Of Loss & Betrayal (Madison & Logan 2)

Mack put a hand to his chest, looking melodramatic. “Actually, it’s been really hard. Will you stay the night with me and spoon me?”

Everyone laughed and I was grateful for Mack’s antics that broke the gloomy mood. We attempted to make normal conversation, although we were all painfully aware that we were ignoring the elephant in the room. Not only Kristina’s suicide attempt, but the uncomfortable situation of her trying to break Logan and me up with her lies about an engagement.

We were able to keep up the façade for most of dinner, until Mack mentioned Thanksgiving.

“I’m looking forward to co

ming over for Thanksgiving,” he said with a smile. “Can I bring anything? I can pick up dessert.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Just bring yourself. I’m determined to make the whole shebang this year from scratch.” I made a wry face. “Of course, that may mean we end up ordering Chinese food for dinner.”

I noticed that Kristina’s face fell at the mention of Thanksgiving. I told myself not to do it. To not say anything to her about it. But she looked so forlorn sitting there that I couldn’t help myself.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s not a big deal. I’m not a big holiday person.”

Her answer made me feel worse. Usually the people who said they didn’t like holidays were the ones who didn’t have anyone to spend them with.

I could hardly fathom the next words that came out of my mouth. “Do you want to come over for Thanksgiving? I can’t promise a great meal because I’m not exactly the best cook, but at the very least you can feast on some Orange Chicken.”

Kristina didn’t say anything at first. To say she looked surprised was an understatement. I half-expected her to refuse, since we weren’t exactly on good terms, and I didn’t know how to feel when she nodded her head.

“Thanks for the invitation. I’d like to come over for Thanksgiving.” She hesitated before continuing. “I’ve never really done the whole Thanksgiving dinner thing. My mother wasn’t exactly the domestic type and most holidays were spent in front of the TV.”

I remembered Logan mentioning that she was currently estranged from her mother. I could only imagine what had precipitated that estrangement. I realized that we had something else in common besides Logan: shitty mothers.

Logan smiled at me, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about him looking grateful. It didn’t exactly make me ecstatic to see that he was pleased about my invitation to Kristina.

The rest of dinner was uneventful, and I was relieved when we parted ways. Logan didn’t waste any time bringing up my invitation once we were alone in the car.

“Thanks for inviting Kristina. I know that must have been hard for you.”

I sighed. “I didn’t know what else to do. We were all discussing Thanksgiving and she was just sitting there with a despondent look on her face. I would be lying if I said I was looking forward to her joining us, but I felt like I had no other choice.”

Logan took my hand and squeezed it. “I know you didn’t want to do it. That’s why I appreciate it.”

I stared out the window at the passing lights, not knowing what to say. I had a feeling I would end up regretting this, but there was no going back now.

We spent the next day preparing for Thanksgiving, since it was only a day away. We did all the grocery shopping and I put Logan in charge of brining the turkey. We put music on while we got some of the prep work out of the way, so we wouldn’t be overwhelmed the next day. It was freezing outside, but it was warm and cozy in Logan’s apartment as we drank wine and laughed while working in the kitchen. If it hadn’t been for the damper of knowing that Kristina would be here tomorrow, it would have been a perfect day.

I spoke to Emily on the phone, but I still didn’t tell her about everything that had happened. I didn’t even know where to start, and if I were being honest with myself, I didn’t want to tell her what I had done. I wished her a happy Thanksgiving, since she was traveling home to Ohio to spend it with her family. I told myself I would tell her everything on Friday, since she would be back in Chicago, and we had a tradition of spending Black Friday together scouring all the deals.

Thanksgiving morning was sunny but frigid. Logan and I stayed in bed late, not wanting to leave the warmth of the covers. When we finally rolled out of bed, we had plenty to do in the kitchen to keep us occupied. I put Logan to work peeling potatoes while I got the yams ready.

“Happy Thanksgiving.”

I turned around from the kitchen counter and saw Logan standing there with a wrapped box. I raised an eyebrow.

“You know that you don’t give presents on Thanksgiving, right? That’s Christmas.” I gave a mock frown. “Did you forget that too?”

Logan laughed. “No, but I figured gift-giving is allowed on any holiday.” He held up the box. “Does that mean you don’t want it?”

“Don’t be silly,” I said, snatching the present from his hands. “I wouldn’t want to be rude or anything, by refusing a gift.”

Logan grinned and watched me rip open the wrapping paper. It was a small, long box, but for some reason I hadn’t been expecting jewelry. I certainly hadn’t been expecting a glittering diamond bracelet. I looked up at him with my mouth open.

“When did you even get a chance to buy this?” I asked in surprise. “We’ve been together practically every minute since you left the hospital.”