by J. L. Perry
I didn’t even know him, but I felt sorry for his uncle. Logan obviously loved him very much, and I couldn’t wait to meet him. As for his father and aunt, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. “Do your aunt and uncle have any kids?”
He laughed. “I don’t think they even consummated their marriage.” His poor uncle must have suffered a lot over the years, just for the sake of his career. It hardly seemed worth it.
After dinner, I told Logan that I wanted to make some cupcakes to take to the party.
“My niece and I love cupcakes,” he said. “When she comes over to hang out with me, I take her to the Patisserie down the street. We always have a milkshake and a cupcake.”
I found that really sweet that he hung out with his niece. The more I got to know Logan, the more I couldn’t help but love him. “You really are a big softie, aren’t you, Mr. Cavanagh,” I teased.
He pulled me onto his lap and started to tickle me. “You better not breathe a word of what I just told you,” he said. “My sister will kill me if she knows I am filling her daughter with sugar when she comes over here for visits.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” I replied with a laugh. “As long as you stop tickling me.”
After clearing our plates from the table and taking them into the kitchen, I asked Jill if she had picked up the ingredients for the cupcakes I’d asked her to get for me.
Logan sat at the breakfast bar and watched me make the cupcakes. He insisted on licking the beaters like a little kid, which I found quite funny. He was so cute! My mum used to give me the beaters to lick when I was a little girl, but I haven’t done that for years.
When the cupcakes had cooled, I put them into airtight containers. I decided to ice and decorate them in the morning. When I was finished, Logan helped me wash and wipe up, then I told him I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder to carry me up to the bedroom.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Logan
I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed over the past few weeks. Having Brooke here with me has brought so much happiness to my life. She made coming home enjoyable.
Before she came into my life, my days consisted of work, home, and bed. I dated other women occasionally, but no one that ever made me feel like this. Brooke was real, not fake or self-absorbed like most women I dated. I could tell she liked me for me, for who I was on the inside, and not for my money or my status. This made me love her even more. We just fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Honestly, it was like we were made for each other.
I slept so well with her in my arms, but when I woke, I was surprised to find her side of the bed empty. I quickly got up and went looking for her.
She was downstairs in the kitchen, icing and decorating the cupcakes. They looked delicious, and my niece was going to love them. I tried to snatch one, but she slapped my hand and told me I would have to wait until we got to the party. When I scooped some frosting out of the bowl with my finger, she quickly grabbed it just as I was putting it in my mouth. Slowly and looking into my eyes, she put it into her own mouth, sucking it clean. That made me growl, and she smiled at me.
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. “Good morning, beautiful,” I said as I crushed my lips to hers.
“Good morning, hot stuff. What time do we need to leave?”
“Not for a few hours. The party doesn’t start until midday, but I want to get there a bit early so I can help my brother-in-law set up.”
“Hmmm, I wonder what we can do to fill the time,” she said with a smile.
I knew exactly what she was thinking so I threw her over my shoulder, grabbing the bowl of frosting to take back to the bedroom. I had big plans for that frosting, and was certain that it would taste even better smeared all over Brooke’s luscious body.
****
I was right about the frosting. It was fucking delicious. However, now we were all sticky so we got out of bed, showered, and dressed.
Brooke was wearing all white and looked like an angel. I helped her carry the containers of cupcakes and my niece’s present down to the limo, where Chris was waiting.
Once we were in the car, she handed him a small container. “I made you some cupcakes, Chris,” she said with a smile.
“Hey! How come he gets to eat some before me?!” I protested.
Brooke poked her tongue out at me. “You’ll get plenty to eat at the party, you big baby!”
Chris chuckled. “Thank you, Brooke.” I narrowed my eyes at him when he smiled at me in the mirror, and that made him laugh harder.
Bastard!
I called Mike this morning to tell him I would be leaving the house with Brooke today. He organised a car with security to follow us to my sister’s house. They were going to stay outside and keep an eye out. I asked him to be discreet because I hadn’t told my family about any of the drama going on. Plus, I didn’t want to freak out Brooke.
We arrived at my sister’s house and I could tell that Brooke was nervous. “Relax, Brooke. Everyone will love you,” I assured her. “Apart from my dad and aunt, everyone is really nice.” She still looked unsure so I kissed her softly. “I promise. I won’t leave your side if you don’t want me to.”
We made our way to the front door and I put my hand in hers, giving it a little squeeze. Before I opened the door, I said to her, “You will be fine.”
When I opened the front door, Lara came running down the hall. “Uncle Logan!” she yelled.
I put the cupcakes and her presents down on the hall table, and opened my arms to her. I picked her up and swung her around, kissing her on the cheek. “Happy birthday, princess.”
Lara looked at me and smiled, then looked over at Brooke. “Lara, this is my girlfriend,” I said. “Her name is Brooke, and she made you cupcakes.”
“Cupcakes!” she screamed. “I love cupcakes!” I laughed as I put her down so she could shake Brooke’s hand.
