I Love You, I Hate You Part 2 A second Chance Romance (Broken Love Book 3)

by Bailey B

  “You suck,” he chuckles, leaning down to kiss my nose.

  My jaw drops. I told him I love him and that’s the response I get? Logan’s arms fall to his sides and he leaves me alone in the living room with Molly. Tears pool in my eyes, the sting of embarrassment worse than sorrow. With as hard as Logan fought to have us in his life, I assumed he still felt the same way. Maybe I was wrong.

  Logan comes back in a few minutes later, hands in his pockets, that goofy crooked grin I love to hate on his face. “You take all the fun out of everything.”

  I cross my arms and bite my cheek. I don’t want Logan to know my feelings are hurt. He’ll for sure say I love you then, but I don’t want the words if he doesn’t mean them.

  “Here.” He hands me a shoebox.

  I look up at him, thoroughly confused because I’ve seen this box countless times, sitting on the floor of the closet. I lift the lid and inside the foothold of his gray sneaker is a small, black, velvet box. I drop it all, the heavy shoes making a thud against the tile that startles Molly. She looks at us for a fraction of a second before turning her attention back to the TV.

  Logan bends down, keeping one knee on the tile, and retrieves the little box. He opens the lid, exposing a solitaire diamond ring set in white gold. “I was going to surprise you at Christmas, in front of Nona and everyone when they came over for lunch, but you’ve always had a way of throwing a wrench into my plans.”

  We can’t do this. We’re not ready to get married. We’ve only been together a few weeks. It’s too soon. As soon as the thought passes through my mind, I almost laugh. We may have only been living together for a few weeks, but my relationship with Logan, as unconventional as it may have been, spans years.

  “I know you,” he says with a smirk. “You’re probably analyzing the shit out of this right now, but I love you Danika. We can get married tomorrow, next year, hell even ten years from now if you want. I don’t care about the paperwork. I care about you and Molly. Say you’ll be mine. Marry me.

  “Yes.”

  43

  Danika

  “I don’t feel comfortable with you driving to Orlando,” Logan says out of the blue.

  I pause the documentary we’re watching about gymnasts. My heart goes out for those girls. So much abuse, and for years it was brushed under the rug. It still baffles me how some parents turn a blind eye to the suffering of their children. I think about Molly, who doesn’t speak ninety percent of the time. I am her advocate. If someone was hurting her, there’s no way I could keep my mouth shut.

  “Danika?”

  “Sorry.” I drop the remote between us on the couch and smile apologetically. “I zoned out. What did you say?”

  Logan, used to my wandering mind, chuckles. I swear, I’m worse than a squirrel these days. There's just so much to juggle now that he is back to work. “I said, I don’t think you should drive to Orlando. At least, not in your car. I don’t trust it.”

  “Can I take your Camaro?” I haven’t driven a stick since I was fifteen but it can’t be that hard. Like riding a bike. Some things you never forget. I hope.

  Logan stretches his arm behind my head and over my shoulders. He pulls me closer until I’m leaning against him. “I was thinking we get you a new SUV before your trip on Friday. The dealerships are practically giving cars away this time of year. We could probably get an interest free loan and a ton of money for your clunker.”

  “I like my clunker. Thank you very much.” I’ve actually wanted to trade it in for a while now. The motor has started making a new knocking sound, but I have almost no credit and no job. I doubt anyone with half a brain would give me a loan.

  “I’d like to know my girls are in a safe, reliable vehicle. What do you say?” Logan looks down at me, his brown eyes all puppy dog-like.

  The idea is nice, but on the off chance we don’t work out, I won’t have anything in my name. My car might not be much, but it’s mine. “I don’t know, Logan.”

  “Just think about it. You don’t want to break down on the interstate. I-4 has been under construction for the last ten years and it’s still a mess.”

  I press both of my palms against the leather of my new-to-me steering wheel, which is attached to a newer, sturdier version of my old clunker. Somehow, Logan worked his magic and got double what my trade-in was worth and a payment I can even afford, which says a lot because my income is nothing.

