But it wasn’t.
“Won’t she move?” Cam asked.
Logan shook his head. “I haven’t asked her. And I wouldn’t. You should see her on the farm. She loves those damn chickens. And there’s her in-laws. They rely on her. I couldn’t drag her away from that.”
“But her husband’s dead, right?” Cam asked.
“Way to be tactful, man.” Gray shook his head.
Logan lifted a brow. “Yeah, he’s been gone for two years. But she’s still close to his parents. From what I can tell, they’re like parents to her, too. Her mom died when she was a kid and she doesn’t see much of her dad.”
“What about the baby?” Gray asked, tipping his head to the side. “How are you gonna manage that with you in Boston and Courtney here?”
“I’ll fly back for my custody time. At least for the first year. After that, we’ll take it from there.” He inhaled deeply, ignoring the strange tug in his chest. “It’s not easy, but I want to make it work. I don’t want the baby growing up not knowing who I am.”
Gray caught his eye, his expression full of sympathy. “That’s gonna be hard on you all.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Logan pointed out. “My business is in Boston. I can’t run it from here full-time. Believe me, I’ve thought about whether it’s possible, but it’s not. It’s taken me years to get it to this place. It’s part of me, too.” And that was the thing keeping him awake at night. Trying to fit all these misshapen pieces of puzzle into the craziness that was his world. None of them wanted to slot in. It was frustrating not being able to solve the problems surrounding him. And then there were all the damn demands on his time.
“She’s a beautiful woman,” Gray said, looking at her sleeping form. “How will you feel if she gets married? Gives your kid a stepdad?”
Logan’s grip on his bottle tightened, his knuckles blanching. “How do you think I’d feel? But I’d have no right to stop her.” The kicker was, he wanted her to be happy.
But he also wanted to be the one to make her feel that way.
“You got a while to sort things out,” Cam murmured. “It’s six months until the baby’s due.”
“And your restaurant’s opening next month,” Gray agreed, giving Cam the slightest of nods. “How’s that going?”
“Good.” Logan pressed his lips together, ignoring the bitter taste in his mouth. “You guys coming out for the opening night?”
“Yep. Maddie’s sister is gonna look after the kids so we can make a weekend of it.” Gray’s face lit up as he spoke.
“And you know I’ll be there. No game that weekend.” Cam patted his brother on the back. “Now stop moping and put a smile on your face. It’s Christmas, and all the family is here. It’s time to start celebrating.”
“Movie’s over.” The soft words woke her from her reverie. Courtney blinked her eyes open, aware of warm breath on her cheek. She knew it was Logan without having to look. The way her skin heated up at his proximity was clue enough.
She glanced up at the screen. She’d dozed on and off all through the movie, and now the credits were scrolling up. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Almost midnight. I’ll take you home so you can hang up your stocking.”
She smiled sleepily. “I think I might be too late for that.”
Her whole body ached as she stood, and Logan walked around the sofa to help her. They said their farewells to his family, wishing each other a Merry Christmas, then walked out of the huge, vibrant house into the darkness of Christmas Day.
“I should have taken you home hours ago,” Logan told her as he helped her down the steps toward the SUV he’d rented. “You look beat.”
“I wanted to stay,” she said, her voice thick with exhaustion. “I had a good evening.”
“Yeah.” The corner of his mouth rose up. “I did, too.”
She must have fallen back asleep before he’d even started the engine, because the next thing she knew he was pulling up to the cottage. A dusting of snow remained from the earlier storm, sparkling in the moonlight. “Stay there,” Logan said, climbing out and walking around to her door. He opened it up, his eyes soft as he held out his hand and helped her to stand.
He was being so gentle with her tonight. She liked it almost as much as when he was bossing her around. Every time she saw him, there was another side of him revealed. Another Logan. And every one of them made her heart ache.
Her shoe caught on a rock in the ground. She stumbled forward, Logan reaching out to catch her in his arms. He slid his arm around her waist, walking her up the steps. “Give me your key,” he said. “I’ll open it up for you.”
She reached into the pocket at the front of her purse and pulled her leather key ring out, passing it to him. Second trimester tiredness felt different to the first. It wasn’t as all-encompassing, but when it came, she felt it to the bones. She was lucky he was next to her, his arm keeping her up.
When they stepped inside, she could still smell the cinnamon of the pastries he’d had delivered yesterday. She smiled at the reminder of his kindness. “Are you coming in?” she asked, tipping her head up so her eyes caught his. There was a fire in his gaze that pushed down the tiredness.
“I shouldn’t…”
“I know, but I want you to.”
He closed the front door, lowering his head until his brow touched hers. “Fuck it,” he whispered, capturing her lips with his. “I’ll get up early in the morning and head back to Gray’s.”
“I have to be up early, too.” She kissed him back, warm and welcoming, her tired arms wrapping around
