by Lex Martin
“Oh, honey. I know this must come as a shock to you.” Samantha pats me on the shoulder.
It’s only then that I realize I’m crying. I’m not sure why. Logan and I weren’t together until I came back from Florida. We certainly weren’t dating in high school, though I had hoped we could.
Deep down, I’m mostly crushed he never told me. That he had a child with another woman and never mentioned it to me, his alleged best friend. And here I’ve been daydreaming about the life Logan and I could have together when he’s been lying to me about something so huge. For years.
Is Samantha being honest about being with him now? I’m not totally sure. This is the same woman who got me fired after all. I mean, I think it is. Ugh. I feel like I’m losing my mind, like I don’t know anything anymore. Who is Logan? Is he my best friend? Or is he the guy who’s kept this enormous secret from me and his whole family? Because I can guarantee Beverly doesn’t know about Zach. She’s nothing if not a proud grandmother, and she’d raise hell if Logan didn’t bring his baby around.
“Do you want to see more pictures? I really should post a few of these to my Instagram.” Before I can tell her no, she’s scrolling, pointing out the places she and Logan went with their freaking kid.
What is it they say? A picture speaks a thousand words? Zach is obviously Logan’s clone. Same blue eyes. Same light blond hair Logan had when he was younger. Same nose and playful smirk.
Photo after photo. From last winter, last Halloween, last summer, the previous Christmas, at various dinners. Finally, I cover my eyes. The pain of seeing him with this woman and their kid in a parallel life cuts me to the quick.
I want to rage and scream at Samantha, but it’s not her fault Logan lied to me.
All signs point to him being this child’s father. Because what else could be going on here?
As I wipe my face, I remember telling Logan that a guy named Sam had texted him this morning. He could have corrected me, but he didn’t.
No, he was walking out the door, and he paused.
And then deliberately omitted that Sam is a woman.
More tears fall.
Why is Logan such a liar?
I can barely breathe. Has our whole relationship been a lie? Is he really dating this woman, and I’m just a convenient fuck? Is he expecting me to go back to Florida and thought he could get laid while I was in town and then go back to his real girlfriend?
Rambo squirms in my arms, and I put him on the ground as I attempt to hold in a sob. Tugging my shirt down, I try to cover my bare legs.
“I-I’m gonna go put some clothes on.” My words are barely above a whisper. “Make yourself at home, I guess.”
“Honey, I’m sorry to say this.” She looks me over, and a little piece of me dies from embarrassment to be scrutinized by Logan’s beautiful baby mama. “But do you really think you should be staying here? It’s kinda inappropriate. Don’t you think?”
I nod, feeling like I just got sucker-punched by life. Though I’m not sure where I can go. I need to talk to Logan. At the very least, I plan to give him a piece of my mind and maybe my foot up his ass. But I’m not sure I can carry on that conversation right now. What I need is a night to pull myself together.
“Let me get my things.”
She nods. “I can give you a ride wherever. And you’re probably headed back to Florida soon, right?”
“Yeah.” It’s impossible to see through the tears. “I’ll be going back to Florida.”
As soon as possible.
38
Logan
Zach and I are halfway between Austin and my place when I get Joey’s text. I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
I’m not sure what that means. Why would she be leaving? Unless maybe she’s staying with Tori tonight. But she told me she was making us dinner, and she knew I needed to talk to her about something.
Am I so late that she’s pissed?
A glance at the clock on the dash tells me it’s possible. I cringe. Yeah, I’m an asshole. I should’ve called her earlier to let her know I was running behind schedule.
I’ll have to make it up to her. I want to send her a text, but I’m driving. At this point, it would be faster for me to just head home and try to catch her than to pull to the side of the road to send a message. And I don’t really know how to explain the child in the passenger seat over text.
Zach smiles at me while he stuffs his face with a burger, and I smile back, relieved to have him with me. When I got Carmen’s call earlier today and heard he’d basically been abandoned, I freaked out. It’s taking me a minute to calm down. I try to find something mellow to talk about.
“I’m glad to see your appetite is back. Did your mama tell you I stopped by on Sunday night? Gotta be careful with those carnival rides.”
His eyebrows knit together. “What carnival rides?”
“Didn’t you get sick this weekend after you went to the carnival?”
He shakes his head, looking at me like I’m a little touched. “I was home this weekend by myself. Mama had to work.”
I let that settle in, and when it does, my hands tighten on the steering wheel. “She left you at the apartment by yourself?”
What the fuck is going on? My brother would have my ass if I left his kids at home by themselves.
If I’m calculating this right, Samantha left this kid alone all weekend except Sunday night when I stopped by, only to drop him off at a neighbor’s on Monday, never to return. Here we are on Wednesday. And I know she’s been around because my messages are showing up as read. Plus, Patrick saw her on Monday, and Carmen spotted her yesterday. I’m ready to punch my dash, I’m so frustrated.
I’m hoping this whole thing is some major misunderstanding, but if it’s not and she’s leaving this boy wherever for days at a time, my lawyer is gonna chew her up and spit her out.
