Irreplaceable (Harmony)

by Angela Graham

Luke’s gaze rose from the game and locked with mine. “Hilary made it clear to Caleb and me not to mention the guy, but I saw him having lunch with your mother the other day. That’s why you guys were fighting—because of him?”

  I swallowed and took a sip of water. “I wasn’t fighting with my mother. I just need her to understand that I can take care of myself. And I especially don’t need Logan’s help.”

  “I’m not surprised he would want to help you out. The guy’s loaded, you know.”

  “So are you and Caleb. What’s your point?”

  His smile fell away for only a faint second, but I caught it. The Townsends were the wealthiest family in town—well, before Mr. Logan West strolled in, anyway.

  “No, my father is rich. I make the same amount of money as any other college grad working for him. And Caleb…I’ve yet to figure out the story of where he disappeared to the past few years. But he definitely did well for himself.”

  “Good for him. I’m happy he’s happy.”

  “My brother’s certainly happy today. When I went in to get lunch earlier, Logan was there, and they were laughing about a poker game they had last night. Caleb won ten grand from him. So if Logan wants to help you, let him.”

  Logan met with my mother and went to a poker game all in one day? Yeah, he was really hard up with suffering for me.

  “You know what?” I avowed, snatching up my last few ships and placing them strategically. “If Logan thinks he knows me at all, he’s in for a big surprise. I don’t need his handouts, and I’ll be damn sure he gets that memo.”

  “Still the stubborn girl I remember.” Luke smiled proudly. “Now, get ready to have your ships blown up in your pretty little face!”

  “We’ll see about that, Mr. Townsend.”

  As we played our second round, a soft knock sounded from my door.

  “Expecting company?” Luke asked, standing and walking over to open it.

  I shrugged my shoulders in reply. Hilary was at school and my mom at work, and neither tended to knock, so I wondered who it could be. On instinct, I brought the blanket higher over my chest, hiding the bruises that covered half my body.

  Luke opened the door, and there stood a bundled-up Oliver with a nervous smile on his face and his hand wrapped around Julia’s.

  “Hi,” Julia said, staring straight at me, her expression clouded with apprehension.

  I smiled, surprised but happy to see them.

  “I better get back to work,” Luke said, walking toward me. He collected the game, tossed it into his bag, then leaned down to hug me and whisper in my ear. “You have some serious explaining to do as to why I never met this girl before.”

  I gave a subtle nod and smiled.

  Luke must’ve smiled at Julia as he left, because she had an answering grin playing on her lips. Her eyes followed him, head turning just enough to watch him leave. If it weren’t for Mark, Luke and Julia would make a great couple, I thought to myself.

  A soft cough sounded and my gaze fell to Oliver, whose lip was twitched up at the side.

  “Hi,” he whispered, shifting his feet.

  “Oliver!” I smiled so big my cheeks stung and eyes squinted. I was happy to see him, but anxious about what he must’ve been thinking. I knew I looked wrecked. “Come here and give me a hug.”

  To my surprise, he rushed over, but then stopped abruptly and stood beside me, eyes wide.

  “Are you okay?” His voice cracked, and my heart melted. I wanted to cry.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I managed.

  He looked curiously at the bandage on my arm, where I had a few stitches. “Do you hurt?”

  I shook my head, a reassuring smile firmly in place, and gave the most believable lie I could muster. “No.”

  Oliver seemed convinced, as his smile broadened. “Here, I made this for you.”

  In his hand was a green piece of construction paper that was folded into a card. On it was a drawing of my tree house, with a bright rainbow behind it. I opened it and smiled at his large, careful handwriting: ‘GET WELL SOON, CASSIE’.

  “Thank you.” I leaned over and pulled him into my arms for a hug.

  It was great seeing him, but not if it meant he’d worry about me. With a slight intake of breath, I willed the beckoning tears from my eyes and watched him hop into the chair Luke had occupied moments earlier.

  “I hope you don’t mind us stopping by. Oliver refused to go to school until he was able to see you. Logan brought him home late last night.”

