Hail Mary

by Taylor Hart

  She could see Logan standing by a grave and the paparazzi swarming him, but they hadn’t encroached too close, yet. She was grateful, but knew that soon they would start asking all the tough questions. She didn’t know how Hunter had coordinated it, but a Suburban was in the field next to the cemetery and they were landing and rushing into the Suburban, then riding to the cemetery.

  She caught sight of Kim walking across the cemetery grass toward Logan, and pointed to her. “No!”

  When the Suburban pulled up next to the grave, all the men got out. As if they knew exactly what to do without coordinating with each other, they spread out. Montana intercepted Kim. “Well, look who we have here!” The hive of paparazzi swarmed to the bigger star power walking in the opposite direction.

  She heard reporters calling out. “Montana, is it true Lily is suing the city of Jackson? Hunter, are you really buying a horse track in Colorado? Cooper, are you and London going to ever get married? Sterling, are the rumors true? Is Sayla pregnant? Texas, are you ever going to quit working with Montana and go it alone?”

  Overwhelmed by the goodness of these men that had just gone into battle with her, and right after she’d chewed them out, she started walking to Logan. He didn’t seem to pay attention to any of the show, only stood there, his arms crossed, staring at his dad’s marker.

  He was wearing Shane’s UC Berkeley shirt and she wondered if he didn’t have any clean clothes. Then she thought of how Shane was supposed to wear those clothes when he’d come to the cabin. He’d never done that—come to the cabin for a quiet weekend. It’d never worked out. Like everything else in their marriage, it was a bit unreal, like it had never been meant to work out.

  The t-shirt wasn’t big enough for Logan. It stretched, making Logan look more hulkish than he naturally was. More muscled. The tattoo of the wolf peeked out at the edge of a sleeve.

  Paris stopped next to him. “Logan, Kim’s here.”

  As if woken from a dream, he smiled at her. He turned to see the crowd, then swung back to the grave, his face set in concentration. He studied the grave marker. It read, “Beloved Father.”

  She didn’t move, tried to block out all the paparazzi mess going on near, but not too near.

  “Beloved.” His fist clenched. “I should scratch that part off.”

  She didn’t know what he was thinking, but they needed to leave.

  Logan didn’t wait for her to reply. He just reached out, his hand in the air, his hand poised so she could choose to accept it or not.

  She reached for it. It felt intimate, taking his hand, his fingers interlacing with hers like they used to. Possessive. Semi-vulnerable. In high school, when you walked the halls with your fingers interlaced, it was a statement. Now her heart was breaking at the way Logan looked at her.

  Tears were in his eyes. “I think I can forgive him, Pear. I think so. Can you forgive me?”

  Warmth filled her at his sincerity. This was the Logan she loved.

  “I ruined everything. But I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want to keep ruining everything. I want to spend the rest of my life making everything up to you.”

  She couldn’t stop herself; tears flooded down her cheeks and she trembled. She fell into Logan’s arms and he held her close. He smelled like her laundry detergent and Irish Spring. It was so many things swarming her senses. It was them.

  “I love you, Pear.” He squeezed her tighter. “But let’s go!”

  Then, she heard her name. “Paris. Logan. This way!” Texas was waving them over to the Suburban.

  She didn’t know how they did it, but the group of All-Stars was there, surrounding them, taking them to the Suburban, but Montana was holding on to Kim, who was yelling out, “Logan!”

  They got into the Suburban and rushed to the helicopter. Texas put his hand out to Logan. “I’m Texas. Nice to meet you.” Logan shook his hand, and then the others were introducing themselves.

  Hunter James had a phone to his ear, barking out orders. “Get Montana and take him back to Jackson. Get the red Mustang and take it to Sterling’s gallery.” He turned to Logan. “Is that okay?”

  Logan looked a bit baffled. “Yeah.”

  The rest of the men laughed.

  Logan stared into her eyes. “You did this. You saved me.”

  It touched her, how he was now. How he wanted her forgiveness. She nodded.

