“Send me pictures,” Grandpa says, hobbling over.
“I will. Love you, Grandpa.”
“Love you too, Ellie.”
I give him a hug goodbye and then step into the humid summer air. Logan puts my suitcase in the trunk, and we climb into the back of Dean’s car.* * *
“We have an hour and a half before we leave.” Logan looks around the terminal. “Want to go get something to eat?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m starving.” I grab my purse and reach for my carry-on, but Logan grabs it first, along with his. Carrying both bags, Logan leads the way, stopping outside a pizza restaurant. He looks at it and shrugs. I nod and we go in, finding a table. Logan stashes the bags to the side, and we order drinks and a pepperoni pizza.
“What’s the first thing you want to do when we get to Hawaii?” I ask, reaching for my Long Island Iced Tea.
“Sleep.”
“You’re so boring.”
Logan takes a sip of beer. “It’ll be six AM our time and one AM Hawaii time. I can’t sleep on planes, but that might work to my advantage. I can pass out once we get to the hotel and then wake up and be pretty much on their time zone.”
“I can sleep on long flights if I’m tired enough.”
“Right. You’ve been on some long ones.”
Nodding, I turn my head, people watching for a minute. I turn back, and Logan quickly looks away. I smile and run my eyes over him. God, he’s such a gorgeous man. He’s been working out a lot more lately, and I can tell. It won’t be hard to pretend to be insanely attracted to my fiancé.
What the hell did I get us into?
“Thanks again for coming with me,” I blurt before I have a chance to really think about it. I reach out and put my hand on his, and as soon as my skin makes contact with his, I know I just make a big mistake.
Because now I’m not entirely sure I’m going to be capable of removing my hand.
His long fingers under mine are warm, and I know if he was to flip his palm over, I’d feel rough skin. He’d interlace our fingers, and he’d move his thumb down to my wrist, rubbing little circles over my skin.
Then he’d reach forward with his other hand and caress my face. We’d slowly lean across the table. He’d push my hair back, tucking my long locks behind my ear. My tongue would dart out, slowly wetting my lips. Heat would rush through me, starting in my stomach and spreading down at a scary-fast rate, making me wet with anticipation of what’s to come.
Spoiler alert: it’ll be me.
I blink and jerk my hand back, unable to help that flush that takes over my face. Reaching for my drink, I almost knock it over before I grip the cold glass. I bring it to my lips and take down a few gulps, which was probably a bad idea on its own. I haven’t eaten in a while, the pizza won’t be here for another ten minutes at least, and drunk Danielle has an even harder time filtering her thoughts.
“You’re welcome,” Logan says, leaning back and tensing a bit. “I know how awkward it would be around your family, and I’m glad you don’t have to go alone.” The line sounds rehearsed, but I’ll take it.
“Yeah. I’ve hardly spoken to my dad since I left. Which is a good thing, because it was really awkward when he called to congratulate me on my engagement,” I laugh, and Logan does too. I shake my head. “I still feel bad for getting you into this mess.”
“It’s really not that messy.” Logan’s shoulders start to relax again. “And if I didn’t want to get into it, I wouldn’t. I know this might come as a shock since I spend most of my free time with Owen, but I am an adult capable of making my own decisions.”
I narrow my eyes. “But are you really?”
“It is a little questionable. You should start making me precooked dinners and pies when we get back like you did for your grandpa.”
“Hey,” I laugh. “Grandpa has gotten used to having someone else around the house to help with those things. His age is starting to show, as much as I hate saying that. And it’s a wonder his cholesterol isn’t sky-high from the way he was eating before I got there.”
“You mean eating the burgers and fries he’d come in and get at least four times a week?”
“Exactly that.” I pick up my drink again. “Now I’m the one eating burgers and fries four times a week.”
“They are good burgers.”
“Too good. I should have scaled back before summer and swimsuit weather.”
Logan looks at me like I’m crazy. “You’re kidding, right?”
I make a face, getting a little uncomfortable. I spoke without thinking, and to be honest, I’m not even sure I care that much. But it’s been so ingrained in my head since I was just a little girl that how I look determines my self-worth in some peoples’ eyes.