House of Belonging

by Andrea Thome

  They broke apart when they heard a car pulling into the drive and turned to see Laina’s mother waving at them as she pulled around to the garage. Laina took Logan’s hand, leading him inside the house. They walked into the kitchen, where Logan sat down and had started to tell Laina about his surf injury when her mother entered the house from the back hall, her keys still in hand.

  Serena saw her daughter crouched down, examining Logan’s foot, and gasped. “What happened? Logan, are you OK?” Serena furrowed her brow at Laina, worriedly searching her daughter’s face for answers.

  Laina stood up and exhaled. “It’s fine, Mom. Logan cut his foot on a rock. He’ll be OK. And he knows that Jeremy was here.” Laina walked over to the sink to get some new paper towels to replace the ones she’d removed from Logan’s foot. “Do we have any ointment or decent-size Band-Aids? His foot needs to be cleaned out, and I can do it if you have a first-aid kit here somewhere.”

  Logan looked up at Serena. “Your daughter loves me, Mrs. Ming. She told me so. Right out there in your driveway. And there are no take-backs. So she’s taking care of me. That’s the kind of thing that people who are in love do for each other.” He smiled sweetly at Laina, who looked like she might faint. “Isn’t that right, Carina?”

  Laina’s mother had her hand over her heart, her mouth open in surprise. “Oh, how wonderful! I had a feeling about this. I knew Logan was the one the moment I saw him.”

  Laina gripped the counter to steady herself. “Hold on, everyone. That might be a bit premature. Let’s not give Logan any more confidence than he already has.” She looked over at him and sighed. “But he’s right. I do love him. And I suspected you and Dad would too. He’s pretty darned lovable.”

  The three of them were laughing together when Bo rushed into the kitchen, looking for Logan. Laina was sitting on Logan’s lap with her arm around his shoulders while Logan had his bandaged foot propped up on a kitchen chair opposite them. Serena was gathering up the collection of bloody paper towels and first-aid-kit items that they’d used to take care of his wound. Bo saw the mess and threw his hand up to his forehead.

  “What happened here? Logan, are you all right? What did I miss?”

  Laina answered, “Nothing, Dad.”

  “Everything!” Serena scoffed at her daughter’s casual dismissal.

  “I cut my foot open on a rock, and your daughter loves me, Mr. Ming.” Logan wore the biggest smile of all.

  Bo Ming dropped his hand in relief. “Oh good. I thought it was something serious. And who couldn’t already see that for themselves?” He walked back out the patio door, leaving the three of them speechless.

  They had a quiet dinner that night with her parents at home. They were all exhausted, so Logan and Laina said good night to her parents. They promised not to wake them the next morning when they left before dawn for their flight home to Colorado.

  As they walked away from the main house and into the darkness of the backyard, Laina grabbed Logan’s hand. “Do you have any desire to have a swim in the pool before we go to bed? I’m still kind of keyed up from today, and something about the water helps me relax. That’s the reason I was down at the lake the night of the campout. I was all hot and bothered. And then to make it worse, you showed up.”

  Logan leaned in to bite her neck playfully, making her squeal and try to pull away from him. “I’ll never forget when I turned the corner and saw you standing in that water. Talk about erotic.” It reminded him of a secret he’d been keeping. “Can I admit something to you?”

  They had reached the edge of the pool, and Laina stopped, turning to look at him. “What is it?”

  Logan ran his fingers through his hair nervously before speaking. “You know how I went for my donations on Wednesday and Thursday this week? For Viv and Sienna?”

  Laina nodded. “Yes, I distinctly remember some text messaging about that. You said everything came out OK, right?”

  Logan exhaled. “You could say that. They put me in this sterile white room with a bunch of dirty magazines and a porn website, which, as I told you, isn’t my thing.” He scratched his head and bit his lip before continuing. “Instead, I made up my own little fantasy, starring you. In that lake. And it was pretty damned great. So good, I almost missed the cup.”

