“I didn’t go behind your back, Julia. Samuel’s a lawyer—or he’s about to be, as soon as he passes the bar. I called him last night when you were asleep. I didn’t have a chance to tell you, because Trinity had her nightmare, and you know what happened after that.”
Okay, she had to give him that, but she was still mad that he hadn’t talked to her first. “Why would you tell your brother, and why is he finding me a lawyer? That should be my decision, Logan,” she snapped again. She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so…” She stopped when Logan stepped closer and put his hand on her arm.
“Look, I’m sorry for whatever it is that I did to hurt you,” he said. “I never meant to.”
Well, that kind of knocked her over a bit, taking the wind out of her sails. “Oh. Okay,” she said. He wasn’t really apologizing, though. Maybe he had picked up on the way her thoughts were going, as he put his other hand on her shoulder.
“I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t stay and make you listen to me last night. I’m not your dad, Julia. I’m okay. I’m not going to lose it. I love you and the girls. We have a kid on the way. Your girls are a package deal with you, honey. You think I’m going to let your ex just waltz in here and take them away from the best mother I’ve ever seen?”
She swallowed and felt a burning in her eyes when Logan didn’t move away. He was here in front of her, touching her. He wasn’t Kevin. She knew that deep down. “I can’t believe he would do this to me. Logan, he cheated on me the entire time we were married.”
“I know, but I’m not him.”
“He sees the girls two weeks in the summer and every other Christmas. He’s not a part of their lives, and he thinks he can walk right in and take them from me after all this time?”
“He can’t, and he won’t. I won’t let him, Julia.”
There was something about Logan’s eyes—an intensity that shone there. She’d never expected to find that in a man. The fact was that he wanted her, and he was still there after all her bitching, after she had done everything she could to push him away. Maybe that was why she felt ashamed.
He touched her face then.
“I’m sorry, Logan,” she said.
His lips twitched as if he was trying not to smile. He framed her face with both hands. “You look tired. This lawyer thing? Honey, this stays in the family. We fight together, we stick together, and this baby is going to be the luckiest baby around to have a mama like you.”
“Hey, you’re pregnant?” Samuel cried. He was in the doorway, grinning at Logan. “You forgot to share the most important part, big brother!”
Julia could feel her face warm, and Logan slid his hand over her belly, touching what he already felt was his child. “Yes, Julia is pregnant,” he finally said.
“Nice,” Samuel added, though Julia wasn’t sure by the expression on his face whether he was happy for them or worried for his brother. “Julia, there’s some guy in here who wants to order lunch…and I really don’t think you want me to cook for you.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said. She went to move, but Logan was still in front of her, and he slid his hand around her waist and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was so light and close, and she hadn’t realized how much she needed his touch and this closeness. She licked her lips when he pulled away.
“We okay?” he said, so low that only she could hear, and she knew what he meant. He was a man of few words.
She took a breath and nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay.”
Chapter 11
Julia had been moving back and forth through the kitchen, the girls by her side, setting the table and finally laying out the steaming hot, breaded chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and cornbread that had been left over from the café.
Logan pulled a chair out for her as he and his brother chatted. “Sit down, honey,” he said.
“This looks great! Can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal,” Samuel added.
Logan took Julia’s hand in his when she sat down, and she squeezed, letting out a sigh and leaning a little closer. “Smells great, Julia,” he said. “Girls, great job helping your mom.” Logan winked at Trinity and Dawn, and they giggled.
Trinity took the seat beside Samuel. After meeting him, both girls had been talking his ear off nonstop. Another uncle! they had said, overjoyed to realize they were becoming part of a bigger family.
Logan let go of Julia’s hand and rubbed her shoulder as she reached for the platter of chicken. “We’ll clean up after dinner. You need to get some rest.”
For the first time since the previous day, she actually seemed to relax, and she agreed with him. “Yeah, thank you,” she said.
After dinner, though, there was nothing left to put in the fridge. Trinity scooped up the last of the potatoes, and Samuel forked the last piece of chicken. It was great watching his brother and Trinity and the back-and-forth conversation between them. When Trinity showed off her sparkly nail polish, Samuel oohed and aahed over it, telling her how pretty it was. She beamed, of course. The smooth talker had wrapped both girls around his finger!
After dinner, when they’d cleaned up the dishes and the girls were doing homework at the kitchen table, Logan, Samuel, and Julia went into the living room to talk. Logan pulled Julia onto his lap in the easy chair, and she actually rested her head against his shoulder.
Samuel took a spot on the sofa across from them. “Thanks again for a great dinner, Julia.”
“You’re welcome, Samuel,” she said. She started to move off Logan’s lap, but he held her there, sliding his other arm around her.
“No, stay put. Besides, we should talk about a few things now that Samuel’s here.”
Her eyes widened, and he could see the hint of pink creeping into her cheeks.
“Samuel has seen some cases that he said are unusual,” Logan added, watching his brother. He hoped he would go easy on Julia.