Doing my best to stay calm, I motion to Zach, who polishes off his burger. “Your mom said you were sick to your stomach Saturday night and puked, so I brought over some Gatorade on Sunday because you still weren’t feeling well.”
That gets me another head shake. “I didn’t get sick this weekend.”
Jesus. Is Samantha a diabolical liar?
The bad feeling in my gut grows. As soon as I reach a light, I call Joey, but it goes straight to voicemail.
But it’s the incoming text from Samantha that fills me with dread.
I’m at your place cooking dinner. See you soon!
And now I get why Joey is leaving.
Fuck!
39
Joey
Ten minutes later, I’ve thrown on some jeans and tossed what I could into my rolling suitcase. There’s no way I can carry all the stuff we got from Gran’s, but that’s a problem for another day. I’m too upset to deal with that given the bombshell Samantha just dropped on me.
My hands are shaking when I text Logan to say I’m leaving. I consider telling him his baby mama is standing in the damn kitchen eyeballing me like I’m a homewrecker, but I don’t want to give him time to get his story straight. If he’s been lying to me, I want him to look me straight in the eye when he admits the truth.
I don’t wait for a response before I shove the phone in my purse.
Samantha is curled up on the couch with Rambo when I roll my suitcase out of Bev’s room. When Sam sees me, she grabs her purse. “Where can I drop you off?”
“It’s okay. I don’t need a ride.”
She frowns and stands up. “It’s no trouble at all.”
“I’m not going very far.” Tori and Ethan’s house is a twenty-minute walk that will probably take ten minutes longer because I’m dragging my luggage behind me, but it’s still a trip I can make on foot. Even though Logan’s truck is outside, I’m not about to drive it again.
“Did you let your friends know you’d be coming?” she asks as she takes a step closer.
What an odd question. I shake my head. “I’ll text them on the way.”
; I head toward the door. It feels really freaking weird to leave this stranger alone in Logan’s house. I might be mad as hell at Logan, but I can’t deny the strange vibe I’m getting from Samantha.
Maybe she’s giving you the stink-eye for boning her boyfriend. What do you expect, Josephine?
I’m so confused right now, I want to crawl back into bed and never come out from under those covers.
Seriously, how did I end up being the other woman?
Samantha gives me an impatient look, and I debate whether I should ask her to leave.
Clearing my throat, I motion to her. “Can I ask how you got in the house?” I don’t mention it was probably unlocked, but I’m not sure how to broach the subject otherwise.
She blinks slowly. “Logan gave me a key.” Reaching into her bag, she pulls out a keyring and rattles it in my face. “See?”
A deep sigh wells up from my chest. I really want to leave this woman here so Logan can deal with her, but she is a stranger, to me at least. And I’m not about to test out each and every one of her dozen keys to check whether one works on the door.
“Um. Would you mind waiting for him in your car? I’m the guest here, and it would be rude of me to leave someone in Logan’s house without him.”
Of course, it’s rude of him to have a child with someone else and never bother to mention it to me, but who’s keeping the dang score?
What is it with the men in my life? Do they all have to be such assholes?
Sam’s nostrils flare, and she lets out a huff of annoyance. “Sure. I get it.” She points behind me toward the kitchen. “Actually, I think I’ll wait for him at my place. Do you think you could help me carry some groceries back to my car?”
Lord, grant me patience.
“Sure.” I leave my luggage at the front door and head to the kitchen, but I don’t see the groceries. She must have put them away.
When I turn back to ask Samantha what she needs me to carry, she’s right behind me.
“Sorry.” She shrugs. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”
Unease crawls up my spine. “Come to what?”
Suddenly, everything goes dark.
40
Logan
Zach and I stand on the porch awkwardly. Ethan looks at the little boy next to me for several heartbeats before turning to me.
“You gonna explain?”
Lowering my voice, I whisper, “Look, I just need you to watch him for an hour. Maybe two. I’ll tell you everything when I get back. I swear. It’s just… I have a situation.”
Thank God our mother is hanging with Tori at Kat’s place tonight. I couldn’t handle it if she was here right now.
Ethan laughs, but it lacks amusement. “You don’t say.”
Ignoring him, I kneel in front of Zach. “Okay, bud, I know you’ve had a rough day, but I’ll be back in a bit, and then we’ll stay at my place tonight. Ethan has my number, so he can reach me if you need anything.” After what he’s been through with Samantha, I feel like Zach needs reassurances.
His eyes light up. “Can we ride the horses tomorrow? Mama is always telling me you have horses.”
Damn. I’m so gutted that Zach doesn’t have the first clue about our family business. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Absolutely. I’m gonna give you the grand tour tomorrow.” I turn to my brother. “Is Mila up?” When he nods, I motion to Zach. “They’re the same age. Let them play together.”
I give the kid a quick hug and race down the steps to hop into the truck.
Now that I’m by myself, I lose my shit. Because not only is Joey not answering my calls, she wasn’t at my brother’s house. So that means she’s still at my house. Possibly with Samantha.
I’m praying she left before Sam thought to randomly drop by my house, which she’s only done once.
Pebbles fly out from under my wheels as I tear down my brother’s driveway. I didn’t bother to ask if I could borrow his Ford again. I’m guessing he gets this is an emergency. Time drags like thick molasses despite the fact I gun it home. I swear my heart is in my throat when I reach the turnoff.
