“Have a good afternoon, Emily.” He hung up.
Staring at my phone, I thought over the emotional torment I’d been dealing with over the past few days and also the suffering I’d dished out to Logan, a man who didn’t deserve it.
I swallowed as I remembered the look on his face when I’d told him it was over.
I’d messed up. I groaned and leaned forward, resting my head on the steering wheel.
I’d panicked. I should have calmly thought it through and realized Lionel couldn’t take Juniper from me. Maybe I could explain that to Logan, not that he had any reason to listen to me after the way I’d treated him.
Tears streamed down my cheek. There was no way he’d ever trust me again. I don’t know how he felt, but I’d stomped on his feelings. Disrespected him. Humiliated him. A man like him couldn’t handle that. He wouldn’t want to be with a woman who would do something like that, a woman who’d let her ex manipulate her so easily.
I was a damned idiot. Lionel might have threatened me, but I was the one who all but spit in Logan’s face, a man who’d treated me and my daughter with nothing but the utmost respect. A man I loved.
I still needed to pick up Juniper. I pulled the car back into traffic, wiping my tears on my sleeve. I bawled as I hit the first light.
Chapter Thirty-four
LOGAN
I picked up my coffee mug from the table in my mother’s parlor. My mother and Sally Jolie sat across on the other side of the table, both of them drinking sweet tea. I’d been explaining what I’d found out from Charles at the club.
“That’s what he told me anyway,” I said after finishing a sip of my coffee.
Between the three of us, I hoped we could put all the pieces together and figure out what was going on, even if Emily didn’t seem to want any help.
“So, Lionel’s a criminal in addition to being an adulterer,” my mother said. “How very appropriate.”
“Accused criminal anyway.” I shrugged.
“We already know he can’t honor his marital vows, so it’s hardly surprising he’d do something illegal as well.” My mother nodded once, satisfied with her observation. “And that foolish girl who is dating him, I feel so sorry for her. She’s too young to know what a piece of trash Lionel is.”
I wasn’t about to challenge that characterization. I suspected insider trading, fraud, and adultery were at the tip of the iceberg when it came to Lionel Blue. Plus, at this point, he was rapidly reaching the top of my most-hated man list.
Sally frowned. “So, he gets some poor girl pregnant, then tries to get his divorced wife to take him back? That doesn’t make much sense. I don’t understand what’s playing at.”
I almost spit out my coffee. “What? Lionel’s trying to get back together with Emily?”
I prayed that I’d heard Sally wrong, but my mother’s wide-eyed expression suggested she’d heard the same thing.
“I finally got it out of Emily this morning,” Sally said with a sniff. “Lionel has been suggesting they get back together. From what she tells me, he’s downright harassing her about it, saying it’d be better for Juniper for them to be together again.”
My mother snorted. “Right after he got another girl pregnant? Lionel knows no shame. I think he can’t even spell shame. The devil has more shame, I swear.”
Sally’s expression darkened. “It’s worse than that. He’s not only trying to get her to take him back. He also threatened to take full custody of Juniper if she doesn’t.” She shot a sympathetic glance my way. “I’m guessing that’s why she pushed you away, Logan. She didn’t say as much, but it’s the only explanation that makes any sense.”
My face heated, and I gave a curt nod. I took a few deep breaths, and my blood pounded in my ears. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d ever been angrier in my life, and that included when I’d been screwed on several multimillion-dollar deals.
I wasn’t angry at Emily. If Lionel had been there in the room, I would have punched the bastard in the face, picked him up, and tossed his ass out on the street.
“I can’t blame her,” I said calmly. “Her daughter always has to come first. I understand that. I only wish she’d come to me and told me this. I could have helped her. I could have hired investigators, lawyers, whatever she needed to deal with Lionel.”
Sally smiled. “Bless you, Logan. Bless you.” She took a deep breath. “She’s already talked to her lawyer. Lionel doesn’t have a case. They apparently have some sort of evidence they can use. Something they didn’t use during the divorce. Emily only told me that if she used it, there was no way he could get custody.”
I frowned. “Why didn’t they use it before? They should have buried that asshole when they had their chance.”
My mother nodded in agreement, a pensive expression on her face. I could tell how concerned she was over Lionel as she would have normally scolded me for cursing in front of two ladies.
Sally sighed. “I think Emily thought it’d be better to protect Juniper from missing her daddy.” She tsked. “But I agree. I knew something like this would happen. You can’t play nice with a man like that. He’ll always take advantage.” She pursed her lips. “Like he did during their marriage. That’s why you need a good man to begin with. Men don’t change just because they get married.”