“When we come here to eat, I know she misses the times she spent here with you. She acts like she’s okay, but she isn’t. She cries when she thinks I can’t see or hear it. You just said she needed a father in her life and you’re right. As much as I’d like to be everything she’ll ever need, I’m not. You and Teal have to let her be the woman she’s grown into and you need to get back in her life.”
Logan needed a father when he was younger, and instead of letting his stepfather in, he pushed him away, feeling as if he were an imposter. If Logan was honest with himself, he would’ve realized that long ago, but he didn’t regret any decision that’d led him to where he was with Katie.
Erik rubbed his forehead and Logan knew the feeling. A headache was looming on the horizon. “I’m not going to make this easy on you. I never will.” His eyes held sincerity, and Logan hoped to hell that he didn’t take it easy on him. He hoped that Erik kicked the living shit out of him if he ever messed up. “Choices,” Erik muttered.
“If it makes you feel better, Katie didn’t give me a choice either. It was fall in love with her or fall in love with her. She’s amazing, and I think she makes me better. It ain’t easy, but she makes it worth the struggle.” He smiled at the thought of his future wife. “You did a damn good job, sir.” Logan had never given a more sincere compliment in his life.
Erik grinned. “She’s a pain in the ass and you know it.”
Logan agreed in a way, but he wouldn’t admit it to her father. “Well, she . . . she is something.”
Erik’s eyes sparkled as they talked about his daughter. “Have you got a ring?”
“Not yet.” He wasn’t sure what to get her. He wanted to get her the biggest damn rock on earth, but he was still saving and Katie would probably admonish him for spending so much.
Erik looked away pensively. “And she’s not already pregnant?” he asked with a clenched fist.
He almost laughed. “No, sir,” he said with certainty.
Her father nodded stiffly.
Logan wouldn’t marry a woman for just that reason anyway. Shit like that was asking for a world of trouble and the wrong side of broke.
Erik pulled a tissue out of his pocket and pushed it toward Logan. “For a father, this day brings feelings of dread and joy.” Logan picked up the tissue and unfolded it to find a wedding set nestled inside.
He looked to Erik. “What’s this?”
“It was her mother’s.” His eyes stayed on the set in Logan’s hand. “I wanted to bury her with them, but she said they should go to Katie.” Erik cleared his voice.
Logan was grateful, and though he’d never been so ready to ask a woman a question, he had one more person to talk to first. “Sir, I appreciate how hard this is for you and this.” He held up the rings. “Means a lot to me.” He folded the rings up and placed them in his jeans pocket. He was a bit relieved, too. As much as he wanted to buy Katie a ring, he needed to save his money until he could afford to put a down payment on his own shop.
Erik pulled his suit jacket on and stood. “Just—” He ran his hand through his hair. “Be everything she expects you to be and more.” He reached out to shake Logan’s hand. Surprised by the gesture, Logan stood and took Erik’s hand in his.
In the case of Katie’s father, he’d only managed to pull him to his side because Erik knew Katie had made her choice in Logan and he was afraid to lose her. As Erik left, Logan considered the fact that Teal wouldn’t be nearly as easy. He sat back down and opened his cell phone. It was after five, and he knew she’d be getting ready to leave work. He dialed the number and waited.
“Hello.” Her voice was the same as he’d overheard the day he’d called Katie months ago.
“May I speak to Teal Lofton?” Logan knew it was her, but didn’t want to seem rude.
“This is she, may I ask who is calling?”
Logan noted that her voice sounded a bit different; she didn’t sound as uneducated and loud as she had when she spoke to Katie. Maybe he’d rushed to judgment. As Katie had pointed out to him, it wouldn’t have been the first time he’d done it.
“Yes, this is Logan Whyte.” He waited a beat, then added, “Katie’s boyfriend.” At her silence, Logan started talking. “I’m at Mel’s bistro and I just had lunch with Jan-Erik.”
He heard the frustrated breath she released. “Why are you telling me this, and why are you calling me? No, better yet, how did you get my number?” Her voice was rushed, as if she were getting annoyed.