  Of course. Why would he bring his son home earlier if he had poker games to play and sympathy money to hand out? I refused to let it irk me any longer—especially during the few minutes I had with Oliver.

  Looking at the young tot, I smiled. He had a way of pulling the optimistic side right out of me before I knew what was happening.

  “I’m glad you came, but make sure to go to school tomorrow. Promise?” I held out my pinky, and he wrapped his around it.

  “Promise.”

  “So, how was your time with your grandma?”

  He rested back into the chair that overwhelmed his tiny frame, getting comfortable. “Great! She’s fun, and I told her all about you and Scout. She wants to see you too.”

  I grimaced. Meeting Logan’s mother was no longer on my to-do list.

  “You really like flowers a lot, huh?” Oliver sniffed the bouquet closest to him.

  “They were gifts. Flowers have a way of helping people feel better when they get sick.”

  I looked to Julia, whom I caught glancing at the door. She stood at the end of my bed quietly.

  “Did they make you feel better?” Oliver asked.

  I nodded, smiling, looking around the room at the dozens of vases. “Yeah, they did.”

  We sat quietly for a moment before he spoke again.

  “Where’s Scout?” he asked.

  “At Hilary’s. She’s taking care of him for me till I can go home.”

  He scrunched his nose and looked down at his lap. “Oh.”

  “If you want to see him, I’m sure she’d bring him by.”

  “I wanted to watch him.” He peeked up, disappointed.

  “I’m not sure if your father would like that,” I explained. “I’m not going to be able to really take care of him for a couple weeks, and—”

  “I can ask him!” Oliver scrambled out of the chair and raced to the door before I could speak up. “He’s right outside.”

  My voice vanished, lost somewhere in my constricting throat alongside my held breath. Blood raced through my veins, leaving me paralyzed in silence.

  Logan was there. Of course he was.

  “Daddy!” Oliver pulled open the heavy door, struggling to keep it from closing on himself until a large, familiar hand grabbed the other side, holding it open from the hall. “Daddy, come in.”

  I froze, unsure of what to say or do. Logan was seconds from seeing me, and for some reason I was overly concerned that I looked like hell.

  What was wrong with me? After everything he put me through, and still…I found myself attracted to just the thought of him. Maybe he’d come in and see the shreds of his check covering the floor. That lightened the heaviness filling my chest.

  My hands gripped the blankets for dear life when Oliver grabbed his father’s arm and nearly dragged him into the room. He seemed…different. He looked tired, and was dressed in faded blue jeans and a grey T-shirt that peeked out from his wool coat.

  “Hello.”

  The word was entirely too soothing, and I felt walls beginning to encase my heart, protecting me and reminding me his voice was nothing more than a lie—a deceitful charm.

  I sat silently. Oliver spoke up, tugging at Logan’s coat.

  “Can Scout stay with us? Please, Daddy!?”

  Logan’s eyes never strayed from mine as he answered. “Of course, if Cassandra doesn’t mind.”

  My head bobbed twice. That was all I had, and luckily it was enough. Oliver squealed, thanking both his father an
d me until Julia wrapped her hand in his and leaned down to whisper in his ear. It took all my effort to keep my eyes focused on Oliver, but by the uncomfortable tingling of my skin, I knew Logan was still watching me intently.

  “Okay,” Oliver answered Julia. He smiled at me. “I have to go so Daddy can talk.”

  Julia half chuckled, and I had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to say that part.

  “But you can talk to me, too,” he added.

  Before I could agree with him and tell him how much I wanted to talk only to him, Julia chimed in. “Why don’t we go see if they have Jell-O in the cafeteria?”

  Oliver’s big blue eyes brightened. He looked at me and smiled. “Do you like red Jell-O?”

  “It’s my favorite.”

  “Mine too! I can bring you one.”

  “Sounds great.”

  Julia began to lead him from the room when he stopped and looked back at Logan. “Just tell her you’re sorry, Daddy.”

  Chapter Two

  Strength

  “You got the flowers, I see.”