“Julia, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that a good lawyer makes all the difference,” Samuel began. “Tanner’s a brilliant family law attorney. He’s honest, sharp. Your ex-husband has a really good lawyer, and he has to prove a number of things for you to be considered an unfit parent. Have you tried talking to him?” Samuel asked.
Logan wanted to kick him. He could feel Julia pull away even though she didn’t move. It was the effect Kevin Cooper had on her. She still carried the hurt, the pain of someone she loved betraying her, and it had turned into a powerful hate. He could still feel the shadow of doubt lurking within her, and he knew she had trust issues because of it. “I’ll talk to him,” he said.
“No, Logan. He’s not your problem,” Julia replied. She actually slid off his lap and stood before him. He said nothing as he watched her and waited for this flash of whatever it was to burn off. Maybe she needed to rant a bit.
“Julia…” Samuel started, but Logan sent him a rather sharp look, which thankfully managed to get through that thick head of his.
“Julia, it’s all right,” he said. “But, honey, you hate him. He is my problem, since you and the girls and I are family. We’re in this together. You two will just fight, but I can get him to listen to me.”
“How’re you going to get him to listen to you when he won’t even listen to me?” She was now pacing, gesturing. He could see how quickly she was slipping into an overreaction again.
“This is too personal for you. You need to listen to me on this,” he said. “He hurt you badly.”
She stopped, and he watched her expression change, as if she was trying to figure out whether to be mad at him or to listen to what he was saying.
“I can see what a piece of work he is,” Logan continued. “He’s playing something, working some angle. It would be best if I try to find out what’s really going on.”
Julia was shaking her head just as the girls bounced into the living room. Dawn’s eyes widened as she picked up on her mom’s agitation. Logan stood up and almost stumbled when his leg started throbbing.
> “You okay, Logan?” Samuel said. He was now standing and moving around the girls, but he stopped short of reaching for Logan.
“Yeah, fine,” he replied, maybe a little too sharply. He knew his brother wasn’t buying it.
“Your leg is bothering you again, isn’t it?” Julia was now distracted, touching his arm, running her hand down his leg, about to squat down.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s fine now.” He linked his hand around her arm, pulling her back up. “You know what, baby? It’s been a long day,” he said. He glanced over to Samuel and took in the girls, who were now perched on the sofa, sharing the remote, ready to switch on the TV. “Girls, it’s getting late. No TV tonight. Why don’t you get the girls settled in?” he said to Julia. She seemed about ready to argue, but, in a twist that surprised the hell out of him, she actually agreed with him for first time that night.
“Yeah,” she said, gesturing to the girls. “Logan’s right. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired. Let’s get your lunches ready and in the fridge for the morning.” She began leading the girls into the kitchen, both of them chatting away.
When Logan turned back to Samuel, he put his tongue against his cheek and said, “Tonight, after Julia’s asleep, you and I are making a call.”
Chapter 12
“Conference me in,” Samuel said to Logan as he sat in the passenger side of the Jeep in front of the house. Julia had just gone to bed, telling Logan she planned to speak to Kevin in the morning. Logan said nothing other than that he and Samuel were going to do some catching up and would be outside for a bit.
The sun was starting to set, and they both listened to the phone ring.
“Hello?” came the answer.
Logan recognized Kevin’s voice; light, almost as if he’d been laughing before he answered. “Kevin, this is Logan Wilde.”
There was silence, and Logan glanced at his brother, who made a circular motion that meant Logan should get him talking.
“What do you want?” Kevin replied, instantly on guard. The man didn’t have to be standing in front of Logan for him to figure that much out.
“I’m calling about the papers you served Julia for full custody of the girls. I’d like to discuss the matter with you, and I’m sure you’ll agree that with your history, it’s probably best that you and Julia don’t speak.”
“Well, I don’t plan on speaking with Julia. That’s why I hired a lawyer,” Kevin said.
Samuel was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, and he passed it to Logan. Logan shook his head as soon as he read it: Let me talk to him.
“Understood,” he replied instead. “Do you have any idea how the girls are going to feel, getting dragged into the middle of this? Julia has been their sole caregiver for…how long? She’s a good mother, Kevin, and you should know that Julia and I are getting married.”
Kevin hissed on the other end. “Well, good luck to you. That still doesn’t change anything. I’ve been sending that woman a small fortune every month to look after my girls, but I think that money could be better spent here, where I can be sure my girls aren’t put in harm’s way. I’m done handing out money to Julia.”
Samuel was writing something again.
“Kevin, what happened to Trinity wasn’t Julia’s fault,” Logan said. “I think if you actually take a minute and consider the circumstances, you’ll see that. California is a much bigger state, with a lot more problems.”
“Look, I’m done talking to you about this. When Julia divorced me, she got half of everything that was mine, and she still gets half of what I make, yet I see my kids—what, two weeks in the summer, and every other Christmas? Something doesn’t seem right here.”
Samuel was waving the paper in front of him. It’s about money.
“Look, when Julia and I get married, those girls are going to become my responsibility, too,” Logan said. “Let me ask you something, and I hope you’ll be reasonable and open to this. If I convince Julia to agree to release you from your child support obligations, would you drop this?”
