Two Times as Hot

by Cat Johnson

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” A frown knit her brow. “Why aren’t you going to attack me?”

  Logan laughed. “Because I want to talk.”

  He lifted her onto the workbench and Emma’s brow rose as she braced her hands on his shoulders. “You sure?”

  “Yes. Don’t get any ideas. I just want you to sit so we can talk eye to eye.” With his hands around her waist, it might have been an effort to stay focused if this conversation wasn’t so important to him. “So tell me, seriously, are you really thinking about moving here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” It was hard to control his smile. “Well, if you do, I thought since Becca and Tuck are newlyweds, you could stay with me. You know, while you look for a job or a place . . . Or maybe for longer.”

  “Longer?” That watchful look was back in Emma’s eyes again.

  “Mmm, hmm.” Yeah, Logan was suggesting she move in with him, and yeah, it was much too soon in the relationship for that. But then again, it was long overdue that he found someone he wanted to get serious with. He’d found Emma late in his life, and he wasn’t going to waste any more time.

  It was all a little overwhelming. Even Emma looked affected by the enormity of what he’d suggested. They could talk about this more later, after it had sunk in for both of them. Now, while he and Emma had a few stolen moments of privacy before they had to be surrounded by family and friends again, he intended to take advantage of it.

  He leaned in, intent on kissing her tempting lips, but Emma held him back with one hand and pressed the other one to her mouth. She swallowed hard as her brow furrowed.

  “You all right?” Logan watched as the usual healthy glow of her creamy skin turned pale.

  “Do you still have a package of those crackers from my soup the other day?”

  “Uh, yeah. I left them over by the coffee machine. Hang on.” With one last concerned look at the wobbly woman seated in front of him, Logan turned and grabbed the crackers, quick before she toppled off the workbench where he’d set her.

  When she didn’t look able to do it herself, he tore into the cellophane wrapping and handed one to her. She took it and nibbled off a corner. Emma raised her gaze to meet his. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t you dare apologize. Once again I worked you through lunch.” Logan should have known better. It was more than obvious now that Emma didn’t do well unless she ate regularly. He wouldn’t forget it again. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”

  Her frown deepened as she swallowed another bit of cracker. “No. No water.”

  “All right. We should head out. Get you something to eat to hold you over until dinner.” He eyed the remains of the cracker she was chewing. “Finish that and let’s get you in the truck.”

  “Maybe give me a few minutes. I’m not sure I can take a ride in the truck right now. If that’s all right?”

  “Of course, it’s all right.” Logan hated that he’d done this to her. Not once, but twice in one week. “Emma, please. If I ever forget to break for lunch again, you have to remind me you need to eat. You help me so much. You have to let me take care of you. Okay?”

  “Okay, I will.” She dipped her head, more compliant than he’d ever seen her.

  “Good.” The thought that he’d be the one taking care of Emma appealed to Logan. More than he’d ever imagined it would.

  “So what do you do in New York, Emma?” Mrs. Hunt asked from her seat across the dining room table.

  “I’m a graphic designer. It’s a lot of computer work.” Emma put down her fork and instead reached for a dinner roll. “But I really enjoy the creative parts of my job.”

  As delicious as Logan’s mother’s homemade chili looked, Emma’s stomach had yet to recover from the roller coaster ride it had taken her on this afternoon. There was no way the spicy, fat-laden beef dish would sit well. Couldn’t Emma do anything the normal way? She must be the only pregnant woman in history who got morning sickness in the afternoon.

  “Then I’m not surprised you’re so artistic. Your signs are beautiful.” Mrs. Hunt made small talk while she lifted another spoonful of food to her husband’s mouth.

  The man looked appalled to be spoon fed, especially in front of a stranger. It made the full impact of the situation Logan had faced for over a month now very clear to Emma.

  Emma kept up her half of the conversation, taking a cue from Logan’s mother by pretending everything was perfectly normal. As if Mr. Hunt, a once healthy adult man, wasn’t being spoon fed like a baby. As if Emma wasn’t about to completely change Logan’s life with those two simple words that weighed on her like lead—I’m pregnant. As if she wasn’t holding down the small amount of food in her stomach by sheer force of will.

