~ ~ ~
Sabrina rinsed out her mouth and headed upstairs to pack her suitcase, her gut still churning, chest tight, eyes stinging. She should’ve known it was too good to be true. Of course Logan would want to be a good dad, but to know he was going to be that dad across the country for another woman’s child was more than Sabrina could bear.
She was glad she hadn’t brought a lot of stuff with her. It made this all easier. As if saying goodbye to Logan could ever be easy. She went straight to his bedroom, where she’d expected to have more time in his arms, and now she just wanted to get away as quickly as possible. She pulled on socks and shoes, too worked up to bother changing out of her pajamas. She’d just throw her winter coat over it.
Logan walked in. “Sabrina, I know this is a shock. I’m still half in shock too, but it doesn’t mean you have to go.”
She struggled to get a deep breath. “I can’t. I’m sorry, it’s just too much.” She put up a hand, trying to keep some distance between them. “It’s not you, it’s not us, it’s just…the situation.”
She wheeled her suitcase out of the closet and set it on the end of the bed.
“So does this mean the fake marriage is done or we’re done?” he asked quietly.
Her lower lip wobbled and she bit it. “I think we need some time apart.”
“I don’t want that.”
“I do.” She quickly emptied her one drawer and tossed it all in the suitcase.
“Maybe you could move with me, if it comes down to it. Open a practice out in San Francisco.”
She yanked the zipper on the suitcase, her vision blurring with tears. The zipper jammed, and she struggled with it, swearing up a storm.
His big hand closed over hers, pulling it away from the zipper, and pulling her into his arms.
She shoved at his chest. “I need to go.”
“I don’t want you to leave when you’re so upset.”
She lifted her chin, trying to be strong. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.”
A tear escaped and she wiped it away. “Okay, you want to know the truth? Before you told me your big news, I was working up the nerve to tell you I love you. There, I said it. I love you. And then you tell me you’re moving to be a dad with a woman who never deserved you, and it hurts. Okay? I’m hurting, and I need to go so I can stop hurting.”
“Okay.” He released her and zipped up her suitcase for her, setting it by her feet.
She grabbed the suitcase handle and walked out on shaky legs, nausea rising in her throat. Not just because of Olivia and Logan, which was bad enough. Because he didn’t say he loved her back.
~ ~ ~
Sabrina wasn’t surprised to see the gossipy news sites breaking the news the next day about her fake marriage. Claire had spun it like Sabrina and Logan hadn’t filed the paperwork, so it turned out the marriage wasn’t valid, but fake marriage headlines were way more juicy. None of it mattered now in light of the Olivia bombshell.
Last night she’d made it all the way home without breaking down, took one step into her apartment, and bawled her eyes out. Then she texted all of her friends, telling them she and Logan were through and why. It wasn’t just a break; it was a breakup. Her life had become the circus of her childhood, with messy relationships, children out of wedlock, and way too much drama.
She just could not go there again.
The next day, Friday, she turned off her Google alerts after a gossip site wrote a truly awful article about the love triangle between the Hollywood Love Guru (her), her fake husband, and his pregnant ex. Only Olivia could’ve spilled the pregnancy news. Sabrina’s friends would never have added fuel to the fire. Neither would Logan. But why would Olivia want the world to know she was pregnant from a man who was linked to someone else? It had to be pure venomous spite for Sabrina.
She dragged herself through work, not daring to cancel any of her remaining client appointments, no matter how bitter she felt about anything ever working out for anybody in a committed relationship. It shouldn’t be so hard for couples. Love should smooth the way. But if there was no love, or unrequited love, then there was nothing.
She drove home from work on Friday relieved she hadn’t run into Logan in their office building. She’d rushed in and out of the building and stayed in her office the whole day to make sure she didn’t. He’d probably be flying out to California soon, getting that paternity test.
What if it wasn’t his?
What if Olivia wasn’t even pregnant at all? What if she’d lied to get back at Logan for dumping her? Or to get back at Sabrina for telling Logan about Olivia’s cheating?
There was a way to find out. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? As soon as she got home, she dug into her purse for the business card she’d tossed in there. Good thing she hadn’t cleaned out her purse or she would’ve thrown away her connection to the one man who could help her, who specialized in taking sneaky pictures, who owed her for the big payday she’d given him with an exclusive picture—her dad.
~ ~ ~
Two days later, Sunday night, Sabrina had some photographic evidence. Her dad, still out in California thankfully, had sent her pictures of Olivia with Anil, the same man she’d been with for bathroom sex. And guess what they were doing? Shopping for baby clothes. She was definitely pregnant if she was shopping for baby stuff, and it looked like Anil was a real possibility for the father. In the picture, Anil was holding up a baby sleeper and Olivia was beaming.
She texted Logan the picture and called him, immediately telling him she thought Anil was the father.
He dug his heels in. “I won’t be satisfied until I see the paternity test results.”
“Did you have one?”
“No. She said she couldn’t get an appointment yet.”
Sabrina gritted her teeth. Olivia probably hadn’t even tried to get an appointment. She was probably stringing both men along, enjoying all the attention and drama.
