spent
getting to know each other.
As
Logan went about his daily tasks, the word 'family' popped into his head
several times and he had to forcibly push it away. Jayna and CJ would never be
his family. He didn’t want them to be his family. There was no room for
that nonsense in his life. It didn’t really matter how much he loved her
kisses, the stroke of her hand over his excited, heated flesh, or the look in
her eyes when he made her smile. But most of all he loved the time they spent
taking care of CJ together. At just over a week old, the little boy was more
and more aware every day and watching him change was amazing, like nothing he
had ever witnessed before.
On
their fourth night in the cabin, they settled in to watch a movie. Dylan’s
stash of family-friendly movies had been uncovered in a living room cabinet.
And as had become habit over the last few days, Logan sat with his back against
the headboard with Jayna sitting between his legs, her back resting on his
chest. CJ slept peacefully in the mini-crib.
When
the movie froze right at the beginning, neither of them wanted to fiddle with
the disk or the DVD player so they turned it off and sat together enjoying the
sounds of the night coming in from outside.
“Logan,
can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,
I guess,” he said hesitantly. He had a feeling she was going to ask about
something he wasn’t all that willing to talk about.
“Why
don’t you believe in marriage and family?”
Logan felt like groaning out loud, but he just sighed instead. “I’ve learned that
love brings devastation to people.”
“Who
hurt you that badly?” she murmured. “She must have been someone you loved a
lot.”
Logan was quiet for a while, debating how much to tell her. Part of him wanted to
confess everything but part of him wanted to push her away and run. “It wasn’t
a woman,” he finally admitted. And then the whole story came out – about his
brother Ben’s love story, his brother Russell’s disastrous marriage and Dylan’s
unrequited love for his childhood friend Nicoletta and subsequent playboy ways.
Jayna
was shocked and stunned. How did a person get over something like that? How
could she prove to him what was wrong with his way of thinking? She had no
delusions that he would ever be hers, but someday she hoped he could have his
own family. He would be a wonderful husband and father, and it wouldn’t be fair
if he missed out on that. “I’m sorry about your brother,” she finally said. “I
can’t even imagine what he must have gone through.”
“Me
either,” he whispered, kissing her temple. Keeping his lips off of her was near
impossible no matter how much he knew he should. “Hey, I’m hungry, do you want
a snack?” he asked, moving from behind her.
“Yeah,”
she answered. “And a soda please.”
“Sure,
I’ll be right back.”
Jayna
heard the microwave open and close and the sound of popcorn starting to pop.
The bed vibrated beneath her right hip and she shifted to the left to see what
was causing it. The prepaid phone was lying there, it must have fallen out
Loan’s pocket. She recognized the grocery store’s number.
**********
A
tall, well-built man, wearing a black suit walked into Harper’s Rock grocery
and studied everything that was going on around him. He didn’t see any of the
managers milling around at the moment so he walked calmly up to the teenaged
cashier at register one. “Miss, my car broke down out there and my cell phone
is dead. May I use the phone to call a tow truck?”
“Sure!”
she gushed with a big smile. “I’m just closing down. Help yourself." She
pointed to the phone next to the register and walked away. The man picked up
the receiver and dialed the number he had written on a piece of scrap paper.
“Hello,”
came a female voice.
“Yes
ma’am, is Logan there?”
“I’m
sorry, he’s busy at the moment. Can I take a message?”
“Oh,
just tell him that there was a problem
getting to know each other.
As
Logan went about his daily tasks, the word 'family' popped into his head
several times and he had to forcibly push it away. Jayna and CJ would never be
his family. He didn’t want them to be his family. There was no room for
that nonsense in his life. It didn’t really matter how much he loved her
kisses, the stroke of her hand over his excited, heated flesh, or the look in
her eyes when he made her smile. But most of all he loved the time they spent
taking care of CJ together. At just over a week old, the little boy was more
and more aware every day and watching him change was amazing, like nothing he
had ever witnessed before.
On
their fourth night in the cabin, they settled in to watch a movie. Dylan’s
stash of family-friendly movies had been uncovered in a living room cabinet.
And as had become habit over the last few days, Logan sat with his back against
the headboard with Jayna sitting between his legs, her back resting on his
chest. CJ slept peacefully in the mini-crib.
When
the movie froze right at the beginning, neither of them wanted to fiddle with
the disk or the DVD player so they turned it off and sat together enjoying the
sounds of the night coming in from outside.
“Logan,
can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,
I guess,” he said hesitantly. He had a feeling she was going to ask about
something he wasn’t all that willing to talk about.
“Why
don’t you believe in marriage and family?”
Logan felt like groaning out loud, but he just sighed instead. “I’ve learned that
love brings devastation to people.”
“Who
hurt you that badly?” she murmured. “She must have been someone you loved a
lot.”
Logan was quiet for a while, debating how much to tell her. Part of him wanted to
confess everything but part of him wanted to push her away and run. “It wasn’t
a woman,” he finally admitted. And then the whole story came out – about his
brother Ben’s love story, his brother Russell’s disastrous marriage and Dylan’s
unrequited love for his childhood friend Nicoletta and subsequent playboy ways.
Jayna
was shocked and stunned. How did a person get over something like that? How
could she prove to him what was wrong with his way of thinking? She had no
delusions that he would ever be hers, but someday she hoped he could have his
own family. He would be a wonderful husband and father, and it wouldn’t be fair
if he missed out on that. “I’m sorry about your brother,” she finally said. “I
can’t even imagine what he must have gone through.”
“Me
either,” he whispered, kissing her temple. Keeping his lips off of her was near
impossible no matter how much he knew he should. “Hey, I’m hungry, do you want
a snack?” he asked, moving from behind her.
“Yeah,”
she answered. “And a soda please.”
“Sure,
I’ll be right back.”
Jayna
heard the microwave open and close and the sound of popcorn starting to pop.
The bed vibrated beneath her right hip and she shifted to the left to see what
was causing it. The prepaid phone was lying there, it must have fallen out
Loan’s pocket. She recognized the grocery store’s number.
**********
A
tall, well-built man, wearing a black suit walked into Harper’s Rock grocery
and studied everything that was going on around him. He didn’t see any of the
managers milling around at the moment so he walked calmly up to the teenaged
cashier at register one. “Miss, my car broke down out there and my cell phone
is dead. May I use the phone to call a tow truck?”
“Sure!”
she gushed with a big smile. “I’m just closing down. Help yourself." She
pointed to the phone next to the register and walked away. The man picked up
the receiver and dialed the number he had written on a piece of scrap paper.
“Hello,”
came a female voice.
“Yes
ma’am, is Logan there?”
“I’m
sorry, he’s busy at the moment. Can I take a message?”
“Oh,
just tell him that there was a problem
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