I was almost afraid to touch anything. I didn’t want to leave my fingerprints on the gleaming white surfaces.
“Kitten, it’s a clothing store, not an operating room. Go look around. Find something you can’t live without.” He grinned and kissed my cheek before giving me a pat on the butt to send me off into the store.
I wandered around the pristine floor, listening to women talk in a language I couldn’t understand. It was kind of relaxing. I found myself walking toward a wall with white dresses. Could be the recent engagement or just that I liked the color white. These were certainly not wedding dresses. Very modern and feminine, and I loved them.
Logan came up behind me. “Find something you like?”
“Yes,” I sighed, feeling very girly as I eyed the beautiful dresses.
“Go try one on. Tell them you’ll need matching shoes, a jacket, and a purse.”
I started to tell him no, that it was too much. But I could see the joy on his face at the idea of spoiling me.
As I slipped into the lacy white and black dress, I felt excited. I looked down at my finger, at the ring designed for me by Logan. This was real; this would be my life now.
The saleswoman was only too happy to complete the look for me. I felt like a completely different person when we stepped back out onto the street thirty minutes later. The coat we had gotten skimmed my calves, the same length as the dress. The heels were sky high and white patent leather—they would kill me, but they were beautiful.
At some point in the shuffle, Logan had disappeared to do a little shopping of his own. He was now dressed in black slacks and a blue cashmere sweater. The things that he did to clothes should be illegal. He looked entirely too good for a dinner at his sister’s house.
A sleek black BMW pulled up to the curb, and Logan held the door open for me. I almost pinched myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. There was no way this was my life.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?” he murmured into my ear as we sped through the city.
“That this can’t be real life.” I turned to look at him.
“I promise you that it’s real.” His lips brushed mine.
I was deliriously happy. For the first time in years, I let myself just live in the moment and not care about anything but the man next to me. I didn’t think about my sisters and the problems they had or my work. I just concentrated on the lips pressed against mine.
The car pulled up in front of a beautiful brick building with pretty pink awnings.
“Ready?” Logan asked me.
“I think so.” I took a deep breath and slid out of the car. My heart picked up speed in my chest as we walked through the front doors and stopped by the bank of elevators. To say I was nervous would have been an understatement. I had to keep reminding myself to calm down.
Logan pressed the Penthouse button, and we shot upward with rapid speed. When the doors slid open, a young couple stood waiting for us.
I could tell right away that Leah and Logan were related; they had the same dark hair and green eyes.
“Logan!” she squealed and threw her arms around his neck. When she released him, she puts a hand to her lower back. “This kid needs to hurry up and get here already. My poor back can’t take much more.”
“You look beautiful as usual.” Logan mussed her hair. “Henri, great to see you.” He shook the tall blond man’s hand. “This is my fiancée, Grace.” He pulled me against him and smiled.
“Fiancée?” Leah’s bright smile could rival Logan’s.
I nodded and held out my hand so she could see the ring before she hugged me tight.
“Welcome to the family, Grace,” she whispered.
My nerves uncoiled. I felt better instantly with those whispered words.
SO, THIS WAS HAPPY. I’D searched for it all my life and never found it until now. Grace. She was my happy ending, the beginning of my future. I watched as my sister, Leah, glowed with happiness as Grace fussed over her and the nursery.
“So, you’re finally settling down?” Henri asked as we sat on the balcony while the women looked at baby things.
I had known Henri for a few years now, and we had a comfortable relationship. He was easy, which was what Leah needed. And he loved her with an intensity that scared me at times because I didn’t understand it.
“I am. Grace is just right. If that makes sense?” She was right. In every way, she was right.
“It makes perfect sense. I felt the same way about Leah. I just knew with her.” His English was heavily accented. “Leah is very relieved to have you married off soon. She has been worried about you this past year.”
“Why was she worried?” I was genuinely interested in his answer.
“She thought you would end up alone,” he said matter-of-factly.
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just nodded. Leah had always seen more than I ever gave her credit for. “My life up until now has been meaningless. The women, the money, it was all fluff. I didn’t think I wanted marriage, to be honest.”
“We didn’t think you wanted it, either.” He lifted a well-manicured brow. “You were, how do you say, playboy.”
“I was. It doesn’t really seem like my life anymore when I think about it. It seems like someone else.”
“The right woman will do that for you. I wasn’t a saint before Leah. She is my beautiful flower, and now we will have a little one. My life is complete finally.” He radiated happiness.
“How has she been during all of this?” Leah was high strung, not unlike our mother, but that was where the similarities ended. When Jackson was born, Leah was my rock. She stepped in and became more like a co-parent than an aunt to him. Hell, she even lived with us for a while.
“A bit much.” He smiled. “But then she always can be that way. You know how she is.” His shoulders lifted.
“She’ll be an amazing mother,” I said with sincerity.
“I have no doubt about that. She has been wild about my brother’s kids for years.”
I knew how she had been with Jackson, and it made my heart ache for him. Missing him at times like this was hard.
A moment later, Leah called us back in to eat. The table was set family style with mounds of food placed in the center.
“Dig in.” Leah gingerly sat in her chair, careful of her stomach.