Logan opted for the truth without sugar coating a thing. “I’d like to meet you for a drink at Mel’s if that’s okay? I want to ask Katie to marry me, but before I do that, I need the people she loves back in her life and there on her wedding day.” The laughter that bubbled from the other end of the phone had him ready to hang up on her.
“Logan, Katie won’t speak to me, not the other way around. She sent me one text.”
Logan hadn’t known that.
“I assume she’s mad about the letter and then me telling her father on her, but honestly, what did she expect?”
He would guess that she would expect Teal to respect her privacy, but he didn’t say that solely because he understood her worry.
“She gave her address to a man in prison, what if she had given it to the wrong person?”
“Everyone keeps saying that, and I get it, but she didn’t, she gave it to me and things have worked themselves out. Do we still have a long ways to go? Yeah, but what man and woman doesn’t? A perfect relationship doesn’t and will never exist. I get that you were worried about her meeting me, but that time has come and gone.”
Teal smacked her lips or took in air. He couldn’t tell which.
“You think that’s the only concern?”
“I’m sure it’s not.” He would forever be forced to jump through hoops for Katie’s family and friends, but even though he had nothing to prove to them, he wanted to do whatever it took to make Katie happy, and that meant have her loved ones back even if she pretended to be okay without them. “I’m sure you are worried about me hurting her or my past coming back to bite me in the ass, but I’ll tell you something . . . I worry about the same shit. I’m worried she’ll wake up one day and realize she can do better.”
Teal was silent. He assumed she’d ignored him and the tension headache that loomed on the horizon slowly crept down to his neck and shoulders.
“Back when Katie was with Roman I thought she could do better. I could see that he wasn’t ready to settle down, but Katie wouldn’t listen. I told her that a woman could never do better than a man who loved her despite her faults. If you love her like that, if you are offering her that, then she can’t do better.”
Logan loved Katie and had yet to see any faults in her other than being as stubborn as a mule, but part of him loved that about her. “I love her and want to marry her. Granted, I know you are pissed that she lied to you, but—”
“No, not pissed, hurt. The times we used to hang out she would lie to me so that she could talk to you. I think if she could have trusted me more it wouldn’t have played out this way, but whatever. I’ve tried to call Katie, but she isn’t trying to hear it, and I’m not begging for a chance to apologize, you feel me?”
“Is this your way of saying she needs to meet you halfway?” Logan asked.
“This is my way of saying I want to apologize and I want my friend back, but she has to talk to me. I won’t beg her. I love her, and looking out for her comes like second nature to me,” she responded.
Logan wasn’t sure how he would make that happen, but he knew he had to. He needed Teal and Erik in Katie’s life. She didn’t have many people around, and the ones she did were overprotective, and not without good reason. She had lost a lot and needed their strength when she couldn’t find her own; however, over the years she had grown into this amazingly strong woman. How they didn’t see it was beyond him, but she was there wrapped in a tall, slim, and sexy body.
“Will you join me for a drink s
o we can discuss this more?”
“Hell no.” She laughed. “Two reasons: one, I have a date tonight, and two, I’m not brave . . . or should I say fool enough to meet up with a stranger.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be a stranger if you’d taken the time to get to know me,” he reasoned. He’d been out long enough that she could have talked to him.
“Hmmm . . . and how would I have done that when your soon-to-be fiancée won’t even answer her phone?” she countered.
Logan smirked at the comment. “True, she’s stubborn as hell, but now you have my number.”
“Mmhmm, so now you think I’m the type of girl to be calling her best friend’s man?” she joked . . . at least he hoped she was joking.
“I—I meant, so you can call and get an answer,” he sputtered in reply.
Teal didn’t laugh, but he heard mirth in her voice when she responded, “Yeah, I get what you’re saying. How’s tomorrow at noon? It’s Saturday, so I’m off.”
“Okay. And then I’ll take you to Katie’s and you can talk to her.”
