by Kaylee, Katy
The gentleman looked around at each other, nodding back and forth. Amber stood there, nervously waiting for their reply. The older gentleman nodded his head. “Okay. Let’s say that you have three days to change our minds. We’ll be in touch.”
Amber wrang her hands together. “Yes, oh thank you. You won’t regret this.”
Logan stood in the background, watching them walk onto the elevators. He walked up to Amber and tapped her on the shoulder. “And just how do you expect to make this work?”
Amber patted Logan on the shoulder. “Just relax. I’ve got this.”
Amber hurried back to her office and sat down, cracking her fingers. She pulled up the press release form and started typing. She sat there for several hours, writing out the story, deleting and rewriting. When she was done, she released it to all of the major tabloid publications. She printed out a copy and walked over to Logan’s office. She set the press release on his desk and stepped back. “This is currently in the hands of all of the major tabloid publications.”
Logan picked it up and stood up, pacing the floor and reading it out loud. “My name is Amber Stark, the girl you have been photographing with Logan Townley. I wanted to send out this press release to clear the air on what has been going on between the two of us. Logan has been made out to be a monster, but in reality, it is I that holds that title. Five years ago, Logan and I fell in love. We were kids with big dreams and wide views of what the future could hold. Our paths ended up leading us in different directions and I was hurt by that. A few weeks after he left for the internship that started his legacy, I found out I was pregnant. I was angry, scared, and honestly still cared about him deeply. I buried the secret of who the father of my child was and for four years have held dearly to that. I did not want to hold him back in life. Just last night, Sunday night, I revealed that information to him, letting him know he had a son. He was shocked, to say the least, but is a good man with good morals and I can tell from the way he looks at his son he already loves him dearly. Please report the news, as it is relevant, and tell the world what kind of man Logan Townley really is.”
Amber stood there nervously. “So?”
Logan nodded. “We’ll see what happens.”
For the rest of the day they sat there waiting for the story to be released. Finally, around the end of the work day, the story began to trickle out. She was terrified of the backlash that she would receive from people, but she couldn’t hold that information back. She had to do it for him, he deserved to be able to keep his company and have his dreams come to fruition. She knew that if she did receive backlash she probably did deserve it. She had held back a very important secret for a long time.
Only time would tell, and that time was coming close.
Logan
Logan sat at his desk early Tuesday morning, scanning through the articles popping up everywhere. The internet was freaking out over the news that Amber had released. It was incredibly brave of her to do it. She knew she was putting her own reputation on the line to save him and his company. He knew she was taking the full blame of what had happened, even though he felt it was partly his fault too. He had led her to believe, long ago, that he would always be there. She had made immense sacrifices not just for him, but for their son as well. She did all that after he walked out on their future, too cowardly to even speak to her face before leaving.
He could still feel the chill run down his back, knowing he walked away from her just weeks before she found out that she was pregnant. He couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had stayed. Where would they be if he had been there to be the father he should have been? Some people were furious, saying that he was robbed of his time with his son, but he didn’t feel that way. He felt like he partly did it to himself. He could understand why she would be struggling to trust him. He could understand why, after so long, she wouldn’t be able to come out and just tell him.
“How is it? Is it rough?” Amber said, poking her head in.
Logan smiled. “Not as bad as you are imagining it. There is only a little bit of backlash toward you. You actually have a very strong number of people standing up for you. I think that its best that we ignore the negative and focus on the positive.”
Amber walked in and sat down in front of him. “So, they aren’t angry with you anymore?”
Logan shook his head. “No. Your press release stopped that really fast. People are being supportive of both of us, and they are happy thinking that we are going to be a family. They are starting to have respect for me again. Some publications spun it like you would think, but most of them reported the facts and included the press release in the statement.”
Amber let out a deep breath. “And the investors?”
Logan smiled. “They haven’t called yet, but I promise you they will. They are all just starting their days right now and probably are just reading what was sent out. I think that they will be happy, but it really all depends on what the market reads. They will track it for a couple of hours before making any real decision. I just hope that it is enough public confidence to bring people back to the stocks. I want people to want to be part of this company because they believe in it and they believe in me.”
Amber nodded her head. “Right. I guess I’ll just wait in my office. Call me when you hear something.”
Logan watched as she made her way to the door. Just as she was about to walk out the secretary came over the com. “Mr. Townley, your board of investors is on line three.”
Amber whipped around, her eyes wide. Logan motioned for the chair in front of the desk. “You can listen, but don’t say anything, no matter what decision they have come to.”
Amber understood. “Right. Lips sealed.”
Logan cleared his throat, feeling the nerves running through him. He pressed the speaker button. “Gentlemen, it’s good to hear from you. Early, but good to hear from you.”
