"I have my ways." She giggled.
I sat on the sofa bed, and she did the same. "How's Cam?"
Her smile was instant. "He's good. We're good."
"That's awesome."
"And you? What have you been doing? Where were you?"
I told her all about Doctors Without Borders and my time in Africa. I told her about Manny and Jamal. She gave me a warning look when I mentioned Rebekah. I laughed at her—she had no idea where my heart and head were. I even told her about Amuhda and her mom. Lucy, being Lucy, cried some more. "But they're okay?" she kept asking.
I kept assuring her they were.
Then I told her about the PTSD meds I was on.
She was quiet for a while, and then lifted her chin, as if gaining the courage to speak. "Logan, no one really knows what happened that night. I mean, no one's said anything. Jake and Kayla, they seem to know, but they won't say much. I know Jake's your best friend, but I thought I was your girl?" She grimaced, probably not wanting to bring up Amanda.
I held her hand. Lucy was special to me, she always had been. It's like the moment Cameron brought her into our circle, she saw through my bullshit and just saw me. "Ask anything you want, Lucy. There are no secrets between us. Ever."
She nodded, then quietly spoke, "Did you know them? Those bad people that did that to you?"
I laughed under my breath. She spoke like a ten year old. "Yes, well, two of them. One of them was my birth dad."
She gasped loudly.
"The other was Megan's ex-boyfriend."
She looked confused now.
"Megan, Micky's ex-best friend, the one that cheated with James?" I waited for her to understand. When she did, I continued. "She's my half-sister, from my birth dad's side, and—"
"Hold up." She raised her hand to my mouth. "What the fuck is happening right now?" Her eyes were huge, disbelieving. "Dude." She sucked in a breath and let it out in a huff. "Are you openly telling people this shit? Because you might want to wait until you let everyone know you're back so you can answer the eleventy-three questions we're all going to ask."
I threw my head back in laughter. "Eleventy-three?"
She rolled her eyes. "My brother, Lachlan, swears it's a thing."
Lachlan—the Amanda date assister.
She must've sensed what I was thinking because she squeezed my hand once, and then faced me. "Have you seen her?"
I nodded.
"She give you that fat lip?"
I’d forgotten I had it. "Yup."
She shrugged. "I'd probably do a lot worse."
"Yeah," I agreed.
"You miss her?"
"Every second, of every hour, of every day."
"Okay Nicholas Sparks," she joked, and elbowed me in the ribs.
I pretended to wince.
She paled instantly, panic clear on her face.
I tried to calm her down. "I'm just fucking with you, Lucy. Shit."
Her panicked eyes turned into a glare, directed right at me. "You're an asshole."
I chuckled. "So you've said."
Then all of a sudden, she turned serious. "I'm glad your back, Logan. I really am. But this time—you better be ready to fight for her. She doesn't deserve anything less."
***
I felt like I'd just run a marathon, with weights strapped to me, five times over. I’d thought that I maintained my fitness while I was gone, but all I really did was keep the muscle mass. My conditioning sucked ass.
I hopped off the treadmill and prepared to leave. Too busy fucking around with my phone, I didn't see the body I ran into, or the fist coming at my face, or the elbow to my stomach. "Oomph." I held my stomach with one had while the other tried to hold on to something, anything, to stop myself from falling to the floor. I didn't know what I was holding onto until it was too late. Boob. Shit. I quickly let go and tried to find my footing. Then a knee to my junk ruined me. I fell to my knees and face-planted. I couldn't breathe. My eyes began to water. I shut them tight. I couldn't let people see me cry. I'm not a fucking pussy.
A loud squeal pulled me from my thoughts. "Holy shit, Logan! I'm so sorry."
Amanda.
I slowly opened one eye, just in case her voice was a hallucination. She was on her knees, bending to look at my face. "Oh my God," she whispered, placing her hand on cheek. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh," I managed to get out.
She laughed.
Fucking laughed.
"Not funny," I told her.
She grimaced. "I'm sorry. You grabbed a handful of boob, I panicked."
"And before that?"
"I just—I don't know."