The first thing I notice is my truck is parked next to my house. Its windows appear intact, so at least Joey hasn’t gone Carrie Underwood on my ride. Not that I don’t deserve it. In some ways, I know I do.
But that brings a different kind of worry. If Jo didn’t take my truck, did she go somewhere on foot? Did someone pick her up? Or is she still here?
I get out of Ethan’s truck and slam the door. As I’m trekking around my house, I notice Samantha’s car is parked out front. Anxiety races through my veins. Because who knows what she told Joey. This has clusterfuck written all over it. I debate what to do. My lawyer specifically instructed me not to confront Samantha face to face, but that was before I knew she was at my house. And what is she doing here when she hasn’t checked on Zach in days?
When I get to my front porch, I pause to listen. It’s quiet. Strangely quiet. I pull out my phone. Joey hasn’t read my texts, but Samantha has read the ones I sent her. I don’t know what that means.
The door is unlocked. I poke my head in, surprised as hell to see Samantha sprawled out on my couch, petting Rambo. But she’s breathing hard like she was running around seconds before I walked in.
My eyes dart around. Everything seems normal. Except my rug. Which, for some reason, looks like it’s been tugged out from under my Barcalounger.
Impatiently, I turn to Samantha. “Where’s Joey?”
“Who?”
I swivel to her. “Don’t fucking play games with me. Where’s Joey?” I call out her name, hoping she’ll come bounding out from the bedroom, but she doesn’t. “Where’s my girlfriend?”
The shrillest laugh I’ve ever heard bubbles out of Samantha. “Oh, come on now. She couldn’t have been that good a girlfriend. She just left.” She motions toward the driveway with her thumb. “Got a ride.”
My eyes narrow. “Oh, yeah? With who?”
“How should I know? She said she was headed back to Florida.”
“She’s in a wedding in three days. I’m pretty sure she didn’t go to Florida.”
Sam shrugs. “Well, she was pretty upset.”
“And why would that be?” I swear to God, if she lied to Joey to hurt her…
“How was I supposed to know you hadn’t told her about Zach?” I grind my teeth, but she goes on. “Look, she took her suitcase. I’m telling you the truth. She left for Florida.”
Before she can say anything else, I head down the hall. I flip on the lights in my room. The bed is messy, but I can’t tell if anything is amiss. It’s not as though Jo had a lot of stuff in this part of the house, but when I enter my mom’s room where Joey keeps her suitcase, it looks likes looks a tornado tore through here. Except for the boxes we brought from her grandmother’s last night, most of her things are gone.
I’m trembling when I return to the kitchen. I look for a note, something to tell me that Joey is on her way to see Ethan and Tori right now. Because I don’t know where else she’d go. She hasn’t talked to Silas since she got back from Florida, and she doesn’t have any other family nearby. Our ranch is walking distance from here. Kat’s farm is farther, but maybe someone gave her a ride?
I text Ethan, Tori, and Kat in a group message just in case anyone has heard from Joey since I left my brother’s.
About to blow a gasket, I stalk to the living room and get in Samantha’s face. “I’m not sure what you’re doing right now, but in case you’re not aware, I picked up Zach this afternoon from Carmen’s. Care to tell me why you ditched him there three days ago and never bothered to pick him up? Only to show up here like nothing’s going on?”
Her lower lip immediately quivers, and tears fill her eyes. “I needed a break, okay? Carmen doesn’t mind watching Zach. She does it all the time.” She picks up Rambo, who struggles to get out of her arms.
I don’t mention that we’ll be discussing this in court because I’m two seconds from losing m
y shit.
Her tears dry up enough for her toss her hair over her shoulder and push out her tits. “I was thinking we could go to the coast this week. Just you and me. I know you went with your friends last weekend, and that’s fine, but maybe you and I could hang out. I’m starving, though. Why don’t you run out and grab us something to eat first. And I can… clean up around here.”
I feel like I’m in the fucking Twilight Zone.
When Rambo jerks in her arms, she sets down the dog, and he runs to the hallway and starts barking. With a groan, I press my palm into my pounding temple.
“Samantha, I’m giving you one more chance to tell me what’s really going on. Zach already told me he didn’t get sick last weekend. I don’t know why you’re lying or what you think you’re doing here, but if I don’t hear something that sounds like the truth in the next sixty seconds, I’m calling the cops, and you can explain to them why you abandoned your kid and broke into my house. So one more time, where the fuck is Joey?”
Rambo starts scratching at the hallway closet and whimpering and barking, drawing my attention.
There’s water on the hardwood floor that wasn’t there a minute ago.
I look to Sam, and her eyes widen as she pleads, “I-I wa-was just trying to get clo-closer to you.”
My heart thunders in my chest as I turn back to the closet where that water is spreading.
But it’s not water.
It’s blood.
41
Logan
Bolting to the hall, I fling open the door, and my whole world collapses in on itself when Joey’s limp body tumbles out.
“What did you do?” I yell at Samantha.
Why is there so much blood everywhere?
“WHAT DID YOU DO?”
