Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 142783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“So, you’re still hanging out with this guy, huh?” It was a tease of affection.
Logan gave her a giant hug. “Yeah, yeah, you know you love me the most. Just keep pretending.”
Stepping back, he pointed at her belly. “Tell me I’m getting another niece because the last thing we need around here is another Lawson boy to bust my balls.”
“Hey, I bust your balls, Uncle Logan.” Juni was clearly offended.
Her mom covered her ears, but not nearly in time. Laughing under her breath and shooting daggers at Logan, she glanced at her daughter. “Don’t listen to anything that comes out of your uncle Logan’s mouth, Juni Bee. He’s a terrible influence.”
Logan stretched out his arms. “What are you talking about? I’m a great influence.”
“Hardly,” Jud grunted before he took a swig from his bottle of beer.
Chuckling, Logan reached over and ran his hand over the back of Juniper’s head. “Fine. That was a bad word, Juni, I’m sorry. You probably shouldn’t say it again even though it was completely valid.”
The last he tossed out with a grin at Salem.
She scowled at him, though I was pretty sure it was riddled with affection.
“It’s okay. You’re forgiven. But you still gotta put some dollars in the swears jar. My mimi already gots it half full.” Juni’s tone was pure disappointment.
Logan dug into his wallet and pulled out a five-dollar bill. “How about you do it for me the next time you go to your mimi’s?”
Juni snatched it. “Or I might keep it. Payback.”
Logan’s mouth dropped open. “For what?”
“For your birthday.” She gave him a look that said, obviously.
“I have to pay you for my birthday?”
“It was a lot of hards work, Uncle.”
Amusement pressed at my chest.
Logan laughed. “Little swindler.”
“Seems she learned from the best.” Jud winked at me when he said it.
Redness flashed.
Clearly, they’d heard how Logan and I had run into each other.
Logan slipped his arm around my waist, his heat so sweet, his mouth so tempting. “Come on.”
“It was nice to see you both again,” I murmured, overcome, swept away, unable to keep the smile from taking to my face.
A real one.
Not forced or faked.
Because I wanted this. To celebrate Logan’s birthday with him. With his friends and his family. To experience what it would have been like if life weren’t so cruel.
If it didn’t steal our hearts and souls.
Crush every part of us that was good.
If it didn’t make us choose.
Logan introduced me to a few people around the room. His office manager. A couple friends he golfed with. A mechanic named Brock from the custom bike shop, Iron Ride, that Jud owned.
He led me to three intimidating men drinking beers in the corner. They had their massive, tattooed arms crossed over their chests and gave off the vibe any one of them could be currently standing outside guarding Jarek’s house.
Logan fist bumped each of them. “I can’t believe you’re here and my brother actually thought to give you the night off. It’s a Christmas miracle.”
“Birthday miracle,” the first one said. A gleam lit in his eyes when he looked at me. “Guess there are a ton of birthday miracles going around considering you walked in with a woman that looks like this. I’m Sage, beautiful.”
A blush hit my cheeks. “Aster.”
Logan curled his arm around me, and I thought he was going to pop off a razzing insult, but he tucked me close and muttered, “You’re right, Sage, it’s a fucking miracle.”
My heart thrashed.
Then he gestured at Sage with a smile. “Sage is Absolution’s general manager, the poor bastard who is tasked with keeping Trent in line.”
“You know it.” The man was all easy grins. “Place would go down if I wasn’t there to make sure that shit didn’t go sideways.”
“And these two monsters are Kult and Milo.” Logan tilted his chin at the other two men. “Head bouncers at the club.”
“I could have guessed that,” I said with a soft smile as I shook their hands. “Nice to meet you all.”
I startled when a little hand threaded into mine, interrupting the introductions. I looked down to Juni bouncing at my side. “Oh my gosh, I almost forgot the most important thing, Miss Aster, I gotta do the introducing to my mimi.”
She jerked at my hand. I glanced at Logan. He smiled.
Smiled this smile that sailed through me with the force of a knife. Impaling me deep.
Tenderness.
So much of it I didn’t know how to stand.
“You’d better go then,” he said.
Flustered, I fumbled away from him, somehow feeling attached, like a band was stretched taut between us and it only tightened with each step I took. It wasn’t as if it was all that far because Juni hauled me around to the other side of the couch.
Gretchen sat on the right with a giant margarita in her hand. She’d ridden over with Eden to help her get set up and to give her an extra hand with the kids.