Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“That’s not exactly right,” Logan says after a pause, his voice calm. “You’ve got some of it right. Emma and I slept together that night.”
Dad surges forward like he’s going to hit Logan. It’s such a sudden change, so different from how he usually behaves. It’s like the pressure has been building within him and finally erupted.
“Michael, honey,” Mom yells, pulling him back.
Dad breathes through gritted teeth. He’s staring at Logan like, if Mom let him go, he’d spring at him as if by some reflexive action. The spirit of fatherly protection would take hold of him, and it doesn’t matter if Logan is bigger and fitter. It would be an ugly fight if Logan dared to hurt Dad, which he wouldn’t.
My head is a mess. Logan sighs. His voice is bleak. “You can hit me if you want. Sometimes, I think I deserve it.”
“What would you do if it was your daughter?”
“That’s the point, Dad,” I say passionately, finally finding my voice. “Logan’s going to feel exactly what you’re feeling now. That sense of protection… of, of love.” I’m almost crying, but I can’t break down. Dad will soften if he sees me crying. He always has. I won’t do that to him now. “I’m… I mean, Logan and me… You’re going to be a grandfather!”
I blurt it out. This isn’t how I planned to say it, but that’s life. Plans are always difficult to rely on. You can have as many charts, tactics, and drills as you want, but eventually, you have to take a shot.
Dad takes a step back, almost stumbling like the news has physically collided with him. “You’re… pregnant.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Michael
Angela’s arms are wrapped reassuringly around me. I can feel how torn she is. I can feel it pouring out of her. From the small looks and things, she seems to be on Emma’s side, the gestures that become wordless communication over years of marriage. My chest hurts from it all. I’ve never been a strong man. Hopefully, I’ve been a good one. Just maybe not right now.
Emma nods, my little girl seeming suddenly a fully grown woman. Her eyes shine with tears, but she’s bravely holding them back. A memory slams into me and chokes me up. “I’m not hurt, D-Daddy,” with a cut on her knee.
Logan stands just behind her. It’s easy to see him as a kid, too, his hair across his face, almost feral-looking. Once, at school, somebody called him stray and shoved his face into his lunch. Stray dog because he was so lean and raggedy, but that’s not the case anymore.
“You’re pregnant,” I repeat, and Angela registers no surprise. She knew, then. Of course, Emma would tell her first. Angela’s always been the best mother.
“Shall I make some coffee? Or tea?” she says, giving me a look. She’s asking if I’m going to freak out again, but I feel too stunned. Life is simple when focusing on work, contracts, supplies, and building connections.
I nod, walk over to the table, and sit in a patch of sunlight. My bones are starting to ache. I am forty-one years old, and I’ve worked almost every day for years just for some punks to come along and take advantage of me. It’s a funny feeling to go from fiercely liking and respecting Logan for what he did to doubting every interaction we’ve had.
Emma and Logan sit opposite me, both of them seeming awkward. Emma’s cheeks are red. She truly is glowing. It’s like we’ve always talked about, but with Edouard? A celebrity. We’ve never talked about his love life, but one looks at the news shows and how celebrities jump from woman to woman.
“It’s not what you think,” Logan says, leaning forward. He’s always had the same look in his eyes ever since he was a kid, almost like he’s apologizing for being stronger than me, a better player. But it’s not pity. It’s never been that. I’ve never felt that. “Michel, we had a one-night stand.”
My fists clench under the table. It’s weirdly… primal? Is that the word? It’s like my instincts are telling me to jump him, fight him, even if he helped me. I don’t give a damn.
“But I didn’t want it to be a one-night stand,” he says. “I panicked. I walked out. The truth is, I wanted to propose to her right there.”
In the main kitchen area, Angela gasps. I know that gasp. She’s bubbling up excitedly, but she isn’t sure how I feel yet. However, I don’t even have to ask her how she feels.
“In fact,” Logan clears his throat, “the first time I saw your daughter in the background of our video chats, I fell in love with her.”
Emma is looking at me, unable to fight the tears anymore. They flow down her cheeks. She opens her mouth, and I can see the emotion working its way up her neck. She’s going to say she felt the same. She loves him, too.