Logan took a bite from his hamburger. “Thanks, I will,” he said through the buns and meat.
Charity folded her arms and sat back as if that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Logan brushed it off. It wasn’t her money. She had to know that. Then a thought settled in his stomach. How did Charity know he had money? Had she heard? Was that why she was back?
“How did you know?”
She straightened as she glanced around at the families gathering at the other tables. “Know what?”
“About my dad’s money.”
She pulled the best innocent face. If this was her acting, then it was a wonder why she couldn’t find a job. “What money? Dad? I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Char, you just told me we need to discuss big purchases.”
She flattened out her napkin on the table. “Well, it’s true.”
Logan glanced over to Piper, who was busy consuming her chicken fingers.
“If we’re going to make this work, you need to be honest with me.”
Charity studied him. Then she raised her hand. “Fine. I’ll admit it. I know about the money. But it wasn’t until I’d already gotten here and had to go into the Gas and Stuff. Betty Jo told me.” She folded her arms. “Were you going to tell me?”
Logan dipped his fry into his ketchup. “No. But that’s because I wasn’t going to tell anyone.” Blast this living in a small town thing.
“Why not? This is a great thing.” Charity leaned forward on her elbows. “We can finally do all those things we talked about when we were first married. Except more.”
Logan’s face heated as frustration boiled over. “Char, stop it. Now.”
Her lips opened and he could tell she was fighting the urge to continue.
He shook his head as he raised his hand. “No more. It’s my dad’s money, and I’m not comfortable spending it.”
She scoffed and leaned back. “Well, when?”
Seriously, she was fighting him about when he would be ready to start spending? “Let’s just drop it.”
“How much is a billion?” Piper asked as she peeked over to Logan.
“What?”
“While I was playing over at the games, Carter said his mom said you have a billion dollars. So, how much is a billion?”
Logan glanced over to Charity, whose eyes were wide.
“It’s a lot of money, honey.” He hoped she’d just drop the question.
Piper took a drink of her lemonade. “Okay, Daddy.” She dunked her fry into some ketchup.
Glancing over at Charity, Logan inwardly groaned. From the look on Charity’s face, she wasn’t going to let this go as easily as Piper did. And he was pretty sure this was not a conversation he wanted to have.
19
HANNAH
Hannah followed two overzealous moms dressed up as reindeer and a portly Santa Claus as she walked into the elementary school’s gymnasium at a quarter to four. Bert had picked them up and dropped them off. His normally cheery disposition had changed as he eyed Samson. For some reason, that didn’t sit right with Hannah. She wanted Bert to like Samson. As strange as that was to admit to herself.
“Wow,” Samson said from behind her. “They really go all out.”
As Hannah’s gaze scanned the giant three-dimensional snowflakes that hung from the ceiling and the millions of twinkling lights that covered every inch of the walls, she nodded. “Yeah, they do.”
I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus blared through the speakers that were set up on the far side of the gym. Tables lined the walls and were getting stocked with all sorts of goodies. Santa and the two reindeer had found the sleigh and were getting situated.
“Hannah, right?” Audrey’s voice asked from behind her.
Hannah turned. “Right.”
“Good to see you came,” she said, eyeing Samson.
“This is my fiancé,” Hannah said, waving toward Samson, who nodded.
Audrey’s lips parted. “Fiancé?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow—fast,” she muttered as she glanced down at the clipboard she had tucked against her hip. “Well, Logan’s not here yet, but the game you two will be running is in room 106.”
Hannah followed her gesture toward the door. “We’re in different rooms?”
Audrey called to someone behind Hannah, then turned her attention back. “Yeah. There’s not enough room in here.” She widened her eyes as if that was pretty obvious. “Do you know where Logan is?”
Hannah scanned the gym. “No. But he’s out with Piper and Charity.”
The clipboard tipped away from Audrey as she stared at Hannah. “Charity’s back?”
Hannah’s stomach churned. Why was this such a shock to everyone? What exactly had happened between Logan and Charity? “Yeah, she said something about wanting to work on their relationship.” Audrey’s jaw tightened. Perhaps it would be better to move the conversation forward. “I was hoping that I could run a booth with Samson. I’m sure Logan would like to be with Charity.”
Audrey narrowed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. If I allowed everyone to change their assignment because of an ex-wife or new fiancé, my life would be chaotic.”
Hannah studied her. There was a hint of sarcasm in Audrey’s voice. Why was she acting like this?
“What I do need help with is stocking the refreshments.” She eyed Samson. “Think you can do that?”
Samson glanced over to Hannah and shrugged. “Does that mean I have to be around the kids?”
“Um, no. Not necessarily.”
“Then I’m game. Never really like hanging with tiny adults.” He leaned toward Hannah and lowered his voice. “Never been too fond of kids. Thank goodness this is the only time we’d need to do this.”
Hannah stared at him. Was he serious? “What?”
“Excellent. Well, let’s get you a hair net, and I’ll introduce you to Blanca—she’s the refreshment coordinator,” Audrey said as she ushered Samson away.
