Can't Forgive You (Second Chance Diaries Book 2)

by Emma Vikes

  Logan ran a hand through his hair and leaned back on his chair. “She was obsessed with me. Remember how there were some girls back in college who wouldn’t stop pestering me? The ones who thought what I had with them was the real deal and the altar was our destination.”

  Of course I remembered this. Some so many girls harassed me because I was seeing him. They made silly claims about how he was just using me to make them jealous. Honestly, their obsession with him scared me a little at that time. It forced me to confront how poisonous love could be when you allowed it to be.

  I merely nodded and allowed Logan to continue. I ate my lunch and listened to him talk because there could be evidence I could use or one the opposing team could.

  “She had this idea in her head that I was going to marry her. I don’t know what made her assume that but she was fucking hell-bent on the two of us tying the knot.” Logan downed half the champagne he ordered. It was clear the whole thing was getting on his nerves, no matter how much he acted like it didn’t.

  If someone had the right filter, it was easy to see through Logan Crewe.

  He went on, “One night, I made it clear with her. I didn’t want her. Hell, it was ridiculous, the way she was throwing herself at me and I told her that. It must’ve upset her.”

  Bingo. “What happened then?”

  “She passed a resignation letter two weeks later and then right after that, this whole thing blew up.”

  So Julija must’ve done all of this out of revenge. Logan hurt her and she knew exactly how she could hurt him back. Just as I was about to point that out to him, my phone rang incessantly and I quickly took it out of my bag. My heart dropped when I noticed it was from Amy’s school. Oh god, Amy. “Hello, this is Olivia Wilson speaking.”

  “Yes, Miss Wilson, this is Andrea, Amy’s homeroom teacher,” the lady on the other end introduced herself. “And I just want to inform you that Amy’s not feeling well. We rushed her to the clinic to lay her down because she fainted. She’s also really feverish. Can you pick her up?”

  My heart sank as I processed her words. Of all the things that scared me most, every time my baby girl got sick sat at the top. “Yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  After I swiped my phone, it occurred to me that I didn’t have a car and I couldn’t rush over to Amy’s school as quickly as I wanted. Swallowing, I faced Logan. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Crewe, but that was my daughter’s school. I need to pick her up because she isn’t feeling too good and she needs to be taken home.”

  Logan nodded slowly, eyes fixed on me. “We can continue this some other time, I suppose.”

  But I was barely listening. I was trying to call the driver and he wouldn’t pick up. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  “Is there something wrong?” Logan was still here even when I’d already told him our meeting was practically over.

  I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to contact Hadfield’s driver to no avail. I sighed. “I don’t have a car. Something was wrong with it, so I left it at home. I had Hadfield’s driver get me here using the company’s car and I can’t contact him.”

  He was quiet after I told him and just sat there.

  I tried to call the driver but I didn’t have much luck getting a hold of him. Sighing, I opened the app I had on my phone for Uber.

  “I can drive you.”

  His words lingered in the air between us and forced me to look up at him. “What?”

  Logan shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “I have a driver. We can take you to your daughter’s school and drive you two home. If you try contacting the driver, it’ll take you longer to pick her up. There’s also no point getting an Uber when I can get you there myself.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Part of me didn’t want to get in the same car as Logan. I didn’t want him knowing the direction to my house either. But Amy was in the school clinic, waiting for me to come and take her home. I couldn’t get a hold of the driver and if I called an Uber, I would still have to wait for it to arrive too.

  Logan was the logical solution to my dilAmy and all it really took was for me to step on my pride and take the offer he’d put on the table. I let out an uneasy exhale and slowly nodded my head. “Is it okay with you?”

  Something flashed in his eyes and I wasn’t sure if it was a relief. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile and he nodded. He waved over the waiter.

  Then just as he was about to pay, I shook my head and quickly took the bill, handing the company card to the server.

  Logan watched as I paid for our lunch, the smile still on his face.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” I said as I followed him out of the restaurant. We were waiting for his car to pull up.

  Logan looked at me, the smile still lingering on his lips. He took a deep breath and moved his hand. For a moment, I wondered if he would touch me but his hand stayed put. Logan shrugged, still smiling. “You know I’ll always be okay with anything that involves you, Olivia. I have a soft spot for you.”

  7

  Logan

  She didn’t have a ring on.

  It was the first thing I noticed when I arrived at the table reserved for us. She looked absolutely gorgeous but I could see she was also making sure she looked professional. Olivia once told me that lawyers were meant to look presentable no matter how stressful the cases they handled were. It had something to do with how their client trusted them.

  But I honestly didn’t care whether or not she looked good in her skirt and blouse. My eyes had quickly zeroed in on the ring finger on her left hand being bare of any ring. There wasn’t even any sign there had ever been any ring on her finger. My heart had done a somersault at the realization that Olivia didn’t seem to be in a relationship.

  Although, it also meant that she was a single mother raising her child on her own.

  That thought didn’t really sit well with me and while Olivia fidgeted with her hands in anxiousness for her child, I mulled over the realization. Olivia had always been independent and tenacious. I knew also it had been her grip on her goals that brought her where she was today. But I had to commend her for doing all that whilst raising a kid.

