Fallen Crest Family
Page 28
Logan had an odd look on his face. He glanced to me and then back to the room. Then he took a breath. "Did you want to go to the hospital?"
"Why?"
I knew why. I wasn't stupid, but god, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.
"You know," he hesitated. "I know Mason went there to make sure that she really was faking, but did you want to go too? To make sure that what she was said was legit? That she's actually kicking you out? I mean, I don't know, Sam. Your mom's crazy, certifiable, but she's nuts about you. Since we all got close, your mom's gone off the deep end because she's scared of losing you."
My stomach clenched as I remembered the murderous look in her eye, the one I saw before she collapsed today.
"Being kicked out is a big deal. You might act like you don't care now, but you will. I'm sure of it."
The sincerity in his voice had me blinking back tears. My throat swelled with emotion and I clasped my eyes shut.
"Hey."
I shrugged out of his hold. He had no idea. His dad had cheated, but he wasn't crazy. James had always and would always love his sons, and while their mom was intimidating, I knew she loved them as well. He had no idea.
"Look," his voice grew gruff. "I didn't say that to make you cry. I only meant that it sucks to be on the outs. You know? I've gotten kicked out of the house a few times and I always acted like I didn't care, but I did. I cared a lot. I think the only person who might not care would be Mason."
I chuckled, but it sounded more of a whimpered sob.
"So…did you want to go to the hospital and make sure this is the real thing? That you're actually being kicked out?"
I needed to pick up the pieces and move forward. I shook my head.
Logan put his arm around my shoulders and flashed me a grin. Pulling me into his side, he dipped his head down. He breathed out against my forehead. "Think of it this way. You no longer have to go to the party. The party will come to you, so that makes you the party…in a way. I guess." Frowning, he murmured, "No, that doesn't make sense either."
Another soft chuckle escaped me. Relieved by the brief respite, I thumped him on the chest. "Thanks for distracting me, but you know that I'll never be considered the party."
"You might, if you got really really drunk and started stripping." His eyes narrowed. "No, because then my big brother would sweep you up and take you for your own private party. You only would've been considered the party if you never knew us and still got really really drunk and then stripped. Then you would definitely be the party."
I rolled my eyes. "So I'm only fun if I had never met you guys?"
"Yep, sounds about right." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and flashed some charm. "So what do you think? Break up with Mason and go get wasted?"
"Are you serious?"
"No." His smile remained, but the laughter faded from his voice. "Not really. Kind of. Do you want to?"
"What kind of brother are you? You're encouraging me to break up with Mason."
"Not really."
My eyebrow arched high. "Really?"
"No, no. In this world we're all friends, no romance at all. That stuff's just too much drama anyways. In this world, you can go off and forget about your mom. Forget everything. Get drunk, or not since you don't really drink, but do whatever you do to take the edge off."
"I run."
"Not that," he said. "I want to be a part of this fun that I'm envisioning for you and that means that I'd have to run. I don't like to run, not unless I'm chasing someone or someone's trying to kick my ass. Then I'd run with you, but not in this world."
"This world? Your world, the one where you're not considered delusional?"
"Yeah." Logan's smile doubled. His eyes sparkled from anticipation. "I might be delusional, but what about Vegas? That sounds like a perfect world to go to. We can do all sorts of forgetting." Tugging my hand, he led the way out of my room, out of the house, and then he drove us towards my new home. My next home.
We were almost to Nate's when I frowned at him. "Were you serious about Vegas?" I didn't dare ask him about the other part, I did not want to know if he'd been joking or not.
At my words, his shoulders dropped and he let loose a deep breath. "Damn."
"What?"
"Ten minutes."
"Huh?"
"You forgot about your mom for ten minutes. That wasn't very long at all, Sam." He winked at me. "You're going to have to do better than ten minutes. Maybe Paris? Let's dream about going to Paris, you and me. What would we do there?"
Laughing now, I joined in. What the hell? "Not Paris. We wouldn't go to Paris if it were only you and me. That's too romantic."
"Ouch."
Ignoring him, I mused, "We'd go…"
"Yes?..."
"Germany." I nodded to myself. That sounded right. "You could drink all the beer you wanted."
"Damn good beer."
There was a silly grin on my face, but I didn't want to think about it. Then it'd go away and it'd been so long. But I couldn't help to ask, "Why only you and me? Why not Mason too?"
He rolled his eyes as he turned the car onto Nate's Road. "Because he's the real deal for you. You and me, all fantasies. Only fun, no drama."
"No drama?" I teased, "What about the twins?"
He grimaced. "Too much drama. We can't have any of that. None whatsoever."
It sounded like heaven, but then we pulled into the driveway and heaven fell back to earth. There were six other cars beside Logan's Escalade. I never would've been concerned if it had been Mason with me—I knew he would've smiled in greeting at their friends, taken my hand, and gone upstairs with me. But it wasn't Mason with me. It was Logan, and Logan was the social butterfly. I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be upstairs and alone while more and more people joined the party. This was Nate's home and now Mason's home. Of course, the party would be there.
"We don't have to stay long."