  Logan jolted in his chair. “Ty. You’re supposed to be at the airport.” He turned to Hunter. “Can we give the lady a ride to the airport to pick up her son?”

  Hunter grinned. “Heck yeah! We’ll even give her son a ride home in the helicopter if he wants one.”

  Paris couldn’t believe what was happening. She was terrified because she knew Shane would hate this kind of reception. She looked at her phone; it was barely one and she would be close to on time. She quickly texted Shane. I’m almost there. Please wait.

  Immediately, he texted back. Fine. I’m only waiting because Ty has missed you so much.

  More worry. What would Shane do when he saw Logan?

  A couple of minutes later they arrived at the airport and the pilot descended onto the tarmac. She wondered if maybe Logan could just wait in the helicopter. Man, her life was ridiculous.

  Before they finished landing, Logan leaned over and asked her, “Do you want me to just wait here?”

  Gratitude washed through her, and she marveled that he really was the old Logan. Kind, considerate. He knew what she would be facing. She nodded, feeling relieved, but still unsure how she would bring Ty back to the helicopter without Shane realizing it.

  As they climbed out of the helicopter and Logan asked them all to wait, she realized she wouldn’t have to worry about hiding it from Shane, because he was already on the tarmac, scowling, with Ty and Shari in tow.

  “Mom!” Ty yelled from the wheelchair he was in.

  She rushed to him, hugging him fiercely. “Baby, are you okay?”

  “We get to ride in a helicopter?” Ty asked.

  “Yeah.” She tried to have enthusiasm in her voice, but she heard Shari’s intake of breath and looked up to see Shane’s face.

  It was the face he always wore when he spoke of Logan: one of repressed anger and hatred. “Perfect.” He turned to her and gave her a withering glare, letting her know she would pay for this. He patted Ty on the head. “See ya, bud.”

  Ty wasn’t paying any attention. “Mom! Look, there’s Logan Slade!”

  Chapter 19

  Logan ran Thursday morning around the lake by Paris’s cabin. He hadn’t planned on staying, but when they’d arrived via helicopter at the cabin, Paris’s father had been delighted and insisted the All-Stars stay for spaghetti dinner. Surprisingly, they all agreed to.

  Since he was staying with the group, he’d gotten to know some of the All-Stars better, which had been nice. They’d been helpful when he’d asked them to help him figure out what to do at the first event tomorrow night.

  He’d also taken this opportunity to get to know Ty a little bit. Who was pretty much the most amazing kid Logan had ever met. Not that he had met that many kids, but still. Ty told him all about the cruise and the fish and talked and talked. Logan had been impressed and a bit sad for all that didn’t happen between him and Paris, but mostly happy for Paris and Shane.

  When it was time for the guys to go, Paris’s dad had told him to stay. Paris had frowned and looked worried, but her father had said, “I’ll get Ty to bed. You guys just hang out for a bit out here.” They obliged, and talked about what felt like everything. She’d fallen in his arms again on the beanbag upstairs.

  When he’d put her to bed, he’d decided he didn’t care—he had to have Paris in his life.

  Now, he pushed harder on his run, kicking it up a notch. He’d dreamt the night before about swimming. Swimming and swimming, and when he surfaced he was in his garage in LA, cars surrounding him. Kim was there, but she was looking at her phone and when he asked her what was happening she said, “Don’t w
orry, you’ll come back to me soon, baby.”

  He kicked it up a notch and pushed himself harder. It felt like the dreams were feeling more and more real, and he didn’t want to let them in.

  After everything at his father’s grave yesterday and Kim being there, he knew he had to deal with his now life. And he would. But today it felt like the past might be catching up to him. His mind felt hazy, and flashes of people and places he didn’t recognize were coming to the forefront.

  He didn’t want to go back to the other life.

  He thought of Paris. Of course he knew Ty was top priority. He had to figure out a way to make things work with Shane.

  The night before he’d tried to talk to her about how they could all make it work, but she wouldn’t talk about it. She’d been showing him YouTube videos of what he’d done at the former events the previous two years, and it was ridiculous. He’d done that stupid howl thing. What was even more ridiculous was that the audience would do it back. Paris had refused to discuss how they could all work it out. He didn’t know if she was just overwhelmed, but he worried.