Over dinner, I watched Grace as she laughed and became a deeper part of my family. Leah was crazy about her, I could already see that.
“Grace tells me that you’ve moved to Chicago for a while? Why is it that I had to hear about it from her?” She gave me a stern look.
“Thanks for that,” I mock growled at Grace, who gave me an innocent look. “It’s not permanent, just for a while. It was important for me to be near this one.” I brought Grace’s fingers to my lips.
“How does your counterpart feel about the change?”
I knew exactly who she was referring to. “He has one of his own to fawn over at the moment and has been spending almost as much time in Chi-town as I am.” I smiled.
“Is that so? Both my boys are settling down? And why am I just hearing about all of this? I live in Paris, only a phone call away, Logan.” A flicker of hurt colored her features.
“I’m sorry, Lee, to be honest I just found out about Smith’s lady a few weeks ago myself. We never meant to keep it from you.”
“Anything else I should know?”
Grace piped up at that moment. “She’s my sister.”
“Who is?” Leah turned to look at her.
“Smith’s lady. She’s my older sister, Faith.” Grace grinned and took a sip of her wine.
“Oh man, this is too much.” Leah erupted into laughter. “The two most eligible men in the United States fell for sisters? I feel like this is a reality show or something. Am I being Punked? Is Ashton Kutcher going to pop out of the closet?” She put a hand on her belly and tried to rein in her mirth.
“I can see the hilarity in the situation, but I blame Grace for it
.” I winked at my love.
“Me? Why?” Her eyes were wide.
“If you hadn’t come to find me, Smith never would have met your sister. So, there we have it. You are solely responsible for billions of hearts being broken across the world.”
“Billions, huh?” She gave me a very dry look.
“Could be closer to trillions. We were quite the lady killers.” I licked my lower lip, watching as she swallowed a sip of wine. As much as I loved my sister, I wanted nothing more than to get Grace back to our hotel and peel that dress off her.
“Oh, I have no doubt.” She smiled, heat bloomed in her cheeks. She turned back to Leah. “I want to hear some embarrassing stories about them that I can tease them with for years to come.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place for that.” Leah leaned forward in her seat. “Where to start, though? That’s the question. And how embarrassing do you want?”
“Let’s start with your favorite.” Grace pushed her plate forward and propped her chin in her hands.
“Be nice, Leah. I’m begging you.” I gave her foot a light kick under the table.
“Uh-uh, this is the very first time you’ve brought a woman to meet me, and since we’re going to be sisters soon, I think she deserves all the dirt.”
“Oh, God, kill me now.” I put my face in my hands.
“Logan, do you remember the time when you and Smith got caught in that hotel pool when you were fifteen?” Leah grinned wickedly.
“No, please don’t tell her that one,” I begged.
The rest of the evening was spent in laughter and love. Grace and Leah were best friends by the time we got our coats.
“You promise you’ll come back after the baby comes?” She took my hand in hers and squeezed it. I could tell how isolated from us she was feeling.
“You know we will.” I kissed her knuckles and ran a hand over her belly. “I need to see this beautiful little one in person.”
“I’m so happy for you both, honey. She’s perfect for you,” she whispered.
“Thanks, Lee, I love her so much. Now you don’t have to worry about dying alone.” I winked and watched her eyes get big and shift to her husband.
“He told you that huh?” She frowned.
“He did. He said that you were worried about me.”
“I was, honey, you were so alone. It scared me a little. I just wanted you to be happy and I could clearly see that you weren’t.” She touched my cheek.
“I’m happy now, deliriously happy.”
“Good. Promise I won’t have to hear about your wedding after the fact?” She gave me a hard look.
“I promise.” I hugged her once more and released her.
“Grace, welcome to the family. I’m so happy for you and my brother.” She hugged her and kissed both her cheeks.
“Thank you,” Grace beamed. “I’ll do my best to make him happy for the rest of our lives.” She caught my eye over Leah’s shoulder and the heat in her gaze punched me right in the stomach.
When we had stepped into the hall and walked a few doors down, I stopped us and pressed her against the wall, my lips hungry for hers. Teeth nipped and tongues danced together before we pulled apart breathing heavy.
“Come on; let’s get back to the hotel so I can see what kind of insane lingerie you have on under that dress,” I said hoarsely.
The drive back to the hotel felt never ending. Grace sat next to me, her thigh pressed against mine. I rested a hand on her knee, drawing tiny circles with my thumb.
Once we got into our room, I was all business. I needed to see her naked and on the bed or I would explode. But I felt like I needed to tell her a few things first. I wanted there to be nothing between us but love.
“Come sit next to me.” I patted the bed.
She moved in to kiss me, but I stopped her. “I want to talk first.”
“Talk?” She gave me a weird look.
“Yeah, you need to know everything now. You’re going to be my wife. There will be no more secrets,” I said nervously
“Annabelle?” She put a hand over mine on the bed.
I nodded. “She’s my half-sister. A couple years younger than Smith and me. She idolized us when we were teenagers, but I was too fucked up to do much more than hate her. I hated what she stood for, one of my dad’s many mistakes.”
