I lift myself up and hug her. “Talking to you helps me put things into perspective and be clear about what I have to do.”
My food is cold, but I’m no longer hungry. This whole situation is turning my stomach. I’ll call Logan on the way to the office. He might have some advice for me. Dad let him marry Theresa. I still don’t know how he did that, but, truth be told, I never asked. All I know is he married her, and it was exactly what he wanted. Now, I need his help getting what I want.
“Gram, I’m heading out. I need to call Logan on my way to the office.”
“Okay, dear, please fill me in when you can.”
I hug her tight and kiss the top of her head. “I will.”
I slide into the driver's seat and take a quick peek at my phone.
Kendall:
I appreciate you stopping by with my favs and a beautiful note…Thank you
My body vibrates. I have to read it a few times. She’s holding on, and I’m not letting her go. I speed down the road. Calling Logan, I hope he answers on the first ring. He does—fucking thank you.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Since last night was date night, I opted not to interrupt. I know how much you both look forward to it.”
“Man, get to the point.”
I tell him straight. “Dad went to Kendall’s salon and tried to intimidate her with threats and then pay her to stay away from me.”
“Holy shit, he’s lost it. Is Kendall okay?”
“Ya think? She said she needs time and space. He’s made her question everything.”
I update him on the situation that went down since yesterday’s trip to Kendall’s salon.
“The office won’t be private enough. I’m still at home. Come here, and we’ll figure this out. One thing is for sure: we need to confront him sooner rather than later before he tries to do any more damage.”
I make a U-turn and head to his house. “Thanks for your help. I was going to do this alone, but I need backup.”
Slamming on my brakes as I park behind Logan, I jump out of the car and jog to his front door. The door is unlocked, so I let myself in.
“I’m in my office,” Logan calls when he hears the door open.
“Hey, what’s the plan?” I ask, walking into his home office and settling into a chair across from his desk.
Logan starts by telling me what happened between him and Dad when he married Theresa. “I was prepared to walk away from the firm.”
“Fuck! She meant that much to you, of course, you’d walk away from everything.” His confession hit me right in the heart. “And that’s all it took?”
“Basically. I had to commit to the firm, staying to protect the family name and our family’s legacy.”
I shake my head. “I’m all in. Whatever it takes for him to respect my decision.”
“It will be more difficult than that. He didn’t just roll over when I went to him about leaving the firm.” He leans back in his leather chair.
Leaning forward with my elbows on my thighs, I take it all in. “What if my walking away isn’t enough for him to back away from all of this?”
“You need to really think about this…are you willing to walk away from all of this for her? Does she mean that much to you for you to leave it all behind?”
My head dips down. I love being a defense attorney; it’s everything I’ve ever wanted. I could work anywhere, start my own firm if I wanted. Walking away from our dad, it hurts, knowing what he’s gone through, but not as much as I’m feeling right now, knowing Kendall is considering walking away from me…my chest tightens, and it's hard to breathe.
“If I walk away, he might not blink an eye. What if we both commit to walking away? Would you do that for me? It’s a huge ask, so I understand if you need to think about it.”