“More like ambush her.”
“Yep,” Logan chuckled. “Thanks, Teal.” He was surprised with how easy it’d been to convince her, and it’d also convinced him that Teal wasn’t the mean ass he’d thought she was. She wanted her friend back in her life and he was going to try and make that happen . . . for Katie.
Katie pulled the covers over her head when the alarm screamed. She reached out next to her, feeling for Logan; his spot was empty but still warm. She listened for the shower or noises from the kitchen, but all was quiet. She popped her head up and looked around.
“Logan?” she called out, but nothing. She laid her head back down and yawned.
They had stayed up until two a.m. watching T.V. and eating chips. Katie had patted her tummy, complaining that she was getting bigger, but Logan had only replied by leaning in and kissing her belly button.
Then she remembered he had said he was going to join a gym in the morning, but he’d let her sleep in. She stretched and headed into the bathroom and took a shower and washed her hair.
“I need a haircut.” She said as she looked in the mirror taming her mane with a wide toothcomb. She wanted to blow dry and flat iron it straight, but she knew Logan would complain. He loved the springy curls and their puffy ways. Katie wrapped the towel around herself tighter and left the bathroom. Checking the clock in the hallway told her it was well past noon and she was tempted to call Logan. He said he’d be back before lunch. Katie went to the kitchen and pulled out some stuff to make soup and sandwiches then headed back to her room to get dressed.
The front door opened while she sat on the couch with a book in her hand. Logan came through the door in a wife-beater and a pair of mesh basketball shorts. Katie stood and went to him.
“You sleep well?” he asked before placing a kiss on her lips.
Katie wrapped her arms around his sweaty body and squeezed. He smelled like sweat and a hint of cologne. “Yeah, next time wake me up with a kiss before you go.” She pouted and was rewarded with another kiss.
Logan let her go and dropped his gym bag down by the door. “Babe, I told you last night I was going to the gym.”
Katie picked up his bag and placed it in the hallway closet. “Yeah, you did. I think I should start going too.” She lifted her shirt and peeked at her belly. It was still flat, but she’d been snacking on chips and cookies more than veggies and fruits. Logan came over and kneeled in front of her. “At this rate, I’ll be a blimp in the next few months.” He kissed and nibbled her belly.
“Do you want to come with me? Logan reached up and pulled Katie’s shorts down a little. “I lift weights, you can start with something a little bit easier like, the treadmill or elliptical machine?” He kissed a trail down her belly that ended just below her belly button.
Sighing, Katie placed her hands on the sides of his face. “I should, yeah? I mean, me and Teal had planned to go, but—”
Logan looked up at Katie. He pulled her shorts up and pulled her into an embrace. “I need a shower, and then I have a surprise for you,” he whispered into her hair as she hugged him back.
“And what, may I ask, is the occasion?” She gazed up at him with a pleasant smile, and Logan tapped her nose.
“My baby just deserves something special every now and again, don’t you think?” Logan kissed Katie on her forehead and she swatted him away.
“I think you need to kiss me!” She stood on tiptoes and placed her lips against the warmth his offered. Logan threaded his fingers through Katie’s hair and tilted her head to the side. The fluttering in her belly and tingling in her spine increased when Logan tugged her strands a little harder.
With a moan, Logan pulled away. “Baby, I need a shower before your surprise.” He smiled with swollen lips, pecked her cheek again, and moved away.
He headed to the bathroom, but not before stating, “Make sure you get dressed.”
Katie looked down at her clothing; she was wearing her ‘lounging around the house’ clothes. “Are we going somewhere?” she called, skipping down the hall and into the bedroom.
Logan stuck his head out of the bathroom door. “No, we have company coming.”
Katie paused in the middle of taking off her shirt. “Huh?” She pulled it over her head and flung it on the bed. Pushing her shorts down, she waited for an answer from him. As she impatiently waited for his reply, she rummaged through her closet and removed a summer dress. It was nice out, and the pale yellow looked good against her skin. She pulled it over her head, and then went to join Logan in the bathroom.