Some guy jogged up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," she told him, but her eyes never left me.
"Is this guy bothering you?"
"What the hell?" I spat out. "I'm the one on the fucking floor, here."
He glared at me, his eyes narrowed. "Amanda, you need me to call security on this asshole?"
"Come the fuck on," I groaned, struggling to sit up. "Obviously, I'm not the threat, but please . . . go ahead and call security on Kung Fu Ninja here." I pointed to Amanda.
Her eyes were huge. She was in as much shock as I was in pain.
Asshole didn't respond, just stared at her tits and asked her if she was okay. She confirmed she was, and he left.
"That asshole was looking at your tits," I informed her.
She rolled her eyes. "At least he wasn't grabbing them."
"Valid."
She held her hand out for me and helped me to my feet. I stood, my body bent at my waist, holding onto my nuts, as if that was going to somehow make it all better. She placed her hand on my arm and led me to a chair nearby where I took a seat. Standing in front of me, she lifted my chin with her fingers. Her thumb stroked under my eye a few times. "Does it hurt?" She bit her lip, anticipating my answer.
My hand reached out to touch her leg. The action was supposed to be soothing, but it had the opposite effect. Her eyes widened slightly and her breath caught. She didn't pull back, and she didn't stop me. I spread my legs and gripped hers tighter, begging her to come closer.
She did.
Her hand stayed on my face as she leaned in close, inspecting it. "Shit, Logan. It's going to bruise."
I shook my head. My eyes never left hers. "It's fine. Don't even worry about it."
"I keep hurting you."
"I keep deserving it."
She smiled. My gaze drifted down to her mouth.
She wet her lips. "Don't you dare kiss me," she warned.
I chuckled. "I wasn't planning on it."
Lie.
I took a chance and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her down until she was sitting on my leg. Her arm wrapped around my neck. I breathed out, relieved. She was letting me have this, and I sure as shit wasn't going to question it. I saw her eyes focus on my lips. "You want me to, don't you?"
"Huh?" Her eyes snapped up.
"You want me to kiss you?"
I sat on the sofa bed, and she did the same. "How's Cam?"
Her smile was instant. "He's good. We're good."
"That's awesome."
"And you? What have you been doing? Where were you?"
I told her all about Doctors Without Borders and my time in Africa. I told her about Manny and Jamal. She gave me a warning look when I mentioned Rebekah. I laughed at her—she had no idea where my heart and head were. I even told her about Amuhda and her mom. Lucy, being Lucy, cried some more. "But they're okay?" she kept asking.
I kept assuring her they were.
Then I told her about the PTSD meds I was on.
She was quiet for a while, and then lifted her chin, as if gaining the courage to speak. "Logan, no one really knows what happened that night. I mean, no one's said anything. Jake and Kayla, they seem to know, but they won't say much. I know Jake's your best friend, but I thought I was your girl?" She grimaced, probably not wanting to bring up Amanda.
I held her hand. Lucy was special to me, she always had been. It's like the moment Cameron brought her into our circle, she saw through my bullshit and just saw me. "Ask anything you want, Lucy. There are no secrets between us. Ever."
She nodded, then quietly spoke, "Did you know them? Those bad people that did that to you?"
I laughed under my breath. She spoke like a ten year old. "Yes, well, two of them. One of them was my birth dad."
She gasped loudly.
"The other was Megan's ex-boyfriend."
She looked confused now.
"Megan, Micky's ex-best friend, the one that cheated with James?" I waited for her to understand. When she did, I continued. "She's my half-sister, from my birth dad's side, and—"
"Hold up." She raised her hand to my mouth. "What the fuck is happening right now?" Her eyes were huge, disbelieving. "Dude." She sucked in a breath and let it out in a huff. "Are you openly telling people this shit? Because you might want to wait until you let everyone know you're back so you can answer the eleventy-three questions we're all going to ask."
I threw my head back in laughter. "Eleventy-three?"
She rolled her eyes. "My brother, Lachlan, swears it's a thing."
Lachlan—the Amanda date assister.