Hannah watched him. She was trying to digest what he had just said. He didn’t like other people’s kids— she knew that already. But she’d always assumed he’d want their kids. How did she miss out on asking him how he felt? She chewed her lip as she made her way out of the gym and started scanning the hallways, looking for room 106.
When she got into the room, bags of supplies were dumped on the floor. A piece of paper was tacked to the wall. That was it. She sighed as she grabbed the instructions and studied them. They needed to decorate three of the cardboard boxes to look like stockings. They would be what the kids threw the coal into.
There was also a bag of ratty clothes that she and Logan needed to dress up in. They were to represent the naughty kids that didn’t get presents. As she pulled out the tattered shirt and pants, she couldn’t help but scoff. Who came up with this game?
Just as she dumped the supplies out of the bags, a voice carried into the room. Logan’s voice.
“Stay in the gym if you’re not going to hang out with me here,” he said. His voice got louder, and Hannah contemplated running and hiding. She couldn’t face the emotions that erupted inside of her every time she saw him.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him pause in the door frame. Her heart galloped as she felt his gaze on her. It took all her willpower not to turn and meet his gaze.
“You beat me here,” Logan said, smiling at Hannah as he walked into the room.
“Hey, Logan,” Hannah said, praying her voice would come out normal. “Yeah. I was hoping that Audrey might switch us, but she said she couldn’t.”
Logan was silent. Hannah turned and looked at him. His face had turned stony. She’d said the wrong thing.
“I mean, I thought you might want to spend more time with Charity,” she stammered, trying to redeem herself.
He nodded and headed over to the decorations. “Yeah. I get it. No need to explain.”
“Logan, I didn’t mean…” She reached out, hoping to draw his attention
back to her.
His hand reached out and grabbed her fingers. Turing her hand over, he studied the ring on her fourth finger. “So, it’s official, huh?” he said, his voice low.
Hannah chewed her cheek. “Yes.” She couldn’t help it. Her heart broke at that one little word. But a future for her and Logan wasn’t possible. She would never take the possibility of a family away from Piper. She loved that little girl.
He dropped her hand like it had been a hot iron. “Congrats,” he said as he picked up the piece of paper and began reading the instructions.
Hannah glanced at him. She wanted to say something. Anything to bring back their happy relationship. But no words came to her. They were already too far down this path. She sighed and grabbed a marker and drew the outline of a stocking on a nearby box.
They worked in silence—each drawing and coloring the boxes. Five minutes later, Logan cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
“So, when’s the date?” he asked. They were both crouched down next to each other, decorating their boxes.
Hannah peered over to him. His head was down and he seemed to be coloring a bit too hard. She turned her attention back to her stocking. “I’m not sure. Probably this summer.”
“Wow. That’s fast.”
“Well, we’ve know each other for three years. So, not really fast for us.”
She felt his gaze on her. “Is he what you want?”
Her heart pounded. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, is he what you want or are you doing the classic Hannah?”
Heat raced from her spine and to her cheeks. What did that mean? “What’s the classic Hannah?”
Logan laughed. “You can’t seriously not know what that means.”
Now he was making her mad. “No, as a matter of fact, I don’t.”
He dropped his marker and studied her. “Running away from problems. That’s the classic Hannah.”
She gritted her teeth. “I don’t run away. How is getting engaged running away? I’m running right to him.” The part she’d been coloring was starting to rip through the cardboard so she concentrated her efforts on another part.
“You can’t sit there and tell me that you want to marry that guy. You came here to run away from him. If you’re engaged now, that tells me one thing. You’re running away from something else.”
Her gaze whipped to him. “And tell me, oh smart one, what am I running away from now?”
“Do you want me to say it?” His gaze softened as he leaned forward.
Her stomach flipped. Deep down, she knew what he was going to say and she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it. “No,” she whispered.
“Why not? Maybe it’s time you started facing things even if they’re hard.”
Hannah couldn’t help it; tears formed in her eyes. “I face things.”
Logan scoffed. “No, you don’t. There are always reasons not to do something. Or a reason to run away.”
Hannah whipped around. “What are you talking about? I was there that night at prom. I stayed the hour looking for you. You were the one who ran away.”
Logan stood, which put him inches away from her. “Do you honestly think I wanted to leave?” He stared down at her in a way that made her feel raw and exposed. “I had to face the decision I made with Charity, and every decision I’ve made since then has been for Piper.” He reached out and grasped her arm.
The warmth and sensation of him touching her rushed to her heart. It pounded so loud, she could hear it in her ears.
“I never wanted to leave you that night.” His voice had grown husky as he leaned down to capture her gaze.
“Logan…”
He dropped his hand and took a step back.
“Please.” She gazed up into his eyes, pleading with him to let this go. She didn’t know how much longer her willpower would win out against her aching heart. “You said everything you’ve done since that night has been for Piper. Please, let me go. If you can make it work with Charity, then I can’t stand in your way.”
His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he studied her. “But what if that’s not what I want?”