Logan went on. “I know it’s not convenient to wait on a test, but she’s going to be pregnant for nine months either way. And I’m not moving until the baby’s born.”
“Doesn’t it seem like she’s with Anil now? Maybe she told him the baby was his, and he wants to be with her.”
“I don’t care about him. I care about the kid.”
“I know. I guess I just hoped…”
“I miss you. Come over or I’ll go over there.”
She was quiet. She missed him too, but this situation was out of control.
“Look,” he said, “there’s only two outcomes. One, the kid’s not mine and everything goes back to normal. Two, the kid’s mine, I move, and you have to decide if you’re willing to move to be with me.”
Leave her quiet, stable life? Leave her counseling practice that she’d built from nothing? Leave her friends who were like family to her? For a life as an outsider to another family? It would be just like when she was a kid—always the outsider—but worse because she’d have to deal with the fact that Logan would always be tied to Olivia.
“Sabrina?”
“What?” she asked softly.
“You said you loved me. When you love someone, you don’t bail on them.”
Her temper flared. “Do not put this on me. This is your drama.”
“And you’ve had your fair share,” he snapped, “which I helped you with.”
She took a calming breath. “I want you to ask Olivia if Anil is the father.”
“I don’t trust her word. I want the test results. For all I know, she’s playing both me and this other guy. But if she’s shopping for baby clothes, she probably didn’t lie about being pregnant.”
“I thought the same thing about her playing both of you.”
“And all of that has nothing to do with us.”
“Yes, it does!”
“Agree to disagree.”
She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Was he nuts? Did he not see the problem here? This was a huge f
ucked-up deal. She put the phone back to her ear just as he was saying, “It’s been four days since I told you about this. I gave you some space, but shouldn’t you have calmed down by now? Can’t we just talk it through? Isn’t that what you specialize in?”
A flurry of emotions slammed her at once—angry, indignant, utterly flabbergasted. Really? Calm down? Like she was overreacting to such life-changing news. And then he threw her counselor status in her face. Isn’t that what you specialize in? Like she wasn’t holding up her end of the relationship deal. He was the one who got someone else pregnant. Maybe. She was so confused.
He kept talking. “Maybe we need relationship counseling and not from you.”
She gasped. “Who should we go to? The psycho counselor out to get me? That fits, actually, why not have a psycho advising me on my crazy life?”
“Did Lexi ever get an appointment with her?” She’d texted him about her plan to confront Tara before the Olivia drama.
“Yes. Next Thursday.”
“I want to go with you. Not for counseling, just to make sure she doesn’t try anything nasty.”
She clenched her teeth. “No. I need to do this alone.”
He exhaled sharply into the phone. “I told you we’re a team, but all you do is push me away. You suck at relationships.”
She glared at the phone, fury rising within her, and hung up. He’d gone for the jugular. He knew all of her history with her noncommitted family, her own lack of success in relationships, how much she really wanted to be good at a relationship with him, and then he twisted the knife in her tender heart.
You suck at relationships? Too damn far.
He called back, and she let it go to voicemail.
Love shouldn’t hurt this much.
Chapter Sixteen
The only bright spot in Sabrina’s life was an exuberant call from her literary agent a few days later. Her book had sold to a publisher for mid-six figures. At least she felt more confident that her practice would thrive again once the book came out. Of course, that was more than a year away, and her earlier enthusiasm for writing it had dimmed considerably. How could she be enthusiastic about committed relationships when her own relationship was such a disaster? She hadn’t heard from Logan and hadn’t seen him at the office either. Not because she was avoiding him. She figured he was done with her, tired of dealing with someone who sucked at relationships. But what was she supposed to do when so much was still up in the air? How could she move forward with Logan not knowing which direction his life was heading?
The day after her big book news, Thursday, she headed out for Lexi’s appointment at psycho Tara’s office. Sabrina had it all planned out what she was going to say. She was sure they could talk this through. They shared a common goal, helping couples stay together in committed relationships. She’d emphasize that her own book deal could never eclipse the great accomplishment of Tara’s wonderful book, which was well researched and well written. Sabrina had read it in preparation for this meeting. And, most importantly, there were plenty of clients to go around, especially in this high-population part of Connecticut. Plus, Tara had a second office in the city teeming with troubled couples.
Sabrina showed up at Tara’s office five minutes before the allotted time and took a seat in the empty waiting room. She was still in her work clothes, a pale pink silk blouse with black pants and heels. She figured her outfit would help project a professional image and keep their conversation on a professional level. She silently rehearsed her speech and then checked the time on her phone. Any minute now. She’d just clicked record on her phone when the waiting room door opened and Logan strode in.
She gasped. He looked like six feet of powerfully determined man heading straight for her. For a brief heart-pounding moment, she thought he might scoop her up, toss her over his shoulder, and take her back to his bed like a sexy caveman. Instead, he took the seat next to her without a word. She breathed in his familiar fresh masculine scent, all of her longing to touch him again. He was in his usual work clothes—long-sleeved black shirt, worn jeans, and sneakers. Her mind immediately flashed to the finely formed muscles of his shoulders and arms, his chest…and more. She shifted her gaze up, surprised at herself. Maybe after all they’d done, she’d never be able to see him again without remembering how he looked underneath it all.
