“I’m sorry, baby.”
“Me too,” Lena said softly. “Come on, let’s eat while we talk.”
“I understand why you reacted the way you did last night, and I don’t blame you. You trust Logan, so I should’ve too,” Owen conceded once they were seated at the breakfast bar.
“Well, apparently, my instincts were a bit off on that one. You were right. Fuck, I still can’t wrap my head around it…”
“You’re sure you don’t… I mean, he’s been there for you a lot in the past, and…”
“I love you, Owen. But I do need you to chill out a little on the jealousy. I’m yours. No one is going to be able to change that or take me away from you,” she promised.
“I love you too, Lena. And I’ll… work on it. Sometimes I really can’t help it, but I’ll try to relax. I guess I’m more possessive than I thought.”
“The only person surprised by that is you,” Lena chuckled. Owen grinned, relieved to see the return of her smile. They took turns feeding each other bites of their bagels, and he leaned over to press his lips to the sensitive place beneath her ear.
“So, I was thinking… This was our first real fight…”
“And?”
“And I was under the impression that making up with one’s girlfriend was generally followed by make-up sex,” he smirked. Lena smiled and kissed him properly.
“I think that can be arranged, Mr. Langford.”
Chapter 28
Christmas Day
“Something going on with you and Logan?” Nate asked his daughter in a low voice. He’d pulled her out of earshot of their guests, and Lena could practically feel Owen’s eyes burning into the back of her head.
“No, everything’s fine, Dad.”
“Doesn’t seem like it. You’re barely speaking to him, and when you do, your voice is weird. What’s wrong? Do he and Owen not like each other?” he guessed.
“They’re getting along just fine. Logan’s just a little… different since he came back.” Lena tried to shrug it off, inwardly cursing her father for choosing that day to be observant.
“Oh,” Nate nodded astutely. “Greg said the same thing, but that’s to be expected, honey. Military combat screws with your head in ways nothing else can. He’ll come around. Just be patient with him. Try not to treat him differently. The Logan you knew is still in there.”
“I know. He asked me to give him some time to adjust, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Nate seemed to accept that explanation, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she reclaimed her seat. It hadn’t really been a lie. Logan had indeed asked her for some leniency in allowing him time to get his emotions under control. With everything else he was dealing with right now, he knew that he would need her support as his friend. Lena would have liked nothing more than to pretend he’d kept his little revelation to himself, but there was no going back now. Her eyes gravitated toward Owen, as they so often did, and she frowned to see him scowling slightly in Logan’s direction.
Owen had decided to keep an eye on Logan James and vice versa. They occasionally traded speculative glances as they sat across from one another in Nate’s living room, passing festively wrapped gifts to the appropriate person. Having already celebrated with the Langfords, Owen hadn’t been expecting to receive many gifts at Nate’s, but to his surprise, Nate had given him a very nice wrist watch as well as a personalized briefcase. It coordinated with the one Lena often carried to GC, which he had admired on more than one occasion.
Next, Lena slipped a relatively small present into his hand and leaned over to whisper into his ear.
“The real gift is what’s inside.”
He quirked his brow curiously at her and smiled as he unwrapped the gift. Inside was an attractive Givenchy wallet, and Owen obligingly peeked into the many tiny compartments. There was only one object in the wallet, and his face lit up as he realized what it was. A picture of his girlfriend smiled up at him from a Montana state driver’s license. He glanced cautiously around the room and found that everyone seemed to be preoccupied with their own gifts.
“Thank you, baby. I know how much it means to you.” And he really did. Giving up her fake ID was a huge step for her.
“You mean more,” she shrugged. “And I think… I think it was time. I need to move on.”
“What do you mean?” Owen asked. She sighed, not quite sure how to explain her reasoning.
“I recently realized that I’d come to depend on my little escapes more than I ever wanted to. I don’t really want to be that person, and… lately, when I really feel the need to break free of everything, you’re the first person who comes to mind. Not my friends.”
He could tell that she was choosing her words carefully in case someone overheard them, but he smiled brilliantly nevertheless. Owen was honored and touched by the sentiment, and he was relieved that she was finally making a conscious step in the right direction regarding that part of her life. It had been difficult not to push her harder, but it seemed that his patience had paid off.
“Thank you,” he whispered again, leaning forward to brush his lips against hers.
Owen then handed Lena a large, flat, rectangular package, holding his breath as she carefully tore through the wrapping paper and gasped at what was revealed. A pair of intense, green eyes stared back at her from the artist’s canvas, and after a moment, she realized that the original image was her own work. Her mouth fell open slightly as she admired the delicate brushstrokes and intricate details. The artist had captured every eyelash, every hint of sparkle in the emerald orbs.
“How…?”
“Do you recognize it?” Owen asked quietly.
“Yes, but…”
“It’s from one of your notebooks. I found a local artist who specializes in transforming sketches or photographs into actual paintings.”
His original Christmas gift idea had been to turn one of her short stories into a published novella, but Owen hoped that someday Lena would be able to pursue that goal on her own. He knew that it would mean more to her that way. Converting one of her old sketches seemed to be a better alternative.