Instead of shaking her hand, she threw her tiny arms around Brooke’s waist and said, “Thank you for making me cupcakes.” She looked up at Brooke and smiled.
Brooke returned the smile. “You’re welcome, Lara. Happy birthday.”
“You’re really pretty,” Lara said shyly.
Brooke laughed. “Thank you. I think you are very pretty, too.” Lara looked up at Brooke and beamed. I could tell Brooke at won her heart already, just like she had won mine. It was nice to see my two favourite girls getting on.
Lara let go of Brooke and looked at me. “Did you bring me a present?” I laughed, as I grabbed it off the hall table and passed it to her.
“Thank you Uncle Logan and Aunty Brooke,” she said, which made us both smile. She turned and ran down the hall, yelling, “Mum! Uncle Logan is here and he brought his girlfriend, Brooke! She is really pretty.”
Brooke and I both laughed again. “See?” I said. “I knew she would love you.” I kissed the top of her head, as I threaded my fingers through hers and led her down the hallway.
Brooke
I was overwhelmed as I watched Logan with his niece. They loved each other very much, and I couldn’t believe how good he was with her. He will make a great father one day, I thought. He put his hand in mine and led me into the kitchen, where his sister and mother were cooking.
His mother and sister were both beautiful. I could see where Logan got his good looks from. They both had dark hair and big green eyes. Logan hugged and kissed his mum and sister, which I thought was sweet.
“This is my girlfriend, Brooke,” he said with a smile. I could see the surprised look on both their faces. It also made me smile because I liked hearing him say I was his girlfriend.
Logan’s mum came straight over to me and wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, my god,” she said. “Look how gorgeous you are.”
Logan’s sister playfully smacked her on the arm. “Mum stop it; otherwise, you will scare her.”
“Well, she is! Just look at her.”
She pu
lled her head back to look at me and I could see tears in her eyes. She was very sweet, just like Logan said she would be.
“I can’t believe Logan has finally brought someone home to meet his family,” she said with a smile. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
I looked at Logan and he had a big smile on his face. “She made cupcakes, too,” he said.
His mother looked back at me and her smile widened. “You cook, too?” she said. “I think I love you already!” We all laughed.
His sister put her hand out to shake mine and smiled. “Hi, my name is Michelle. It is lovely to meet you.”
I smiled back at her. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” I replied.
“Sorry about my mum. She has been pestering Logan to settle down for years. She’s just happy, that’s all,” she added.
So far so good. His family was great and so welcoming. Logan was lucky to have them. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Logan’s mother smiled and handed me an apron. “You can cut up some vegetables for the salad.”
Logan kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be outside helping Craig if you need me.”
I felt comfortable in the kitchen with Logan’s mother and sister. They were both really nice. They asked me where Logan and I had met, and I told them I had met him in Melbourne about nine months ago.
“We ran into each other again a few weeks ago,” I added. I didn’t go into any details because I wasn’t comfortable talking about that. I’d only just met them.
Michelle recounted a lot of stories about all the mischief she and Logan got into as children, and we were all laughing. I really liked her. His family was so well off that I was surprised how normal and down-to-earth they were.
After about an hour, Logan and Craig came back inside. Logan came up and kissed me, pulling me into his arms. “You doing okay?” he whispered. I smiled up at him and nodded. We heard someone clear their throat behind us so we turned around and found everybody smiling at us.
Craig came over and shook my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brooke,” he said with a grin.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. Thank you for having me here.”
“Beautiful and well-mannered,” Craig said with a wink. I looked up at Logan and found him glaring at Craig. How cute. He was jealous.
We all helped to take the food outside. Michelle wanted everything set up before Lara’s friends arrived. I asked Logan where his dad was, and he told me he would probably come over later. “My mum came over early to help Michelle prepare all the food.”
Some of Lara’s friends arrived, and Michelle brought them out to meet everybody. A few of the mothers came out the back to say hello before they left their children for the afternoon. There were two mothers whose eyes nearly dropped out of their heads when they got a glimpse of Logan.
Now it was my turn to be jealous. I wanted to go over there and close their mouths for them, but he was drop dead gorgeous so I couldn’t really blame them for staring. I remember the first time I had seen him in Melbourne. I think my reaction had been the same.
After Logan had poured me a glass of wine and got himself a beer, he led me over to a table so we could sit down. “Are you having a good time?” he asked.
“I am. Your family is really lovely,” I replied.
“I told you. I can tell they love you, which doesn’t surprise me because I knew they would.” He put his arms around me and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.
Logan
Having Brooke here with me was great. I knew my family would like her. I wanted her with me at all my family gatherings from now on so it was nice to know she would be welcome.
We were both sitting at the table watching my niece and her little friends get their faces painted by the fairy my sister had hired, when I noticed my Uncle John come through the back door.
I kissed Brooke on the top of head as I stood up. “I will be back in a minute. My uncle is here and I want to bring him over to meet you.”
I walked over to the back of the house to greet him, and he gave me a hug. “How have you been, Logan?”
