“What about the mom? You said it was casual. Does that mean you’re not a thing?”
Logan shook his head. “I asked her to marry me. She said no.”
Gray started to laugh.
“What?” Logan asked, his jaw twitching.
“One minute you’re telling me you don’t know what to do, that this thing was casual. The next minute you’re saying you asked her to marry you. I’m getting whiplash, bro.”
“Join the club,” Logan muttered. “It felt like the right thing to do.” He swallowed. “She’s a widow. People are gonna talk. And it’s my fault she’s in this situation.”
“You can’t marry her because you feel guilty.”
“Yeah, well your point is moot, because she told me no.”
“She sounds like a wise woman.”
Logan swallowed, thinking of the way she’d looked as she’d walked away from him. Her hair tumbling over her back, her hips swinging. “She’s good people.”
“You told anybody else about the pregnancy?” Gray asked him.
“Just you. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anybody else apart from Maddie.”
“Your secret is safe with us.” Gray propped his chin on his hand. “And just try to slow down for a minute, okay? Stop making grand gestures and really think about how you’re gonna make this work. You’re gonna be a dad, and it’s the most amazing, frightening, and overwhelming thing you’ll ever do.” Gray’s lips twitched. “Apart from falling in love.”
Logan finished his beer, putting the brown bottle back onto the counter, and let his head fall back until he was staring at the ceiling. It was overwhelming. And frightening. Amazing? Well that remained to be seen.
“You’re gonna be a good dad,” Gray told him. “I know you are.”
Logan tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. Because they both knew Gray was lying. He was going to be shit at this relationship, the same way he was with all his others. Except this time, a little piece of him was gonna get hurt.
Yet, he wanted to try. Because that little baby growing inside Courtney Roberts was his. It had half his genes, half his history. And he owed it to that child to be the best father he could possibly be.
“Yeah, well I’m gonna do my best.”
Gray slapped his back. “Well, congratulations. This time next year, Pres and Marley will have a little cousin hanging around.” Gray grinned. “And if you’re lucky, there’ll only be one of them.”
“Twins?” Logan’s eyes widened. “Shit, no. No thank you.”
“Sorry to tell you, but you don’t get a choice about that either. Ask me how I know.”
“Yeah, well Cam and I thank you for taking one for the team. Two sets of twins is enough for any family.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed there’s just one heartbeat.”
“Are you trying to get my blood pressure up?” Logan asked him.
Gray grinned. “Nope. I think you’re doing just fine with that all on your own.”
Later that night, Logan lay in the guest room, tossing and turning in the strange bed as he fruitlessly tried to fall asleep.
Maybe this whole thing could actually work out.
Yeah, there were complications. He and Courtney would have to work out a custody schedule where the baby could spend time with him in Boston as well as here in Hartson’s Creek. But Logan thrived on solving complicated situations. It was how he’d built his restaurant empire. He saw them as problems to be solved, and there was always a solution, even if he had to search to find it.
This was no different.
Yeah, at first he’d felt afraid and completely out of whack. But that was because he hadn’t expected anything like this at all. He’d never even considered having a family. Hadn’t met the right woman.
But he had met Courtney. And maybe, just maybe, this was always meant to be.
He turned onto his side, his eyes closed as he remembered her pale face when she’d told him about her pregnancy. It had probably reflected his own. He’d felt anxious and scared, as though his life was being tipped on its head without his permission.
But now he felt more relaxed. Talking to Gray and being with his family had made him that way. And knowing that he was back in control of his life.
He’d make this work. And he’d be a better father than his own dad had ever been. After their mom died, their dad had barely paid them any attention. Too mired up in his own grief and hurt to realize his children were in pain, too. He was selfish in his grief, and he’d never recovered from the loss.
Thank god they’d had Aunt Gina to take care of them. His mother’s sister had moved into the house as soon as she could, hugging and taking care of her nephews and niece the best way she could.
And that’s how Logan knew that families didn’t have to be perfect. They didn’t have to be whole, even. A child just needed to be loved, taken care of. That was something he could do. Even at a distance.
If that meant spending more time with Courtney? He wasn’t sure if that was a bonus or a penance. The blood shooting through his veins told him it was probably a bit of both.
Chapter Twelve
Courtney tossed and turned for most of that night. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the pregnancy hormones surging through her veins, or the last vestiges of the adrenaline still making its way through her veins after telling Logan. By the time she’d fed the animals and prepared the cottage for the Roberts to join her for dinner, she was exhausted.
She’d asked them over to eat along with Carl, who’d been working on Thanksgiving day. It seemed like the perfect time to tell them all about her pregnancy.
Not that there was anything perfect about this.
Rolling her shoulders to brace herself, she carried the country ham she’d been baking all day to the table. It felt like it weighed a ton. Carl must have noticed, because he immediately