  He tried not to think what Ty and the event tonight meant to his semi-relationship with Paris.

  Something still felt off. Like there was a truth out there he still didn’t know. But, he figured, at the end of the day he loved her. That had to be the only truth that mattered.

  When he got back to the cabin, Paris was outside by the boathouse, waving him over as she held out his gym bag. “Sorry, but you have to go.” She nodded to the driveway. “Good thing Hunter had your car brought here.”

  Sizing her up, he wanted to ask so many things, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. So, instead of getting into an intense conversation, he just pulled her in for a long, slow kiss. He didn’t know if she would want him kissing her right now or not, but she put her arms around his neck, pulled him in, and kissed him back. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss.

  She pulled back, letting out a soft laugh. “I have to go back in.”

  He nodded. “I know. I’ll see you tonight. Love you.” It was so natural for him to say. He had to say it.

  Giving him a half-smile, she didn’t move. “Logan?”

  He kept his hand around her waist. “Yeah?”

  “I hate myself, but I’m falling in love with you again.”

  Warmth filled him and he felt like he’d won the biggest game of his life. For a second, he thought he might cry like a big baby; then he pulled her in, hugging her tight. “Really?” Could it be? Could they make it work? His heart raced.

  She giggled. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but … I’m terrified.”

  He kept her close, loving the feel of her against him. “I know.” He sighed and then bent to kiss her again. “Don’t worry. I won’t wreck it this time, I promise.”

  Around lunchtime, Logan waited in front of Shane’s house. He’d called the insurance place earlier and asked if he could meet with Shane at lunch. Shari, the secretary, hadn’t known who he was and told him Shane went home for lunch and would be back later.

  He watched Shane’s truck pull into the driveway. It was a nice suburban home, new, with a pool in the back. It wasn’t Logan’s LA mansion, but it was nice enough in Jackson. When Shane and Shari got out of the truck, he emerged from his Mustang, which he’d parked down the street, and walked toward the house.

  “Shane,” he called out. Not overly loud, but loud enough.

  Shane wore khakis and a Smith Insurance Polo shirt. When he turned around, Logan noticed, once again, he looked old. Older. Today he also looked tired.

  Shari dropped the bag she’d just pulled out of the back and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my goodness!” Shari still looked cheerleadery, Logan noted. Not as small and tiny as she’d been in high school, but she had almost the same kind of perky curly cut around her face. Obviously, she was nowhere near as beautiful as Paris to him, but he’d never been into the cheerleader type.

  “What are you doing here?” Shane stopped, staring at him.

  “We need to talk.” Logan didn’t go up the driveway. He’d thought about how to approach Shane, and he didn’t want to be too aggressive. “Can we go for a drive and talk?” Logan gestured to his Mustang down the street.

  Hesitating briefly, Shane looked angry, then resigned. He turned back to Shari. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He trudged toward him down the driveway, and Logan noticed he still gritted his teeth like a bulldog when he was angry.

  They got into the car and started driving. The music was on, and Shane reached over and turned it off. “What do you want, Wolf?” He let out a sardonic laugh. “It wasn’t enough to pick my kid up in a helicopter yesterday? Now you have to come pester me to my face?”

  Logan drove for a bit, taking a sharp turn and heading out toward the ski resorts. “I’ve been informed about everything.” He hated how formal he sounded. “Look, Shane, I messed up. A lot. Paris told me.”

  “Did she? What, exactly, did she tell you?”

  Logan didn’t know where to start, but he knew he had to. “That I was a royal jerk. About going to Cal, my dad, the drinking, drugs, about throwing that bottle at her, about being awful to you.”

  “Huh.” He grunted, then inhaled and exhaled loudly, precisely. This was how Shane had always been before a big game, before something important, when he needed to focus. He was a loud breather. Shane slammed a fist into the dashboard. “You have no idea all the crap you put me through. No idea. And this isn’t over. It won’t ever be over!”

