"My mom would flip her lid if you came to the center," I said. "Her Facebook page would be blowing up left and right." I paused. "No pressure or anything, though."
"I'm the one who invited myself," he said.
"And you think you might be able to really come?"
He nodded.
"I'm excited," I said, smiling broadly at him.
"I am too," he said.
"Now y'all got me wantin' to go to Kenya!" Evan said.
"The more the merrier," I said. "My parents will put you to work in a heartbeat."
"Don't you have some whales to save?" Logan asked.
Evan pointed at me. "She said they needed help, dawg."
"Do they?" Logan asked.
I smiled at how sweet and sincere he was. "They can always use help," I said. "They'll have no problem putting you to work. It takes a lot to keep that place running."
Logan smiled at Evan. "You can come with us if you want," he said.
"You payin'?" Evan asked.
Logan nodded easily.
"I'm in," Evan said, clapping his hands together. "Let's do this."
"It'll be fun," Logan said.
"I'm stoked! When is it? Three weeks?"
I nodded.
"You sure you're all right with this?" Logan asked, looking at me.
"I'm thrilled," I said. "If you two really come with me, my mom's gonna love me forever."
"Why didn't you ask me sooner?" Logan asked, turning his whole body to face me.
"Because I never dreamed you'd really go."
"He'll go," Evan said, confidently. "He doesn’t say he'll do something unless he's serious."
"I didn't pay him to say that either," Logan said.
"He's just trying to make up for how much he made me dislike you at first," I said, smiling.
Evan cracked up, and Logan popped him with the towel, this time not missing.
"Ouch!" Evan said.
"You sort of deserved it," I said, still smiling at Logan.
"Thank you!" Logan said.
"She's sweet on you, cuz," Evan said.
"No, she's just smart, and she can see who's being reasonable and who's not."
"I am sort of sweet," I said.
When I started speaking the phrase, I planned on saying "I am sort of sweet on you," but the words "on you," got stuck in my throat and wouldn’t come out, so I just said, "I am sort of sweet."
Logan cocked his head at me slightly and gave me a teasing grin. "You're sweet? Or you're sweet on me?" he asked, calling me out.
I blushed. I could feel blood rise to my cheeks. I put my head in my hands and giggled. "Just plain sweet," I said, feeling mortified and wanting to get out of the pickle I was in. "I'm just plain old sweet."
"Oh, because for a second there I thought you were gonna say you were sweet on me."
"I thought she was, too," Evan agreed, wearing a look of mock confusion. They were both wearing deadpan expressions as they stared at me. A family of clowns, I thought.
"I wish that's what she was saying," Logan said, acting disappointed.
I leaned to the side to bop him with my hip. "I was maybe going to say that, but you two clowns had to get me all red-faced and embarrassed."
Logan put a hand on my shoulder and brought me in for a tiny hug. "I like you embarrassed," he said. "It's cute."
"It's not to me."
He poked at my ribs, and I pulled away from him. I narrowed my eyes and pointed a finger at him. "The only thing that could make matters worse is if you tickle me," I said, sincerely. "I whole-heartedly hate being tickled. I can't stand it. I seriously get mad when people try to tickle me."
I saw Logan make a jerking motion. He flexed his hand and then stared at it with a confused expression like he couldn't control what was happening to him. He flexed it again.
"Don't you even think about it," I warned as I took a step back.
He had that I'm about to tickle you look in his eyes. I had a brother. I knew all about that look.
"Seriously, I will get so mad at you," I said.
Just a tiny one," he said, reaching out toward my ribs.
"No!" I squealed, jumping back. "I hate it."
"You know when you say something like that, you make it impossible for him not to do it, right?" Evan asked.
I glanced at Logan with fear in my eyes, and he shrugged as if he wasn't responsible for his own behavior.
Chapter 14
Logan chased me into the living room. I circled around to the front of one of the sofas, and he stared at me from the other side of it with a wild-eyed expression.
