by Carrie Elks
Courtney swallowed hard as they walked out of the doctor’s office, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to form. She was so aware of Logan standing next to her, his hand pressed lightly against the small of her back. And yes, she knew he was just being gentlemanly, but it didn’t stop her from remembering the way he’d stared at her in the ultrasound room, his eyes piercing, his lips parted. It had made her feel warm inside. And for the first time in a long time she hadn’t felt alone.
His stare had told her they were in it together. Or at least that was how it felt.
But it had been an illusion. Wishful thinking, maybe. He was only in this because he had to be. He was a good man who’d be there for his child and nothing more.
And he’d made it perfectly clear that their child would need to be part of his life in Boston, not Hartson’s Creek. Something about that made her stomach tighten.
She rubbed her stomach, shaking her head at her own thoughts. The important thing was that the baby was well. Perfect, even. Nothing else mattered.
“I don’t want to bring you down,” Logan said, his voice low. “But we’re attracting some attention.”
Courtney blinked out of her thoughts to see two older women staring at them from the diner. Then she turned to her left and her heart almost stopped beating.
Carl was standing next to his cruiser, his eyes narrow as he stared at her and Logan.
She swallowed hard. “That’s my brother-in-law.” Her worried gaze met Logan’s, but he didn’t seem perturbed at all.
“You want to say hi?”
She shook her head. “I want to go home.”
“Okay.” Logan clicked the button on his key fob, and pulled the passenger door open.
“Is that him?” Carl called out, striding toward them. Courtney looked from her brother-in-law to Logan, then back again, her stomach dropping at their expressions.
“Carl, I have to go. Can I talk to you later?” she asked, her voice urgent.
“You’re one of the Hartsons, right?” Carl said to Logan, completely ignoring her. “You’re the guy that knocked Courtney up?”
Logan tipped his head to the side. “I’m the father of her baby.” He didn’t look intimidated by Carl at all, despite the angry look on his face and the gun on his hip. “Can I help you?”
Carl’s jaw was tight as he stopped only a few inches from where Logan was standing. Carl was shorter and stockier, but it didn’t stop him from squaring up. His expression was sour, his jaw tight.
“You know she lost her husband? You took advantage of her, you asshole.” He stepped closer, but Logan didn’t flinch.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“Carl, please stop,” Courtney said, her voice urgent. “People are looking.”
Instead of stopping, Carl reached for Logan’s shirt collar, wrapping his fingers around it and jerking. Logan’s head lurched forward, and he reached out to push Carl away.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” Carl told him, his voice tight. “Just keep away from her, you hear?”
“We’re having a baby,” Logan reminded him, his eyes darting to meet Courtney’s gaze. “I can’t keep away from her. She’s carrying my kid.”
Carl’s fist met Logan’s jaw with a sickening crunch. Logan’s head jerked backward, hitting the side of the passenger door. His legs buckled as he slid down against it.
“Stop!” she cried out, rushing to stand between them. Logan stood, his hand rubbing his jaw and mouth. His bottom lip had split from the impact, and he looked down at his fingers, frowning when he saw the blood.
“Carl, you need to go,” Courtney hissed. “Before I call your boss.”
Carl shook his head, his brows knitted together as though he wasn’t sure what the hell he’d just done. “I’m sorry… I…”
“Just go, please,” she told him. “Before you do something even worse.”
Logan was watching them both silently, his hand still touching his injured mouth. Carl was shaking, as though he was in shock. He shot a final, lost glance at Courtney, then turned and walked back to his cruiser, his shoulders stooped.
“You okay?” she asked Logan, turning to him.
“Yeah.” He nodded, his fingers gingerly touching his face. “You?”
No she wasn’t. Not at all. There were people dotted around the square, standing in shop doorways. And all of them were watching the most awful scene unfold in front of them.
“I’m okay,” she lied. “But we should go home. I need to check that your lip is okay.”
“It’s fine.” His gaze was soft. “A little painful but fine.”
“All the same, I’ll feel better if I can take a look at it.” She sat on the passenger seat. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I’m so sorry.” Courtney dabbed at the split in Logan’s lip with an antiseptic wipe. When she pulled it away he could see it was stained pink with his blood. “He shouldn’t have touched you, let alone hit you.” She sighed. “You could report him to the department if you want to. I wouldn’t blame you.”
“He’s your brother-in-law,” Logan said. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” The whole sorry mess in the town square felt like a blur. He was relieved he’d had the good sense not to hit back. Maybe he really was growing up.
The side of his head was pounding where it had slammed into the car door. Then there was the déjà vu he kept getting. Him sitting in this kitchen chair while Courtney leaned over him, her touch gentle as she tried to take away the sting. It reminded him of the first day they met, when she’d cleaned up the scrape he’d gotten from holding her chicken.
The draw to her was still overwhelming. His body hummed with electricity as she rubbed ointment onto his lip. It took everything he had not to kiss the tip of her finger. Not to pull her onto his lap and kiss her hard no matter how much it hurt.
And not to slide himself into her, giving himself up to sweet oblivion.
