“What? I can’t say it?”
“I didn’t say that. But dang girl—why you gotta be so mean?”
Allison laughed out loud. “I’m sorry. I’m not adventurous.”“Don’t worry—we’ll work on that.”
The day before Logan was home, Allison all but skipped down the stairs humming to herself. Emily was sitting in the livingroom on her lap top.
“Good morning, daughter-o-mine!” she cheered, grabbing a mug from the drainer and pouring some coffee for herself.
“Wow—you’re this happy before coffee? What have you done with my mother?”
Allison chuckled and sat across from her daughter. “I gave her a re―birth. What are you doing today? I was thinking after I check on the website and sales we should go get our hair done. Logan is coming back tonight and I’d like it to be special.”
Emily nodded. “Well if you’re paying. After all I’m a lowly student.”
Allison rolled her eyes as she sipped from her coffee to hide a smile. She knew her daughter was wealthier than most students with her trust fund and all but said nothing. “Sure. I’ll pay for it, but in punishment you have to have lunch with me too.” She wiggled her brows at Emily who extended a hand to her.
“You gat ya’self a deal!” Emily drawled.
Allison gathered her laptop and spent the morning sitting side by side with her daughter. They even went as far as to create a new lingerie set based on ideas from Emily. Once she was finished with the sketches she scanned them and shipped them off to her designer.
“Mom, do you remember that day when I first found lingerie in the hamper?”
Allison covered her face.
“And it’s been eleven years and you’re still embarrassed!” Emily burst out laughing.
“Why were you even going through the hamper anyway?” Allison couldn’t hide her smile though her cheeks were on fire.
“I was looking for Blankie! It’s not my fault Dad hid it! I didn’t know you two were—well you know.”
“We weren’t! Not with lingerie anyway. It was for one of my new releases. Paul brought it over after they’d made the prototype and clumsy me spilled curry on it.”
“Sure…”
“I’m serious! Your father never liked lingerie.”
Emily made a sound in her throat. “Why doesn’t he want me, Mom? I mean since he’s left he hasn’t even called. I check my emails obsessively to see if he sent me anything or instant messages and nothing. He just...left.”
Allison took a deep breath before reaching over to hug her daughter. “I don’t know, sweetie. I really don’t think it’s because he doesn’t want you. He is your father. I just think his new life has blinded him to what’s truly important. He’ll come around.”
“Mom…I’m eighteen. You don’t have to make excuses for him anymore. It’s not like he’s missing a little league game or a recital. This is my life.”
“I understand, sweetie. I don’t know what is going on in his life.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No. I never searched. But I will if you want me to.”
“Not after what he did to you. I just thought I was important to him, that’s all.”
“You are important to him. That’s why he waited all these years before he walked out. He wanted to make sure you were an adult and could handle it. I guess he now thinks you’re grown so you don’t need him.”
“He’s wrong you know. A girl never stops needing a father.”
“A father? You only have one.”
“Oh, Mom, we both know any fool can have a child—but like they always say, it takes a real man to be a father.”
Allison felt her heart break at those words. She pulled Emily into her arms again and caressed her dark hair before pressing kisses against her head. She couldn’t help her daughter in something so simple as to find her no good father. Taking a breath she leaned back. “Alright. Go get dressed. It may not be the parent day you wanted but I think a mother’s day out is as good as anything?”
Emily smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. “Trust me, Mom, I’m glad I have you. Going out with you for the day will be amazing. I don’t get this enough.”
“You know you can come home any time you want for a visit? And if you can’t, I will come to you.”
“You mean that?”
“Yes.”
“You will bring Logan, right?”
Allison laughed. “If he’s around, I will bring Logan.”
“Good.” Emily hopped from the stool. “Gimme ten minutes and I’ll be ready to go. Oh and, Mom, my friends come back tomorrow so if you don’t mind—I’d like to spend the last day with them before I head back.”
Allison caressed her cheek. “No problem, sweetie. I have today.”
She watched her daughter leave the room and took a deep breath. Emily was so grown up. It wasn’t often in life a mother needed to lean on her daughter. But when your heart is broken the world suddenly doesn’t seem right. She eased from her seat, thankful she had Emily.
* * * *
Allison dropped the fish into the pot of steaming oil and jerked back. The crackling of oil against meat scared her, but not enough not to make fried fish. Her daughter was going around the kitchen, opening windows and lighting scented candles to combat the smell. She’d no doubt went up stairs and closed all the bedroom doors.
“Logan is coming home today,” Allison explained to her.
“Is that your way of telling me I have to be scarce?” Emily questioned. There was laughter and a teasing in her voice that caused Allison to blush. “I’m not a baby, Mom. I know what a man and woman do together when they’re into each other.”
“I’m not telling you to make yourself scarce. I’m just saying I’d like it if you stayed for dinner so we can all sit down and see if all three of us click.”
“We will.” Emily peered into the pot with the fish. “When I called him the first thing he asked me was if I was okay.”
“Yes?”
