She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse as he fell in step with her.
When she got in her car, he held his hand on the door so she couldn’t open it. “You don’t have to go,” he rasped out, looking down at her, his expression miserable.
“This isn’t about you, I promise. I’m just really stressed out. And I don’t want to cry in front of your parents.” She was already embarrassed enough about leaving right now. She felt like an emotional wreck and could only imagine how crazy they would think she was.
“Trust me, they’ll understand. But I don’t want you to leave.” There was so much longing in his expression, but she knew that if she stayed, things would just get worse.
She couldn’t paste on a fake smile tonight, and he wasn’t going to let this go. “I’ll text you when I get home.”
Jaw tight, he stepped back, his expression unreadable as she got into the driver’s seat.
She hated leaving but right now she knew it was the best thing to do. For both of them.
As she pulled out of the driveway, she forced herself not to look back at Logan. She felt like a big pile of crap right now, and looking at him was only going to make it worse. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but everything had gone wrong, had gotten so damn twisted so quickly.
She probably shouldn’t have reacted the way she had, but him telling her that he loved her and wanted to marry her in a tiny bathroom directly after she’d told him she might be pregnant had felt so fake and forced. She knew he cared for her, but love and marriage were a big step.
When she got married or if they ever got to the point where they admitted they loved each other, she wanted it to mean something. And she didn’t want it to be because of obligation.
She wanted it to be real, to be his number one priority. Not something he said out of pity or charity.
As she turned out of his neighborhood, her phone rang. For an instant her heart leapt when she thought it was him calling her. Yes, she’d told him she needed space, but she was still human.
When she saw Sierra’s number on the screen instead, she contemplated not answering only because of where her headspace was. But she missed talking to her friend. She pressed the call system on her car. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Hey yourself. I heard you guys are home free. I miss you and wanted to see when we can get together.”
“Oh, I don’t know, anytime is great.” For some reason her voice cracked.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything.” She ordered herself to stop crying but it was too late. And Sierra was one of her best friends. If she couldn’t be vulnerable with her friends, then what was the point?
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m headed home.”
“Well Hayden got called into work last minute. Some security issue. He’s going to be there all night and probably most of tomorrow. You want to come over and have a girls’ night?”
“This feels a little made up and a lot like pity.”
Sierra snorted. “I’m not making it up. He really is gone. And it’s definitely not pity. We have so many leftover desserts from Christmas. Come save me from myself.”
“Come save you from all the desserts you baked?” she asked laughingly even as she turned back in the direction of Sierra’s house. The thought of going home was too depressing.
“Absolutely. I’m completely out of control. So that’s a yes?”
“Yes. I’m headed that way already. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
As they disconnected, she felt a little bit better. But not much. Grace felt lost and there were too many things out of her control right now. Like the fact that she might be having a baby.
For now at least, she was going to drown herself in desserts and sugar and try not to obsess over the argument she and Logan had just had.
Chapter 21
“Are you moping out here?” Taylor plopped down in the seat next to Logan as he stared out at his pool.
He had a beer on the table next to him that he hadn’t touched in the last twenty minutes so it was likely lukewarm by now. He didn’t care. “Just relaxing.” That was a lie, but what else was he going to say? That he was feeling sorry for himself? Grace had texted him a while ago to let him know she was at Sierra’s and would be staying there for the night.
Even though the threat was gone, it still made him feel better to know she wasn’t alone tonight. He just wished that they were together, that he was in her bed. Or she was in his. No, he wished they’d never gotten into an argument at all.
“Talk to me, goose.”
He snorted and looked over at his sister-in-law, a woman who’d been a godsend for his serious brother. “You’re feeling chatty tonight.”
“It’s all the eggnog. It’s gone to my head. Come on, what’s going on? I know you and Grace had a fight or something. No way she would have left like that otherwise.”
“Or something.” His mom hadn’t said a word about it to anyone and he’d made an excuse about Grace having to hurry off.
“Come on,” Taylor continued. “I also got a text from Sierra telling me Grace is over there and crying.”
“She’s crying?” Now he felt like shit. Well, even more so.
“I doubt you made her cry. So what’s up?”
“I know I can trust you with anything,” he said. It was true; his sister-in-law was like a vault. His brother had gotten incredibly lucky finding her. And the two complemented each other in a way Logan had never thought he would have for himself. Until he’d met Grace. “But I’m going to preface this by saying we are in a trust circle right now.”
She giggled slightly. “A trust circle? Seriously?”
“Grace uses the phrase at work.” She’d used it once with him, then explained how she used it with the kids at school. Nothing left the trust circle.
“I know, I’m just messing with you. So what’s up?”
He filled her in on the brief version of everything that had transpired in the bathroom. He also ignored her little winces as he talked. “So what’s the verdict?” he asked once he’d finished.
“Look, there’s no bad guy right now. You guys had your first official argument. You’re just getting to a different and new place in your relationship. And telling a woman that you love her and want to marry her because she thinks she’s pregnant? I mean, I get the thought process behind it because I know you, but…a bathroom probably wasn’t the best place to drop all that on her. She’s very likely trying to process that she might be pregnant. Not to mention you guys just went through a whole lot with that guy literally trying to kill you. Multiple times. And it just happened.”
He turned away and looked back out at the pool. “I know. I know it in my head. I just… I meant everything I said.” He looked over at Taylor to see her reaction. Because yeah, he loved Grace. And she hadn’t believed him. That struck deep.
Taylor didn’t look surprised at all as she took a sip of her eggnog. “I know,” she said, setting the glass on the table between them. “I’ve also known Grace a long time. Her ex really messed with her self-esteem. And I know you don’t know her and her mom together, but let me tell you her mom is a piece of work too. Grace will never say the words, but it’s like she doesn’t feel worthy of being loved. I guarantee she didn’t believe you when you told her that you love her.”