Would it always feel like this? The pull to her? That first day they met it had felt like a chemical high. Now it felt even stronger. The need to take care of her, protect her, mingled with the desperate urge to have her.
God, he needed to get ahold of himself.
“Carl took it badly when Shaun died,” Courtney told him, screwing the top back onto the tube of ointment. “We all did, of course.” She gave him a brief smile. “But Carl, he’s never gotten over it. They were so close as kids. He was the protective big brother.” She slowly ran her tongue over her bottom lip. He tried to ignore the jolt of pleasure it caused him. “Shaun called him the night he crashed and left a voicemail asking Carl to meet him. I don’t think he’s forgiven himself for not answering the phone. As though that would have made any difference.”
Logan looked up at her through his thick lashes, trying to imagine how he’d feel if one of his brothers died trying to meet him. He swallowed hard, because it hurt to think about. It had been difficult enough when he’d been injured in junior year and it had been made clear he’d never play football again. It had felt like a bereavement, knowing he wouldn’t be able to play alongside Cam anymore.
But to imagine never seeing his brother again? The thought made him swallow hard.
“I don’t want to report him,” Logan told her. “I just don’t want him upsetting you. Or the baby.”
Courtney sighed. “I need to set him straight. He can’t go around hitting people.” She touched the side of his head. “There’s a bruise here. Does it hurt?”
“It’s not too bad.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to fly?” Her brows dipped with concern.
Logan smiled at her. “It was just a little punch. I’ve had worse during a football game. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay then.” She breathed out a sigh of relief. It could have been so much worse. Damn Carl.
He stood, cupping her jaw with his warm palm. “Are you gonna be okay?” he asked her. “That’s more important right now.”
She smiled. “I’ll be
fine. Once you’re gone I plan on feeding the chickens then gorging myself on those brownies you gave me.” She glanced down at her still-flat stomach. “It’s nice to be able to eat without worrying about the calories, or getting sick.”
He glanced at his watch. It was time to leave if he wanted to catch his flight. But part of him wanted to stay. Make her a warm drink, curl up with her, and watch her go into a chocolate frenzy. Stroke her hair until she fell asleep.
“I should go,” he told her.
She glanced at her own watch. “Yeah you should. I don’t want you to be late again.”
“I won’t be able to get back for a couple of weeks, but I’ll be here for your next appointment.”
“Sure.” She nodded.
“I’ll try to stay for a day or two. Maybe we can start making a few plans,” he suggested. “Work out what we’re gonna do once the baby is here.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” She nodded. “With you in Boston and me here in Hartson’s Creek, it’s going to take some working out.”
He gave her a half smile. “I guess we like things complicated, huh?”
She laughed gently. “We sure do.”
Leaning down, he pressed his mouth against her brow, ignoring the brief pain that shot from his bottom lip. “Take care of yourself,” he murmured. “And the baby.”
“I plan on it.”
“And if you need anything, call me. Okay?” He pulled his keys from his pocket, twisting them in his hand.
She followed him to the door, pulling it open. “Have a safe flight.”
He turned to look at her. She had the strangest expression on her face. As though she didn’t want him to leave. He had to force his legs to stride forward, knowing that unless he left in the next few minutes there was no way he was catching that flight.
But even once he was in his car, driving on the highway, the desire to make a U-turn and drive back to her farm cottage remained.
Protectiveness. That’s all it was. A natural instinct for a father to take care of his family.
He shook his head at himself. Welcome to the twenty-first century, asshole. Courtney had made it perfectly clear she could take care of herself.
Logan was already regretting setting up this video call with his siblings. It had seemed like a good plan at the time, making sure he could tell them all about Courtney’s pregnancy at once. But now, as their faces stared expectantly at him on the screen of his phone, he wondered if a text message might have been better.
“So I have some news,” he told them, bracing himself for their response.
“Okay, but tell me fast,” Cam said, his video jolting. “I’m walking into the gym and coach’ll be pissed if I’m late.”
“What kind of news?” Becca said, her eyes widening as she leaned closer to the camera. “Do you have a girlfriend? Do I need to get myself some smelling salts.” She lifted her hand to fan herself. “Do I know her?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “No, Becca, I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Gray smirked. “You kind of do, man.”
“Wait. You have a girlfriend?” Tanner’s voice rose an octave. “Why does Gray know about this and we don’t.”
Gray grimaced. “Sorry, Logan. Maddie says I need to learn to keep my damn mouth shut.”
Logan sighed, leaning his head back against his office chair. This wasn’t quite going as planned. “Can you all just shut up for a minute? I wanted to do this in person, but you’re all too damn elusive.”
“Sorry.” Becca looked appropriately contrite. “Oh my god, tell me you’re not sick. One of the guys at the distillery just came down with Lyme Disease. You don’t have that, do you?”
“Sis, if you’d just shut up, he’ll tell us.” Cam sounded pissed.
“Maybe you should shut up, dumbass,” Becca snapped back.
“I’m gonna be a dad,” Logan said, more to stop their sniping than anything else.
Cam started to laugh. “That’s a good one. But seriously, what’s this really about?”