“So he was worried about your baby even though he’s never really met me. What other man would do that?”
Allison nodded and a surge of pride rushed through her. Still she served out some rice into a large bowl and handed it to Emily to wash. The two continued cooking side by side, basking in a relationship they never would have had if William hadn’t walked out on them. They spoke like long time friends, but most importantly they spoke like mother and daughter who loved each other. Who were proud of each other and respected each other.
“We never did talk about your father leaving,” Allison said once dinner was simmering, waiting for Logan. “I mean we talked about it but never really talked about it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about really. I’ve learned from watching you and Dad that sometimes things just don’t work out. And sometimes when they don’t work out we shouldn’t be sad because it’s for the best.”
“How do you figure?”
“Because I see a light in your eyes I never saw when you were with Dad. I saw it whenever you thought I was asleep at nights and you look in at me, but never when you looked at dad. Now when you talk about Logan…see?” Emily pointed. “That look.”
Allison laughed and hugged Emily. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you for showing me not every man I date will deserve me.”
Kissing her daughter’s cheek, Allison took a breath and held it. For the first time in a long while, she felt worthy of her daughter―worthy of a daughter’s love.
Chapter Eleven
With contract signed and the knowledge that he would begin his career soon, Logan hopped back on a plane as though his life depended on it. He sat in the window seat and only looked away to give the person sitting beside him a polite nod before looking out again. There were so many things going through his mind.
“Nervous about flying?”
Logan turned once more and smiled at the man beside him. “Not really. I just have a lot on my mind.”
�
��I’m nervous about flying,” he said with a nod and a shaky smile. “This is my first time.”
“And you chose Stoney Creek?”
The man laughed. “I didn’t have a choice. My daughter adopted a son and I wanted to go meet my new grandson.”
“That I understand,” Logan laughed. “I know a bunch of kids that could use a new mother. I teach them everyday.”
“You’re a teacher?”
Logan shook his head. “I just teach dance. I figure if I use something they love as a reward, they will keep their grades up. So far—it’s working.”
“So you work at the center—you must be Logan Montgomery.”
Logan arched a brow and eased back slightly away from the man. “I would say you have me at a disadvantage—I don’t know your name.”
“Tom Lawrence. My daughter is Angelica Lawrence? She just adopted Preston Clemons.”
“Oh right! I remember talk going around saying he was being adopted. But Preston never got into details. I guess he didn’t want to jinx it. Well congratulations!”
“Thank you. I don’t know many people who would adopt a thirteen year old. But Angelica said he was a good kid and only needed a home.”
“Both of you were right. His marks are great. He works hard and is very polite. He hasn’t been around bad influences for very long so we were lucky with him.”
The two talked for the duration of the flight. At the end, they said their goodbyes as though they were life long friends and walked away.
The moment he stepped off the plane, Logan felt different. He felt calmed and happy to be home. There was no sirens, no screaming, no excessive noise. He got through what they called customs and sat outside on a bench wondering if he’d told Sam when he was coming home. For the moment he sat there, with his eyes closed enjoying the peace he now felt. A shiver of satisfaction traced through him. But Logan knew he couldn’t just sit there like a hobo all day. He had to do something to get home and walking was out of the question. He was pulling out his cell phone when a red convertible pulled up before him and honked. He tilted his head at the woman in the front seat. She had short black hair just by her shoulders with large curls. She looked too young to be trying to pick him up. Still there was a hint familiarity about her. Sharking it off, he took a breath.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m Emily? Mom sent me to get you.”
He smiled and grabbed his bag. Tossing it in the back he climbed into the front seat and after closing the door he pulled his seat belt on. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Same here,” she replied, pulling from the curb.
“Where is your mother?”
“She…is at home.”
Logan heard the hesitation in her voice and tilted his head to study her. “At home. Doing what?”
“I can’t tell you.”
She smiled then. Logan took that as a sign that both of them were in cahoots together. He laughed then and nodded. “I see how it is,” he looked out the side the car and rested his elbow on the window. His mind went to Allison and wondered if she was ready for him. He was ready for her—ready to wait until she was available heart, mind and soul.
“I don’t know if your mother wanted me to speak with you about this,” Logan spoke, breaking the silence. “But I think I need to.”
“All right.”
“I know it’s hard to watch your mom meet someone new after your father especially someone younger than she is. So I have to be understanding if you want to freak out or grill me or something.”
“Grill you?”
Logan chuckled softly. “I like your mom—a lot. You’re old enough to know what I mean by that. But I also understand she just came out of a long marriage that could be considered a lifetime with your father and no one could ever take his place. I’m not trying to. What I’m trying is to see if I can make her happy because—”
“She makes you happy.”
Logan arched a brow. “Yes...”
