by Poppy Flynn
As he washed his hair in water that was rapidly cooling, he was overcome with the need to pamper her.
Shutting off the spray, Logan gave his body a cursory drying and rubbed the small towel over his hair before slinging it negligently around his waist. Dragging his fingers through his shoulder length locks to ease out the worst of the knots before he got to the comb in his overnight bag, he strode out to see if the coffee was ready.
He had just poured two cups and was digging through the fridge for some milk, when he heard a key scrape in the lock of the front door.
A moment later, he found himself face to face with a tall, well developed kid with the same calm, laid back manner as Luanna. The similarity pretty much ended there. The lad was blond and blue eyed, although they did share the same narrow, patrician nose. If he'd been asked, Logan would have put the kid at older than fifteen, due to both his build and his innate maturity, but given the circumstances, he was pretty sure that this couldn't be anyone other than Luanna's son.
For a moment, he found himself nonplussed. What the hell did you say to a kid you'd never met before who had just walked into his own home and found you mostly naked in the middle of the day, when it was fairly obvious that you'd just fucked his mother seven ways to Sunday?
The lad's jaw dropped when he caught sight of Logan, and for long seconds, the pair of them just looked at each other.
Of course, Logan hadn't become a deadpan, poker-faced lawyer for one of the country's biggest conglomerates without learning a thing or two. He was a master of masking surprise and turning it around with a comeback. Not that he needed the comeback, but he did need to make the best of a tough situation.
Pasting on a smile, Logan thrust out his hand and pretended that he was fully dressed.
"You must be Danny," he said easily, as if he hadn't been caught with his pants down. Literally. "Your mother's spoken of you. I'm Logan."
The boy raised an eyebrow but took Logan's outstretched hand and pumped it with a surprisingly strong grip. "Well, you've got one up on me there," he replied, looking Logan directly in the eye. "Because she sure hasn't ever mentioned you!"
Logan masked the cringe that was fighting to contort his face. The kid certainly didn't pull any punches. Definitely his mother's child.
He felt a swift displacement of air, which told him the bedroom door had just opened. In a vague corner at the back of his mind, Logan wondered if Luanna knew what she was walking into or if she'd been caught by surprise. For her own sake, he hoped she wasn't naked. He really didn't want her to be humiliated in front of her son, and he knew she wasn't expecting him home until this evening.
Danny's gaze landed over Logan's shoulder, and he took in his mother's sex tousled hair and the messy bed behind her. His eyes flew back to Logan, and this time, there was an unexpected look of admiration and a glint of surprised amusement in his ocean coloured eyes.
"Wow, you did my mother?" It was really more of a statement than a question, and from behind him, Logan heard the unintelligible, strangled sound that was ripped from Luanna's throat.
"I'd almost given up on the hope that she'd ever give a man the time of day!" He winked.
Yep, he'd actually winked!
"And you destroyed the bed. Respect, dude!" Suddenly, Danny sounded all of his fifteen years, although his reaction was nothing that Logan might have anticipated.
Danny's face split into a mischievous grin, but then he turned his attention back to his mother. A serious expression settled over his still youth-rounded features, and suddenly, the strange 'man-boy' was back in evidence.
"I hope you used protection," he told Luanna earnestly, sounding for all the world like he was her father…well, a lenient, understanding kind of father, at least.
The lad shook his head, not taking his eyes off of her, and Logan half turned, manoeuvring himself so that he could watch the interaction between the two of them.
"I'm pretty sure you don't keep any of your own…" He frowned. "…but you know there's a packet of condoms in my dresser drawer if you ever need them."
Logan could see the hint of a blush, covering Luanna's, thankfully, fully clothed skin, but she didn't dodge her son's direct look and she didn't bawl him out in self-defence. One more thing to respect her for.
"Yes, I found them, thank you," she replied gracefully, as if this wasn't one of the most awkwardly embarrassing situations she'd ever found herself in.
Danny gave a single nod and headed down the short hall to his own room, taking everything in his stride like there was nothing unusual going on. Yes, Danny and Luanna were most certainly cut from the same cloth.
For a while, she and Logan simply looked at each other, neither of them knowing quite what to say or do.
Then Danny came back out again, a duffle slung over his shoulder. He stopped by her side, which showed his height at already an inch or so taller than his mother, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before smacking a kiss on the side of her hair, just above the ear.
"Just came to grab my kit," he told Luanna as if it were just any other normal Sunday. "The boys are going for a bit of a kick around, before practice starts again next week."
Striding towards the door, Danny turned before he left and lifted his hand toward Logan in salute.
"We'll have to meet up again when you guys aren't so busy," he said without a hint of sarcasm or rebuke. He turned to Luanna. "See you later, Mum. And don't forget what I said," he added, almost as an afterthought.
Then he was gone, and it was as if the whole surreal experience had never happened.
