by Piper Rayne
“It’s so great to meet you. Gosh, you’re beautiful, no wonder my son is so smitten.” She draws back, leaving her hands on my upper arms, her gaze skating up and down my body. “You’re stunning.”
I feel my cheeks heat. “Thank you. He has your eyes.”
She nods. “Yeah, they’re a curse and a blessing. People love them, but they reveal everything you’re thinking.”
She’s right, because right now all I see is happiness beaming from hers.
“Where is he?” I ask.
I don’t want to admit I thought he was running late and probably not coming at all. I mean, he doesn’t have to. Rylan might be his brother-in-law right now, but he won’t be in three months. Logan needs to concentrate on his fighting more than winning over my family. If they like him, it’ll only make our breakup that much worse.
She points across the way and I watch Calista roll her eyes at Rylan while he gets high fives from their teammates. Behind them, on the team bench, is Logan.
“Why is he over there?” I ask.
“Rylan wanted him there,” his mom says. “I’m Pauline, by the way.”
“It’s great to meet you.”
She swings her arm around my shoulders. “You’re just so cute, and your family is wonderful. Your grandma is a hoot,” she whispers.
“Yeah. She’s something.”
I love Ethel like my own grandmas. One lives in Arizona and we barely speak. My mom’s mom lives in Sunrise Bay, but she and my grandpa go on a lot of vacations since they’ve retired.
“I give her credit, she just got Logan to agree to do a self-defense class at the retirement center.” Pauline smiles as if that’s the best news.
Cade and Adam laugh.
“Good luck to the poor bastard,” Cade says to Adam.
“Hey now. Those are my peeps you’re talking about.” Ethel smacks Cade on the back of the head.
“I’m way too old for you to be doing that,” he says.
“As long as I have two feet above the ground, you’re not too old for me to take you over my knee.”
Apparently concerned, Cade quiets down.
For the rest of the game, my gaze strays to Logan on the bench. I’m not even sure if he’s a soccer fan or not, but he’s right there, cheering for the team.
Finally, during the last play, Rylan kicks the ball to Calista. She gets past a defender and kicks it back to Rylan, then somehow the ball ends up back with Calista and she shoots and scores. Her arms raise and she runs toward their coach. He picks her up and swings her around, then the team all give her high fives. Well, everyone but Rylan. Sometimes he’s such a sourpuss.
“Well, he’s not going to get her with that attitude. Someone give that boy some honey,” Pauline says.
Mom stands. “I’d like to take him over my knee.”
Mom walks over to the Bailey bleachers and talks to Calista’s parents. Her dad owns Terra and Mare, the most expensive restaurant in the area.
“She just doesn’t understand twelve-year-old boys.” Hank shakes his head and follows Mom over there.
“Give the kid a break. He passed her the ball. That’s progress.” Jed stomps down the bleachers. “I gotta get back to the brewery.”
“Oh, can I catch a ride?” Molly asks, already heading down the bleachers.
My eyebrows scrunch. She said nothing about having to work. Jed looks at Cade and for a moment I think he’s going to say no, but he nods.
“I’ll catch you later, Nik.” Molly pats me on the knee and follows my older brother out the door.
“Are those two a couple?” Pauline asks.
“No,” I say.
Cade groans behind me. He better not know something I don’t. Molly and Jed are great on their own, but I can’t imagine if they got together. What if something happened? Molly comes to all our family events, and if Jed broke her heart, it would put a big strain on that. And right now, I have enough problems.
Logan comes over and sits down on the bleacher next to me. “So you met my mom.”
“I did.” I smile at Pauline. “I thought maybe you forgot to come.”
His smile dims, but he recovers immediately, putting his hand on my knee. God, I love the feeling of the warmth from his palm that seeps through my jeans. “I said I’d come.”
I nod. He hasn’t disappointed me—yet.
We stand, and Pauline is already talking with my sister Mandi while everyone else disperses.
“Mom, you ready?” Logan asks.
“Actually, Mandi here has graciously given me a room that just opened up at her inn. She said it’s closer to town.”
“Yeah, but you can stay with us.” Logan puts his arm around my waist.
In truth, if his mom stays with us, I might have to stop hiding out in my room at night. I only do it because I’m afraid I’m going to sleep with the man. Every night he asks me if I want to work out with him or watch television and I always say no. The man is temptation incarnate and I only have so much willpower.
“Nonsense, you guys are newlyweds. You need your privacy.” She looks at Mandi. “I’ll just get my bag and head over there with you?”
“Are you sure?” Logan asks.
“Definitely. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”
“Okay.” Logan lets it go.
I should be relieved that she’s not staying with us, especially if she believes, like my parents, that this is a real marriage. So why do I feel a little disappointed?
Later that night, I can’t sleep, so I walk downstairs to the kitchen. I find Logan, setting out the sugar and spoon next to my empty coffee mug. I figured it was Iris, his chef, who was doing that.
“You’re the one who sets all that out?” I ask, sliding into a chair at the kitchen table.