“It’s amazing,” Lena breathed.
“Do the rest of us get to see?” Logan smiled from across the room. She nodded and turned the canvas around. His eyebrows shot up, and he looked at Owen with reluctant admiration. “Wow. Well, he definitely knows what you like,” he chuckled. “I once told her that she had an obsessive love of eyes.”
“Just one pair of eyes, actually,” she grinned, gazing at Owen affectionately. “They were his eyes I was always drawing.”
“How’s that? I thought you guys just met this year.”
“No, we knew each other briefly a long time ago,” Owen explained to both Logan and his father, who was listening curiously as well. “We never forgot one another though. If I could draw worth a damn, I’d have sketched her beautiful blue eyes all over everything too.”
Damn, Logan blinked in surprise. I never had a snowball’s chance with her. He’d once asked Lena about the owner of the eyes she drew, but she had merely shrugged and said that the person was someone she’d known long ago and would probably never see again. Logan eventually pieced together more details, and he knew what had happened after Celia had died. He knew how much it had torn her up inside and that Lena had blamed herself. His chest ached a little as he watched her kiss Owen in thanks for the gift. Seeing them together was more difficult than he’d expected. Lena had never really had a steady boyfriend before now, and he had taken for granted his position as the most important man in her life after Nate.
Once the gifts were opened, everyone chatted amongst themselves for a little while, and Logan managed to get Owen’s attention covertly. He gestured to the doorway and stood, pleased when Owen excused himself a moment later and followed him out. Lena watched them curiously but said nothing, allowing her father to draw her into conversation about a new employee program at GC.
“I’d like a word, if you don�
�t mind,” Logan murmured, leading Owen into a different sitting room that was rarely used.
“Would this have anything to do with the fact that you’ve been staring at my girlfriend all day?” he asked wryly. Logan had the decency to look abashed.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make either of you uncomfortable. To be honest, it’s not really as bad as you think. Whatever other feelings I might have for her, Lena was my friend first. My best friend. And I haven’t seen her in a really long time.”
“I can appreciate that, but the look in your eyes is… intense.”
“There were a lot of times that I never thought I’d get to see her again,” Logan explained. “That I’d never get to come home at all…” His expression became haunted, and Owen had to repress a shudder of empathy in spite of the animosity he still held for the man.
“I get it,” he nodded. “Did you have something you needed to say?” He looked around the room pointedly to remind Logan that they were alone.
“Yeah, sorry. I know I can’t take back what I said the other day at Lena’s, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for inadvertently causing a fight between you. Lena is… happy,” he admitted reluctantly, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen her so happy, and it’s pretty clear that that’s because of you. And to find out you’re actually the person she was obsessed with all those years… Honestly, I think she’s been in love with you since before she was even old enough to understand what it meant.”
“I know the feeling,” Owen nodded, smiling at the closed door as if he could see his love through the solid wood.
“I would be slacking in my best friend duties if I didn’t say this though,” he continued, his features suddenly shifting into a sterner expression. “If you hurt her, there won’t be anywhere for you to hide that I can’t find you. I’m trained to shoot a dime off a fencepost from two thousand feet away on less than an hour of sleep.”
Owen forced himself to maintain eye contact, but he couldn’t help the chill that descended his spine at the deadly tone of Logan’s voice.
“I would never hurt her,” he declared, sincerity ringing in every word. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, and to be honest, it would be completely self-destructive. Lena is my life. She’s always been the most important person in my world, and that will never change.”
“Good to hear,” Logan nodded stiffly. He softened a little and added, “All I want is her happiness, Owen. And you make her happy, so… I can make my peace with it. I don’t blame you for not liking me, but I hope we can eventually move past that. It seems neither of us is going anywhere.”
Owen stared back at him contemplatively, knowing - and hating - that he was absolutely right. Logan James had been a fixture in Lena’s life for years, and as long as they managed to navigate the temporary awkwardness between them, he didn’t see any reason why their friendship wouldn’t continue. If Lena did end up deciding to put some distance between them, then Owen would support her, but he was determined not to be the reason for it. Logan was one of the few sources of comfort Lena had had through her teenage years, and Owen had no desire to take that from her.
“I agree,” he eventually replied, frowning as another thought occurred to him. “I have a question though… Do you know what kind of shit she got into last year?”
Logan sighed ruefully.
“I assume you mean the drinking. I was actually planning to ask you about that. I’ve been hoping you might have been able to make her see sense.”
“I have, though it took a while,” Owen nodded, thinking back to the gift Lena had given him. “Why didn’t you ever stop her?”
“I would’ve if I’d been here, man, but there’s only so much I can do from the other side of the globe. The only option would’ve been to tell her dad… And judging by the look on your face right now, you know as well as I do that she would’ve considered that to be the ultimate betrayal.”
“Yeah,” Owen winced.
“You and Nate seem pretty tight.”
“I suppose,” he shrugged. “I think it’s more of a professional relationship than anything else, though.”
“No, it only seems that way because for the most part, he only talks about business. Trust me though, you’ve got his approval. I always thought that when Lena finally brought home a boyfriend, Nate would all but interrogate him Guantanamo style, but he treats you like family. That’s not nothing.”