  That was it? His first words to me after a shallow ‘hello’ were a frivolous observation about the flowers? How could he stand there and talk about flowers?

  I met his gaze and gave a drawn out, “Mm-hmm.” No way was he getting a ‘thank you’ out of me.

  ‘Awkward’ was the only word to describe the tension building between us the longer he stood there. He finally shifted his gaze, which flickered from the flowers, went once around the room, and landed on the floor beside my bed.

  Confused, I watched the tormented look soften his face as the corner of his mouth curled up. He bent down, picking up a piece of the destroyed check.

  Pride filled me. That’s right—I’m not one to be bought.

  “I see you’ll be needing cash next time.” His voice was sweet and almost humorous, nearly breaking my resolve to stay cool and urging me to act on impulse by chucking the vase of flowers beside me straight at him.

  Grinding my back teeth, I narrowed my eyes. “Go for it, and you’ll have some expensive confetti for your next orgy,” I hissed. I hadn’t realized exactly how pissed I was until I’d seen that damn grin on his gorgeous, unshaven face.

  He held firm, unaffected. “Never been to an orgy. Not my scene.” He gave a tight-lipped, easy smile, as though we were enjoying a casual conversation.

  “Julia could have brought Oliver herself, so why are you here?”

  His gaze fell to my chest when I sat up further, a frown marring his once-calm expression. I tugged at my blankets, pulling them higher to hide the deep bruises peeking out.

  He cleared his throat, soft and remorseful eyes rising back to mine. “A few reasons—one being my son insisted I come.”

  He was a good father, yet that didn’t change a thing, I told myself.

  “However, it all comes down to the fact that I couldn’t stay away any longer. I promise, I tried. These past days have been pure hell, my nights restless with nightmares tormenting me.”

  I knew all about nightmares. He got no sympathy from me.

  “As hard as I tried to give you space and keep myself from stepping foot in this damn hospital, I can’t do it any longer. I’m going mad not being near you, not knowing that you’re really okay. That you’re safe.”

  I had no response. His words cut through me, leaving me further muddled. Truthfully, I just couldn’t deal with the emotions his words awoke inside me. Instead, I rolled my head to the side, facing the window, ignoring his movements around the room.

  “You can go,” I said finally, closing my eyes so tight that bright-yellow spots were all I could see beneath the lids.

  “No, I think I’ll stay a while. Oliver is coming back up with your Jell-O, so I’ll wait here till then.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Please leave, please leave, please leave. The ache from his presence was too much to bear. My breathing grew more ragged with each passing second as anger stewed within.

  “Cassandra, I—” I heard him sigh, then felt the bed dip.

  He was not sitting on my bed!

  I looked back and pushed him off. His face was stunned, almost hurt. Good!

  “Get the hell out, Logan! You’ve won, all right!?” He stood there, staring at me. “You proved I was just like every other girl you meet, ready to hand herself over for you to devour. Now LEAVE. ME. ALONE!” I yelled. My head rolled back to the side and I buried my face in the pillow, too numb to cry and praying he’d just leave.

  I maneuvered my body to lie on my side, my injured leg still flat on the bed and my back to him. To my relief, he never spoke again, but I could feel him inches behind me, my body soaring to life when his warm hand settled on the back of my neck.

  Something inside me broke. His touch was so tender, so soothing; it devastated me that my body still reacted to it. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. My throat constricted, heart racing as sobs bubbled inside me. I sucked in a deep breath, cringing at the agony my chest endured. Hot, thick tears sprung to my eyes, but I fought to hold control—fought to keep them from pouring out.

  I couldn’t allow him to see the real damage he did under the surface, beneath my bruised and battered body: the gaping hole he left in my heart.

  Logan’s fingers drifted down my spine and back up again, attempting to soothe me further. But the problem was that it was him causing the need to be soothed. His fingers slid down again over the fabric of my gown, enraging me, reminding me of the harsh reality of what I was to him.

