Logan by Melissa Schroeder Page B

Paris. That seemed to be going off without a glitch.  
    She was up in their room napping, so he casually looked through the papers on her desk and found her journal.  
    “Mum says looking at personal things without permission is bad,” Jack said from behind him. Callum almost dropped the book, then turned to face the boy.  
    “Tis different with married couples.”  
    The boy looked unfazed by that argument.  
    “Something’s bothering her.”  
    Jack nodded and sat on the couch. “She’s so tired. And she feels the weight of carrying secrets.”  
    Callum sighed. “Yes.”  
    “Still isn’t right that you’re going through her things.”  
    Bloody hell, the kid was like a dog with a bone about things like this. And he was going to have a long talk with Maggie when she got back. He was Laird and Lairds ruled.  
    “You do not run a real Clan anymore, Sir Callum.”  
    He shook his head and couldn’t fight the smile. “No, not really. But…”  
    Wait, why was he explaining himself to the child? Because he mattered. It was that simple. He was part of his Clan now, and he needed to let him know why it was important.  
    “She’s worried, and I believe she’s keeping something from me, trying to protect me.”  
    Jack nodded. “And you want to ease that.”  
    It was hard to believe he was just a boy. He spoke with more sense than most adults.  
    “What the devil is going on here?”  
    Phoebe stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips. She was smiling until her gaze came to rest on the journal.  
    “I didn’t read it,” Callum said.  
    The color seemed to drain from her face, and he rushed forward to help her.  
    “I’m okay,” she said, somewhat breathlessly. He helped her to the sofa. Jack popped up immediately, so that she could lay down. Once she was settled, he leaned over her, his face within inches of hers.  
    “You must tell him. Holding secrets will be bad for you and the next laird. Be brave.”  
    Then, he nodded at Callum and left them alone.  
    He sat on the table in front of the sofa and waited. She’d closed her eyes and when he saw the tears, his worry turned into panic.  
    “Phoebe, love, tell me. It can’t be all that bad.”  
    She opened her eyes. Unshed tears shimmered in her eyes. “Oh, but it is Callum. I didn’t want to tell you. Any of you.”  
    “Is it the baby?”  
    “No. Here, let me have the journal.”  
    He did as she requested, and she opened it to a page. Without a word, she handed him the book back. He read the passage and everything in him went cold.  
    He looked at her. The tears were now streaming down her face. “You see. I could not tell you. You have so much to bear, and I couldn’t add to that.”  
    “Oh, love, you are never a burden. And this…well, what were you planning on doing? Just not telling us?”  
    “What good would it do? Will it actually make anything change?”  
    He shook his head. “No, but we have a right.”  
    She sat up and grasped his arms. “Don’t you see, though? Everyone must have a helper, a mate. Or that’s what I am thinking. There is no going back, but we would be damning anyone if we do not succeed. Do you think Logan, Fletcher or Anice would do that?”  
    He cupped her face. “Love, know this. No matter what I thought would happen, nothing in the world would have kept me from loving you. Not even a passage that said I could lose you if I tried to break the curse. And the truth is, maybe we need this to push us even more. It is no longer about breaking our curse, it is about the ones we love.”  
    “Callum…”  
    He shook his head. “No. We tell the others.”  
    “Now?”  
    “No. We wait until the others get back.”  
    “But what about Logan and Meg?”  
    He found a smile. “Love, Logan is lost, has been since the two of them got in the vicinity of each other. He’s just fighting it.”  
    Callum leaned down and kissed her, then pulled back to rest his