"Don't," I said. I was pointing a finger at him, but I couldn’t help but smile, which he took to mean I wasn't all that serious.
His eyes widened like something was coming over him and he had to tickle something before he exploded.
I squealed and backed up, but he was already going through the motions of advancing on me. Using a hand on the back of the couch for leverage, he jumped over the sofa, landing nimbly on the other side. I ran, but there was no getting away. He was athletic and fast, and he knew this living room like the back of his hand. He scooped me into his arms and swung me around, causing me to fall onto the sofa.
I giggled like a little girl, which turned to belly laughing as his fingers expertly tickled my ribs. I laughed hard every time I got tickled—the good kind of laugh where you barely even make a sound aside some wheezing. Logan had one knee on the couch as he hovered over me.
"Pleeease!" I managed to say, although it was nearly inaudible.
He stopped, and I was finally able to take a deep breath. I scooted up just a little with my arms tucked to my chest defensively. "You made me ugly laugh," I said, with a teasing grin.
"There was nothing ugly about that laugh," he said. He was still hovering over me and was almost whispering. Even if Evan was still sitting in the kitchen, it was likely that he couldn't hear us.
"I'm mad at you for that," I whispered.
Logan shot me a challenging smile. "You are?"
The answer was no.
I wasn't mad at all. Getting tickled was a small price to pay for ending up with him staring down at me like this. I wanted him to kiss me. I looked at his mouth. His gorgeous lips curved upward in a devastatingly handsome smile. I remembered what they felt like that day on the concrete bench, and I took an unsteady breath at the memory.
"Are you?" he asked, still waiting for me to say whether or not I was mad.
"I'm not that mad," I narrowed my eyes. "But that doesn't mean I want you to do it again."
We stared at each other for a few seconds. "I can't believe you pulled my little cousin's tooth," he said. "That was the most adorable thing I've ever seen."
"I know," I said. "She's the cutest little girl."
He smiled at me. "I wasn't talking about her."
I squirmed a little at the compliment. It made me nervous to see him staring down at me like that. I glanced at his neck, and chest and anything else besides his face—his mouth, the mouth I wanted so desperately to be on mine.
"Are y'all coming?" we heard a woman's voice say as the glass door slid open.
I couldn't see who it was from where I was laying, but Logan peeked over the back of the couch in that direction and smiled.
"We're coming," I heard Evan say.
I stared up at Logan, who nodded toward the person who was talking. "I think Ryan wants a picture with Rachel by the sandcastle," the lady said.
I scooted out from under Logan and sat up on the couch. "I'm on my way out there," I said. I glanced at Logan with a smile as if asking him to move so I could stand up.
He answered my unspoken question with a shake of his head.
"No?" I asked.
He shook his head again.
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "I just want a few more seconds."
"Of what?" I asked.
"You."
"You've got me all week," I said.
He
smiled. "Not like this."
I couldn't believe I'd seen this guy in movies, and now he was staring at me like I was a leading lady. My heart was fluttering a million miles an hour. He stared at me for a few more seconds, and just like that, he stood, extending a hand to help me get up as well. No kiss—not even a little peck on the cheek or anything.
"I'm not sorry for tickling you," he said, once I got to my feet. I glanced toward the kitchen to see that Evan had already gone outside. Logan and I were alone.
I had to clear my throat before I could speak. "You should be sorry," I said, squinting at him.
"But I'm not," he said. He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me tightly. His chest was broad and firm, just begging me to rest my face on it. I did so and hugged him back while I was at it.
"I'm trying to be really mad at you right now for saying you're not sorry," I said.
I felt his chest tremble with a little laugh. "How's that working for you?"
I smiled even though he couldn’t see my face. "Not so well."
"I guess you like being tickled," he said.
"Don't you even think about it," I warned, pulling back from him just a bit.