  “You really shouldn’t have offered,” Olivia said quietly.

  We were both sitting in the backseat of the Lincoln, on each end.

  I looked at her and shrugged. “You looked like you would’ve run from the restaurant all the way to school. I was there and I would feel bad if I didn’t do anything.”

  Olivia nodded and muttered a soft, “Thanks.”

  A part of me knew she wanted to ask what I meant when I told her I had a soft spot for her. Or maybe I was simply wishing she would ask. But she was Olivia. No one could get under my skin with her words of truth like she did and there had be no one I would do anything for but her.

  It seemed silly because we’d been over for ten years and that had been my doing. But she had been the only real relationship I’d ever had my whole life. Most of the relationships I’d been in were casual flings and hook-ups and with women that I didn’t treat seriously. With her, it had been different. With her, I had to earn my way to her heart because I couldn’t simply charm my way in.

  She was bound to leave an imprint on my heart because of that.

  The driver turned to the school and the moment he put the car on the park, Olivia rushed into the building without even saying anything.

  I pursed my lips and asked the driver to wait until she got back. Suddenly, I realized that this would be my first time meeting Olivia’s daughter and I wasn’t entirely sure how I should present myself.

  Olivia came back; her daughter pulled close to her as she had an arm around the girl’s shoulders as they made their way back to the car. They finally got in the car.

  I scooted closer to the other side, nearly sticking to the door.

  The little girl looked up at me with the same hazel eyes as her mother’s. She sniffled. “Hello. I’m Amy. Are you a friend of Mom’s?”

/>   I was about to respond when Olivia beat me to it,

  “He’s a client, honey, and he was nice enough to offer me a ride since the car broke down earlier. He was kind enough to drive us home.”

  As Olivia said this, my heart did another somersault. It was nice to finally hear her talk about me without any prejudice.

  Amy looked at me, hazel eyes still curious. “Are you nice enough to get me Popeye’s?”

  “Amy!”

  But the little girl stared at me, completely unfazed by her mother scolding her. “I like to chicken nuggets when I’m sick.” She was pouting and looking at me with her hazel eyes shining with hope.

  Beside her, Olivia shook her head. “Oh, no. When we get home, I’m making you chicken soup, get you a bath, and then tuck you in bed until your fever comes down.”

  Amy turned to her mother. “But Mom, you know I like chicken nuggets when I’m sick!”

  Something flashed in Olivia’s eyes when she said this.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s okay. We can get you chicken nuggets at Popeye’s. I crave cheeseburgers when I’m sick. They say that people crave comfort food when they’re sick, so we’re not alone in this.”

  Olivia scoffed. “Don’t validate what she wants, Logan. She’s sick and she needs to eat something healthy. And Amy, I do know you like fried chicken when you get sick that’s why I give them to you after you’re sick.”

  Amy kept pouting. “Mom, please? I’ll eat whatever soup you make me and finish it this time, I promise!”

  “Oh dear lord, Amy Louise,” Olivia muttered under her breath as she combed through her daughter’s hair gently. “What am I gonna do with you?”

  “I’m not getting you cheeseburger and fries and a large coke, Logan! You need nutritious food to get you going again. Not junk food!” Olivia argued with me.

  We were in my apartment and I was wrapped in my thick blanket as she tried her best to nurse me back to health. I grumbled under the covers and tried to sit up. I had a coughing fit and when I could finally speak, my voice sounded nasal, “Aren’t sick people supposed to have a comfort food?”

  “Sick people are supposed to have bland and tasteless food and not ones packed with so much sodium, it could ruin their kidneys,” Olivia responded as she moved closer to me. She fixed the cover over me and then checked my temperature for the third time since she’d arrived. She sighed when she saw it and then placed a cool towel on my forehead. “I’m gonna run and get ingredients for soup.”

  I pouted and reached for her hand, weakly pulling her back to me, and forcing her to sit on the bed in the process. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I rested my head on her shoulder. “You know you don’t have to run down to the market to get the ingredients. We both have our phones and all you ever need to do is make a call.”

  “I’m not ordering you junk food, Logan,” she replied in a deadpanned tone and then turned to me, amusement glinting in her eyes. “You’re such a baby when you’re sick.”

  I huffed. “Yeah well, I’m your baby, so you’re stuck taking care of me.”

  Olivia pulled Amy closer to her, wrapping her arms around her daughter in a comforting hug as she stroked her hair. She had her own baby to look after now and to be honest, it kind of sent a pang through my heart. Olivia was warm, caring and kind…and I had her, all of her, ten years ago.

  And I decided to let all of that go.

  I’d heard that regret always came later and I’d come to hate how that worked. If only the regret came sooner, if only I hadn’t been too selfish and greedy. Maybe I could’ve done something to get Olivia back in my life but it was all too late now. She had a daughter and although I was certain she didn’t have a husband, it didn’t mean she didn’t have a partner.

  And if she did, boy, that man was slow to put a ring on it. Olivia wasn’t the kind of woman you wanted to let go of. I knew from experience because I’d been stupid enough to let her slip through my fingers.