Logan said nothing for a moment. All four of them stared back at him. Gray swallowed hard, lifting his eyebrows.
“Are you serious?” Tanner asked. “You’re not serious, right?”
“I’m serious.” Logan nodded. “Baby’s due next year.”
“Oh. My. God.” Becca’s face lit up, a huge grin lifting her lips. “Congratulations. I’m going to be an aunt again!!”
A voice echoed on Cam’s speaker. He let out a grunt of frustration. “Shit, man, I gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay?” His video disappeared before Logan could say anything else.
“Tell me everything!” Becca squeaked. “When is it due? Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? Tell me everything.”
Tanner shook his head. “You just shattered my eardrums. Can you take it down an octave or two? I think I heard some dogs howling over your way.”
“Shut up.” Becca shook her head. “I’m just asking so you don’t have to.”
A baby started to cry. Gray’s video shifted as he hitched Presley up against his chest. “Sorry, guys, I gotta go. This kid just did a diaper filler.”
Logan smiled. “Sounds like a good time to end this call.”
“No, don’t go!” Becca begged. “You haven’t answered my questions.”
“How about you put them in writing,” Logan suggested. “I’ll answer them offline.”
She looked slightly mollified. “Okay.”
“I’ll call you later,” Tanner said. “Let you beg my forgiveness for not telling me first.”
“He should have told Cam first,” Becca pointed out. “He’s Logan’s twin.”
“Cam probably already sensed it,” Tanner said, grinning. He lifted his hand up, wiggling his fingers, pretending to be mystical. “All that twin connection stuff.”
Logan shook his head. “Goodbye, guys.”
“We’ll speak soon,” Becca said quickly. “And congratulations.”
Tanner and Gray echoed the same sentiments, then Logan ended the call, shaking his head at his siblings’ antics. He was almost certain that Becca was already typing her questions out. Tanner was probably on the phone to Van, giving her the news.
It was strange how real it felt now. Telling people made it that way. Tonight he’d call his dad and Aunt Gina and tell them as well. But right now he had one more person to tell. He stood and pushed open the door to the restaurant office.
“Hey.” Paris looked up from the laptop she was working on. They shared this space – whoever was here first got the desk, the loser got a table in the corner. “You okay? I was worried when I got your message.”
“I’m good.” Logan leaned on the wall, running his hand through his thick dark hair. “I just wanted to give you the heads up about something.”
Paris frowned. “Is your family okay? Is it your dad?”
“My family’s fine.” He bit down a smile thinking about that damn call. “But I’ve got some news. I’m having a baby.”
Paris blinked, but no other part of her moved. After what seemed like five minutes, she finally let out a sigh. “Oh god, Logan. Who is she? Are you sure it’s yours?”
“I’m sure. And I’m happy about it. No need to look so worried.”
Her eyes moved from side to side, as though she was thinking his words through. “Is it someone I know?”
“No. She lives back home.” He shrugged. “I just wanted to warn you that I’ll be flying back for the appointments. And once the baby’s here I’ll need to take a look at my commitments.”
“You want out of the business?” Her eyes widened with alarm.
“I didn’t say that.” He kept his voice patient. “But if I have joint custody I’ll need to lighten my workload. We may need to look at employing some more managers.”
“We can’t afford more managers.” Her brows knitted together.
“Of course we can. Our cash flow is steady, and getting help was always in the plan. We’ll just do it a little earlier than
we’d anticipated.”
She shook her head. “You’ve thought it all through, haven’t you?”
“I haven’t had much choice.”
“Shame you didn’t think so hard about contraception.” She gave him a sour smile. “This is a mess, Logan. I didn’t even know you had someone back home. How the hell are you gonna manage a baby and the hours we work?”
“The same way everybody else does.” He shrugged. “I’ll make it work.”
“Ughhh.” She gritted her teeth together. “I can’t believe this is happening now. We’re busier than ever. Don’t you know that?”
He stared at her for a moment. “I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me,” he said, his voice low. “My private life is exactly that. I’ll make sure the business doesn’t suffer.”
Her angry gaze met his. “You’re a damn fool if you think you can handle this. You should just pay her off and walk away.”
“That’s the mother of my child you’re talking about,” he told her, narrowing his eyes. “I’ll thank you to be more respectful.”
Paris blew out a mouthful of air. “I need to get out of here,” she said, grabbing her designer purse and sliding it over her shoulder. “Before I say something I regret.”
“You do that.” He watched as she stalked across the room, yanking the door open and stepping out of the office. As soon as she was gone he shook his head and walked over to the table where his laptop was sitting, opening it up and relaxing into the chair.
He had work to do if he wanted to get back to Hartson’s Creek for Courtney’s next check up. And he was determined he would.
Paris would get used to it. She didn’t have a choice. He was going to be a dad, and that was more important than anything else.
Taking a deep breath, Courtney pressed on the buzzer next to Carl’s name. He’d lived in this apartment for the past few years, but she could only remember coming here once before. It was Shaun who’d spent the most time here, coming over to watch a game and share a beer with his brother.
Then he’d come home all riled up and she’d close her eyes tightly in bed, hoping he’d believe she was asleep.