For long minutes, they still didn't move, then Luanna's shoulders began to shake, and for an awful moment, he thought she might be crying. Then great heaving breaths of laughter had her almost doubled up from the force of them. When she looked up again, tears were streaming down her face but not because she was upset. Looking at her, thinking back over the entire, unreal, encounter that had just taken place, Logan felt his own lips twitch and, suddenly, they were both laughing hysterically. When the mirth subsided, she moved towards him and Logan instinctively pulled her into his arms. They held each other for a long time, not speaking, just allowing themselves to calm.
Finally, Logan took Luanna's mouth in a long, leisurely mating. When he lifted his head, he whispered in her ear, "I think perhaps your son is just as remarkable as you are."
"I was planning to surprise you with breakfast," Logan confessed a little while later, when they'd both finished dressing properly and had met back up in the kitchen.
Luanna looked up at him, and a beautiful, almost shy smile lit up her entire face. "You were?" She beamed. "That would have been a wonderful surprise."
Stepping away from him as he turned to fix them some fresh coffees, she admitted, "The last time I got breakfast in bed was on Mother's Day when Danny was ten years old. It was the very first year we lived away from my parents."
She recalled the memory affectionately. "The coffee was cold, since he didn't know how to use the machine, and he burned the toast because the toaster was set too high. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me, and I ate and drank every last mouthful."
Logan didn't doubt it for a moment. She would embrace every little thing, no matter how small, and treasure it for the blessing it was. That she was a woman who knew how to count her blessings endeared her to him all the more. Virtually, all the women he had ever met had come from privileged backgrounds like his own. He had grown up with them, gone to fancy private schools with them. Heck, even the clientele at the club was wealthy. They had to be to afford the membership fees. Sometimes, that expectation of perfection just got old and stale. The more time he spent with Luanna, the more he liked her. She was just so real.
He thought he couldn't possibly be any more surprised by her as she led the way into the lounge area and settled herself amid the jewel toned scatter cushions on her couch, but he was wrong.
"Will you stay and have dinner with us this evening?" she asked
, raising an elegantly arched eyebrow. "And maybe stay the night again. I can take you into work with me in the morning, since you don't have your rental."
He sat next to her and angled his body toward her, then he took her hand and kissed her fingers.
"I thought you would want some personal time to talk to your son, after what transpired earlier," he told her honestly.
Luanna considered his words. "I was serious when I said I wasn't in the habit of sneaking around and keeping secrets. I'm not planning on pushing you out of the door like you're some kind of guilty pleasure. Nor am I going to brush everything that happened with Danny under the carpet and pretend it never happened."
"I didn't expect that you would," he replied. "But I thought you might like to explain the situation to him privately."
Luanna laughed, and the throaty sound of it was like velvet stroking against his skin. "Well, I think it's a little late to be coy about it. But considering how things occurred, I understand if the idea of being here with us both, this evening, makes you uncomfortable."
"Not at all," Logan was quick to deny. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea and think he was bailing on her. "Well, not enough to scare me away," he conceded. "I'm just conscious that Danny's had you to himself for a long time and vice versa. I don't want to upset things between you by butting in to what could prove to be a—ah—delicate situation," he answered truthfully.
Luanna leaned back in her seat. "Well, it's up to you, Logan. I wouldn't have extended the invitation if I thought it would be a problem."
She wouldn't fret, whichever choice he made, Logan realised. She would simply accept his decision without either pouting in disappointment or wheedling him to change his mind. He didn't believe, for a moment, that she was deliberately testing his character, but he couldn't help thinking that, even if she never said as much, he might go down in her estimation if he chose not to accept.
And when it came to acceptance, Logan also needed to remember that Luanna was a package deal. He honestly hadn't given much thought to the fact that a relationship with her would also mean a relationship with her son. It didn't bother him, as such, but he'd been slow in realising the responsibility that came with it.
"In that case, I'd love to stay for dinner," he agreed. "But do you think Danny will be okay about me staying the night? I mean, it kind of feels like we've missed a step—like I should be letting him get to know me better before I start muscling into his house before he's had a chance to become familiar with me and get used to you having someone else in your life."
Luanna leaned across and smoothed her fingers across his cheek, then pressed a kiss to his lips. Before he could reach for her and take it deeper, she pulled away, smiling sweetly.
"It means a lot to me that you're already considering Danny's feelings about our relationship. I agree that if this is going to go anywhere, then the two of you do need to get to know each other better, and you can start doing that this evening. I don't think there's any point in trying to pretend we're not sleeping together, since he already knows we are. That just seems a bit patronising to me."
Logan pulled her close and put his arm around her, liking the way she snuggled up to him without hesitation. "Well, you know him best, sweetheart, so I'll take your direction on this one, but would you mind telling me a little bit about him?" He paused momentarily, not quite knowing how to put what he wanted to say into words. He decided he should just get it out there. "And maybe about your relationship with his father, so I don't put my foot in it, later."