  The driver turned to Popeye’s drive-thru and I ordered for Amy, despite Olivia’s protests. “It’s okay, Liv. The kid wants her chicken nuggets and it’s good to get food in her stomach now, so she can just sleep when you get home.”

  Olivia’s eyes narrowed at me.

  Yes, I knew she was annoyed with me for crossing a line but I didn’t care. Amy kept beaming at me and for some reason, it was all that mattered to me.

  “Fine, if you’re allowing her, then let me pay for that.”

  I raised a hand and shook my head as I handed my credit card to the person in the drive-thru. “It’s okay, Liv. I got it.”

  She let out a heavy sigh.

  I finally got the bag of what I ordered and I handed Amy hers. She kept smiling excitedly and nearly tore through the brown bag had Olivia not scolded her.

  Liv had her wash her hands with sanitizer and automatically handed me the bottle right after.

  I sanitized my hands and then sifted through my bag, watching Olivia handle her daughter.

  I’d always known that Olivia would make a good mother. She was a natural at taking care of people and did a better job taking care of me when I was sick than my own mother ever did. She was hands-on with Amy and was a doting mother. It was crazy to think she’d managed to raise a child and still had such an incredible career.

  Olivia gave the driver instructions to her house and for the rest of the drive, the three of us remained quiet. I went through the fries I ordered and Amy finished her chicken nuggets, having trouble staying awake for the rest of the ride.

  I wanted to make small-talk but I wasn’t sure what topics would be allowed.

  Finally, we reached their house. They lived in a nice neighborhood, in a two-story house.

  I got out of the car with them.

  Olivia turned to me and smiled. It was the first time she probably smiled at me since we’d met again. “Thank you for the ride, Logan.”

  Amy moved closer to me and tugged at my hand. She sniffled a little because of her runny nose but she seemed like she wanted to say something to me. “Thank you for being nice to me today. I promise I’ll do something for you soon in return.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. I knelt down so I was within eye level with her. “It’s okay. All you need to do for me is recover. Feel better, okay, Amy?”

  She nodded and looked hesitant for a moment. “I want to hug you but I don’t want to make you sick too.”

  I patted her head. “It’s okay.”

  “I’ll hug you next time I see you!” she announced, as if proud that she’d made that realization. Then, her eyes lit up with excitement. “You should have dinner with us sometime!”

  Her invitation surprised me. Obviously, I wanted to say yes but I wasn’t sure if Olivia would be thrilled about that. She was all business-like during lunch and she did make it clear to me that was all she would ever be.

  I wanted to decline and Amy must’ve noticed. “Please? You were really so nice to me. You drove Mom to school and then got me chicken nuggets and drove us home. It would be a nice way for us to thank you. So please?”

  Behind her, Olivia cleared her throat which made both of us look at her.

  My heart raced and I knew she had the perfect excuse to turn down her daughter’s invitation for me. “You should, Logan. You’ve been really nice to us today and it’s the least we could do.”

  I blinked, stunned. “What?”

  Olivia tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and shrugged. She placed a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “I’ll give you a call when we can have that dinner, that is, if you’re willing?”

  For the third time today, my heart somersaulted. This time, it was free-falling in a higher altitude and for a moment, I swear it would keep soaring like that for a while. The idea of being invited for dinner made me happy and thrilled.

  Nodding, I flashed them both a smile. “Of course. Just call me or shoot me a text. I promise I’ll be there. I’ll even bring this one more chicken nuggets from Popeye�
�s if she wants.” I gently pressed on Amy’s nose with a finger when I said it and she giggled. I turned around and got back in my car. Before pulling away, I watched as Olivia and Amy walked to their front door. The whole day turned out better than I thought it would. It felt nice to be on better terms with Olivia than the first time.

  But at the same time, another realization struck me. I still didn’t know whether there was a guy in the picture. There didn’t seem to be anyone home when I dropped them off. With how panicked Olivia was earlier about Amy, there didn’t seem to be anyone else who could pick her up. It made me wonder if there was even a guy in the picture.

  And if there wasn’t…

  Well, it made things interesting.

  8

  Olivia

  Maybe I shouldn’t have re-offered Amy’s invitation.

  I wasn’t even sure what came over me. Maybe I’d temporarily been possessed by the spirit of the version of me that used to want to be with him. The nineteen-year-old Olivia who loved to spend time with Logan and cook him dinner. If only I had a better hold of myself at that time and kept that version of me in check, I wouldn’t be in my kitchen right now making a spread for dinner.

  A ‘thank you’ would’ve sufficed. Logan even rejected Amy’s invitation and I caught him glancing at me when he did. I knew he’d rejected it because he knew I wouldn’t agree with it. As brazen as Logan had been since I’d met him again, he knew not to step twice over the line I had set.

  Darn it, I should’ve left it as it was.

  But I saw how crest-fallen Amy had been when Logan said no and I didn’t want her to be sad. She was already under the weather and I didn’t want her to be blue too. I liked to think that was why I agreed to Amy’s invite. It made more sense to me that way because every other reason honestly didn’t make much sense to me.