  Laina covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Well, I’m glad I could be of help to you, you big pervert. Please don’t share that story with Viv and Sienna. Let’s let them imagine that the whole process was very clinical.”

  Logan chuckled. “Good note.” He turned back toward the house, confirming that all the lights had been shut off. “How about making some memories on our last night in Malibu? What do you say, girl who’s given her heart to me? Are you up for a skinny-dip?”

  Logan unbuttoned his jeans as he talked, letting them slide down his legs so he could step out of them, then lifted his shirt off over his head in one quick motion. “Last one in’s paying for the wedding!”

  Laina was laughing as he stepped out of his underwear and slipped silently into the deep end to wait for her.

  “That’s your loss, Laina. I’ll have you know that I’m planning on having a huge ceremony. Lots of groomsmen. You’d better start saving.”

  She rolled her eyes at him but couldn’t help feeling completely charmed. Laina untied the string of her halter dress, shimmied out of it, and let it gather around her feet before she stepped clear of it. To Logan’s surprise, she wore nothing underneath.

  “I guess that ruins my one last surprise for the weekend. Oh well. Maybe next time.”

  Laina let him absorb her words while she slid down into the pool next to Logan, who was busy picking his jaw up off the deep end.

  “Hello, man who loves me ridiculously a lot.” Laina kissed him before pushing off the side with her feet to lie on her back. “Come and float with me.”

  Logan watched for a moment. “If I’m floating with you, I’m not looking at you. That’s no fun.”

  Laina poked her head up to roll her eyes at him again. “Come on. You’ll love it. It’s so soothing, and look”—she pointed skyward—“you can see the Big Dipper, right there.”

  Logan pushed away from the side to join her, and they held hands while floating under the starry sky together. When they drifted into the shallow end, Laina stood up and led Logan over to the hot tub. She slid over the wall, holding her hand out to him.

  “Come on, let’s warm up for a minute. It will make the dash into the guest house a lot more tolerable.”

  Logan got in and sat beside her. “Can I ask you something? Just so we can really put today behind us, for good?”

  Laina turned to look at him. “Of course. I want that more than anything.”

  Logan rubbed his hair to remove the excess water. “Why did you agree to meet Jeremy? I mean, what did you think it would accomplish?”

  Laina sighed in frustration. “Honestly? I was hoping it would give both of us a sense of finality. Closure. My parents are big believers in cleaning up the messes we make in life so we don’t have to come back and relearn the lessons later. In other words, Karma. I just knew I wanted to be done with that part of my life, and that was my attempt at closing the book.”

  Logan watched as she talked. “Do you think you achieved that? And do you think Jeremy thinks he did?”

  Laina shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t speak for him. But if I had to guess, I’d say we both saw each other for who we are pretty clearly today. I still have to continue to process my own feelings about my role in Patrick’s death. I know I could have made some better choices. Jeremy said some things to me today that stung because they were true. But he also really absorbed what I said to him. I could see it in his eyes.” Laina shivered when she remembered the coldness she’d seen there. She turned back toward Logan. “And he saw you. And he heard what I said about you. My heart belongs to you, Logan. Today was just a part of the bigger plan the universe has to move us forward on our journey together. The hard stuff makes us better. I believ
e that’s how it all works.”

  It was good enough for Logan. “Let’s dry off, go inside, and light a fire.”

  Laina leaned in to kiss him. “Thank you for trusting me. You can, you know. Don’t let Jeremy’s parting blast get to you. His reality and ours are very different.” She stepped out of the hot tub, reaching her hand back to Logan. They grabbed their discarded clothing and hustled over to the stack of towels that were piled next to the outdoor shower, grabbing two of them to dry off with.

  Once inside, Logan stopped Laina in the living room. “Don’t get dressed. Lay with me by the fire for a few minutes before we go to bed. I’m not ready for this weekend to end just yet.”

  Laina kissed him. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the bedroom and returned a few moments later with two pillows, the duvet, and a sheet wrapped around her naked body. “How about we camp out here in the living room tonight, fireside? Here, help me scoot the coffee table out of the way.”