Owen was mildly surprised by Logan’s assessment and found himself hoping more than anything that it was accurate. He would need Nate’s approval in more ways than one.
“Thanks,” he nodded. The word felt strange on his tongue.
As much as he might’ve liked to hate Logan James, Owen was finding it exceedingly difficult to do so. When all was said and done, he really couldn’t blame the guy for falling in love with Lena. Who wouldn’t? At least Logan had backed down gracefully and hadn’t tried to pursue her in spite of the fact that she was in love with someone else. He apparently had too much self-respect to make a fool of himself that way, and Owen couldn’t help but admire him a little for that. And aside from all of that, Lena cared for Logan. She clearly wanted him in her life, and Owen couldn’t bring himself to stand in the way of that. He didn’t want their relationship to be one of ultimatums, and even in the wake of Logan’s admission, Owen knew that she still trusted him. He hadn’t forgotten the lesson he’d learned the night of their argument.
Trusting Lena meant trusting Logan too.
January 2012
Thursday
“Owen!” Mary greeted him in happy surprise. She stood up from her desk and moved around to hug him. “What are you doing here, dear?”
“I brought dinner,” he replied, holding up a bag of takeout. “Your favorite.”
“Oh, how sweet of you. Here, give me just a moment to clear some room. I’m up to my ears in charting this evening.”
Owen glanced around the small office, taking in the familiar framed diplomas and awards Mary had received over the years. He’d spent the occasional evening with her at the hospital since he’d first come to live with the Langfords, and he’d always loved their talks. She had never failed to listen to him attentively and without judgment no matter what had been on his mind, and he was counting on that same benevolence tonight.
“How was your New Year’s? Did you and Lena do anything exciting?” Mary asked, helping him to unload the containers of food.
“It was alright. Her neighbors were having a party, so we made an appearance. We ended up just celebrating on our own though.”
In truth, Tessa and Mateo’s party had been the low point of the evening. Owen had been wary of spending time with the friends who had led Lena into some rather irresponsible choices, but he’d felt guilty over the fact that she hadn’t had time to maintain those friendships since they’d been together. It didn’t take long, however, for him to realize that failing to do so had been Lena’s choice rather than an unfortunate side effect of their relationship.
Adam and Emily had been cordial enough, but Tessa and Mateo had been almost cold toward both Lena and Owen. They’d repeatedly made critical comments that were cloaked in humor, and as the evening had progressed, some of their remarks had been inappropriate to say the least. They’d also been passing around the booze and marijuana quite liberally, and while Owen had accepted one drink with tact, he’d had no desire to watch the four of them get high. Lena had turned down a joint as Tessa had handed it to her, which had prompted the full extent of Tessa’s attitude to be unleashed.
To Owen’s satisfaction, Lena had handled herself well. She’d been clever in her responses while doing her best to disengage from the conversation. It hadn’t taken her long to notice Owen’s discomfort, and she’d insisted that they take their celebrations back to her apartment. Alone. They’d gone immediately to the shower to rid themselves of the pot smell, and as usual, they’d gotten caught up in one another fairly quickly. The dawn of 2012 had found Owen buried deep withi
n the woman he loved, and he couldn’t have imagined a better way to start the new year.
“That’s lovely, dear,” Mary smiled, bringing his thoughts back to the present. “What brings you here? Other than wooing me with my favorite meal, that is.”
“Well… I wanted to ask your advice about something,” Owen admitted, feeling suddenly nervous. “I… Over the last couple of months, I’ve been thinking a lot about the future.”
“When aren’t you thinking about the future, Owen?” she chuckled. He grinned self-consciously.
“Well, yeah, but this is different. I… I want to propose to Lena.”
Mary’s eyes widened and filled with unshed tears as she brought her fingertips to cover her mouth.
“Oh, sweetheart, that’s wonderful! Do you know when you’re going to ask her? Do you have a ring yet? Do you need help planning?” She fired questions at him rapidly, and Owen laughed.
“I don’t know when just yet. I don’t have a ring yet. And yes, I was hoping you’d be willing to help.”
“Of course, I will!”
“So, you don’t think we’re too young?” he asked, unable to keep the surprised expression off his face. He’d been expecting at least a little skepticism.
“Well, you are young, but in your case, I can honestly say that I think you’re absolutely right to want to marry her. She’s your soulmate, Owen. Anyone who knows you can see how happy you are with her, and she seems to be just as happy with you. After the way you two found each other after all of those years…” Mary shook her head in wonder. “Things like that don’t just happen, dear. You two were meant to be together.”
“That’s what I said,” Owen grinned, feeling relieved. “I’m still saving for a ring, but I want to ask her sometime before I graduate. We’ve already talked about moving in together sometime this semester, but no matter when that happens, I know that I want to propose sooner rather than later.”
“Perfectly understandable,” she nodded. “You want to start the next chapter of your life in more ways than one when you graduate. I think it’s a wonderful idea. Have you two talked at all about marriage yet, or will she be completely surprised?”
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