by Anna Durand
I grunted.
Evan sighed with a satisfaction that baffled me. "It's settled, then. Let's go share the news."
Serena raised a hand. "Wait. I need to talk to Chase first."
"Wait here, and we'll send him in."
Evan helped his wife dismount his lap, and the pair of them ambled out of the room.
I moved to stand, but Serena waved for me to stay put.
"Are you sure you want me to stay?" I asked, dropping onto the chair again.
"Honestly, we've been through this already. We are dating, aren't we? You should be a part of this conversation. Besides, Chase thinks you're awesome. I want you here because that's what couples do. They talk to the kids together."
"But he's not my son."
"It'll be fine." She grasped my hand. "If you can handle terrorists and double agents, you can handle a teenage boy who worships you."
Chase walked into the room and stopped at the desk, examining it with keen interest. "Hey, can I sit in Evan's chair?"
"Sure," Serena said. "I don't think Evan will mind."
The lad sat in the chair and put his feet on the desk.
"Feet off the desk," Serena said in her stern mother voice.
Chase dropped his feet to the floor. "So, are you guys getting married?"
Why did everyone ask us that?
Serena blushed faintly but maintained her stern voice. "No, we are not getting married. Logan has a temporary job helping an old friend find something he lost."
The boy bent forward, his arms on the desk and his eyes alight. "A spy job? Wicked!"
"Not a spy job," I said. "It's more of a..."
What the hell was it, anyway?
Serena stepped in to explain. "It's like a private investigator job. Logan will find the missing item. That's it." She hesitated, then added, "It will involve travel, though. Possibly outside the US."
"Awesome!" Chase declared. "My mom is dating James Bond. Can I come? A spy job would be waaaaay cooler than Vermont."
"No, you cannot come along," his mother said. "You are going to Vermont. Your grandparents are looking forward to seeing you."
"Aw, Mom."
"You're going to Vermont. No ifs, ands, or buts."
He rolled his eyes and slouched in the chair. With a long-suffering tone, he said, "Fine."
She bit her lip, glancing at me, then faced her son again. "Chase, are you sure you're okay with me and Logan being a couple? It's okay if it bothers you."
"I'm cool with it."
"Are you sure? You're not even a tiny bit bothered?"
"Ugh, Mom. I'm not a baby." He looked at me before rolling his eyes at his mother again. "I mean, it's about time you got a boyfriend. And Logan is the awesomest."
I had no idea how to feel about a teenager calling me the awesomest, and I also had no clue what being the awesomest meant. Did I get a medal for that?
"Okay," Serena said, seeming baffled and relieved at the same time, "let's go tell Logan's sisters the news."
We cut across the hall, to the living room.
My sisters leaped off the sofa shrieking. They rushed at us, Isla and Elspeth flinging their arms around me while Kirsty grabbed Serena. After a moment of blubbering and more shrieking, they switched places, and I found myself being smothered in Kirsty's arms.
"Oh Logan," she whispered in my ear, "I'm so happy for you. Now don't fuck it up. Serena is the perfect woman for you."
She barely knew Serena, so I couldn't decide what criteria she'd used to determine Serena was perfect for me.
Kirsty pulled back enough to see me. "It's because she makes you smile."
I smiled at other times, when Serena wasn't around, but I decided not to mention that to Kirsty. She wanted to believe in the fantasy of my romance with Serena.
"Don't be a grump," Kirsty said. "I see the way you smile at her. You don't look at anyone else that way."
"Are you reading my mind?"
"Maybe I just know you, Logie."
"What way do you claim I smile at Serena? A smile is a smile."
"Oh no, not when you're looking at her." Kirsty pecked my cheek. "You'll figure out what I mean eventually."
Evan clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and to silence my sisters. "It's late, and Keely and I think everyone should stay here tonight."
"Awesome!" Chase said.
"Wonderful!" my sisters said in unison.
I aimed my best glare at Evan, but it bounced right off him. "There are five bedrooms and eight of us."
"Keely sleeps with me," he said, like I was the daftest dafty on earth.