He looks over his shoulder and the tips of his ears grow red. “Guilty. You always seem to be running late.”
I laugh because he’s not wrong. Having an early morning show isn’t ideal for someone who loves to sleep in. “Thank you.”
It’s a thoughtful gesture. No one has ever done that for me before.
“You’re welcome.”
“Why are you up?” I ask.
He grabs a package of Twinkies from the cupboard and puts it in front of me. “I couldn’t sleep. You?”
“Same.” I’ve been having a horrible time sleeping since I moved in here and I can’t figure out why. The mattress is comfortable. I feel safe. Part of me has contemplated that it could be that Logan sleeps down the hall from me.
He joins me at the table with a Ho Ho in hand.
“Would Craig be okay with you eating that?”
He laughs and puts an entire Ho Ho into his mouth. “No,” he mumbles around it.
“You cheat a lot,” I say.
He shrugs. “I haven’t been able to find my groove yet. Doesn’t speak well for my fight.” He finishes off the other Ho Ho.
“Why do you think that is?” I take a bite of my Twinkie and bring my leg up so my foot rests on the end of the chair.
“You,” he says.
I scoff. “Let’s remember whose idea this fake marriage was. I was perfectly happy with a divorce.”
He laughs and holds up his hands. “I know, and it’s the truth.” He pauses. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Do you remember our wedding night at all?”
“I remember the balcony and not much else,” I admit, embarrassed.
“Consider yourself lucky.”
My foot drops to the floor and I lean over the table. “You remember marrying me?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Then what do you remember?”
His eyelids droop with desire and he shrugs as if suggesting I know what he remembers.
“Oh…”
“Yeah,” he says.
“Us?” I waggle a finger between us like I can’t form the word sex. He remembers having sex with me. Damn it, why am I jealous?
He nods
.
“Oh… was it, um… good?” I hate not having the same memory he does.
“If it wasn’t, would I be here? Would I be struggling with my training?”
“Well, I mean, you’ve had sex with a lot of people during your life.”
His forehead crinkles and I think maybe I offended him.
“I can’t be the best.” My hand comes up and covers my mouth. What am I saying?
He laughs and moves to stand at the same time I get up to escape this conversation. Our chests brush and I stumble to find my footing, but Logan swings his arm around my waist, catching me.
The laughter dies in his throat and silence falls over the kitchen while he stares into my eyes. “You have no idea the torture you put me through.”
“What?” I whisper.
“Every night, all I want to do is walk down the hall into your bedroom and bury myself inside you. I want to feel the softness of your body pressed to mine. I want to kiss every inch of you. I want to taste you and spend the entire night fucking you until the sun comes up, then I want to sleep the day away with you in my arms.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
“Say something?” he mumbles.
“Logan,” I sigh because I can’t think of anything but him right now.
He rights me so I’m on both feet then releases me, stepping away. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Just forget I said anything.”
“Logan,” I say after him, but he walks out of the room. Seconds later, his bedroom door shuts with a click and my heart sinks.
But I’m not sure what he expects. He asked me to agree to this fake arrangement, then he explains how desperately he wants me. I might as well just open up my chest, hand him my heart, and say I’m okay with him returning it in pieces.
Chapter Sixteen
“You and that girl aren’t even sleeping in the same bed.”
Logan
Craig and I finish a round of sparring and each sit down to drink water. “This past week, you’ve been on fire. Your jabs and kicks look good,” he says, then downs half of his water.
“Thanks.”
He doesn’t have to know I’ve been taking all my aggravation with Nikki out on him in the ring. I’ve added another workout to my day since Nikki doesn’t want anything to do with me. Her new routine is she doesn’t even come to the house for dinner, saying she’s putting together a business plan for her podcast or visiting with one person or another until late.
So I’ve been keeping my distance. I feel as though I’ve done so much to try to bridge the gap between us, and I was honest about remembering us having sex that night. But she doesn’t care because I’m not the kind of guy she sees herself marrying—regardless of the fact that I am the guy she’s married. At this point, I’m done.
“Wife not giving it up in bed?” Craig asks jokingly, although he’s hit the nail on the head.
“I just finally got my head out of my ass.” I finish my water.
Nikki’s brother Fisher walks into the gym with a brunette I don’t recognize. I’ve only met the guy one time and that was at Rylan’s soccer game. He’s the sheriff, so he only stopped by to see if they won, then he got a call he had to go out on.
“Hey.” He waves and walks over.
“You’re friends with the sheriff?” Craig asks with humor in his tone.
“He’s Nikki’s brother… er… stepbrother.” I’m finally starting to figure out who everyone is.
We shake hands and I introduce him to Craig.
“This is Allie,” Fisher says.
I nod. “Nice to meet you.”
“So you’re really in Sunrise Bay and you’re married to Fisher’s sister?” Allie asks. “We had bets going at the hospital that someone was making it up.”
I laugh. “Here in the flesh.” I don’t address the marriage part because who knows how much longer that’ll be true.
“Yes, you are,” Allie says.
Fisher gives her a look I’m way too familiar with. One that suggests he doesn’t like the fact she’s ogling my body.