Luanna was quiet for so long that Logan had almost decided she wasn't going to answer. Then she gave a heartfelt sigh. Tucking a finger under her chin, he raised her face to his.
"I'm sorry, is it difficult to talk about?" he asked quietly.
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes eased Luanna's hesitation. It was a fair question, and she knew he deserved an answer. And he was right. It was better that he understood the situation, rather than inadvertently asking Danny something about his father, which had the potential to cause a lot of awkwardness.
"Not exactly," she levelled with him, snuggling closer and absently stroking her fingers down the front of his fine linen shirt.
"It's just something that neither of us talks about any more. When Danny was little, it was a bit of a taboo subject with my parents. Even as a small child, he quickly picked up on that. I've always been as honest as I can with him—without upsetting him with the knowledge that his father never wanted anything to do with him—but the truth is Danny doesn't know his father. He's never even met him."
Logan was quiet for a minute, stunned. "Wow!" he finally replied. "That wasn't what I was expecting to hear. What a dick." He squeezed her tight in silent support. "So how did you explain things to Danny? And what's the deal with your parents?"
"When Danny was small, I just told him we had moved away from where his dad lived and that's why we didn't see him. When he started asking questions as a teenager and was old enough to understand, I explained to him that his father was a just a sixteen-year-old boy, not much older than he was, himself, and that he was too scared and too immature to be a father. I asked him to imagine how he might feel to be responsible for a newborn baby and that, since I was also only sixteen, we had needed my parents to look after us."
"I'm sure as he gets older, he'll read more into it than that," Logan remarked.
"I know," Luanna sighed. "But at least by then he won't be a little boy who will be crushed by the knowledge that his dad didn't want him. Plus, Danny's strong. He's confident and well loved. I think he'll understand that the important people in his life are the ones who he's surrounded with."
"And your parents?" Logan nudged.
Luanna sucked in a deep breath. "My parents really sacrificed for me and Danny. My dad worked for Danny's grandfather's company. When the rumours started circulating that I was pregnant and that his son was my baby's father, he decided that Dad should get a 'promotion', along with a relocation package."
"Bastard!" Logan couldn't help the expletive that slipped out. He looked around again at Luanna's modest apartment and budget furniture. "So, you're telling me that this dude came from money, but instead of doing anything to support you, they just conveniently brushed you under the carpet?"
Logan was stunned at the strength of the outrage he felt on her behalf. "Danny's father might have been young, but his family should have been responsible. I can't believe they just off loaded you and your family like that!"
"Mum was happy about it. I overheard her saying to Dad that if the Fulfords wanted to get their hands on the baby, they had enough money and clout to take him away from me. My parents took the relocation package, but as soon as we'd moved away, Dad started looking for another job. Mum started looking for somewhere else for us to live, so they wouldn't be able to find us if they ever changed their minds, and they wouldn't be able to use our new home and Dad's income as leverage to manipulate the situation."
Logan shook his head and kissed Luanna's hair.
"Well, as much of a struggle as it was for you all, it sounds like you were probably better off without them, sweetheart. They sound like complete morons."
"James wasn't so bad," Luanna defended. "We'd been dating for over eight months. His father didn't like how serious we were getting, even before the pregnancy. He didn't think I was good enough for his son." She laughed humourlessly, thinking back. "He even went to the trouble of inviting some friends with a more 'suitable' daughter on holiday with them. James was planning to break things off with me, even before I told him about the baby, and start dating the girl his father set him up with."
"He was weak," Logan commented.
"He was just young and scared." There was no malice or censure in Luanna's voice, revealing that she was over any hurt or anger she might have once felt.
Privately, Logan thought differently, but it wasn't his place to press the point. Luanna had clearly made peace with the events of her past, and rehashing old hurts
would serve no purpose.
"I bet you were, too," he said, instead, although he supposed a subtle dig was still present in his words.
Luanna shrugged. "I was terrified," she admitted freely. "I was also incredibly lucky. My parents were fantastic. There was no blame or recriminations from them, despite the upheaval to their own lives. They stood by me and supported me, allowed me the opportunity to take correspondence courses so I could still gain a profession, since I didn't get to finish school or go to college. My dad's an accountant, so he helped tutor me through my own bookkeeping and finance courses, since I could only work from home while I took care of Danny. They kept a roof over our heads until I could finally afford to get a place of my own and Danny was old enough not to need day care, which I couldn't afford."
Logan smiled. "And now I know how you came to be so special; you learned it from the example of those around you. You're a credit to them, Luanna, and Danny has obviously picked up those same traits from all of you."
Luanna's smile was tinged with sadness. "I tried my best to make them proud of me. I felt like I had a lot to make up for, after I disappointed them so badly by getting pregnant."
Logan cupped her face in both his hands and looked searchingly into her moss green eyes. "Do you really think they would have wanted anything different?" he asked seriously. "If a child of yours was in the same situation, wouldn't you do exactly the same thing? That's a parent's role and responsibility."