  Logan saw a lookout and pulled over sharply. Both of them were out of the car and around the front in no time. Logan wanted to fight, needed to fight. Needed to hit something. Not just Shane, but the past, or the future. Whatever it was.

  Shane must have seen the look in his eye, because he came at him with a hard punch to the jaw before Logan could move out of the way.

  Logan gingerly touched his jaw and shook his head. “I deserved that.”

  Shane swung, again. This time Logan moved out of the way. “You have no idea what you deserve!” Shane’s eyes looked bloodshot and so very, very angry.

  Logan wanted to punch, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t even think of any reason he didn’t deserve to get the crap beat out of him. So he put his hands up in surrender and closed his eyes. “Hit me!”

  Another punch hit him in the gut. He stumbled back, his eyes flying open. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to let Shane beat the crap out of him.

  Shane was coming for him already, ducking his head and ramming into him. Logan grasped at him and held on, but Shane shifted his weight and they both tumbled to the ground.

  It was just like growing up with each other and the messiness of their fights. They’d been like brothers and fought like brothers.

  Logan got leverage on him and ended up on top, his body splayed over him, using sheer force to hold him down. “We need to talk.”

  Shane cursed and used his legs to flip Logan back.

  Logan maneuvered him back down, too strong now to stay down. He peered into Shane’s eyes. “This has to end. We have to be friends.”

  “No.” Shane spit in his face.

  Logan yanked back and rolled away from him, disgusted. They both scrambled to their feet. “I know I was a screw-up!” Logan confessed. “I know I drank and threw that bottle and gave her that scar.” It was weird and made him jittery when Logan thought about all of it. “But that’s not me. I don’t even remember that. I—” He broke off, his throat welling up with emotion, and dropped his hands. “Dude, you’re like my brother. I … we were tight. We …”

  “There is no ‘we,’” Shane snapped, making air quotes. “There’s only ‘the Wolf.’ There’s only Logan, Logan, Logan.” Shane kicked a rock and it went flying off the side of the mountain. He walked a couple of steps away and stared off into the distance.

  Logan gave him space. He didn’t know what to do, how to fix this.

  Shane shook his head. “I cannot believe this. I cannot … Would y
ou believe that I actually never thought she got over you?” He let out a derisive laugh. “I’m pathetic. So pathetic.”

  “Dude, you cheated on her, so don’t blame her,” Logan said quietly.

  Shane flinched. “I never said I didn’t screw it all up royally too. Both of us are screw-ups. Does that make you feel better to know?”

  Both of them just stared out over the mountain.

  Logan was tentative. “I love her. I love her and I want to make things work.”

  Shane snorted. “You don’t love her. You don’t … You have no idea what you’re saying, and when you remember and become your jerk self again, none of this will matter.” He spit to the side. “None of this will matter.” Shane brushed past him, hitting him with his shoulder as he went. “Take me home before I throw you off this cliff and end up in jail.”

  Chapter 20

  Paris stood at the ski resort. The crowd for Texas and Montana was in full force. The air was electric, a huge crowd of two thousand. It was packed. All Montana’s old hits played in the background. Logan was supposed to meet her at the gate. He’d called her from a burner phone earlier and told her about the talk with Shane. The fight.

  Her insides were all jumbled and she hadn’t been able to eat dinner with Ty and her father. Ty had asked her why she wasn’t eating and she’d pretended to cut up some bites, but really just pushed them around the plate. How could they make it work if Logan and Shane couldn’t get along?

  She didn’t blame Shane. She couldn’t. She’d lived it all with him.

  Her mind flitted back to Ty. Good thing her father was there; he’d taken care of Ty, entertaining him with the boat and painting rocks and the array of VHS movies, which was what they’d been up to when she’d left an hour ago. All her thoughts were in disarray and she felt like her legs would turn to Jell-O, giving way to all this stress at any moment. How could she be in love with Logan Slade again? Cringing, she took in a long breath, comforting herself with thoughts of what he’d said earlier: “I won’t wreck it this time, I promise.”