But looking back on our time together, Logan was always doing something to fuck up, to need my forgiveness, and when kids are involved there are no second chances. One careless move and our daughter, Molly, could be gone forever. That was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.
I close my eyes and lift my glass of water to my lips, hoping it’ll settle the adrenaline coursing through me and make the shakes go away. Tessa is still speaking, but I tune her out, focusing all my attention on the cool liquid sliding down my throat.
Chairs slide out around the table. I open my eyes and notice it’s full: Rex, Piper, Cooper, and Sarah have sat down with us. Piper nudges my arm with her elbow. I lean closer and she whispers, “Breathe. You’ve got this.”
I give her a reassuring smile, hoping I don’t look as nervous as I feel. The people in the room begin to clap and I realize my dad is standing next to Tessa. They must have given some sort of speech. I clap too. When they sit at their table-for-two at the head of the room, waiters appear with rolling carts and begin serving us salads.
“So, Danika,” Cooper says from across the table. “Where are you nowadays? Walter is weirdly cryptic about you. All he’ll say when Logan asks is that you’re fine.”
I look up from my salad. I never understood omnivore salads, they’re just lettuce with croutons and dressing. Vegans put everything but the kitchen sink in theirs to bulk it up. This literally feels like I'm eating rabbit food. “I’m in Georgia with my Nona.”
“That’s cool.” Cooper looks like he wants to say more but instead chooses to shove a forkful of lettuce in his mouth.
I stare at him, waiting for the next question to come. When it doesn’t I ask, “Why do I get the feeling you’ve got something else to say, Coop?”
He shakes his head, avoiding eye contact. “Nope. I’m good.”
“I thought you would be traveling or something,” Logan adds. “Walter would periodically say ‘who knows where she is these days’ so I assumed you were.”
I force a chuckle, hoping it sounds playful because I want my next question to come out light but I’m dying to know the answer. “How often did you ask about me?”
“All the fucking time,” Piper guffaws.
I turn to Logan, who shrugs and brings his water to his lips, but his cheeks are red. I stare at him, dumbfounded. He asked about me? I knew he would at first, but I expected Logan to move on and forget about me. Is this why Piper said sleeping with Logan would be easy?
“Did you ever ask about me?” he wonders aloud.
A noose tightens around my throat. Did I ever ask about Logan? No, because I knew if I did I wouldn’t move on. Not that I did a great job of moving on to begin with. My dating life is non-existent and I’m straddling the stalker line when it comes to Piper's social media, searching for any picture of Logan. But if I admit that I never asked, it’ll hurt Logan’s feelings. “Every now and then.”
Awkward silence falls across the table, the weight of Logan’s disappointment heavy like a wet blanket over all of us. After a few seconds that feel like hours, Rex breaks the tension. “How much longer do you have, Cooper?”
“On leave?”
Rex shakes his head. “Of your enlistment. After the incident in Toronto, I’ve been talking to Piper about hiring a bodyguard. She hates the idea but I might have better luck of it if you’re the guy we hire.”
“What happened in Toronto?” Logan asks at the same time Piper says, “I’m right here. I can hear you.”
“Another year and a half.” A waiter takes Cooper’s salad from in front of him. Once all of our plates are cleared, he continues, “I don’t know what I’m going to do after that, though.”
“I’m telling you,” Rex pauses to thank the waiter as a new plate with the main course is set in front of him. When the guy has passed, he adds, “You’re fucking huge. When you’re ready, hit me up. I know plenty of people that would pay to have you in their corner.”
“Is no one going to tell me what happened to Piper last week?” Logan asks again.
Piper rolls her eyes. “It was nothing. Just some drunk fan on the wrong side of the arena who wanted to talk shit.”
“And he pushed you!” Rex exclaims. “I almost got benched because of that fucker.”
Piper’s jaw drops. “No. You almost got benched because you tried to jump the plexiglass. Again.”
“That fucker needed to know not to touch my woman,” Rex growls. “I mean, really. Who pushes a pregnant chick?”
Piper shakes her head, leans over and pats Rex's cheek. “You’re such a caveman.”
“But I’m your caveman.” Rex turns, planting a wet kiss on Piper’s lips.
“And my appetite is gone.” Logan stands, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and extends his hand, palm up. “Dance with me.”
Like a reflex, I place my hand in Logan’s. My head fogs, memories swirling. “I thought your dance skills were reserved for moonlight serenades?”