  I blare the horn, earning the middle finger from the guy who cut me off. “Fucker!” I yell, even though he can’t hear me. Nona’s ticket is open ended. We wanted to give her the option to stay through New Year’s if that’s what she wants. Whenever she does decide to fly home, she won’t be going through Orlando. This traffic is a nightmare!

  Finally, after almost two hours of hell, I make it to the terminal pickup area. I cruise under the covered ramp, looking at the overhead signs for her airline. Eventually, I see Nona, standing on the edge of the sidewalk, one leg kicked out from under her dress, white leather suitcase in front of her, thumb hitched out.

  A little car, two lengths up, stops. My heart races because that’s my Nona! That creepy perv needs to get away from her before I ram into the back of his car and perform a rescue mission. Nona, ignorant to this car’s intentions, rests her forearm against the man’s rolled down window.

  I inch forward, parking behind this Nona snatcher and jumping out faster than Logan came the first a time we had sex. “Nona!”

  “And there she is now,” Nona laughs. She holds her hands up, cradling my cheeks as she rises onto her tiptoes to kiss my forehead. “I was telling this nice young man that my pimp only allows me to work with the ladies. What do you say dear? Can we make an exception?”

  I don’t bother to look at the guy. I grab her bag with one hand and link my other arm through hers. “No.”

  “Too bad.” Nona blows the man a kiss and waves at him over her shoulder.

  I open the passenger door and make sure Nona is strapped in before putting her bag into the trunk. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

  “Oh, hush, child.” She giggles and swats at my arm. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “You seem to have enough of it for the both of us.” I flick my turn signal and merge to my right. A car whizzes past me, blowing its horn because I’m only doing ten miles over the speed limit. I don’t care if it adds forty-five minutes to the drive, I’m taking the scenic route home. I can’t take another minute on this road!

  “What can I say? If I’m gonna go out it might as well be with a bang.” This woman. She has so much of my mother in her. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Whatever the case, having Nona around makes the sting of losing Mom easier.

  “So,” Nona starts, folding her hands over her knee. “Tell me about this horrifically sweet man you’ve moved in with. Last time we chatted, you hated him and that hussy, Sarah.”

  Guilt twists my stomach into a knot. Before Molly nearly died, Nona and I talked multiple times a week. She’s still made the effort to call in the weeks since but I haven't felt like talking. Not just to her, but to anyone. “I’m sorry I shut you out, Nona.”

  She pats my leg with a knowing smile on her face. “Don’t worry, dear. I understand. Life knocks you on your ass sometimes. You have to find your footing again before taking another shot at it.”

  Tears sting my eyes. Nona has always supported my decisions, even if they were stupid, and understood them. I’m so incredibly lucky to have her in my life. “It’s no excuse.”

  Nona rolls her eyes. “From the looks of the rock on your finger, I think you’ve landed on your feet again.”

  My cheeks heat. I run my thumb along the bottom of the band. It’s funny how fast I adjusted to wearing my ring. Half the time I forget it’s there. The other half I can’t stop staring at it. “Logan asked me to marry him last week.”

  Nona smiles, the tiny wrinkles on her cheeks kissing her eyes. “I always knew you two would find your way back to each other
. The way you talked about him.” She pauses looking out the window at a far away thought. “You only find a love like that once.”

  44

  Logan

  I look at my phone for the millionth time. Danika is late and I have to be on duty in thirty minutes. I’ve called her a dozen times but she’s not answering. I knew I should have set up the bluetooth before she left, but there wasn’t much time. I have to assume Danika’s phone is on silent in her purse. That woman misplaces her phone too many times throughout the day to count and can’t find it because she forgets to turn damn the ringer on.

  Her black SUV pulls into the drive and I let out a sigh of relief breath. I don’t know what I would have done if they were broken down or hurt somewhere.

  Finally.

  “Mommy’s home!” I shout into the house. Molly comes running out of her room with the picture we colored. She jumps into my arms and I carry her outside. One day my girl is going to be too big to carry. Until then, I’m making up for lost time and holding her every chance I get.