  Emma glanced at Logan and found him watching her. She shook herself out of her morose thoughts and kept her polite face in place. “Thank you, but the signs were nothing. I just went on Becca’s laptop and chose a font that I thought would match the style and the feel of the store. Then penciled it onto the wood and slapped on some old paint I found in the Jenkins garage.”

  “You’re being modest, but since you’re our guest, I’ll let it go.” Logan laughed. “Can I get you a drink? There’s some beer in the fridge.”

  “There’s even wine. Logan, go get a bottle out of the pantry and open it so we can celebrate your father being home.” Mrs. Hunt turned to Emma. “The Jenkinses insisted I take a few bottles of the leftovers from the wedding and of course, we haven’t had the time to drink any of it.”

  “Sounds good to me. I can do wine.” Logan stood.

  He’d already taken a step toward the door when Emma said, “Just water for me.”

  “Really? I thought Becca said you love wine.”

  “Yeah, I do. Just not tonight.”

  “We have sweet tea, if you’d rather,” Mrs. Hunt offered.

  “Just water is fine. Thank you.”

  “All right. Water it is.”

  Emma allowed herself a breath when Logan left the room and she wasn’t under his scrutiny any longer. She glanced at his parents in time to see Mrs. Hunt lift a napkin to wipe a dribble of chili off his father’s chin.

  She needed to tell Logan, but how in the world could she add one more thing to his already overloaded plate? At least one thing remained a constant in Emma’s life—her timing, as usual, sucked.

  Becca met Emma inside the kitchen the moment she walked through the door from dinner at Logan’s. “I haven’t seen you all day. What’s going on?”

  Emma knew what her sister really wanted to know, but hadn’t asked, and that was whether Emma had told Logan yet. “What the hell, Becca? Were you sitting here waiting for me like Mom used to when I had a curfew?”

  “Don’t change the subject. What happened tonight?”

  “I texted and told you I was having dinner at Logan’s house.”

  “I know that. I meant what’s happening with Logan?”

  Luckily, Emma had some news that might satisfy Becca. “I think he asked me to move in with him.”

  “Really?” Becca’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God. Emma, that’s huge.”

  It did feel pretty huge, but Emma still wasn’t convinced she hadn’t read too much into it. “Yeah, it wasn’t exactly in those words, but it was close.”

  “That’s wonderful. So you definitely can tell him now.”

  “Soon. He’s got so much happening with his father just getting home.” That, on top of the dozen or so other excuses, fears and insecurities Emma’s inner voice whispered to her day and night.

  “Emma . . .”

  “I said soon. Jeez. Just give me a little time.” Time for Logan to fall in love with her before the weight of responsibility made him commit to a lifetime with her.

  This should be the best part. The feeling of falling in love. The start of a relationship full of firsts, when everything was new and shiny. Emma wanted to hold on to the essence of it before she hit fast forward and they found themselves with a b
aby.

  Tuck walked in from the hall and went to the fridge. Reaching in, he pulled out a beer, and then glanced at Becca. “She tell him yet?”

  “No. Soon.” Becca answered, and Tuck had asked, as if Emma wasn’t in the room.

  Before she could yell at Becca for that, the back door swung open and Tyler stomped his boots on the doormat. “What was for dinner tonight? I hope y’all saved me some. I’m starved.”

  “Pot roast. Your mother left a plate for you in the microwave.” Becca hooked a thumb at the counter.

  “Great.” Tyler opened the microwave door to peek inside, then turned to Emma. “You tell him yet?”

  At least Tyler had asked Emma directly instead of acting like she wasn’t there. That was something, she supposed. “No, and I’m tired of everyone asking. I’m going to get changed. While I’m gone, all you people need to get lives of your own.”

  “I will have a life when I’m an uncle. Wait, will I be an uncle? She’s my sister-in-law’s sister.” Tyler’s brow knit in a frown as he tried to reason out the branches of the family tree.