He waited, wondering how the man would respond. He listened to his indrawn breath, and then Kevin said something in the background to someone Logan could only assume was his wife.
“So what you’re saying is that if I drop the custodial suit, you’re going to get Julia to agree to no more child support, and I won’t have to pay one more red cent in alimony? Is that what you’re saying? I just want to be clear on this.”
Smart man, Logan thought. He doesn’t commit to anything.
Samuel was shaking his head, and he scribbled down, Don’t do it.
There was something about the way Kevin had said it, something Logan couldn’t explain even to himself, that had him saying, “Julia will agree. When she does, will you agree to drop this suit?”
He didn’t answer for the longest time, but Logan was sure the man was actually considering his offer.
“I’ll tell you what; you get it in writing from Julia, and then we’ve got something to talk about.” Kevin hung up before Logan could say anything else.
“So what do you make of that?” Logan asked his brother, who pocketed his cell phone in his plaid shirt.
“This is about money. It’s amazing how his children’s well-being has taken a backseat. That’s the American way, isn’t it?” he said, and his tone made Logan wonder when his brother had become so cynical.
“No, it’s not the American way. We’re better than that, Samuel, or everything I’ve fought for and had to give up has been in vain.”
Samuel shut his eyes and then sighed before glancing over at his brother. “I know that, Logan. I know what you’ve given for your country, to us, but I think that sometimes, out of all of us, you’re the most idealistic. You believe everything is black and white, but not everything is painted that way, especially where the law is concerned.” Samuel waved his hand. “Forget it. Listen, how are you going to convince Julia to sign away her rights, and her children’s rights for support?”
Logan turned his face toward the setting sun. “By becoming her sole means of support,” he said.
Chapter 13
Logan didn’t know how long he had lain awake, watching the sun rise. Julia’s softness and her warmth was pressed against him, and she was breathing so peacefully. His brother was camped out in Dawn’s bedroom, and the girls were sharing a bed in Trinity’s, which was probably why Trinity had had no nightmares. Not that night, anyway. For Logan, it had been weeks since he’d woken up in a cold sweat.
If there was one thing about Julia, it was that she probably understood, better than anyone, the nightmares that lingered and could come out of nowhere. He also knew she was scared of what could happen, but she trusted him enough that she was willing to take a chance.
When she started to stir against him, he braced his elbow and rested his head on his hand, watching her and waiting for her to open her eyes. Ever so slowly, she blinked those amazing, green catlike eyes, free of all the stress she’d been carrying over the past few days. Then she blinked again, and he watched as the awareness of what she had to face, and all her problems, one by one, came back to her.
Logan brushed her hair back with a soft sweep of his fingers and leaned into the touch. “Good morning,” he whispered before leaning down to kiss her nose and then her lips. He slid over her, resting on his forearms, settling in between her legs. He wanted her, of course. There wasn’t a moment that he didn’t, and she could never hide her body’s reaction to him.
She shut her eyes and pressed her head back into the pillow, licking her lips just as her hand slid over his waist, his lower back, and down over both his butt cheeks.
He groaned. “Hey, baby, you watch where you put those hands, or this’ll be over before it starts.”
Julia didn’t stop as she slid around and touched him, taking his full length in her hand as she spread her legs further, moving against him.
“You’re such a tease,” Logan murmured. He pulled back and rested on his kne
e, but she still had a hold of him. He slid his hand up her naked thighs, spreading them wide. “Are you sore? Are you still hurt?”
She bit her lip, and a breath squeaked out. He ran his hand lower, caressing the sensitive skin, taking in all of her nakedness, glad he’d found her in bed without her pajamas. She knew he loved the skin-to-skin contact, and he loved how she responded to him. She shook her head as he ran a hand over her still flat stomach and to her breast. Touching one then the other, he teased her, and she let go of him as she put the back of her hand over her mouth. “Logan…”
“Yes?” He loved being in control with her in bed.
“I don’t need any foreplay,” she said. “I need you inside me.” She gasped as he lowered his mouth to her breast and sampled first one, then the other. “What if the girls come in?” she said. She had her hands in his cropped hair, gripping what she could.
Logan slowly pressed against her and spread her wider as he slid into her, putting a hand on each side of her face. Holding her still, he moved. “They won’t—they can’t. I locked it last night,” he said.
He moved again, and this time she moved with him, sliding her hands down and cupping his ass, pulling him harder against her, into her, wanting all of him. He moved lower, brushing his nose to hers, kissing her cheek and feeling her short breaths and how she was coming apart beneath him. What got him every time was how she dragged him completely to the finish line with her. He loved to come apart with her, to fill her with part of him, to see in her eyes how she was completely open and vulnerable with him in that moment.
He was still inside of her, and he didn’t want to pull out as he held his weight off her. “I love you. I need you to trust me,” he said. He needed to stay inside her as he talked to her.
She ran her foot up the back of his leg. “I do trust you. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone.”
“We’re getting married this weekend,” he said, watching as her eyes widened. He studied the beginnings of panic, and he moved his hips to remind her he was still inside her.
Not Quite Married Page 4