One of the investors did the talking. “Logan. We woke to some pretty good news. The press release that Ms. Stark sent out seems to have done wonders for your reputation. I don’t know if you looked at the numbers, but the stocks have skyrocketed overnight. They are actually sitting higher than they were before this whole debacle started. It seems your lady has done wonders for your reputation. Therefore, we have unanimously voted to keep with the company and not pull out. Let’s just make sure we keep things on the up and up from here on out. Let us know before anything hits the tabloids.”
Logan smiled big. “Absolutely, sir. And we are ready and prepared to move forward with energy and excitement. I’m glad to hear we will be in the same boat together.”
The investors hung up and Logan clicked off the speaker. Amber smiled and clapped her hands together. “It worked! It freaking worked. I knew it would.”
Logan stood up and walked around, helping Amber to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, feeling her melt into him. “Thank you, Amber. I know that was incredibly hard for you to do. I know that it meant putting your own ass on the line, and you did it for me.”
Amber pulled back and looked up at Logan. “I’m so sorry for never telling you about Bradley. It doesn’t matter what my excuses were, I did you wrong. I did Bradley wrong too. I robbed you both of four years together, and I can’t make that up. I am sorry that I lied to you. It was the hardest thing I ever did, and I never want to be in that situation again. We have to be honest with each other from now on. No matter where you and I end up, we are going to be parents of a precious little boy. That means that we have to trust each other enough to tell the truth when it matters the most, even if it’s hard to do.”
He smiled at her, seeing the Amber that he recognized again. “It’s not all your fault. And I have done my share of bad things to us. All we can do now is move forward.”
Amber nodded and looked down at her watch. “So, I have to go pick Bradley up from daycare at the end of the day. Obviously its early now, but tonight, do you maybe want to come over and spend some
time with him? We can tell him together who you are and you two can take some time to get to know each other. I’ll fix dinner and we can all eat together. You can stay as long as you want.”
Logan grinned. “I would love that. I really would. What time would you like me to be there?”
Amber thought about it for a second. “Let’s say six?”
Logan nodded his head. “Sounds perfect.”
Amber put her hands together. “Good. I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll see you later.”
Logan watched Amber as she walked out of the room, heading back to her office. He sat down behind his computer and leaned back. Just the thought of spending time with his son sent excitement through him. He couldn’t help but think about all the times he had spent with his father growing up. He always told himself if he ever became a father, he wanted to be just like his dad. He was going to get the chance to do that, and that was amazing to him.
For the last five years, he had done nothing but think about business. It was not only the way he was able to create his empire, but it was the only thing he could do to keep his mind off of Amber. During that time, he figured that he wouldn’t have a life outside of work for a very long time. He didn’t want to date, he didn’t want to go out, and he wasn’t interested in meeting anyone else. He never thought he would end up with his own little family. He never thought he would actually have someone to hand his legacy down to. But there he was, Bradley, with his curled hair, his beautiful eyes, and his amazing smile.
It seemed crazy to Logan, but he felt like he loved the kid already. There was some sort of unspoken bond that he had with him, something he had noticed but ignored the first time he played with him in the yard at his parents’ house. Logan was pretty sure that he had known all along that Bradley was his son, he just wasn’t able to admit it to himself until he heard it from Amber.
The rest of the day went by quickly, and Logan couldn’t wait to get to Amber’s. When he got there, Bradley answered the door, smiling up at him. Logan brought flowers for Amber and a stuffed giraffe for Bradley. “I thought that maybe Mr. Giraffe could be friends with your Teddy.”
Bradley’s eyes lit up. “I can name him Fred. He can be best friends with Teddy. Pawpaw will be happy that Teddy has a friend.”
Amber walked in the room, wiping her hands off. “Bradley, let’s all go in the living room and talk.”
Logan nervously followed after them and sat down next to Bradley. Amber knelt on the floor next to Bradley and held his hand. “So, there is something that I have never told you for reasons you won’t understand until you’re older. But I brought Logan here today because I wanted to introduce you to your father. Logan is your daddy.”
Bradley looked at his mom and then over at Logan. “You’re my dad?”
Logan nodded his head. “I am. And I want to start out by telling you how sorry I am that I haven’t been here.”
Bradley stared at him for several moments. “It’s okay. But now that you’re here, things will be even better.”
Amber and Logan laughed, both leaning in and hugging Bradley. During the beginning of the night, Bradley kept looking at Logan with curiosity. However, as the night went on, he seemed to warm up to the idea more and more. They all sat around the table and ate spaghetti together and listened to Bradley tell stories about what he did that day in preschool and in daycare. After that, they had dessert and watched a movie together.
About halfway through the movie, Bradley climbed up into Logan’s lap and sat, watching from there. Logan glanced over at Amber, who had tears in her eyes. He sat back and wrapped his arms around the kid, nodding as Amber came and sat next to them. He looked around the dimmed room, the sound of a movie playing on the screen. Everything was relaxed, everything was chill, and they were all there together.
