“I need you with me all the time.” It didn’t seem fair to ask her to uproot her life and move to him without any discussion of him moving to Riverside, but… “We’ve got to figure out a way to make this permanent.”
Her breathing stuttered, and he worried he might’ve said something wrong or moved too fast, but then a slow, sexy smile crossed her lips, and his worries faded away. “I love you, Logan. And I meant what I said the other night. I’ll do whatever it takes. Even if it means moving to Charlotte.”
While talking, he managed to slow his strokes and be somewhat civilized. But her offer to move without him even asking filled his heart and soul to overflowing, and his cock took over as if on autopilot. He needed to possess and mark and make sure she and the world knew she was his in every way and they’d never be apart again.
Reaching between them, he stroked her clit, and she shot off like a rocket. She arched her back, cried out his name, and wrapped her long legs around his waist, drawing him in even farther. He wanted to make this defining moment last, but he was too far gone, and with a final stroke, he let himself take the ride with her.
He became aware of nearly incoherent mutterings falling from his lips and… well, damn. He hadn’t intended to pour out his heart and soul like that, but since he had, he figured he better straighten his shit out and do it right.
As soon as he caught his breath, he rested his forehead against hers and kissed her slowly and deeply, letting her feel the truth of the words he inadvertently spoke and the ones he was about to say again. “I love you, Lizbeth. I’ve tried so hard over the years not to, but… You stole my heart a long time ago, and it’s so nice to get it back.”
More content and peaceful than he ever remembered being, he rolled to the side and pulled her with him. He must’ve dozed off, because the next time he opened his eyes, it was completely dark outside and his cell phone was ringing from somewhere on the floor. The last thing he wanted was to break contact with Lizbeth, but he’d promised Luke he would never intentionally miss a call again, so he untangled himself and grabbed his jeans from the floor.
Seeing Brianna’s number and not Bobbi Jo, as he feared, he breathed a sigh of relief and answered. “Hey, Bri.”
“Dad!” Her frantic voice sent a jolt of alarm through him, and he was grabbing for his clothes before he even realized he was moving. “They’ve arrested Mom.”
“What?” That drew him up short, and he froze with his foot partially into his pant leg. He lost his balance, stumbled back onto the bed, and found Lizbeth on her hands and knees, right there, ready to catch him. Her eyes were wide, and he didn’t know if she’d been able to hear Brianna’s scream through the phone or if she could simply tell from his reaction that something was wrong.
And damn if he must not be turned ten ways from sideways, because he could’ve sworn Brianna just said they arrested her mom. “What did you say?”
“Mom. They arrested her for burning down the house.” She was no longer screaming, but seemed to have devolved to a state of shock and was having as much trouble grasping this conversation as him.
He ran a hand over his face, trying to understand. Bobbi Jo had been arrested? For burning down the house?
“Where are you? And what about Maggie and Luke?” Okay, this was good. Some part of his brain must be functioning, because he was back in the business of taking care of the kids.
“We’re all at home. The cops came to the house, knocked on the door, and asked to speak to Mom. After a minute, they told her she was under arrest and they handcuffed her.” Hysteria started to creep in again, but she took a deep breath and settled herself enough to continue. “They asked who to call to come be with us, and I told them I’d call you. I think you know one of them. He looked familiar, and he specifically asked if you were in town this weekend.”
That was probably Hernandez, an old racing buddy from back in the day who worked with the fire department as an investigator. At least Logan had someone to call to find out what the hell was going on.
Arrested?
A small, niggling voice in the back of his head, one he didn’t want to hear and sure as shit didn’t want to listen to, pointed out there were things over the past week that seemed off. Starting with Bobbi Jo’s comment, “Maybe this is what needed to happen to make us see the light. To force us back together so we can work this out,” followed by the look of devastation and panic on her face when he told her about Lizbeth.
There had been other comments and gestures that seemed strange, but he thought she was just on an emotional roller coaster from the fire and all the stress that came from trying to put their lives back together. He never in a million years would’ve believed her capable of burning down her home. And for the purpose of forcing their lives back together? With one of the children in the house?
Fury filled him, and he squeezed the phone so hard the case cracked from the strain. Lizbeth’s soft touch, stroking across his back, eased him enough he was finally able to draw in a deep breath before exhaling as if he’d been punched in the gut. Which made sense because that’s how he felt.
“Okay, Bri. I’ll be home in ten minutes. I’ll see if I can reach Hernandez on my way and figure out what’s going on. Okay?”
He disconnected the call and stared at the floor, trying to grasp all the implications of this latest development. The anger that had started to wane returned, and he practically vibrated with his growing rage.
“How could she do something like that?” He turned to Lizbeth, knowing she couldn’t possibly answer that or any of the other questions running through his mind. But he needed the connection with her to keep him from spiraling off into outer space.
“Maybe it’s a misunderstanding. Or they have something that appears to be evidence but isn’t really. Innocent people are arrested all the time, unfortunately. And then, after they gather more facts, they’re released.”