"What?" I looked over and found that Logan had been watching me. There was no humor or spark. He was only serious.
"Why?"
I knew why. I wasn't stupid, but god, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.
"You know," he hesitated. "I know Mason went there to make sure that she really was faking, but did you want to go too? To make sure that what she was said was legit? That she's actually kicking you out? I mean, I don't know, Sam. Your mom's crazy, certifiable, but she's nuts about you. Since we all got close, your mom's gone off the deep end because she's scared of losing you."
My stomach clenched as I remembered the murderous look in her eye, the one I saw before she collapsed today.
"Being kicked out is a big deal. You might act like you don't care now, but you will. I'm sure of it."
The sincerity in his voice had me blinking back tears. My throat swelled with emotion and I clasped my eyes shut.
"Hey."
I shrugged out of his hold. He had no idea. His dad had cheated, but he wasn't crazy. James had always and would always love his sons, and while their mom was intimidating, I knew she loved them as well. He had no idea.
"Look," his voice grew gruff. "I didn't say that to make you cry. I only meant that it sucks to be on the outs. You know? I've gotten kicked out of the house a few times and I always acted like I didn't care, but I did. I cared a lot. I think the only person who might not care would be Mason."
I chuckled, but it sounded more of a whimpered sob.
"So…did you want to go to the hospital and make sure this is the real thing? That you're actually being kicked out?"
I needed to pick up the pieces and move forward. I shook my head.
Logan put his arm around my shoulders and flashed me a grin. Pulling me into his side, he dipped his head down. He breathed out against my forehead. "Think of it this way. You no longer have to go to the party. The party will come to you, so that makes you the party…in a way. I guess." Frowning, he murmured, "No, that doesn't make sense either."
Another soft chuckle escaped me. Relieved by the brief respite, I thumped him on the chest. "Thanks for distracting me, but you know that I'll never be considered the party."
"You might, if you got really really drunk and started stripping." His eyes narrowed. "No, because then my big brother would sweep you up and take you for your own private party. You only would've been considered the party if you never knew us and still got really really drunk and then stripped. Then you would definitely be the party."
I rolled my eyes. "So I'm only fun if I had never met you guys?"
"Yep, sounds about right." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and flashed some charm. "So what do you think? Break up with Mason and go get wasted?"
"Are you serious?"
"No." His smile remained, but the laughter faded from his voice. "Not really. Kind of. Do you want to?"
"What kind of brother are you? You're encouraging me to break up with Mason."
"Not really."
My eyebrow arched high. "Really?"
"No, no. In this world we're all friends, no romance at all. That stuff's just too much drama anyways. In this world, you can go off and forget about your mom. Forget everything. Get drunk, or not since you don't really drink, but do whatever you do to take the edge off."
"I run."
"Not that," he said. "I want to be a part of this fun that I'm envisioning for you and that means that I'd have to run. I don't like to run, not unless I'm chasing someone or someone's trying to kick my ass. Then I'd run with you, but not in this world."
"This world? Your world, the one where you're not considered delusional?"
"Yeah." Logan's smile doubled. His eyes sparkled from anticipation. "I might be delusional, but what about Vegas? That sounds like a perfect world to go to. We can do all sorts of forgetting." Tugging my hand, he led the way out of my room, out of the house, and then he drove us towards my new home. My next home.
We were almost to Nate's when I frowned at him. "Were you serious about Vegas?" I didn't dare ask him about the other part, I did not want to know if he'd been joking or not.
At my words, his shoulders dropped and he let loose a deep breath. "Damn."
"What?"
"Ten minutes."
"Huh?"
"You forgot about your mom for ten minutes. That wasn't very long at all, Sam." He winked at me. "You're going to have to do better than ten minutes. Maybe Paris? Let's dream about going to Paris, you and me. What would we do there?"
Laughing now, I joined in. What the hell? "Not Paris. We wouldn't go to Paris if it were only you and me. That's too romantic."
"Ouch."
Ignoring him, I mused, "We'd go…"
"Yes?..."
"Germany." I nodded to myself. That sounded right. "You could drink all the beer you wanted."
"Damn good beer."
There was a silly grin on my face, but I didn't want to think about it. Then it'd go away and it'd been so long. But I couldn't help to ask, "Why only you and me? Why not Mason too?"
He rolled his eyes as he turned the car onto Nate's Road. "Because he's the real deal for you. You and me, all fantasies. Only fun, no drama."
"No drama?" I teased, "What about the twins?"
He grimaced. "Too much drama. We can't have any of that. None whatsoever."
It sounded like heaven, but then we pulled into the driveway and heaven fell back to earth. There were six other cars beside Logan's Escalade. I never would've been concerned if it had been Mason with me—I knew he would've smiled in greeting at their friends, taken my hand, and gone upstairs with me. But it wasn't Mason with me. It was Logan, and Logan was the social butterfly. I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be upstairs and alone while more and more people joined the party. This was Nate's home and now Mason's home. Of course, the party would be there.
"We don't have to stay long."
"What?" I looked over and found that Logan had been watching me. There was no humor or spark. He was only serious.