Opening the door let out a puff of steam, and Katie stepped back; her hair would turn into a puffball of cotton if she went in there. Logan stood in the shower, covered in suds. He turned around and winked at her.
“I’m not telling you the surprise,” he teased, and Katie narrowed her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall facing the bathroom. “What time is it?”
Katie glanced at the clock in the hallway. “It’s almost two.” Logan rinsed off and opened the door, drying off quicker than Katie liked. She enjoyed watching him with rivulets of water rolling down his chest; his tattoos damp and glistening. The flutter in her belly was back and in full force. Logan watched her as he tugged on his boxers.
“I know that look, baby. Trust me. If we had time—” A knock on the door made him pause.
Katie’s brow furrowed and she pushed away from the wall. “Should I get it?”
“No, wait a bit.” He pulled up his pants and threw on a shirt. “Come with me,” he said, reaching for her hand and leading her into the living room. “You look good in that dress, sorry I didn’t say it sooner.” He kissed her cheek and motioned for her to sit on the couch.
Anxiously, Katie sat down, a worried noise escaping her lips. “Okay, now I’m anxious.” Logan’s face was serious as he left her and headed to the door. Opening it, Katie heard his greeting and her father’s voice. Beyond perplexed, Katie wondered why her father was at the door and what he had to do with her surprise.
Then she heard it; Teal’s voice was soft and sweet when she greeted Logan, which flabbergasted the hell out of Katie. She leaned forward and looked around the corner as Logan, Teal, and her dad walked into the room. She felt like she might puke.
A nervous chuckle escaped her throat. “Is this some kind of intervention?” Katie asked, not too sure if she was joking or not. Her father sat beside her, placed his arm around her, and kissed her cheek.
“An intervention?” He patted her back. “No, baby girl.” Katie’s apprehension somewhat dissipated and she leaned into her father, glancing at Teal.
Teal waved and smiled, and Katie nearly burst into tears. She stood and ran to her, wrapping her arms around her friend, who was already crying. She was suddenly angry and embarrassed by her own actions; no matter how justified she believed they were, Katie regretted them. She missed her friend, and the isolated life she’d create
d for herself could be destroyed by forgiveness.
Teal hugged her tighter. “You pigheaded brat,” she whispered.
“You overbearing jerk,” Katie retorted. “I missed you.” She pulled away to look in Teal’s eyes.
Logan wasn’t sure if the insults were the girls way of apologizing, but it seemed to be the case. He and Erik stayed to the side as Teal and Katie held each other, uttering sincere words of apology.
Katie was the first to come up for air. “I was angry at you, but I didn’t handle it right,” she said. Logan agreed, but Katie had needed to figure that out herself. “I wish I would have just called you and explained.”
Teal shook her head, her eyes darkening with regret. “I wouldn’t have listened. I didn’t trust your judgment, and as your best friend I should have, or at least let you explain it to me instead of trying to force my opinions on you.” Teal placed her hands over her face. “I’m sorry, Katie. I should have handled it better, and that big ass dude over there helped convince me of it.” She pointed to Logan, and he felt like he’d committed a crime of some sort.
When Logan stepped forward, he was blushing like a damned fool. Katie’s eyes were full of tears, but her lips were in a smile.
“We said we’d create a life together,” he folded his hands behind his back, “and we have to start with the broken relationships before we can make a healthy one of our own.” Logan had read that in the same book he’d read about creating real connections with others. That had been a day he was bored and there was nothing to do but read.
“That’s right. When he called me I almost didn’t show up,” her father said from the couch. “I’m glad I did.” Her father nodded in approval to Logan.
Logan stepped forward again and took Katie’s hand. His stomach was in knots and he felt dizzy, but nothing was going to stop him from giving Katie her surprise. “So, are you ready for your surprise?” Katie looked baffled and Logan enjoyed it.
“This isn’t it?” She waved her hand, motioning to her father and Teal.
Incarcerated: Letters From Inmate 92510 Page 21