Well, I was. Christ, even I knew Evan shared a bed with his wife.
"That leaves four bedrooms," Evan said, "and six of you. I'm sure you can work out the math, Logan."
He glanced meaningfully at Serena.
"Kirsty and Elspeth can share," Isla announced.
Elspeth's mouth fell open. "Why do I have to share with Kirsty? She snores."
"I do not," Kirsty snapped. "Any snoring you hear is your own."
"Quiet," Isla said. "I'm the oldest, so I get my own room."
"Where am I to sleep?" I asked.
Everyone stared at me like I was a drooling lunatic.
Chase pointed at his mother. "Duh. You sleep with Mom."
"Yes," Serena agreed. "We can share a bed. Like a sleepover. Two adults can sleep in the same bed platonically."
No one looked convinced by her platonic sleepover claim.
Chase tipped his head to the side, his mouth twisted into a bizarre teenage expression somewhere between annoyance and humor. "Mom, I'm not a baby. I'm fifteen, and I've had sex ed class. You don't need to pretend you and Logan aren't doing it."
Her eyes flared so wide they seemed about to burst out of her head.
"Ahhh," Evan said, "let's everyone else go into the kitchen while these three sort things."
My sisters, Evan, and Keely all fled the room.
Serena collapsed onto the sofa. "I am such a horrible mother."
"Why?" Chase asked. "Because I know about sex? Jeez, Mom, you're so weird."
I sat beside Serena and held her hand. "What's wrong? Chase seems fine with the idea of us sleeping together."
"Yeah," the lad said, "I'm cool with it."
"But—" She leaned in to whisper in my ear so softly I had to strain to hear her. "What if he knows about the one-night stands I had?"
"I doubt he knows that," I said in an equally soft voice. Looking at Chase, I asked, "Is this the first time your mother has had a boyfriend?"
"Oh yeah, she's been like a nun or something until now."
Smiling, I pressed my lips to Serena's ear. "See? He doesn't know."
Her body relaxed as a breath rushed out of her.
Chase trotted to the doorway and stopped to say over his shoulder, "I'm going to find out which room is mine, then I won't leave my bedroom until morning."
He emphasized the last bit while smirking.
The cheeky lad hurried toward the kitchen.
Serena and I regarded each other in silence. Her gaze was tender, and I suspected mine matched it. I'd dated before, though not since joining the SIS, but I'd never experienced this feeling with any other woman. It was...comfortable. Hot and sweet. Soft and strong. Whenever she smiled, a strange sensation gripped my heart.
Laughter burst out from the direction of the kitchen, several female voices joining Chase's.
Serena stood. "We should see what's going on out there."
"Aye."
Rising, I claimed her hand and led her out into the entryway.
Six laughing people tumbled out of the kitchen headed for the stairs. Evan clapped me on the shoulder when he walked by, and Isla stopped to give me a brief hug.
"The downstairs is yours," she said, glancing at Serena and me in turn. "But donnae make too much noise. Elspeth is a sensitive sleeper."
"I hea
rd that!" Elspeth shouted from the top of the stairs. "Make all the noise you want, Logie."
Grinning, Elspeth sprinted down the upstairs hall.
The others had already disappeared in that direction, including Chase.
Serena and I were alone. Again.
A big yawn contorted her entire face.
"You're exhausted," I said.
"No, I'm fine," she claimed, as another yawn overtook her.
I swept her into my arms and carried her upstairs.
She looped her arms around my neck, rested her cheek on my shoulder, and fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Serena
Monday, we spent the whole day getting ready for our big adventure. Evan hadn't hired temporary help after all, instead deciding to take a few weeks off and let Vic Bazzoli run things. Vic, who had once been Keely's boss at the electronics store, agreed to take over in Evan's absence. Vic was president of Vic's Electronics Superstores LLC, the sole subsidiary of Evanescent, but now he got to try out being the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation. Logan's secretary, Delilah, would assist Vic.
