in love with me. Which he wasn’t and I needed to disabuse that notion before Dee got her hopes up. But first, there was something more important to address.
“I say this with respect, Dee, but I know Logan. And from everything I’ve heard about his father, he is nothing like him. As a matter of fact, he is the opposite in every way. Logan is a protector. Not only would he never raise a hand to me or any woman, but he’d also put himself between me and anyone who tried to harm me. He knows I’m not afraid of him and he knows this. He also doesn’t believe me because he doesn’t trust himself. He thinks that deep down a monster lurks. And there is nothing you or I or anyone can say to him to convince him otherwise. It is something he has to figure out on his own.”
“Yes, you know my son well.”
“I do. I know him to be a brave man, one with honor and integrity. I also know he’s as stubborn as the day is long.”
“Pool time!” Jill shouted and ran across the patio.
Her cannonball into the pool had Dee shaking her head. But the smile on her face told the real story. She adored her children.
“I swear that girl never left her teen years. She’s just as wild now as she was back then. Drove Logan insane. Jill has no fear. Jackie at least exhibits some common sense. Thank God for Lucy; she’s my level-headed one.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet her.”
“Next time,” Dee declared.
I didn’t inform her there probably wouldn’t be a next time. I was too busy swallowing the lump in my throat. Damn Logan, why’d he have to introduce me to his family? Why’d they all have to be so nice and welcoming? Why did I wish with my whole heart that there’d be a next time, and a time after that, and a time after that?
17
Fuck. I was going to do it.
The women were all in the pool. Ian was sitting in a lounger next to me, the only thing that separated the chairs was a small wooden table. And I was going to initiate conversation.
Fuck.
“My sisters told me you own a security firm.”
Of course, I didn’t tell him, my background check confirmed this information.
I didn’t need years of training to see the way Ian’s shoulders tensed, and the tic in his jaw didn’t go unnoticed, either. Nor was he attempting to conceal his surprise that I was speaking to him.
To his credit, he answered, “Yes. I fell into the business by accident. I started off writing software for some of the larger alarm companies. Years ago a friend of mine ran into some financial issues and needed someone to bail him out. I offered him the capital but I wanted a percentage of the company as collateral. The arrangement worked well until he wanted to retire. I had a good amount of money tied up in the company and it was finally profitable so I bought the business from him. The problem was I didn’t know anything about alarm systems, the equipment, or how to install them. I knew how to write software and how to monitor the systems in place. My friend stayed with the company for a year after I bought him out while I went out on every call with our installers. He didn’t actually retire until I learned what I needed to know to oversee that part of the corporation. And even then, I hired someone to manage the installs.”