True, but Logan knew Hernandez. Had known him for years. He was a stand-up guy, and from everything Logan read about him in the paper, he was also one hell of a detective. Given their relationship, Logan found it hard to believe he would’ve arrested Bobbi Jo without good cause.
Shaking off his thoughts, he said, “I’ve gotta go. The kids are home by themselves. And I need to be there with them. I can’t believe I have to leave you again. Son of a bitch!” Anger had him exploding off the bed as he jammed his feet into his pants and stood to pull them up the rest of the way. “How many more times is she going to fuck things up for us?”
Lizbeth, who’d been sitting up on her knees, sank onto her heels. “I’m sorry this is happening to you. Throughout all this, you’ve been there for the kids. You’re their rock and you keep things together for them. What can I do for you?”
There weren’t enough words in the English language to adequately express how much he loved this sweet, thoughtful woman.
As he pulled his T-shirt over his head, then put on his socks and shoes, he thought about her question. He didn’t know how his answer would go over with the kids, but he also didn’t care. He wanted to be with Lizbeth, and dammit, he was sick of sacrificing what he wanted for everyone else. The kids would meet her eventually, and yeah, there would be a better time and place, but he hadn’t put them in this position. Bobbi Jo did that.
“I want you to come with me.” As her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath, he said, “You asked what you could do for me, and that’s what I want. All I’ve ever wanted is to be with you.”
Lizbeth chewed on her lip and got back up on her knees, putting her closer to eye level with him. “How about this? You go to the house. Talk to the kids. Make your phone calls. Figure out what’s going on and get things settled. Then I’ll come over. You need to have a conversation with the kids about this, and they don’t need a witness. This has to be humiliating for them, not to mention devastating and scary and confusing. They need to be able to express themselves and their feelings without an audience.”
He squeezed his
eyes shut and scrubbed his hands over his face while growling with frustration. She was right. Despite not having children of her own, she was incredibly insightful. He appreciated her thinking of his children and respecting their needs as well as his.
“You’re right,” he said as he exhaled sharply.
“Do they like to swim? The hotel has an indoor pool. You could bring them here, and we can order pizza or something and they can swim. That way, I’m not coming into their space, and they can do something fun to take their minds off their mom.”
It was becoming clear, despite his best efforts, he’d never stopped loving Lizbeth. But having her put so much thought into helping his children, while also trying to satisfy their need of being together, made his love for her grow a thousand-fold.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. “You’re incredible. I can’t believe I lost all those years with you, but I’m determined to stop dwelling on the past and make the most of the years ahead.”
She drew in a deep breath, and he felt her smiling against the side of his face. “I love you, Logan, and truly… there’s nothing I won’t do to make this work.” She released him from the hug and slid off the bed to stand next to him. “Go take care of the kids, and I’ll be here, chewing my nails, waiting for your call to tell me you’re headed back this way.”
He laughed and dropped a kiss to her lips. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. They’re going to love you. Maybe not right away, but they’ll eventually see what an amazing woman you are.”
At least he hoped. And to make sure none of them got out of line tonight and treated Lizbeth rudely or disrespectfully, he’d make sure they knew if they acted up, they would be grounded for the next three months.
Chapter Fifteen
The second Logan walked through the door, the kids assaulted him with a barrage of questions.
“How could she do this?”
“Mom can’t be guilty, can she?”
And the most heart-wrenching of all… “Are you going to go get her out?”
He tried to call Hernandez’s cell on his way home, but not surprising, the call went straight to voicemail. Logan asked him to call with whatever information he could share, and hopefully, once they talked, he’d have answers for the kids’ first questions. As for the last one about getting her out…
“Guys, come in here,” he said, moving from the foyer into the living room, “and let’s sit down and talk. I need more information.”
The grumbles, complaints, and questions continued to fall from their mouths, but they all landed in one big unintelligible heap in Logan’s mind. Luke sat in Logan’s recliner, then had the gall to appear confused when Logan tilted his head to the side and gave his son a get out, now look. He wasn’t in the mood for messing around, and after a huff and an eye roll, Luke slid to the floor next to the chair.
Brianna sat on the couch, and Maggie tried to cuddle against her, but Brianna—never one for showing much emotion—flexed her arm and shooed Maggie away. “Move down there. God. We have the whole couch. You don’t need to sit right on top of me.”
Maggie moved, but Logan saw the hurt flash in her eyes and the glistening moisture of unshed tears. He loved Brianna, but sometimes she was so much like her mother—selfish and thoughtless—he wanted to wring her neck. How could she not see Maggie was hurting, like all of them, and needed a little comfort and support? Or maybe she did see and just didn’t care.
“Okay. You’ll all have a chance to talk, but I’m starting with Brianna. Tell me what happened, starting at the top.”
“Luke opened the door—”
“I thought it was safe to open the door since they were cops!” Luke defended. “I didn’t know they were going to take Mama away.”
