“No.” Logan answered quickly, making me giggle because I agreed. I wanted to stay here, in his lap, forever.
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
I heard the rumble of a hum from Logan’s chest, felt the vibrations of the sound dance along my back, even through the fabric of my coat. After a moment, I felt the whisper of his breath against my ear. “We’ll stay for a few more minutes, Mills, but I have to admit that I’m itching to get you alone.”
A sudden heat rose to my cheeks that had nothing to do with the fire in front of us. I nodded my head, eager for the same.
We sat there together for another fifteen minutes or so while I finished my drink, anticipation welling inside of me for wherever Logan was going to take me next. Somewhere deep inside of my mind I was reminded of his no sex rule—but there were plenty of ways I could still enjoy him.
I was just about to tell him I was ready to go when he began stirring beneath me. We both stood up and I was surprised his legs weren’t asleep after I’d been sitting on them for so long. But if it had been uncomfortable for him at all, he hadn’t let on.
Grabbing my hand, Logan started walking toward the other side of the yard where the beer pong tournament was being held in dramatic suspense. Manny and Cameron stood together on one side of the long table while Andre and someone I didn’t recognize stood on the other side. There was only one cup left for each team.
“You ain’t gettin it in, bro!” Manny yelled across the table as Andre lined up his toss, the white ping pong ball tucked tightly in his tattooed fingers. He displayed a pretty high level of control considering he was likely beyond a healthy level of tipsy. With a firm flick of his wrist, the ball flew across the table to land inside of the red solo cup, and everyone erupted into loud cheers as Andre threw his hands up victoriously.
Logan took the opportunity within the chaos to approach Andre, patting him on the arm in congratulations before leaning in to tell him we were heading out. Andre pulled Logan in for a side-hug, followed up by a firm handshake. It always amused me to see how grown men showed each other affection.
Andre turned to me and leaned in close enough for me to hear him say, “Thank you for coming out tonight, Amelia. It means the world to me to have you both here.”
“Happy birthday, Andre!” I smiled back at him. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
He threw me a sly wink before saying, “I have no doubts.” Logan patted his arm a final time before saying goodbye to the rest of his team.
ChapterTwenty-Three
We drovedeep into the lower downtown region of Denver where pedestrian traffic was plentiful and cars typically stayed clear. Logan parked along the main road and swiped his credit card at the meter, pushing the button for the three-hour maximum option. I raised my eyes at him in question, and he deadpanned, saying, “I’m not rushing my time with you over a parking meter,” which made my heart soften into gooey marshmallow fluff.
The entirety of 16th Street in the downtown district had been decorated with beautiful Christmas lights. They adorned all of the trees, had been spread across the window and door trim of every business, and covered all of the lamp posts in sight. It was . . . magic. There was really no better word.
Logan took my hand into his, and we strolled at a leisurely pace along the brick sidewalk. I had no idea if he was leading us in a particular direction, or if the goal was to simply get lost in the lights together, but either way I could feel a deep contentment within my soul. Like this was all inevitable—being here with him, in this moment, with our hands intertwined together.
I could do this forever.
“So”—I raised my eyebrows—“you finally got me alone.”
He kept his eyes focused on the ground in front of him but I noticed a slight flush to his cheeks as he answered. “Yeah, it looks that way, doesn’t it?”
“Thank you again, for bringing me to the party with you.”
“Of course. I’m glad you came. Sorry we didn’t know a whole lot of people there, but it was good for me to show face for Andre. He’s a good guy.” We walked under a tunnel of multicolored Christmas lights, the ambience of their glow dancing along Logan’s face in a beautiful whirl.
“Andre seems nice. They all do. You’ve created a good team, Logan.” I remembered Marisela’s words from earlier. “You know, Andre’s sister stopped me in the kitchen earlier and practically raved about you . . . about the good influence you’ve had on Andre’s life. Something tells me you might have that effect on all of them.” I looked up at him again.
His eyes flicked to mine before they refocused on the pathway in front of us. He shook his head slightly. “I don’t know what she said but I’m not doing anything special. I just . . . I wanted to find people that I could trust to work with me at the shop. And you’d be surprised how many good people there are who just need a little bit of a budge in life. I enjoy the ability I have to give an opportunity to someone who might otherwise be overlooked. Andre was one of those guys.
“On paper, it seemed like he’d be unreliable. Maybe even a liability. But when I got to know him and after I heard his story, it was obvious that he just desperately needed something to sink his teeth into. He was one of my first hires, and he really helped me make the shop what it is today. He’s bright, and has great ideas for business, you know?” His chest rose before he let out a sigh.
“And the others?” I asked, curious.
“Manny was a high school dropout. His parents were junkies and barely around, so he started working at a really young age to help his siblings survive. He has a passion for cars and knows more about them than anyone I know. He can take apart and rebuild an engine like it’s nothing and can diagnose complex issues much quicker than the rest of us could, which helps customers get their cars back quicker.
“Cameron comes from a rich, conservative family who own a few big ranches throughout the state. Unfortunately, they basically disowned him when he came out to them a few years ago. He and Manny worked together before at a supermarket and had kept in touch, so when we were hiring more guys, Manny reached out to him. Cameron doesn’t know much about cars or being a mechanic, but he’s definitely eager to learn. I don’t think it’s his passion by any means, but it’s a steady paycheck while he gets himself back on his feet.
“Camila’s husband died two years ago, and she learned that they were in severe debt after he passed. She thinks her husband kept it from her so that she didn’t have to worry, but that obviously backfired in the end. Ernesto is her brother, and he asked if she could pick up a few shifts at the reception desk as sort of a temporary gig so that she could pay some of those bills. She’s really great at it, and great with our customers, so I made her a permanent employee shortly after she started.”
I felt a little breathless at the amount of heartache that Logan’s team had collectively endured, the pain of which seemed to fit the mold of Logan’s own. We were silent for a moment as we continued walking, the cold air curling around us as he held my hand firmly. There were only a few other people walking along the street at this hour on a Monday night, so it felt like we had the entire city to ourselves.
“I don’t think this world deserves you, Logan.”