She studied his handsome profile, his short light brown hair, his nose that tilted up at the end, his sexy lips, his neatly trimmed beard. For a moment she forgot why they weren’t together. Then he met her eyes, his expression serious, and it all came flooding back. That was exactly how he’d looked when he broke the baby news to her.
“What’re you doing here?” she whispered. She’d told him she wanted to do this alone.
His voice was low and deep. “I wanted to be here for you. Lexi gave me the time and place.”
She ground her teeth. Lexi, you will pay.
She kept her voice low. “Get out. I’m supposed to be here for an individual appointment.”
He whispered directly in her ear, “You don’t know what this woman is capable of. She’s been manipulative, vindictive, and threatening you.”
She shoved his shoulder, but he didn’t budge. “Go.”
“I really do think we need relationship counseling,” he said without a trace of humor.
“Well, we’re not getting it here!”
The door to Tara’s office opened. There she was, looking just like her picture, her blond hair styled in a layered cut, her angular face hard and thin. Her blue eyes shot fire. “You!” she spat, narrowing her eyes at Sabrina. “I saw your book just got a bigger advance than mine did. Don’t even try to tell me you’re not trying to squeeze me out.”
Logan stood. “Hey, let’s all just stay calm.”
Sabrina put a hand up to Logan and walked over to Tara. The woman radiated pure venom, her blue eyes icy with rage. “Tara, I came here today to reach out to you, counselor to counselor. We both share a common goal of helping couples keep their commitment, and there’s no shortage—”
“I’m the Commitment Counselor!” Tara slashed her hand through the air. “That’s my thing. I trademarked it. You stole it. That’s all you’ve been doing these past several weeks, siphoning off my hard work. Do you know how difficult it was to get where I am today? Now I look like a has-been, and you’re the next pretty young thing.”
“I’m sure you know it has nothing to do with appearances. Our work depends on our qualifications, our client satisfaction—”
“Oh, shut up. You’re an idiot if you believe that.”
Logan appeared at Sabrina’s side. “Don’t talk to her that way.”
Tara’s lip curled. “Well, if it isn’t the fake husband with a pregnant ex. Thanks for making it so damn easy for me. I only had to pay one guy to get the ball rolling, and you two took it from there.”
Sabrina jumped on that. “So you admit to paying someone to write negative stories about me.”
Tara smiled, a wide evil smile. “Only a few, you did the rest just by being your stupid self.”
Sabrina’s temper broke her calm composure. “And you stole my clients! Offering them fifty percent off. I lost half of them to you! That’s a serious loss of income.”
Tara pursed her lips. “I’m sure your book deal will make up for that.”
Sabrina scowled. “My clients are everything to me.”
“Your clients are idiots,” Tara scoffed. “I got them in here so easy, did one session, and told them they were cured. They left here thinking you’d been stringing them along for months for no reason. Except money, of course. Word spreads quickly. Have you checked your reviews online?”
Sabrina saw red, her hands in fists. “You bitch!”
Tara got in her face. “Ooh, you’re mad now. Go ahead and hit me. This’ll be the last nail in your coffin.”
Logan spoke in a low voice. “Sabrina, no, let’s just go.”
She gritted her teeth, fuming. Tara flicked her fingers in
a get lost gesture.
Sabrina turned to go, and Tara pushed her from behind, making her stumble. Logan caught her before she could do a face-plant.
Sabrina whirled. Tara was smiling like she’d won. Sabrina had never wanted to slap someone so much in her life. No, rise above. Big picture, she had everything she needed from Tara recorded on her phone, all the damning evidence admitting what she’d done.
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” Sabrina spat.
She didn’t wait for a response, hightailing it out of there. Logan followed close behind, shutting the office door behind them.
Tara yanked open the door, hollering all kinds of names at Sabrina, but Logan blocked the doorway, not letting Tara get to her.
“Go back inside, Tara,” Logan said calmly. “This isn’t going to help your case.”
Sabrina stalked away, her adrenaline slowly draining from her, leaving her shaky. Tara didn’t care about her clients. She only cared about the gloss and shine—her big trademarked self-appointed title and her bestselling book. She wasn’t fit to be a counselor.
She moved in a fog, leaving the building and heading to her car, slipping into the driver’s seat. The passenger-side door opened, surprising her, and Logan got in.
“Drive,” he said.
“But your car’s here.”
“You can drop me off later to get it. I want to talk to you, and I don’t want that crazy woman watching us from her office.”
She pulled out of the parking lot, eager to get away from Tara. “I’m a little shaken up right now.”
“You were a total badass. That should be your new trademarked title, Badass Counselor.”
She laughed despite the dire circumstances. Logan could always make her laugh.
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I know you didn’t ask me to be here, but I had a bad feeling about her. And the truth is, I thought it would be better if you had a witness to the whole thing.”
“I recorded it on my phone.”
Chance of Romance (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 8) Page 18