“I’ve been good. I brought someone special with me today, and I want you to come over and meet her.” He smiled. After grabbing a beer for him out of the bar fridge, I led him over towards the table.
On the way to the table, my uncle said, “Don’t tell me you finally met someone worthy of bringing home to meet your family.”
I smiled at him. “She’s not just someone. She’s the woman of my dreams. I am head-over-heels in love with her,” I stated. “I hope one day to make her my wife.”
My uncle slapped me on the back and smiled. “Good for you, kiddo. I can’t wait to meet the woman that finally stole your heart.”
As we were walking, I asked, “So, where’s the wicked witch?”
“She said being around screaming kids wasn’t her idea of fun,” he replied sarcastically.
“That figures,” I replied. “Being around her isn’t my idea of fun, either,” I added, and my uncle laughed.
“I told her she would probably frighten the kids anyway.” This time we both laughed. He was probably right. Michelle and I were definitely scared of her when we were kids.
Brooke had her back to us and was talking to my mother when we reached the table. When I was standing behind her, I put my hands on her shoulders. “Brooke, I would like you to meet my Uncle John.” She quickly turned around in her seat before getting up from the table to shake his hand.
My uncle had a smile on his face, and I could tell he was looking forward to meeting her. But when she turned around, he went ghostly white before dropping his beer on the cement, smashing it.
I grabbed hold of his arm as my mother rose from the table. “Oh, my god, John!” she screamed, rushing towards him. “Are you okay? Come sit down. You look terrible.”
“I’m…I’m fine,” he said.
“You don’t look well,” my mum said. “I’m going to call the doctor.”
He grabbed her arm as she went to walk away. “Please, I am fine. I just had a funny turn,” he said. “But I am feeling fine now. Honestly.”
I turned around to see Brooke picking up the broken glass. “Stop, baby,” I said. “You might cut yourself.” She just looked up at me and rolled her eyes.
I bent down and took the glass out of her hands. “I will clean this up,” I said. My sister came over with a dustpan and broom.
Once it was cleaned up, Brooke and I sat back down at the table. I wanted her to meet my uncle properly. She put her hand on his. “Are you sure you’re okay? You are very pale.”
He gave her a smile. “I’m fine.” Then he held out his hand. “I am Logan’s uncle, but you can call me John,” he said.
Brooke shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, John. My name is Brooke. I have heard a lot of nice things about you.”
My uncle looked over at me and winked. “I can see how she stole your heart, Logan.” I looked over at Brooke and smiled. She was blushing.
“Logan, can you get me another beer?” he asked.
“Are you sure you should be drinking after that little episode you just had?” I asked.
“I am fine, Logan,” he replied. “I appreciate your concern but, honestly, I am okay.”
I left him at the table to talk with Brooke while I got him another beer.
Brooke
I was a little concerned about Logan’s uncle. When he dropped his beer, I think we all got a fright. The sheer look of horror on his face before he dropped it also had me worried that maybe he was going collapse or something. He seemed fine now, but I noticed his hands were shaking a little as he spoke to me.
John was a handsome man for his age. He was very tall and nicely built, with dark greying hair and big brown eyes. His smile was beautiful, and he seemed like a gentle man. I could tell he had a kind nature.
He asked me how I had met Logan, and I told him the same thing I had said to Logan’s mother and sister. When he asked me if my fami
ly was from Melbourne, I explained that I had grown up in Sydney. I then added that I’d moved to Melbourne for six months before I decided to come back to Sydney to live.
Logan came back to the table and handed his uncle the beer as he sat down beside me. “So, Brooke, what do you do for a living?”
“Well, I had studied dance and music at the university, but I am only working part-time at the moment. I’m teaching dance and piano until I can afford to buy my own dance studio.”
The three of us sat at the table and talked for over an hour. John asked me a lot of questions, and seemed really interested in everything I had to say. I could see why Logan was so fond of him. “Whereabouts in Sydney did you grow up, Brooke?”
“My mother and I moved around a lot when I was a baby,” I replied. “When I was four, we eventually settled in Surry Hills. We lived there until my mother passed away when I was eighteen.”
Logan’s uncle started to look unwell again, and the colour had drained from his face. I put my hand on top of his. “You really don’t look well. Are you sure you are okay?”
“You’re right,” he replied softy. “I think I might go inside and ask Michelle if I can lie down for a while.” I noticed his hands were trembling again.
Logan and I both got up and followed him into the house because we wanted to make sure that he was alright. His mum took over when we got inside so we both went back to enjoy the party.
Logan led me over to a bench seat by the fence and sat down. I went to sit down next to him, but he pulled me down onto his lap instead. Michelle had hired a clown to come and perform for the kids so we sat there and watched.
I never had a birthday party when I was growing up. When I was ten, I had invited one of my friends over for pizza and cake, but that was it. My mum had asked me a few times over the years if I wanted a party, and I did. Unfortunately, I knew my mum would have to work extra hours to help pay for it so I always told her I didn’t want one. Every year, though, my mother and Ms. Jones gave me a birthday cake and presents, trying to make it special.