  They moved the furniture around and made space, and Laina unwrapped the sheet from her body, laying it down over the top of the plush sheepskin rug in front of the fire. She tossed the pillows at one end and lay down on her side, lifting the duvet to invite Logan in. She didn’t have to ask twice.

  “I’m having a very difficult time controlling myself, Laina. When I look at you, I morph right back into a teenage boy, with absolutely no willpower.” He rubbed his calloused hand along the side of her body, down to her hip and back up again, before dipping his face to kiss her shoulder and breast. Laina took his face gently in her hands and guided it upward so that their faces were inches apart, his body pressed up against hers. She wanted him to feel her words at his center. “I love you, Logan Matthews. With all my heart.” She watched him take it in, feeling his smile against her hands before he answered.

  “That doesn’t even begin to compare to how I feel about you, Laina. I want to protect you, keep you safe from hurt. I want to swim in a million lakes with you, and sit at your counter and watch your hands create art in the kitchen. But right now, I want to show you how much I love you too.”

  Their union that night was slow and purposeful, but when they’d finally reached the mountaintop, they were together again, crashing into each other with the sense that a certain fusion had taken place. Two very independent people had merged into something that would ultimately be better together.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-ONE

  Their flight the next morning out of LAX had been delayed thanks to a wicked line of storms pummeling the Rockies, so by the time they finally touched down in Aspen, Laina was already running late for work. Logan encouraged her to jump into a cab and head directly for the restaurant, insisting he would wait for her luggage and drop it off at her house before heading home. Laina agreed she needed to hurry, but she’d had a hard time leaving Logan’s arms when the taxi pulled up. Neither of them was ready for the weekend to be over. Laina inhaled the scent of Logan deeply before tilting her head up for one last kiss. She knew she’d never tire of the feel of his mouth against hers as she reluctantly pulled back and let him step forward to open the cab door for her.

  “So, tonight, no sleepover. But I’m going to see you tomorrow?” They’d both agreed that they needed to catch up on their rest after the mostly sleepless weekend. Laina waited for Logan to respond as she tucked her carry-on and herself into the back of the cab.

  He nodded his head. “Absolutely. Do you want to come by the ranch in the morning? Have coffee with me in the barn while we decide what to do with our day?” He leaned into the cab and punctuated his question with one final kiss before standing up to shut her door, but not before she answered him.

  “Sounds perfect. I love you, Logan.”

  Logan grinned. “I love you too, Carina.”

  It was the memory of that expression on Logan’s face that made Laina stop and smile to herself an hour later as she worked in the restaurant kitchen, preparing a mirepoix for the Sunday dinner service. She was so distracted, she hadn’t even heard Van come in.

  “Well, I guess I don’t need to ask how the weekend went.” He paused, sizing Laina up. “That good, huh?”

  Laina couldn’t contain herself. “It was amazing. Why don’t I listen to you more often?”

  Van raised his eyebrows. “I ask myself that same question all the time. I’m very intuitive.” He rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. “Tell me three things I don’t know.”

  Laina smiled. It was a little game they’d played for years. “OK. Let’s see. First, my parents’ wellness center is absolutely amazing. I can’t wait for you to see it sometime.” Laina scooped up the pile of onions she’d finished chopping and tossed them into a bubbling saucepan. “Second thing: Logan cut his foot pretty badly while learning to surf with my dad, but he’s going to pull through. And number three: Logan loves me. And I love him. Any questions?” She peeked over her shoulder to see his reaction.

  Van was grinning back at her. “Well, you certainly buried the lead. But I can’t say I’m surprised. I had a feeling Logan was a match for you the minute I met him at the wedding. I just knew better than to meddle too much. It had to be your idea. I’m happy for you, Laina. You deserve this.”

  Laina stepped over to kiss Van on the cheek. “I’m working on believing that. He’s incredible, Van. You don’t know the half of it.” She wiped her hands on a nearby towel and then leaned back against the counter. “Jeremy showed up in California.”