Logan knew that the most whole he had ever felt was when Amber was around, but it wasn’t until that moment that he realized that having Bradley there too was exactly what he was missing in life. He had the opportunity to have a full-fledged family with the woman he loved, and an amazing child. At first, he thought that a company was all he ever wanted, but sitting there with them, he realized he had never been more wrong. That was what he wanted. Spaghetti dinners, movies, ice cream, quiet dimmed rooms, warm comfortable surroundings, and the people he loved the most all around him.
It may not have happened the way that he wanted it to, and it may have been a bit of a shock to his system, but he was sitting in a room surrounded by the perfect life. There was no way in the world he was ever going to leave Amber again, and nothing in the world would ever tear him away from Bradley. He made a commitment right then and there to be there for both of them for the rest of his life. He may not have told Amber, but he had told himself, which made it more real to him than anything he had ever experienced.
Amber
Amber walked alongside Logan, watching as he cradled Bradley in his arms. Bradley was fast asleep with his head pressed against Logan’s chest. She smiled as they quietly moved down the hall and into his room. She pulled the covers back on the bed and Logan gently laid Bradley down. He pulled the covers up to his chest and leaned over, kissing his forehead. He reached up and held Amber’s hand tightly, just watching his little boy sleep. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.
After about ten minutes, he stood up and waited in the doorway as she kissed her little boy, thanking the universe for all the amazing things that day had brought. She clicked on his star nightlight and they walked out, gently closing the door behind them. Logan looked at her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
He shook his head and Amber smiled, wondering what he was thinking. “What’s going on up there? You look peaceful.”
He pushed a piece of hair out of her face. “I feel peaceful. In fact, this is the perfect life, right here. I can’t imagine anything better. When we were seeing each other the first time, this is the life that I imagined that we would have. Maybe not what lead up to it, but definitely this part of it.”
Amber smiled, feeling a warm sensation in her chest. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Logan took in a deep breath and lifted Amber’s hands into his. “I want you and Logan to move in with me. I can’t tell you the logistics and whether that is here or there, that we can figure out later. I just know that I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to make up for that lost time in the best way that I can. I want the both of you by my side. I want my family, the woman I love, and my perfect little boy. What do you say?”
Amber was overcome with joy. She could barely hold it in as tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face. “Yes, oh my God, of course we will. I have wished for us to be a family for a very long time. I never stopped loving you. I never stopped, in the back corners of my mind, hoping that you would show up one day and want to be with us. I may have been angry, but I understood and I wanted the best for you. I was just so afraid. I did things on my own for so long that I didn’t know if you would want to be part of it, and I didn’t think that I could take the rejection.”
Logan cupped her face in his hands. “I will never reject you. And I will never leave you or that little boy ever again. I promise.”
Amber threw her arms around Logan and leaned in, giving him a deep and passionate kiss. Their lips hit and fireworks exploded in her chest. Logan leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up in the air. He turned and walked into her room, closing the door behind them. Amber kept her lips locked to his as he set her on the floor.
She opened her eyes and pulled back, the lust instantaneous between them. She closed her eyes as he leaned in, whispering into her ear. “Now, can I make love to the woman I love?”
She giggled. “I have been waiting for five years.”
Logan smiled and reached forward, pulling her t-shirt up and over her head. He kissed her lips sweetly and gently. She could feel his fingers unclasp her bra and carefully pull it down her shoulders. She gasped as the c
omfort of his warm palms massaged against her breasts. She watched as he leaned forward, sucking her nipple into his mouth. He rolled his tongue across it and nibbled slightly on the hard bullet forming in his mouth. She could feel the heat of his breath touching every one of her nerve endings.
Her hands moved forward and unbuckled his pants, letting them drop to the ground. She pushed her palm inside of his boxer briefs and grabbed onto his long hard shaft. He groaned against her breast as she moved her palm up and down, getting him harder and harder. She looked up at him as he stood tall, pulling down her yoga pants picking her up in his arms. She held his gaze as they walked over to the bed and he laid her down in just her black lace panties. She watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the side before pulling off his briefs.
He slowly climbed over top of her and hovered, looking deep into her eyes. “I love you, Amber.”
Tears welled up again and she nodded. “I love you too.”
She ran her fingers through his soft, dark hair as he moved down her body, rubbing his lips across her skin. He grabbed onto her panties with his teeth and pulled them down her body, tossing them on the floor. She ran her eyes over his hard muscles as he sat up on his knees, running his fingers through her folds. She leaned her head back, letting out a low groan, feeling the juices flowing out of her. He touched every single part of her body, making her more and more aroused as the seconds passed. She just wanted to feel him inside of her, be as close to him as she could possibly get. She wanted to feel his body writhing next to hers, and hear his deep breathing against her skin.
Everything about the mood was both erotic and emotional at the same time. She could tell he was taking his time, caressing every inch of her body with his hands. He wanted to know her body better than ever before, and she wasn’t going to complain. Slowly he moved up her body and lowered his lips to hers. His fingers caressed her wet lips between her legs before pushing his large cock deep inside of her. She gasped into his mouth feeling the girth of his shaft filling her completely.