  “Mommy!” Molly shouts, stopping Danika in her tracks. The color drains from Danika’s face, happy tears streaming down her cheeks. I’m pretty sure this is the first time Molly has said Danika’s name. The woman I’m assuming is Nona covers her mouth with both hands, hiding an ecstatic smile.

  Molly wiggles out of my arms and skips down the drive. She holds up the picture she drew, a family portrait and points to her strangely disproportionate stick people. “Mommy!”

  “Yeah, baby.” Danika’s voice cracks. She flutters her lashes and sniffles. “That’s me. Who is that?”

  “Daddy,” Molly says proudly.

  “The therapy is working.” I walk down the drive and extend my hand to the most interesting old woman I’ve ever met. The woman has long gray hair that falls to her shoulders in loose waves, similar to Danika’s, but Nona’s ends are dyed easter-egg blue. She’s got on a knee-length lace covered dress that hugs her tiny frame tighter than anything Danika wears. This woman is like no grandmother I’ve ever seen. “You must be Nona.”

  Nona’s lips press into a firm line, her eyebrows drawing together. “And you’re the man who took my granddaughter’s best years.”

  This is going to be a fun few weeks.

  Nona leans forward and punches me in the shoulder. “Just kidding. Welcome to the family!”

  I laugh, equal parts relieved and nervous because Mom is going to hate Nona. She loves to be the center of attention and this woman could command a room without batting an eye. “I’d love to stay and chat, but my shift is about to start. I have to go.”

  I shake Nona’s hand again then give both my girls a quick kiss on the cheek. “Have fun you three!”

  I am dog tired. Getting back into the swing of night shift has been rough. I’d forgotten how many idiots are swerving through the roads after midnight. Other than them, things are quiet. I have to fight to keep my eyes open until shift change and then resist the urge to pass out as soon as I walk through the door. I’ve been trying to give Danika a few minutes in the morning to have a quiet cup of coffee. Most days I succeed, but some days I’m just too tired.

  All that changed yesterday. Rotations switched and I’m back on day shift for two weeks. Just in time for Mom's annual Christmas Eve dinner. This year it’s at our house. Danika didn’t want to risk another food incident after the Thanksgiving fiasco. Truth be told, I didn’t either.

  “Nona.” Walter sounds surprised as he walks through our door with a handful of gift bags and a bottle of wine. I guess we forgot to tell him about our house guest. Oops. “I didn’t know you were in town. When did you arrive?”

  Nona takes the bottle of wine and turns her back as Mom enters. I’d wager Danika told her about my upbringing. From the looks of things, Nona is as big of a fan of Mom as Danika is. “A few days go. You’d know that if you took the time to call your only daughter.”

  I stifle a chuckle. That fire Danika has, it comes from Nona. This woman is a firecracker in the best of ways. I can understand why Danika wanted to live with her. She is a million times more supportive than Walter. I feel bad for pulling them apart again. Maybe I can make things right again.

  “We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting.” Mom extends her hand to Nona. I’d bet a hundred dollars she’s freaking out inside. In all the time I’ve spent with Walter, he never brought up his late wife. I doubt that’s any different with Mom. Nona being here is a mix of his past and present and she’s going to hate it. “I’m Tessa, Walter's wife.”

  Nona stares at mom's hand and smirks. “Darling, your nail polish is chipped. You should do something about that.”

  Nona turns and leaves mom to inspect her nails. I bring the rim of my beer to my lips and look down at my feet. Lord knows if Mom catches me laughing at her expense, I’ll get an earful.

  “Where is my niece?” Piper pushes a stroller into my house like she owns the place. She’s been here all of three times since I moved in a few years ago, but this is the first time since Liam has been born. “I’ve got four years of cuddles to make up for.”

  “It’s cool, Pipes.” Rex is a few steps being her with more gifts in his arms than we have under the tree. For the record, our tree is stocked. Molly isn’t going to know what to do with everything she’s getting. Add these to what Mom brought to her stack and we could open a toy store. “I didn’t need any help.”