She must've sensed what I was thinking because she squeezed my hand once, and then faced me. "Have you seen her?"
I nodded.
"She give you that fat lip?"
I’d forgotten I had it. "Yup."
She shrugged. "I'd probably do a lot worse."
"Yeah," I agreed.
"You miss her?"
"Every second, of every hour, of every day."
"Okay Nicholas Sparks," she joked, and elbowed me in the ribs.
I pretended to wince.
She paled instantly, panic clear on her face.
I tried to calm her down. "I'm just fucking with you, Lucy. Shit."
Her panicked eyes turned into a glare, directed right at me. "You're an asshole."
I chuckled. "So you've said."
Then all of a sudden, she turned serious. "I'm glad your back, Logan. I really am. But this time—you better be ready to fight for her. She doesn't deserve anything less."
***
I felt like I'd just run a marathon, with weights strapped to me, five times over. I’d thought that I maintained my fitness while I was gone, but all I really did was keep the muscle mass. My conditioning sucked ass.
I hopped off the treadmill and prepared to leave. Too busy fucking around with my phone, I didn't see the body I ran into, or the fist coming at my face, or the elbow to my stomach. "Oomph." I held my stomach with one had while the other tried to hold on to something, anything, to stop myself from falling to the floor. I didn't know what I was holding onto until it was too late. Boob. Shit. I quickly let go and tried to find my footing. Then a knee to my junk ruined me. I fell to my knees and face-planted. I couldn't breathe. My eyes began to water. I shut them tight. I couldn't let people see me cry. I'm not a fucking pussy.
A loud squeal pulled me from my thoughts. "Holy shit, Logan! I'm so sorry."
Amanda.
I slowly opened one eye, just in case her voice was a hallucination. She was on her knees, bending to look at my face. "Oh my God," she whispered, placing her hand on cheek. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh," I managed to get out.
She laughed.
Fucking laughed.
"Not funny," I told her.
She grimaced. "I'm sorry. You grabbed a handful of boob, I panicked."
"And before that?"
"I just—I don't know."
Some guy jogged up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," she told him, but her eyes never left me.
"Is this guy bothering you?"
"What the hell?" I spat out. "I'm the one on the fucking floor, here."
He glared at me, his eyes narrowed. "Amanda, you need me to call security on this asshole?"
"Come the fuck on," I groaned, struggling to sit up. "Obviously, I'm not the threat, but please . . . go ahead and call security on Kung Fu Ninja here." I pointed to Amanda.
Her eyes were huge. She was in as much shock as I was in pain.
Asshole didn't respond, just stared at her tits and asked her if she was okay. She confirmed she was, and he left.
"That asshole was looking at your tits," I informed her.
She rolled her eyes. "At least he wasn't grabbing them."
"Valid."
She held her hand out for me and helped me to my feet. I stood, my body bent at my waist, holding onto my nuts, as if that was going to somehow make it all better. She placed her hand on my arm and led me to a chair nearby where I took a seat. Standing in front of me, she lifted my chin with her fingers. Her thumb stroked under my eye a few times. "Does it hurt?" She bit her lip, anticipating my answer.
My hand reached out to touch her leg. The action was supposed to be soothing, but it had the opposite effect. Her eyes widened slightly and her breath caught. She didn't pull back, and she didn't stop me. I spread my legs and gripped hers tighter, begging her to come closer.
She did.
Her hand stayed on my face as she leaned in close, inspecting it. "Shit, Logan. It's going to bruise."
I shook my head. My eyes never left hers. "It's fine. Don't even worry about it."
"I keep hurting you."
"I keep deserving it."
She smiled. My gaze drifted down to her mouth.
She wet her lips. "Don't you dare kiss me," she warned.
I chuckled. "I wasn't planning on it."
Lie.
I took a chance and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her down until she was sitting on my leg. Her arm wrapped around my neck. I breathed out, relieved. She was letting me have this, and I sure as shit wasn't going to question it. I saw her eyes focus on my lips. "You want me to, don't you?"
"Huh?" Her eyes snapped up.
"You want me to kiss you?"