  “Stop with that kind of talk before someone hears you. I’m serious,” Emma hissed.

  Before they did anything else to piss her off, Emma escaped to hide in her room until bedtime. This constant inquisition was getting to be unbearable as was the fear one of them would tell Logan before she got around to it. Her secret was in the hands of people who couldn’t seem to keep their mouths shut. It was a dangerous situation. If she didn’t want Logan finding out from someone else, Emma would have to tell him herself.

  Easier said than done.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Logan had walked Emma to the Jenkins yard, kissed her silly behind the hedge he’d become very fond of, and then made his way back home, a little lighter in his step. He came into the kitchen to find his mother alone, unloading the dishwasher.

  “Hey, Mom. Dad all settled in for the night?”

  “He is. I got him into his pajamas and into bed without too much trouble.”

  “Mom, you should have waited for me. I could help you with that.”

  “It’s better if I do it alone. It’s hard enough for him not being able to do everything on his own when he wants to.”

  “I know, Mom, but it’s too much for you to do all alone.”

  “I’ll be fine. The nurse taught me how to move him. There are all sorts of tips and tricks health care workers use. You know, how to stand when you lift the patient. Where to position the chair. I practiced with Anna. You remember her, don’t you?”

  Logan recalled the nurse who was so often in and out of his father’s room while he visited. “Sure.”

  “Such a little thing, and she’d hoist your dad right up out of that chair and get him to the bed all on her own. Did I tell you? She’s expecting her first child. It’s such a demanding job, physically, that I wonder how long she’ll be able to work before she has to go on maternity leave. I’ll have to remember to pick up a little something for the baby and send it over before she leaves.” Logan’s mother smiled. “So, Emma is lovely. She eats like a bird, though. She barely touched dinner.”

  Logan had noticed that, too. “I think her stomach was bothering her today.”

  His mother nodded. “Well, then I understand. Chili isn’t the best for an upset stomach. So, are you two serious?”

  That not so subtle transition wasn’t lost on Logan. His mother asking about his love life used to piss Logan off when he was younger. Strange, tonight he didn’t seem to mind the question one bit.

  “We’re getting there.” Logan couldn’t help but smile when he talked about Emma. “I didn’t think serious was an option until today. But now, she’s talking about maybe moving to Oklahoma to be near her sister.”

  “I’d love to see a wedding in this family. And grandchildren, too, before I get too old to enjoy them.”

  Logan laughed. “I’ll see what I can do. Just don’t get too excited. I only met Emma at Tuck’s wedding. It’s barely been two months—”

  Two months. Like the pieces of a puzzle, things began to fall into place.

  Emma looking ill at the store and munching on crackers as if they were a lifeline. Her turning green at the sight of his mother’s chili, when he’d seen her wolf down an overflowing plate full of drippy, spicy barbecue at the buffet at Tuck’s wedding. Her not drinking tonight when he knew from watching her during the wedding weekend that she definitely drank alcohol—wine, champagne, and vodka with cranberry.

  The way the color had drained from her face when he told her about his short-lived engagement and the accidental pregnancy that had caused it . . . Shit. Logan was up and out of his chair before the pieces had all settled in his brain. There were still questions, but he had an idea who had the answers.

  “Mom, I gotta run next door for a minute.”

  “Sure, sweetie. I may be in bed by the time you get back.”

  “Okay, see you in the morning.” Logan was lucky he was able to hold even that much of a conversation with his mother, as distracted as he was.

  He needed to talk to Emma and confirm his suspicion. He pushed through his parents’ kitchen door and strode across the back lawn as he had so many times over the years.

  The entire walk over, thoughts of Emma played in his head. How he couldn’t see her without smiling. How he thought of her day and night, sometimes at the oddest moments, and every time, she made him feel happy and warm. Complete. Content. Jeez, how could he have been so stupid not to notice he’d been falling in love with her? More and more each day. Maybe he didn’t want to see it until today, when she said she might not be going back to a home a thousand miles away.

