“What’s wrong?” he asks.
I look at him funny and shake my head.
“I know you better than you know yourself, something’s on your mind.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start.” I wrap my arms around the elephant and hug it with all that I have. “Life has thrown me a bit of a curveball.”
“Can I help?”
“I don’t think so,” I sigh. “Do you remember when we first met, and I told you that it wasn’t Evelyn’s father who hurt me but someone I never wanted to talk about that did?”
I look at Logan. He nods so I continue. “That guy is back, no thanks to my dad and a grudge he’s held onto for years. Old memories have resurfaced and the other night I went through a box of stuff that I had kept and turns out that—”
“Mommy, Logan, look at me!” Evelyn goes by and we wave at her.
“Turns out what?”
“That I’m married,” I say, holding eye contact with him.
His eyebrows shoot up, his lips purse and he grabs ahold of the fence that we’re leaning against.
“We got married when I turned eighteen. It didn’t last long. I made him sign divorce papers and then it seems that I never filed them. I tried to the other day, but small-town politics are getting in the way.” I continue to tell Logan the sordid details. Everything from my dad arresting my ex, to throwing him in jail, to Harvey being utterly ridiculous with this sentencing.
Logan doesn’t say much except that he’s sorry and will do anything he can to play mediator between Ajay and me, if that’s what I want. That’s not exactly the reaction I’m looking for. I fully expect him to fight for me, to tell me to ignore Harvey’s sentence because I’m supposed to be Logan’s girlfriend, but it’s like he’s giving up without even trying. Either I’ve been way off base about our relationship or it’s clear we’ve run our course and it’s best that we remain friends. I don’t know what to think right now but am very thankful that I have Logan to lean on.
Every ride, he waits in line with Evelyn and makes sure she’s secure before the ride starts. He tells me he doesn’t trust the ride operator to do their job and I don’t either which is why I’ll never get on a ride at the fair that spins or goes upside down. I don’t feel safe if I can’t climb out just in case anything happens.
When Evelyn’s exhausted all her tickets, Logan picks her up and ushers us to the exit. She’s tired, my mood is shot to hell, and I know his is as well.
We’re almost to the exit when my blood turns cold. Coming toward me, with his wife and children, is Evelyn’s father. Logan’s by my side, whispering in my ear to keep walking, to just ignore what I see, but I can’t. My daughter deserves to know her father and her siblings. It’s not her fault that her father is a liar and a cheat.
We make eye contact. He looks from me to Logan, and then to the back of his sleeping daughter’s head. But he doesn’t stop. He never stops. And even as I watch him walk by, he turns and gives us one more look before he returns his focus to his family… the only family that matters to him.
19
Ajay
Harrison and Liam are by my side as we wait in the private lobby for their jet to be ready. The three of us are standing at the large window with our sunglasses on, almost as if we were spies. What a fun job that would be, traveling around and doing covert missions. Maybe in another life because the one I’m currently living is booked solid between gigs and spending time in Bailey.
“If you need anything, call me,” Harrison says.
“Or me,” Liam adds. “I’ll be less fatherly, but you can still call if you need someone to talk to. I know a thing or two about being young, in love, and fighting for the woman you want to be with.”
“So do I.” Harrison
leans forward and looks at Liam but unfortunately, I can’t see his eyes.
Liam scoffs. “What do you know? You met Katelyn, wooed her, she got upset for a whole two minutes and forgave you. What Ajay’s going through — I’ve been there, man — not you!”
Harrison waves Liam off. “You think you know everything.”
“More than you,” he mumbles. I try not to laugh but the two of them are pretty funny together. Add JD to the mix and it’s a downright party with side aching laughter.
“All I’m saying is that I loved, lost, loved again and wifed Josie up as fast as I could because I wasn’t letting her go.”
“Wifed her up?” Harrison looks confused. “I think you’ve been hanging around the kids to much. Wifed her up,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“When did you and Katelyn get married?” I ask him.