“I’d never abandon a child of mine.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe that’s why I never thought about having any.” Logan cleared his throat. “How about you? Did you and Shaun think about having kids?”
She felt a shiver run down her spine. “No.” She breathed out softly. “And I’m glad you’re going to be there for our child. It means a lot.”
“I’m glad you’re going to be, too.” His gaze clashed with hers. “You look exhausted,” he told her, his stare softening. “Let me take you home.”
She did feel tired. It was way past the time she usually climbed into bed. “Thank you,” she told him. It was for more than just the dinner he’d bought her. More, even, than the fact he was going to co-parent this baby with her. It was gratitude for giving her something she hadn’t thought about in a long, long time.
For the first time in forever, the future was looking bright.
Chapter Seventeen
Logan glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he steered his car into Courtney’s driveway. Her eyes were closed, her head leaning against the window, peaceful breaths escaping from her half-open lips. She’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they’d left Dan and Ellie’s place. It made him feel strangely warm inside to have her slumbering next to him. Almost as if they were a real family and he was taking care of her and their unborn baby.
He shook his head at himself. In another lifetime, maybe.
He parked next to her cottage and shut off the engine, turning to look at her again.
God, she was beautiful. It made his chest ache to look at her. The dress she was wearing clung to every curve, the fabric so soft he wanted to bury himself in it. And escape inside those dark crazy curls that tumbled over her shoulders, too. To dip his head and breathe in the floral aroma of her shampoo.
Stalker much? He swallowed a sigh and leaned forward to gently touch her shoulder. “Court,” he said, his voice low. “We’re back at yours.”
Her eyes slowly blinked open. She stared at him glassy eyed for a moment, then her gaze softened as she took him in. For a moment, all he could think about was kissing those soft lips. To taste her with his tongue, to make her sigh softly, the way he’d done before. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Did I fall asleep?” she asked, her voice still groggy.
“Yeah.” He gave her a half-smile. “Let me walk you inside. You should head straight for bed.” He opened the car door and the cold winter air rushed in, followed by a blur of brown feathers as a squawking hen launched herself in through the gap.
“Shit!” Logan leaned back, trying to keep his head out of the way of the bird’s flapping wings. He reached out, trying to catch her, but the hen was too damn slippery.
“What the hell’s on her wings?” he muttered
.
“That’s Hester. I put Vaseline on her feathers in the winter.” Courtney was wide awake as she leaned forward, trying to wrap her hands around the bird. But Hester ran across Logan’s lap, still squawking loudly as she tried to escape them both. Giving them a scornful backward glance, the hen jumped back out of the car and ran across the yard, her wings flapping. “What the hell’s she doing out of the coop?” Courtney asked.
His gaze met Courtney’s. “I guess she can’t resist me.”
She laughed, even though her eyes were tired. “I should go catch her and check the wire on the coop. It must have come loose again.”
“I’ll do it,” he told her, stepping out of the car. “You’re exhausted. Go to bed.”
“But your suit…”
Logan looked down at the dark blue jacket and tailored pants he was wearing. Sighing, he slid the jacket off, and unfastened the tie, laying them both on the driver’s seat. “Go to bed,” he told her as she stepped out of the car. “I got this.”
“I need to count the chickens. Make sure they’re all there.”
“I’ll count them. Right after I catch that damn hen.”
“She likes you,” Courtney reminded him. “Go easy on her.” She climbed out of the passenger side and turned to look at him. “Are you sure I can’t help?”
“Nope. How hard can it be?”
“I’ll sit on the stoop,” she told him. “In case you need help. Or advice. Just yell, okay?”
As it turned out, catching an oiled-up hen was trickier than he’d thought. Logan had to chase her around the cottage three times, listening to Courtney laugh every time Hester dodged out of his grasp. Her wings would flap until she was about eight feet in the air before she gently wafted down again. The third time, he managed to grab her leg, and she turned her beady eyes on him, looking outraged that he’d finally gotten the better of her. She flapped her wings again, but he refused to let go, pulling her into his arms. He could feel her slick feathers against his shirt as he held her tightly, stalking across the earthy path toward the coop she’d escaped from.
Clearly unhappy at being caught, she pecked his hand hard with her pointed beak. “Fuck,” he muttered, wincing at the sudden pain shooting through his arm.