  It seemed he hadn’t seen a lot of things that had been right in front of him lately. Such as all the clues about what was going on with Emma, and the entire Jenkins family.

  Not standing on ceremony, Logan came to the Jenkinses’ back door and gave a halfhearted knock while pushing it open.

  Tyler glanced up from his plate of food. “Hey, Logan. What’s up?”

  “Where’s Emma? I need to talk to her.” Logan didn’t mess around with small talk.

  “About time.” Tyler’s brows rose. “She’s been sleeping on the pullout sofa in the den. I think she’s in there now.”

  “Thanks.” Logan strode to the room he knew well. Years ago it was where he’d watch cartoons and build mock forts made from sofa cushions with the younger kids while he babysat.

  A baby of his own . . . What if Emma really was pregnant?

  It raised a million questions. He realized among them, one stood out from the others. Why had he waited so long to settle down and start a family? As he knocked on the door to Emma’s room and she opened it, looking surprised to see him, Logan knew the answer. He’d waited for the right woman and here she was.

  “Logan, hi. I didn’t think I’d see you until tomorr—”

  He moved into the room. Ignoring the pullout sofa bed sticking into the middle of the room, and the suitcase open on the floor, he pushed the door closed with a click. He palmed the back of Emma’s head, wrapped his other hand around her waist and hauled her to him. “Emma Hart, I’ve fallen totally and completely in love with you.”

  She bit her lip as her golden brows drew low over those eyes he could stare into for years and never get tired of. “You have?”

  “I have.” Leaning low, he hovered just shy of her lips. “This is where you’re supposed to say something.”

  He felt it, the love between them. Still, he wanted to hear her say it.

  Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “I love you, too.”

  A smile bowed his lips before he crashed them against Emma’s. He kissed her until her tears dampened both of their faces. He pulled back and brushed his thumbs across her wet cheeks. “I hope these are happy tears.”

  “Mostly.”

  His brows rose. “Mostly?”

  Emma swallowed hard. “Logan, I have something to tell you.” She drew in a shaky brea
th. “I’m scared to death you’re not going to like it.”

  “Nothing you can say will change how I feel.” His heart sped as he waited for her to tell him the news he was sure he already knew. He found it so hard to breathe, he couldn’t even imagine how she felt.

  “The night we were together after the wedding. We didn’t use any protection that time in the shower.” Emma blurted, “I’m pregnant.”

  “The shower.” Logan felt like slapping himself in the forehead as another piece of the puzzle dropped into place. He’d forgotten. She’d been so tempting that he’d convinced himself pulling out would be safe enough.

  “That’s when I assume it happened. I can’t figure out any other explanation. I haven’t been with any other man. I’ll take a paternity test—”

  “Emma, I believe you. I believe it’s mine. You don’t need to take any test.” It was overwhelming, and exciting all at the same time. He looked down at the woman he held. “A baby. Wow.”

  “I’m so sorry, Logan.”

  “Sorry? No. Don’t be silly.” It wasn’t exactly the way he would have planned it, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy.

  She didn’t look convinced as she sighed. “Anyway, I flew here as soon as I could after I found out, but I didn’t want to just dump it on you with your father and all. I can do it alone. I’d rather, if you don’t want—”

  “Emma. Stop. No, I don’t want you to do it alone. I want to be with you. Both of you.” Logan shook his head. “I should be upset with myself for being so careless with you and your body. This affects you as much as it does me. More. But I don’t have any regrets.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. None.” A smile spread across his lips.

  Maybe this was the push he’d needed. It was frightening how easy it would have been for Emma to have gone back to New York after the wedding. For Logan to have never seen her again. He could have missed all this. He could have lost her.

  Logan was starting to get a little teary-eyed himself. He cleared his throat. “So I guess the only thing left to decide is do you want to come with me to pick out your engagement ring, or do you want me to surprise you? Think hard about that, because you’ll have to live with it on your finger for the rest of your life, and I have no experience when it comes to picking out women’s jewelry.”