“Logan.” She squeezed my hand.
“I don’t feel like that anymore. But I was a hotheaded teenager. She just wanted to be loved. She was seventeen when we were nineteen and had the biggest crush on Smith. She was always around, even when we were drugged out of our minds, she was there. I think that’s why she started using, to feel closer to me. I hate myself for that now.” I paused and got up to lean against the wall. “One night, things got out of control. I found her in bed with Smith, and I lost my mind. I screamed at both of them, and I beat the shit out of Smith on the front lawn. Fiona tried to pull me off him but couldn’t. He just took it, like he deserved it. Anna got in the car and left. I should have stopped her, but I was too mad.” My voice faltered, this was the part that tore me up whenever I thought about it.
Grace watched me from the bed, clearly at war with herself. I knew she wanted to come to me, but something in my face kept her where she was.
“She only got about three miles before she wrecked, wrapping the car around a telephone pole. Of course, she hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, so she flew through the windshield. We heard the sirens blaring, and I just knew it was her. I made Fiona drive us the direction she had gone and we saw her, half out on the hood, blood covering her whole body.” My hands clenched at my sides.
“Oh, God.” Her hand flew to her mouth.
“It was my fault. If I hadn’t treated her the way that I did, it never would have happened. Smith blames himself, too. It’s not something we like to talk about. She just wanted love, and neither of us would give that to her. It wasn’t her fault our dad was an asshole who couldn’t keep it in his pants.”
“I don’t even know what to say. Did she make it?” Grace hugged herself on the bed, her arms wrapped around tightly.
“Barely. Her injuries were extensive; not much could be done for her. I sat by her bedside for weeks, hating myself for being the reason that she was there. She woke up five weeks after the accident, and we saw immediately that she wasn’t the same. I overheard the doctor talking to my dad in the hall and told him the amount of heroin in her system at the time of the accident was what caused the accident. She had shot up in the car before driving off; they found her needles in the wreckage.” My voice shook.
“So, where is she now?” Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears.
“She’s in an institution. After they finally released her from the hospital, she tried to kill herself three times. I’ve paid for her care since then. My dad washed his hands of her after the first attempt. He disowned her and stopped giving her and her mom any support. Of course, he made the accident and the talk of drug use disappear. He couldn’t have any talk of it surrounding him. Everyone who was involved that night was paid off and had to sign a non-disclosure document, including me, Smith, and Fiona.”
“Then why tell me now?” she asked.
“Because you’re going to be my wife, and I can’t have any secrets between us.”
“Will you get into trouble for telling me?” She looked concerned.
“No, not after this long. And I don’t think you’ll be telling anyone anyway, right?”
“No, I won’t be sharing this with anyone, not even my sisters.” Her eyes were sincere.
“I just feel so guilty about it all still. Even after all these years. Anna’s brain isn’t right anymore because of all the drugs. I ruined her. My own sister, I ruined her.” My heart still hurt for the sister I hadn’t loved enough.
“She was responsible for her actions, Logan. Did you contribute to her downfall? Yes, you sure as shit did. But you are not solely responsible for what happened.”
“Smith gave h
er the drugs,” I said softly. “Before she left, she went to see how he was, and he gave her a ton of stuff because he felt guilty about using her for sex. He told me after the first suicide attempt. I didn’t talk to him for three months.”
“And Fiona? How does she come into play with all of this?” She tried to smooth her dress down on her thighs.
“She was just as guilty as any of us. She was always chirping in Smith’s ear about how he should hook up with Anna and giving her drugs. We were all so fucked up. I wanted to tell you right away, as soon as Fiona mentioned her name. But it involved my dad, too, and in a lot of ways my hands are tied when it comes to him.” I threw my hands in the air, wishing I could erase this from my past. “Do you hate me now?” My voice was small.
She stood and walked to me. “No, I don’t hate you. I can understand not wanting to tell me this; it wasn’t your finest moment. But you were a kid.” I let her put her arms around me, feeling better for telling her.
“Still want to marry me?” I brought her ring up to my lips.
“More than anything.” She sighed. “This doesn’t change anything for me, honey. You’ve taken responsibility for your actions with her.”
I untangled myself from her grasp and walked a few paces away. “I’m done talking now. You know all of me and all of my secrets. Do you still want me?” My eyes dared her to say no.
“I’ll want you until my heart stops beating. I don’t want to talk anymore, either. I want to celebrate being your fiancée now.”
“Come here,” I growled. Flipping her away from me, I unzipped her lacy dress. I got halfway down her back when I spotted the black silky strap of her bra. That sight spurred me on; I needed to see more. As the dress slid down her stockings to the floor, I sucked in a breath. She wore black silk stockings with matching garters and the tiniest thong I had ever seen. The bra was barely that, if you could even call it one. It was a few swaths of sheer black silk.
“Remind me to buy you more of this before we leave Paris.” I ran my hands along her lingerie.
She shivered as I unclasped her bra and let my hands replace the cups holding her up.
“On the bed now, naked. I want to see you in nothing but my ring.” I kicked my shoes off and slid my pants down my ankles as I watched her comply.
Never Let Me Go: The Complete Set Page 19