Hannah’s cheeks heated. “The truth is, it’s what I want. And I’m sure it’s what Piper wants.” She crouched down and began coloring. From the corner of her eye, she saw Logan’s stance tighten then relax.
He joined her on the floor and began coloring again.
She hated the way she had left things. The truth was, she didn’t know what the truth was anymore. Her heart felt too disjointed and confused. Everything in her mind told her that Samson was the guy for her. Why couldn’t her heart just get up to speed?
LOGAN
It didn’t take long for them to finish up with the decorations. Soon, the room was set up and ready for all the kids that were starting to swarm the halls. Thankfully, the tension in the air seemed to dissipate. It seemed that he and Hannah were able to get ahold of their emotions. At least, that is what Logan told himself.
But even with Hannah’s relaxed stance and smiles, he still didn’t feel good about where he had left things. He should have never come down on her so hard. She didn’t deserve it.
“I’m sorry,” he said, glancing over to her.
“For what?” She replaced the cap on her marker and turned.
“I should have never said those things to you.” He lowered his voice. “It wasn’t my place.”
The corners of her lips tipped up into a smile. “It’s okay. You’re right. I do run away when things get tough.”
“Yeah, you do.”
She reached out and whacked his shoulder. “Hey!”
He grabbed her hand. “I’m kidding.”
Her gaze dropped to their clasped hands. “Don’t stop doing that,” she whispered.
Dropping her hand, he took a step back. He feared what she meant. “Doing what?”
“Telling it to me straight. I need that kick in the pants sometimes.” She smiled up at him. “It’s nice to know you will always tell me the truth.”
He stepped forward. She valued the truth. Maybe it was time he told her. As if sensing his sudden desire to be truthful, she turned her back to him.
“Oh, I forgot,” she said as she turned and met his gaze as she held up two sets of clothing. “Apparently, we need to change.”
He eyed the linen shirts and khaki pants. “Seriously? They’re torn.”
“We need to look like the kids who are naughty.”
Logan grabbed the clothes that she held out to him. “Who comes up with these things?”
Hannah giggled. “I know, right?”
He smiled at her. This is what he missed. He longed to be in her presence and make her happy—not angry and frustrated. They slipped the costumes on over their clothes. They hung off of Hannah like a potato sack. He dropped his gaze and fought the thoughts that flew into his mind when he pictured her figure. This was not what he should be thinking about.
When he turned his attention back to her, she was smiling.
“What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”
She just smiled. “They want us to use the coal to make our faces look dirty.” She gripped a piece of charcoal in her hands. “So, maybe I can do yours and you can do mine?”
He studied her. That might not be the best thing to do. “Really?”
She nodded and stepped up to him. Reaching up, she took both of her hands and smacked his cheeks. “There,” she giggled.
“Hey!” He glanced over to the window and saw his reflection. Two handprints adorned his cheeks. “I have a feeling that naughty kids don’t have handprints on their face. I look like a World’s Best Dad sweatshirt.” He walked closer to her.
“I think you look great,” she said, stepping back.
“Oh, no. You’re not getting off the hook. Come here.”
She laughed and rushed down an aisle, but stopped when she almost collided with Audrey, who raised
her eyebrows at the two of them.
“You guys ready?” she asked, eyeing Logan’s face.
He steadied his expression. “Yes.”
Audrey’s silent stare told Logan more than any words could have as she glanced between from him to Hannah. She knew something was going on between them. Just like Logan knew.
“Well, hurry up. Kids are coming.”
Logan and Hannah both nodded as she headed toward the door. As soon as she was gone, they both busted up laughing.
Logan waved her over. “Let’s get this done.”
20
LOGAN
It was fun manning the game with Hannah. It didn’t take long before they fell into a rhythm. Hannah would stand at the line with the kids while Logan retrieved the bean bags that were dusted with coal bits. The kids aimed for the cardboard boxes but instead, the bags flew through the air and thunked against the wall.
Soon the white cinderblock walls looked like a Dalmatian. He was glad he wasn’t on the clean-up committee.
“Remind me to high-tail it out of here before Audrey convinces us to stay to clean up,” he said as he brought the bean bags back to the waiting hands of the next game goer.
Hannah nodded. “Deal.”
He smiled as he returned to his post. Hannah laughed as she leaned in to talk to one of the fifth graders in line. Hannah captured his heart again. The gentle way she spoke to the kids, or the way she engaged them in conversation reminded him of when she’d played with Piper. He knew someday she was going make a great mom.
In no time, their two-hour commitment had ended. Audrey bustled into the room and shooed them out as another couple took their place. Hannah lingered outside the door as Logan pulled off his costume and handed it to a skeptical-looking dad.
“It’s fun,” Logan said as he turned and headed out the door.
“Well, that was worth it,” Hannah said as she fell into step with him. They made their way down the hall and stopped at one of the round hand-washing stations outside the nearest bathroom.
Logan pressed on the activation bar toward the bottom and the water squirted from the nozzles. “It was. I’m happy I did that with you.” He smiled over to her as he got his hands wet.
Forgiving the Billionaire (A Clean Billionaire Romance Book 2) Page 14