  I set my beer on the counter and reach for one of the overflowing totes Rex is struggling with. “She’s in the room with Danika. They should be out any minute. Molly just woke from her nap.”

  “Thanks, man.” Rex claps his hand on my back. He grabs a beer from the cooler then heads out onto the lanai to say hello to Walter and Mom. Apparently they’d rather suffer in the Florida heat than be in the same room as Nona.

  “I can’t believe how big he’s gotten.”

  Piper lifts Liam out of the stroller and holds him out to me. I haven’t seen the little guy since the week he was born. Even though he’s grown, I can’t get over how tiny he is in my arms. I can’t imagine Molly this small and helpless. She’s so fiercely independent. Just like her mother.

  “I swear time moves faster after having kids.” She lifts her diaper bag out of the basket on the bottom of her stroller and pulls out a bottle. “I feel like every time I blink another month has flown by.”

  I know the feeling. “Molly’s grown an inch since moving home.”

  Piper drapes a burp cloth over her shoulder and reaches for Liam. I hand him back just as his tiny mouth opens with a cry. Piper tucks the nipple of a bottle into his mouth and the little guy goes to town. I wish I could have been a part of Molly’s life when she was little. I’m grateful for every moment I’ve gotten the past few months but sometimes I feel like I missed out.

  My bedroom door closes and a half second later my daughter is in my arms. Danika has braided her hair and matched the bow at the end of her elastic tie with her dress. She doesn’t have shoes on yet, but she’s still picture perfect.

  “Oh, my god, Dani. She’s gotten so big,” Piper gawks. “I thought Logan was exaggerating when he said she grew an inch.”

  Danika giggles and gives Piper a one armed hug. I suck in a breath, every muscle in my body tense. Piper hates being touched. For years she avoided all hugs and handshakes. Nine times out of ten, it would send her into a panic attack.

  Danika pulls back and takes Liam's hand. I wait for that moment when Piper’s face blanches and the freak out to take over. Her eyes used to get glossy, that’s how I knew she wasn’t all right. Her moment never comes and I don’t know if I’m more shocked or proud.

  Molly, noticing she’s not the center of my attention, wiggles out of my arms and runs to Nona. I like having Nona around. Molly has completely broken out of her shell and Danika seems happier. It’s going to suck when she leaves.

  “Ahhhhh!” Piper screams. I look over my shoulder, terrified something’s wrong. I chuckle when I notice she’s holding Danika’s
left hand. Gawking. We were going to tell the family about the engagement after opening presents. Seems like that plan is shot.

  “What?” Rex demands running into the room. Mom and Walter are a step behind him. I recognize that panic. I’ve lived it, which is why I shouldn’t laugh but knowing what Piper’s freaking out about, I can't help it. “What’s wrong with Liam?”

  “What?” Piper arches her brows and shakes her head. “Nothing. He’s sleeping in the stroller. Have you seen this?”

  Piper holds Danika’s hand out, showing off the two carat ring I drained a third of my savings to buy. I wouldn’t change a thing. Danika is worth every penny and the jeweler was right, it is gorgeous.

  “I figured this was coming,” Walter chuckles. He tucks his hands into his pockets while Mom crosses her arms. She doesn’t bother to hide her disapproval. Afterall, Danika and I are stepsiblings. The situation isn’t ideal, but we were an item long before they got married.

  “Aww.” Piper pulls Danika into a hug again and rocks her side to side. “I wish Cooper was here. He’d be thrilled to hear you're finally going to be our sister.”

  “This calls for a toast.” Nona walks to the center of the group, brushing Mom’s shoulder as she goes by. “To family.”

  I hold up my beer. Danika and Piper hold Liams empty milk bottle. I’m filled with overwhelming joy. This is the dream I never thought I’d have. The family I prayed for but never felt worthy of. When everyone has something in their hand we say, “ To family.”

  45

  Danika

  Christmas was wonderful. We shared presents and then everyone went home. There was no drama or hospital trips, which is more than I could have asked for, considering how epically horrible Thanksgiving was. All that was missing was Cooper but he’s been deployed again and won't be stateside until February.