"We're coming!" he yelled toward the door. I hadn't seen anyone come in, but I turned just in time to see his mom bow out of the room like she hadn't meant to interrupt.
Logan smiled and cocked his head toward the door. "We should go," he said.
Just about the whole family was down at the beach when we got out there. Ryan and I took pictures together by the castle. It was even more remarkable than I remembered, and I caught myself feeling amazed that we had built it. Everyone went on and on about how lucky Ryan was to have a real dentist here to pull her first tooth. It felt great that they were so impressed and thankful, so I didn't mention the tooth was barely hanging on, and that all I had to do was touch it, and it came out.
We stayed down by the beach for a little while, until someone mentioned making an evening pot of coffee and everyone headed toward the house.
"Me and you against Dad and Cody," Evan said, nudging Logan as we approached the house.
"Playin' what?" Logan asked.
"Basketball, dawg," Evan said, puffing out his chest and slapping at it the way guys do.
Logan shrugged. "I'll play to 21," he said.
Evan looked back at Cody, who was holding Ryan on his shoulders.
"I'm in," Cody said.
"What about you, Dad?" Evan asked.
Dan patted his stomach. "Not right after dinner," he said.
"You ate like an hour ago," Evan said. "I think you're just chicken."
"I'm chicken of my heartburn," Dan said, with a fist up to his mouth like he needed to burp.
"What about you, Uncle Rob?" Evan asked.
Logan and Charlotte both looked at their dad who shook his head. "If Dan gets out if it, then I do too."
"I'll play," I said.
Everyone looked straight at me when I said it, and I smiled at their shocked expressions. "Unless girls aren't allowed or something," I added, awkwardly.
"I got her," Logan said.
Cody reached out and pushed at Logan's shoulder. "She's on my team, son. You already said you and Evan were together."
"Yeah, but that's when I thought you were with Uncle Dan or my dad."
"Thanks a lot," Dan said.
"Are you any good?" Evan asked, looking at me.
"I played basketball just about every day of my life from eight-years-old to seventeen."
"She's mine," Cody said.
I held up my hands. "But I am still a girl," I warned.
"I got her," Cody said, bending down to set Ryan on her feet. He looked at Logan. "You already said you were with Evan."
I was being honest when I said I played basketball every day when I was a kid. It was all we had to do most of the time in Kenya. My parents pretty much made us play. It was, after all, cheap entertainment, and it helped all of us get our energy out. When you have forty or fifty kids living in one place, cheap, energy-draining activities are a must. I wouldn't consider myself a huge athlete, but I held my own at basketball, and I felt confident that I could play without completely embarrassing myself.
Mia and Charlotte along with Christy and Dan came down to watch us play. The hoop was mounted on the house near the driveway, and they all sat off to the side as we got started. I was nervous and stiff at first, but the more I got into it, the more I loosened up. I could tell they were playing a little easier on me than they would have been if they were playing with one of the guys, but they'd smile and look impressed when I made a shot or a good pass.
Cody and I ended up barely beating them, but it might have been on account of Logan taking it easy on me a couple of times when he could have done a better job of blocking. Evan gave him a little grief over that, which Logan answered with a nuggie-like wrestling move where Evan ended up in a headlock.
"You can be on my team anytime," Cody said as we all high-fived each other.
"Yeah, I'll bet she can, since Logan lets her score on us all day," Evan said.
"He didn't let her do anything," Cody said. "He got scored-on, and that's that."
"Yeah, he just got scored on fair and square," I said, defending myself with the obvious lie.
"I'm just playing around," Evan said, smiling at me. "You did good."
"I know you are," I said. I smiled and tightened my ponytail. "I understand if you can't help lashing out a little when you lose."
Everyone standing around oohed at the wicked burn as Evan laughed and hi-fived me good-naturedly. "You did good," he repeated. "Thanks for playing."
We were all smiling as we started toward the house. Again, Logan and I fell to the back of the pack.