  Then, as his fingers landed at the small of my back, they slid back up, soothing the pain he’d just inflicted. Again and again. Pain and comfort. Agony, then serenity. My head was spinning.

  “Cassandra, I never meant to hurt you.”

  With a swipe of my hand across my nose, I rolled back and held up my hand, shushing him, struggling to pull myself together just as the urge to urinate hit hard. An idea popped in that I felt was just the thing to get him to leave me in peace. I couldn’t hear his voice any longer; didn’t want to hear any of his excuses.

  With focused determination, I searched the blanket for the buzzer.

  Logan grabbed my hand. “What are you looking for?”

  I yanked it away, narrowing my eyes at him. “None of your business.”

  Once it was in my hand, I pressed the button. Instantly, a nurse at the desk answered. “How can I help you?”

  “Yes, I need to use the restroom.”

  “A nurse will be right in to help.”

  Of course, Logan didn’t get the memo that now was a great time for him to give me some privacy. Instead, he cocked his head to the side with a resolute stare and then, to my shock and horror, shoved one hand gently under my back and the other under my knees, lifting me from the bed.

  “Put me down!” I shrieked in a panic.

  He didn’t listen, and I was too sore to get away. The blanket began to fall but I held it firmly, not ready for him to see the giant bandage covering my thigh, even though he might have felt it with his arms wrapped under me. As I held tightly to his neck with one hand, something yanked at my other hand holding the blanket, tugging at the tape-covered skin.

  “IV!” I spit out.

  He stopped immediately and grabbed the IV stand, rolling it beside us as he carried me to the restroom and kicked open the door.

  My grip around his neck tightened as he bent down, lifted the lid, then rested me on the toilet. I wanted to die. My face burned, and I could only imagine the deep shade of red covering it. I maneuvered the blanket to cover my lap fully and sat there staring at him, wide-eyed.

  Did that really just happen?

  “I’ll wait outside the door.” He said it so calmly I was left speechless.

  As my brain began to spark back to life, fury piqued inside me. How was I expected to pee with Logan right outside a door I realized very quickly was left a crack open?

  Hell no!

  “Close the door!” I yelled out.

&n
bsp; “Just pee.”

  “Not until you close the door!”

  “What if you fall and I can’t hear you?”

  Was he really justifying leaving the door open enough to listen while I used the restroom?

  “Shut the damn door, Logan, or I swear to God—”

  “Is everything all right in here?” I heard Marilyn, the day nurse, ask, and relief flooded me. She was the sweetest but toughest nurse I had—always the one to force me out of bed to walk up and down the hall, with her at my side, to keep the muscles in my legs strong.

  “Yes, can you please shut the door for me?”

  The next thing I knew, the door was closed, and I heard the muffled voices of a conversation between Logan and the middle-aged redhead. The woman was ruthless; she would lay into him. I smiled at the image.

  Quickly, I was able to focus on the task at hand. I’d never peed so fast in my life. After I finished my business, I heard the voices quiet. I struggled to lean forward enough to reach the sink and wash my hands in record time, then called for Marilyn.

  “You ready?” she asked and, when I gave a quick yes, the door opened to reveal her laughing at something Logan was saying, her hand on his shoulder. He looked me over, as if I might’ve gotten hurt during the sixty seconds I’d been in there.

  In two long strides, he was in front of me, smiling.

  “Feel better?”

  I rolled my eyes, snubbing him. I’d hoped Marilyn would be there to help me up, but Logan scooped me back into his arms. His scent was all I could focus on, committed to not making a scene. A part of me missed his natural scent: so masculine and clean. So Logan.

  “It’s safer if she walks,” Marilyn complained, but he continued until he was beside my bed, placing me back down gently.

  “Was that really necessary?” I sneered, not bothering to look his way as I smoothed the blanket back out over my legs. I swatted his hand away when he tried to help.

  Marilyn laughed, earning her a sneer too, which she only shrugged at. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, and left the room.

  Back in place, I was ready for sleep to end my mortifying torture of the day’s events—even if that meant enduring another nightmare.