Based on Luke’s quick defensive maneuvering, they’d obviously been over this at least once prior to Logan’s arrival, so when Brianna opened her mouth to speak again, Logan put up his hand to stop her before she got started. “You didn’t do a thing wrong, buddy,” he said, addressing his son, who looked on the verge of tears for being a traitor. “You were right to open the door.” To Brianna, he said, “Go on.”
“They asked for Mom, and when she came into the living room, they told her they needed to talk to her alone. I thought that was weird.” She paused and twisted up her mouth. “So I followed them and stood outside the kitchen door while they talked. They read Mom her rights, then started asking her questions. They asked if she knew someone named Vito. She said no, but then they showed her cell phone records where she talked to the guy three times over the past two weeks.”
Logan drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, working hard to make sure he didn’t show any reactions as Brianna relayed the story.
“They asked her about ATM withdrawals, and again, she said she didn’t know anything. But they said they had video of her making the withdrawals while the guy stood next to her and even had her on camera handing the money to him. After that, they said they were arresting her.”
She paused, glanced at Maggie from the corner of her eye, then continued. “I was standing in the hallway, too shocked to move or do anything, when the guy you know came out of the kitchen. He asked if you were in town this weekend or gone to the track. I told him I thought you were nearby and I’d have you on the phone before he even got Mom to the car.” She paused and a small smile touched her lips. “He kind of laughed at that and said that would be good, and then he went back into the kitchen with the other officer who was standing with Mom.”
Logan sank back into the chair and rested his head back but stopped short of pulling out the leg rest. Oh, but he wanted to. He wanted to pull that little lever on the side, let his legs pop out in front of him, close his eyes, and sleep for a week.
“What was your mom’s reaction?”
As three mouths popped open, he held up his hand again. “Brianna, you were closest. You field this one too.”
“The only thing she said was it didn’t matter anymore anyway. What’s that mean? How can it not matter?”
Logan banged his head against the back of the chair a couple times and squeezed his eyes shut as a heart-wrenching pain ripped through his chest.
My God, she really did this.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and sat back up, then rested his forearms on his knees and linked together his fingers.
“I don’t know.” He certainly had his suspicions, but the kids didn’t need to know that. He glanced at Luke, who sat stoically beside him, then to Maggie, whose arms were wrapped so tightly around her upraised knees she had to be cutting off the circulation to her lower legs and feet. “Did you guys hear anything other than what Bri’s already told me?”
Both shook their heads no.
After a moment, Maggie said, “Can you get her out?”
When he first got the call, his primary concern was getting home to the kids. Bailing out Bobbi Jo never crossed his mind until one of the kids mentioned it. Everyone was innocent until proven guilty, but he was starting to believe she really hired someone to burn down her house. And if she were willing to go that far to get what she wanted, to put one of her own children at risk, he didn’t want her anywhere near his kids. And at this point, the safest place for her was behind bars where he couldn’t get ahold of her.
He diverted his gaze from Maggie’s penetrating green stare. “No, pumpkin, I won’t.”
She gasped and turned to Brianna and Luke for backup. “How can you leave her there?”
“Mom burned down our house, Maggie,” Luke shouted at her. “She should be in jail.”
“Okay, wait just a minute,” Logan said, cutting off the battle before it escalated further. Putting words to his previous thought, as not only a reminder to Luke, but to himself, he said, “Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. You and your mom have your issues, but she is your mom and you need to remember that. However…” Logan drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “Some things have happened recently that mak
e me nervous about bringing her back into the house with you guys until this is all sorted out.”
“Like what?” Brianna demanded.
Like the constant phone calls to Lucas, demanding Lizbeth’s full name and number, and the call to his secretary, asking prying questions about Lizbeth. Logan saw a side to Bobbi Jo over the past week he’d never seen before, and it was more than a little disconcerting. But again, her children didn’t need details, so he shook his head and said, “I’m not getting into it with you guys.”
“I don’t suppose your attitude and your unwillingness to help Mom has anything to do with your new friend.” Brianna spat out the word with so much venom he was surprised she didn’t hiss in the process.
Man, had Lizbeth ever been right about him needing to speak to the kids first without her around.
Before he could chastise Brianna for her attitude and tone, she continued. “How can you be all about this woman when you just met her? If I got like that about a boy, you’d be mad.”
“I didn’t just meet her,” he said quietly, trying to control his temper and not erupt on Brianna out of frustration or in defense of Lizbeth.
Maggie turned her big green eyes onto him, and the pain he saw in them nearly cut him in two. “You and Mama aren’t ever getting back together, are you?”
“No, pumpkin, we’re not.”
There was silence while they all processed this latest bit of information. After a moment, Maggie said, “What’s her name?”
She seemed resigned and curious, but not angry, so he released the breath he’d been holding and said, “Lizbeth.” He intentionally withheld her last name so the kids didn’t accidentally—or intentionally—give their mom that information.
“How did you meet her?” Maggie was the one asking the questions, but Luke seemed curious, and while Bri was less interested, she’d calmed down and at least seemed willing to listen. Bobbi Jo would have a fit over him revealing the details of his past with Lizbeth, but fuck her. She was in jail, so she obviously wasn’t the expert on everything.
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