"It's hot that you played basketball with us just now," he said, with a light pinch to my forearm.
I laughed. "Even if you let me win?"
"I couldn't believe you were that good," he said. "Evan was seriously taking it his hardest on you."
"I was not!" Evan said from about three strides in front of us.
"He was!" Logan mouthed, nodding at me.
I giggled. I could feel that my face was flushed with exertion, and I put the back of my hand to my cheeks one-by-one to cool them off.
"I like how basketball looks on you," Logan said.
"Playing it, or blushing from it?"
I glanced at him, and he smiled, but didn't take his eyes from the path in front of us. I found myself staring at his profile. "Both," he said. "They both look good on you. Pulling Ryan's tooth looked good on you, too. I guess you're pretty irresistible no matter what you're doing."
My hunch was that some of the people walking in front of us could hear him, but none of them turned around or acknowledged what we were saying. Logan glanced at me to gauge my reaction, but I just scrunched up my face at him. I was speechless by his compliment, and literally had no idea how to respond. I was afraid I'd say something ridiculous like, "You're the most irresistible thing I've ever seen, and I think I'm falling in love," or "You're a movie star, but you're also a real person, and I love the real you." Yeah, I knew if I opened my mouth, something regrettable would come out of it, so I just didn't.
The smirk I'd been wearing, shifted into a sincere smile, and he reached out to wrap his arm around my shoulder as we walked. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder for a few paces.
"It's been a long day," he said.
I glanced up at him and smiled. "Fun, though."
Chapter 15
The next few days passed quickly. The family constantly had something going on, and I jumped right into the activities. Logan and I spent every waking moment together, but besides the occasional arm around the shoulder or playful pinch, we made no physical contact. He did tickle me one time when I came home from the spa with the girls, and I had my hair styled curly. They were my natural curls, I just always dried my hair straight. He loved what a difference it made, and had chased me around the living room
and tickled me that day, but had barely touched me since. I wanted so badly for him to touch me that I was on the verge of "accidently" mentioning being ticklish just to bait him into it.
I had come to love Logan's family during the last few days. Charlotte, Mia, and Paige treated me like I was their sister, and Logan's mom, aunt, and grandma were the sweetest ladies ever. I could see how an environment like this would produce a movie star. They were all positive, upbeat people—go-geters, movers and shakers. They were lovely, sweet, sincere human beings and were all a pleasure to be around.
Everyone asked me questions about Kenya—what it had been like to go up there, and what exactly it was my parents were doing. They all said they'd make donations to the center in the future, and I knew based on what type of people they were that they'd follow through.
There was no doubt about it—I was falling in love with Logan and his family. I was having an amazing time getting to know each of them, and all was all hunky-dory until a few days later when the unthinkable happened.
It was Friday afternoon, and I had gone shopping with Mia and Charlotte. They were still looking around in the store, and I was finished, so I told them I was going to the café next door to get a cup of coffee. I had just left the café with a to-go cup in my hand when a man in a suit walked up to me.
"Are you Rachel?" he asked.
His smile was kind, so I nodded.
"Rachel Stephens?" he asked.
I nodded again, this time looking around curiously.
"Mr. Ritchie has a surprise for you, ma'am," he said, still smiling. "He asked me to pick you up."
I glanced in the direction of the clothing store.
"He's already taken it up with his sister," the man said.
"She knows?" I asked.
"Yes ma'am she does. He said he hoped his sister didn't mention it to you, so he'll be happy to know you were surprised."
"I am surprised."
"That was the idea," he said, with a wink.
"So, what do I do?" I asked, feeling butterflies about what Logan could possibly have planned.
"Right this way," he said with a sweeping hand gesture to a sleek black car similar to the one that had brought me to the airport. I followed him, and was about to ask if I could sit in the front like I did with Mike the driver, but he didn't give me the chance. Instead of opening the back door, he went straight for the front, which was fine with me.
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