“Well, we’re gonna work out. If you need me to jump in the ring with you, let me know.” Fisher bumps fists with me.
“Sure.”
Craig laughs and we watch them walk away. I jump into the ring again.
“I think you’ve done enough ring work today.” Craig hops down.
“Come on. One more round. I need work on my elbow jab.” I bounce from foot to foot, waving him into the cage.
He groans but joins me. “That’s it after this. You need a break. You’ve gone from twenty miles to one hundred.” He puts his gloves and helmet back on and his mouthpiece in.
“Come on.”
He rolls his eyes. “You do know this is why Vince doesn’t want you with Nikki, right?” Bouncing from foot to foot, he meets me in the center of the ring.
“Don’t say that name,” I say.
“Oh fuck me. You and Nikki already on the outs after you moved all the way up here?”
“I meant Vince.” I circle him and throw a punch, which he blocks.
“Where is he anyway?” Craig asks. “Usually he’s asking me how many times you shit in a day, he wants so many specifics on your training.”
Craig is right, and that’s been my question as well, which is why I checked out Vince’s social media last night. My gut proved right. He’s trying to recruit some up-and-coming MMA fighters. A part of me is pissed and another part is relieved. He’d only be a dick to Nikki if he was here.
“He’s out and about, looking at some younger guys.”
Craig stops and I get in a kick in that takes him to the floor. I hold out my hand to help him back up to his feet. “You’re fucking with me, right? You’re not about to retire, are you?”
“I don’t know. Today, no.” My answer is honest.
“I was going to say do not put that out there until you win this fight.”
“Why?”
He jabs at me, and I get him around and push my elbow toward his nose. That’s the move I have to perfect if I’m going to beat Rinaldo.
“Because we both know that if you lose—”
I give him a look to tell him to watch his words.
He laughs. “If the unthinkable happens, you won’t be retiring.”
“Come on, I don’t think winning is the only thing that matters.”
“Log, we both know you’re not the kind of person who retires on the bottom. If you leave this sport, you’re gonna do it on top.”
Craig knows me well. I can’t deny he’s telling the truth. It’s the reason I’d never announce my retirement now unless something major happened.
The doors to the gym open and I glance over to find Nikki coming in from work. Craig kicks my legs out from under me and I crash to the floor right as she looks over.
Great.
I hop up on my feet. “Oh, look, it’s the wife.”
Nikki says hi to Fisher then comes over. “Hey.”
“Give me a minute,” I say to Craig.
“Hey, Nikki. Want my protective gear?” Craig laughs and slides out of the ring. He pulls out his cell phone and heads outside where cell service is better.
“What’s up?” I ask her, not getting out of the ring.
“I thought maybe we could talk.”
I slide under the ropes and sit on the edge. “Sure.”
“Ethel’s self-defense thing is tonight, and I want us to be talking before. She’ll realize something is up and she’ll corner us.” She crosses her arms.
I take off my gloves and set them beside me, then work on my ankle braces. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle it myself.”
She laughs. “You might think you can, but you can’t. I promise you, those old folks are hard to corral.”
“Aren’t half of them in wheelchairs and use canes? I think I can handle myself.”
Her shoulders fall. “Fine. Go ahead and deal with it on your own.”
She storms off. I watc
h her back as she swings the door open and flies out of the gym.
Craig returns a minute later. “Wifey doesn’t look happy.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Craig sits on a bench, putting on his sweatshirt and pants. “I know you came from a rough neighborhood, that you and Pauline were poor, but do you ever think that all these years, you’re used to getting what you want pretty easily?”
“What are you talking about?”
He quirks an eyebrow, glances at Fisher, and back at me.
“We’re married,” I say.
“Come on, Log, be straight with me. You and that girl aren’t even sleeping in the same bed.”
I look over my shoulder, but Fisher’s staring pretty intently at Allie doing sit-ups.
“What?” I ask.
“You like her, but whatever you two are right now, it isn’t husband and wife.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shove my stuff in my bag.
“Maybe, but hear me out. Sometimes when you’ve gotten everything you’ve ever wanted and worked for in your life, it’s hard to fathom how someone could see anything as impossible. But for some people, believing in something can be hard. Give the girl some time to come around.”
“I’ve given her time,” I say, basically admitting to what he suspects.
“What? Two weeks?”
I sit and stare down at the floor. Craig has a point. But I feel like I’ve done everything to prove myself to her, and I’ve taken her nos to mean that she’s not into me.
“Thanks,” I say.
He pats my back. “Hey, I gotta keep you in the right frame of mind. I like Nikki, by the way. She’s good for you. You don’t want one of those women who just fall at your feet. Right?”
He is right. I grab my phone from my bag.
Me: Sorry. I’d appreciate it if you went with me to the retirement center.
Three dots appear then disappear before her message flashes up on the screen.
Nikki: Okay. I’ll drive. Let’s leave at six.
Me: Sounds good.
Although I don’t want her to drive, right now is probably not the time to make an argument out of it.