“Logan. The first time mom told me about you, I was a little bit weary, but pretended to be happy for her because, she was so sad before I left. But the more she talks about you and the way she reacts to you—well I can’t be weary anymore. I’ve known about you.” She pushed some hair behind her ear. “All the things I’ve heard are good. And my mom is so happy right now she has this—this glow. I have to admit, she never had it before.” She took a deep breath as she pulled up in front of the house. “Mom is into you, Logan. And if you can make her happy—the kind of happy that she deserves, I can’t complain. I’m not a kid anymore. I understand what’s happening because I’ve seen some of my friends go through the same thing.”
“I just wanted to make sure you know I’m not trying to replace your dad.”
Emily shrugged and turned to look at him. “Logan, can I be honest with you?”
“Yes, sure.”
“For years, Mom has given up everything for me. I used to be a bit of a brat to her until I found out she gave up meeting Jason Statham for me.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Jason Statham is her all time favourite actor. She adores the man. I had a recital one night, the same night she was to meet him. She cancelled that meet to come see me prance around in a pink tutu. That’s the kind of mother she is for me. She sacrificed a lot more things, but that’s the one thing that really stuck with me. She never told me—I heard my dad talking about it one night. After that—I tried being good to her. So if this is what she wants...”
Logan nodded. “I understand.”
* * * *
Allison squealed when the buzzer went off. That meant one thing—Emily was back with Logan. Tugging at the hem of her new dress, she looked around. The table was set, music played softly in the background and Rum and Raisin ice-cream was sitting in the freezer waiting to be eaten. She darted up the stairs and spritz some perfume behind her ears, added some unscented deodorant and took one final look at herself. She was back in the living room by the time the door opened.
“Mom?” Emily and Logan chorused.
She grinned and stuck her head out the living room door. “Hello, darlings.” She hurried forward and kissed them both on the cheeks. Logan dropped his bag by the door, but the kiss he gave her wasn’t on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaned in and drank from her lips almost greedily.
She didn’t realize Emily was gone until he released her to catch her breath. She looked up at him and blushed. “Hi.”
He said nothing—only reached in and kissed her again. Her head was spinning by the time they walked hand in hand into the living room.
“Ali...” he whispered. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“Yes I did. We’re going to have a nice family dinner. We’re going to have a little wine, a little conversation and some good food.”
“Only a fool would turn down home cooked food.” Logan laughed as he helped Emily into her chair before doing the same for Allison. “And I’m no fool. This smells good.”
Dinner was amazing. Allison found herself watching the way Emily and Logan interacted. There was such freeness and generosity there. Eventually the conversation switched to embarrassing, funny moments of Emily growing up—mostly Allison was the one who was embarrassed. Logan laughed so hard, at one point he had juice coming out of his nose. He quickly tapped it away with a napkin.
“So about what happened in New York.” Logan turned to look at Allison. “I got a contract with the record company, Antibes.”
Allison leaped from her seat to hug him tightly. “Congratulations!”
“I call dibs for an extra in your first video!” Emily waved a hand with a giggle.
“I don’t know if I like you being a video vixen,” Allison said, arching a brow and sitting on Logan’s knee.
“But, Mom!”
Logan laughed and kissed her neck. “I promise she will be wearing clothes.”
“She’d better.” Allison caressed his head.
“Baby,” Allison said, cradling his face. “This is something you’ve been working on. This is your break. I can do my business from anywhere. I work from home, remember? As long as I have a laptop and internet access along with a phone I’m set. Don’t worry. If you miss me too badly and if I miss you I’ll just come visit.”
“See?” Emily said reaching over to pat Logan’s shoulder. “Alls well that ends well.”
“You’ve got a great kid, you know that?”
“She knows,” Emily beamed, getting up for a bottle of water sitting in the center of the table.
Allison laughed. “Don’t forget egotistic.”
Logan picked her up from his lap and placed her comfortably in a chair, leaving her there to sip on a glass of white wine. She watched as little by little the plates were cleared until the table was empty. There was talking in the kitchen followed by the dishwasher humming. When Logan returned, it was with two bowls of ice-cream. One he placed before her and the other he sat with.
“Thank you for dinner,” Logan said. “I really enjoyed it.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“The dinner?” He wanted to know as he lifted his spoon to her lips.
Allison accepted the cold dessert and moaned. Her eyes drifted shut. She felt his lips against hers, and allowed his tongue to enter her with great pleasure. Groaning, she reached up to grab the back of his head.
“You two need a room,” Emily joked.
They pulled apart.
“Yes, Mother.” Logan chuckled.
Allison giggled.
“Smart asses,” Emily mumbled.
Chapter Twelve
Logan walked into the bedroom and placed his cell phone on the dresser. Allison was still in the shower. Removing his shirt, he placed it over the back of a near by chair, took off his belt and dropped it on the chair and undid the button of his pants. The silence out on the balcony caught his attention and he opened the glass doors, stepping out. A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind as he rested his elbows against the railing. Dinner with Emily and Allison was amazing. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed so hard. He kept remembering the jokes told, the way Allison would blush deeply—especially at the joke about little Emily finding lingerie in the laundry hamper. He laughed then and shook his head.
Comforts of a Man (The Panty Droppers Series) Page 7