  Van’s eyes narrowed. “What did that arsehole want? And how did he find you?”

  Laina sighed and told Van the story, starting with the text exchange and ending with Logan asking Jeremy to leave her parents’ driveway. “I don’t think Jeremy was prepared to take no for an answer until Logan showed up. He was pretty angry when he left, but I think he’s got it now.”

  Van blew out a breath in disgust. “He’s lucky I wasn’t there. That wanker isn’t fit to lick your boots, so I don’t know why he keeps trying. I’m glad Logan set him straight.” He paused, considering her for a moment. “I’m hoping you’ve told Logan everything? About Patrick and Jeremy, I mean?”

  Laina shook her head. “Yes. He knows. And it hardly fazed him. He’s got such a confidence about who he is. It’s refreshing. He reminds me of you, actually.” Laina smiled and turned her attention back to the meals she’d been preparing.

  Van chuckled. “Thanks. Now if I could just find someone stubborn and beautiful and full of sass, I’d be able to say I’d found your equivalent too. I’m not sure she exists, though. I took that woman from the yoga studio out for a drink Saturday after dinner service, and I almost fell asleep in my scotch. Why are all of the ladies I meet so pedestrian?”

  Laina laughed. “You’ll find the right person when you’re least expecting it. Take it from me.”

  Van sighed. “It’s probably better anyway. This isn’t a good time for me to be meeting the future missus. I’ve got an opportunity that I wanted to discuss with you.” Van set about deboning the fish they’d be using that evening. “My brothers Skyped with me this morning.”

  Laina raised her eyebrows in surprise. Van didn’t talk about his family back in Oregon much, and she knew he wasn’t in touch with them that often.

  “Really? That is interesting. Is everything OK?” Laina couldn’t see his face because he had his back to her while he was working, but she noticed his shoulders stiffen just slightly.

  “My father has brain cancer. Won’t be alive much longer, if what they say is true. My brothers called to talk to me about what to do with the family estate once he’s gone. They want to turn it into some kind of income property—I guess to rent out—and they asked me to help them. They’ll need to get appraisals, make improvements, hire staff, and such. Which means I’d have to go spend several weeks in Oregon in the spring, or next summer. Or whenever my father passes.” His hands stayed busy the entire time he spoke, and Laina knew he was trying to control his emotions.

  “Van. I’m so
sorry.”

  He held up a hand to stop her, but he didn’t turn around. “Please. He’s a son of a bitch. Laid hands on my mum, even when she was sick. He’ll get no sympathy from me.” He set down the deboning knife and turned to look at Laina. “My brothers carried on a relationship with him after she died, which is why we haven’t been close over the past ten years. They must have gotten the forgiving gene and I didn’t. Anyway, I’m mulling it over, but I’m not sure it’s great timing for me to be leaving you without help.”

  Laina stepped toward him and put her hands on his shoulders. “You will absolutely go, and you don’t need to worry about me or House of Belonging. In fact, Logan and I were just discussing it on the plane this morning. We want to be able to spend time together and travel next summer. I’ve already decided to reach out to invite guest chefs to sub in for several weeks beginning after the New Year. That’s been the idea behind this place all along. Everyone belongs, right? By next summer, the restaurant concept will be firmly established and I’ll need a break, and so will you. I’m just wondering if you shouldn’t go home sooner? Are you sure you don’t want to try to get some closure with your father? Before it’s too late?”

  Van shook his head. “I’ve got all of the closure I need. He’s been gone from my life so long, his physical death is just a formality at this point. I’ll let my brothers be there for him. I’ll go help them once he’s gone. There is relationship work to be done among us brothers, for sure. If you’re positive it’s OK.”

  Laina hugged him close. “I’d be so upset if you didn’t go. If you want me to come with you, I absolutely would, and so would Logan. We wouldn’t have to stay with you, but we could be close by, just in case. Don’t answer now, but I think you know that I’ve always wanted to visit the Willamette Valley anyway. I love you, Van. I’m here for you, always.”