Tad straightens as if he were having a heart malfunction. His face smooths out with surprise.
“And by the way”—I lean in, stern as hell—“my name is Logan. I’m here to pick up Skyla and the boys. That’s it. I’m not eating your food, using your electricity, or flushing your toilet. If you ever call me Loki again, I’m going to put you through a wall. Gage may have tolerated your extracurricular bull, but I’m not having it.”
“Skyla!” Tad thunders as he staggers past me. “A fine young man is wasting his valuable time waiting for you. Get the rug rats together. The three of you are going on a date!”
Skyla bounds into the room, hair in perfect golden ringlets, tight red sweater, black velvet jeans, and silver heels.
“Stunning.” It’s all I can say.
“You treat this young man with respect,” Tad growls at her and she lifts a hand dismissively as Lizbeth helps bundle the boys up. “If you play your cards right, you could end up Mrs. Skyla Oliver!”
Both Skyla and I roll our eyes, pick up a boy, and head on out.
We step out into the fog thick as pea soup.
“You look beautiful.” I pull her in and land a kiss to her cheek. “Merry Christmas.”
“And you look like a fine young man. Should I ask what that was about?”
“No. Do you want to go to prom with me? West is having a thing in a couple of months.”
“Prom at West with Logan Oliver?” A dark growl of a laugh comes from her as we head to the truck. “Only if you promise to pick me up in the Mustang.”
“Consider it done.”
And just like that, we buckle up the boys and take off for what I’m hoping won’t be the second shit show of the night. Something tells me Gage had procured the ability to top any of the crap Tad is capable of in spades.
* * *
Barron and Emma’s house is festooned with a holiday light display that usually puts the rest of the neighborhood to shame, but it just so happens that the house next door to the Harrisons’ is decking the halls at a bit more velocity than Barron and Emma can ever hope to achieve.
“You like?” Wes shouts with a jovial note in his voice as he and Laken usher a bundled Tobie and Charlie from across the street. Wes bought the house and quickly moved his brood into it.
“There goes the neighborhood,” Skyla says, unleashing Nathan and Barron from their car seats, and they spring to the front door, shouting forGa-ma. Tobie races past us, shouting the same. I’m sure Emma doesn’t mind. Especially since Tobie’s brother, Eli, has been living there for the last four months. “But I like Laken,” Skyla says, heading over and giving her friend a gentle embrace before ogling at the princess in her arms. “I like Charlie and Tobie, too. I just don’t like you, Wes.” Skyla offers a dry smile as we make our way to the door.
Laken shakes her head at Skyla. “If at any point you want to leave, I’ll take you across the street and show you the house. Wes has spared no expense.”
“Everything has its price, Laken. Believe me when I say you’re the one paying.”
The door swings open as Barron greets Wes and Laken first. I turn back to find Skyla lifting a finger in the air, and sure enough Holden and his newfound feathered wife are floating up above.
“Skyla”—I pull her in and it takes a moment for her to look into my eyes—“I’m here for you, too.” My heart slams against my chest just holding her close like this. It was last spring that I openly declared my love for her once again, and it’s only grown from there.
“I know.” She lifts our conjoined hands for a moment, and I inch back a notch. It’s never me that forgets we’re telepathic, and yet this time it was indeed. “I love you too, Logan. I have always loved you.” She shakes her head as if it wasn’t true on some level. “And when the time is right, I’m going to give you all of me.” Her mouth falls open as she looks to my lips as if they were her favorite snack and she was feeling mighty hungry. “But first, you will have my body,” she says it like a fact. “I can’t let sex stand in the way of my sanity anymore, and Dudley won’t have me.” She shrugs. “But you will have me and all of me will follow soon enough.” She speeds inside and I wonder what in the hell just happened.
“You coming in?” A deep voice belts out.
I look to find Gage at the door and my blood runs cold.
“Merry Christmas,” I say as we head inside and spot Chloe with her feet propped up in the living room, Michelle Miller—Oliverseated by her side fanning her. Skyla and Laken are clear on the other side of the room and I can feel Skyla’s tension from here. “Dude, you are an exceptional asshole, you know that?”
“I try. And believe me when I say, I’m putting a concerted effort into it.”
My gaze hooks to his. “You don’t have to try so hard. I get it. You are pushing her away. Mission completed. No reason to eviscerate her, too.” I spot Coop speaking with Liam and wince. “It’s bad enough tonight has to suck for Skyla, what’s Flanders doing here?”
Gage swallows hard, his Adam’s apple goes for the ride, and something in me cinches. I know that look on his resurrected face. “I invited him. He said he was going to be alone tonight. I guess I have a heart, after all.”
“You don’t have a heart, Gage. You plucked it out and shoved it up Chloe’s vagina.”