I'd woken in the morning with Logan's body cradling mine. We both lay on our sides, my backside snuggled up to his front side, his arm draped over my hips with his fingers grazing my belly. His erection formed a hard, thick line against my spine. I knew he was still asleep, thanks to his soft snores, but I wondered if erotic dreams about me had made his morning wood stiffer than usual. He hadn't gotten this hard yesterday morning.
His snores whistled in a steady rhythm.
A little too steady. And too whistly. Too...phony.
I pushed my elbow backward into his gut. "Faker."
He tickled my belly with his fingertips. "I was waiting for you to wake me with your mouth on my slat."
"You would have to be asleep for that to happen."
"All right. I'll go back to sleep."
I wriggled away from him and swung my legs off the bed. "No time for blow jobs, I'm afraid. I've got packing to do."
What did a woman take on a mysterious mission, not knowing where she might wind up? Logan didn't know for sure. When he called Alex, while I was packing, the man had promised Logan more details when they met in person tomorrow. Alex lived in Montana, so my first adventure would be visiting a state I'd never been to before, not to mention meeting the enigmatic British Bastard. I had to admit I was curious about Alex Thorne.
After I packed, Logan took me and Chase to his apartment, the one Evan paid for as part of Logan's employment benefits package. It was fancy, with lots of electronic this and that, but it didn't seem like Logan's style. He wasn't the bells and whistles type.
Monday afternoon, I tried to help Chase pack for his trip to Vermont. He needed more suitcases than I did, since he'd be staying two months with his grandparents.
Chase refused my help by rolling his eyes and saying, "Jeez, Mom, I'm not a baby."
"I know that, but you're still my baby."
"Go have an actual baby so, you know, I can get a break from your smothering." With a strange kind of gravitas only a teenager could pull off, he added, "Logan would be an awesome dad."
Ohhh-kay. Not touching that one.
That evening, I made dinner for the three of us. We ate it at the same kitchen table where I'd shared so many meals with Chase and Rob. None of the men I'd slept with since Rob had gotten an invite to dinner at my house. I barely said goodbye before leaving them, and I'd never stayed the night with a single one.
Until Logan.
Two mornings in a row, I'd woken up with him. Now, he was seated at my kitchen table eating the meal I'd whipped up for us. I was dating him. Seriously dating. For the first time in more than a decade, I could imagine a future with a man who was not Rob. I felt a little queasy thinking about that, but only for a moment. When Logan slipped his hand into mine under the table, all the anxiety sluiced out of me.
Logan and Chase both offered to help wash the dishes, but I declined their offers. They needed to get to know each other better, so I suggested they go into the living room while I cleaned up.
I wanted Logan to get to know my son. How bizarre.
And yet so right.
When I joined them in the living room fifteen minutes later, Logan and Chase were sitting on the sofa facing each other, smiling and laughing.
Chase jumped up and moved into the armchair beside the sofa.
Logan patted the cushion beside him.
I plopped down right next to him and relaxed into the sofa when he slipped his arm around my shoulders.
"What were you two talking about?" I asked. "Or is that top secret guy stuff?"
Logan aimed a fake deadly glare at Chase. "If you tell her, I'll have to kill you."
Chase laughed. "Logan's awesome, Mom. I'm cool with it if you want to marry him. Moving to Scotland would be totally sick."
My mouth opened, but I couldn't speak. I knew "sick" meant good to a teenage boy, but I couldn't believe Logan would've suggested we might move to Scotland.
"I didn't mention moving," Logan said to me, "or marriage. That's not what we talked about."
"What did you boys chat about?"
"Comic books."
Slack-jawed once again, I gaped at Logan. "You like comic books?"
"I read them when I was a wee laddie, aye."
"Mom thinks comics are silly," Chase said. "She likes goopy romance novels."
Though I heard his statement, it didn't sink into my brain. I couldn't tear my gaze away from Logan, and I wondered whether I would ever fully understand him. My mind cobbled together no words more useful than, "Comic books? You?"
"Yes, mo gaol." Logan nodded toward Chase. "We debated who's the better superhero. Chase claims it's Superman because he can fly and has super strength, but I say it's Batman. He has no powers and uses his wits and gadgets to outsmart the villains."
My jaw dropped even lower, probably nudging my chest. Logan MacTaggart, the toughest guy I'd ever met, talked about comic books with my son.
"What else don't I know about you?" I asked Logan.
"Many, many things." He kissed my temple. "We both have a lot to learn about each other."
Chase was grinning at us. "What does yo gool mean?"
"Not yo gool," Logan said. "Mo gaol. It's Gaelic for my love."
My son grinned even more.
Logan had called me his love. I supposed it was nothing more than a generic endearment, like saying "baby," except he'd called me mo gaol while we made love too.
We all watched TV for a while until Chase did the fakest yawn I'd ever seen and announced he was "totally trashed" and needed to go to bed. At eight o'clock. Voluntarily. Sheesh, I had trouble convincing him to go to bed at ten and not spend another two hours reading comics under the covers with a flashlight. Tonight, he wanted to go to bed early.
Logan and I watched a Batman movie on TV before we headed into my room to sleep. I didn't know if Batman was the better superhero, but a man using his wits to beat the bad guys instead of superpowers was definitely hotter. When I told Logan that, he got a smugly satisfied look on his face.
For the third morning in a row, I woke with Logan snuggled up to my backside. Rob had never liked spooning, but Logan seemed to love it. I loved it too, with Logan. I hadn't realized I wanted this kind of cuddling until he gave it to me. How odd that a tough ex-spy was the only man who'd ever wanted to spoon with me.
We drove to the airport together, since we would all be flying on Evan's jet. It would've made more sense time-wise to have the jet drop off me and Logan in Montana before continuing on to Vermont, but I didn't want to leave Chase yet. Logan didn't mind that I wanted to fly to Vermont and say goodbye there.
During the flight, Logan and Chase chatted about comic books and played chess. My son had never played that game in his life, but Logan patiently taught him the rules and strategies of the game. I wasn't surprised at all that Logan enjoyed che
ss. It was an analytical game, one that involved trying to outsmart your opponent. Of course Logan played chess. It made perfect sense.
After their second game, Chase flopped into a chair by the windows and listened to music on his iPod.
I had to tap his shoulder twice and tell him to turn down the volume. Teenagers.
Logan and I curled up on the sofa and took a nap together.
When we reached Vermont, Logan offered to stay inside the jet so Rob's parents wouldn't see him and be upset that I was dating again. I told him not to be a silly goose, which made him shake his head and smile. We walked down the stairs hand in hand.
Chase had already run down the stairs and was currently crushed in his grandmother's embrace. Sylvia Carpenter kept one arm around Chase while she waved and smiled at me. Ed Carpenter ruffled his grandson's hair, which made Chase roll his eyes.
Logan and I stopped in front of Sylvia, Ed, and Chase.
The grandparents both eyed my hand, the one still entwined with Logan's.
"This is Logan MacTaggart," I said. "Logan, meet Sylvia and Ed Carpenter, Chase's grandparents. Logan is my, uh..." Suck it up and say it, woman. "He's my boyfriend."
Logan's brows rose the tiniest bit.
Sylvia burst into tears.
Oh shit. What kind of horrible person was I for blurting that out? It had seemed like the right way to break the news, but—
Sylvia dragged me into a bear hug. "Oh Serena, we're so happy for you. Ed and I have been worried you were still grieving for Rob instead of moving on with your life. You're like a daughter to us."
Rob's parents had seemed to be the ones clinging to his memory and to the grief. Maybe I'd been wrong about them. Maybe I'd avoided visiting Sylvia and Ed because I couldn't handle it, not the other way around.
I decided to tell them the truth. "I was afraid you'd be upset about this. You and Ed talk about Rob so much, and you've been wanting to commemorate his passing."
"Oh no, dear, we didn't mean it that way. Of course we want you to find love again. Rob would want it too." She let me go and stepped back to study me. "I'm sorry if we made you feel like that's not what we wanted. Keeping Rob's memory alive doesn't mean you can't start a new life."