I had a fucking powerful urge to punch his egotistical brain in. The guy thought the whole damn world revolved around him and his stupid, shitty, goddamn needs. I had to set him straight. Faith deserved a better dad than this idiot cowering in front of me.
“Why don’t you act like a dad then?” I shook Logan to knock some damn sense into him. “Be a man. Your daughter could have seriously injured herself. Christ! Faith could’ve died because of your recklessness.”
Logan quit fighting me; his stare went blank, and all the anger left his face. His entire body went limp in my grasp, and he wouldn’t defend himself if I made him eat shit. Instead, his eyes welled up with tears that fell down his face.
Logan shoved me once. “Let go of me.”
I released Logan and stumbled back in shock at his rash change of attitude. I’d fully anticipated a stubborn confrontation, but he was displaying the complete opposite. The father in front of me was utterly destroyed. He resembled a little boy pouting over everything he could’ve lost as the true reality of the dire situation hit him. He made himself a victim, but I refused to let this go.
“Faith deserves a father who will keep her safe and—”
Logan interrupted, “Like you, old man?”
His eyes bored into mine for what felt like a fucking eternity as I stared back at him in disbelief. The reality of my own strange predicament slammed into me at full speed, and my pulse pounded. My head throbbed, and I touched my forehead.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Bullshit. I may not be the best dad, but you are no better for them...” Logan snarled, bit his upper lip, and ran his hands through his hair. “You’re old enough to be my daughter’s grandfather, for God’s sake!”
Fuck.Logan was a complete bag of shit, but he was right.Goddamn it.The bitter truth hurt when it came from someone else instead of inside my head.
“I... I—” I stammered, unable to formulate words.
“Noelle should be with me...” Logan rambled on and pointed a finger at himself. “Not you, Timber, and you fucking know it.”
What the hell was I doing?
I had been too caught up in Elle, and I couldn’t see the actual picture clearly. Faith deserved a complete family. Not a broken one. I interfered with her happiness and got inthe way, making everything fucking complicated. I had no business stepping into what could be a happy household for Faith. The kid meant too much to me.
I backed away from Logan with a sudden pain in my chest as my heart throbbed unlike anything I had experienced before. My damn ticker had broken, shattered into a million fucking pieces by the decision I had to see through. I had to let go of the woman I loved and her daughter too.
THIRTY-ONE
Intruder
Noelle
The Christmas concert was a couple of days away, and Faith couldn’t stop talking about it. She was excited, and she practiced all the time without Jack because he hadn’t been around since Logan had shown up unexpectedly. After the big incident, Faith barely spoke about it. Her upcoming performance distracted her, and I was goddamn thankful.
Jack’s sudden disappearance after the amazing time we had shared, though?Not so much.
Jack had been quiet. Nonexistent. I hadn’t seen him outside, and there were even a few green light bulbs that had burned out, but he hadn’t bothered to fix them.
I had a strong urge to pick up the phone and send him a text. But my fingers had typed out words I wouldn’t dare send. Lost messages locked away in the unknown.
Had Logan said something to Jack?
Logan had figured out I was sleeping with my next-door neighbor while he wanted our family back together. The answer to the question was crystal clear, but I was afraid to find out the truth. I’d know for certain, without a doubt, why Jack had stayed distant.
Faith asked about him, but I made up excuses. Mr. Timber had to work; he was busy running errands, or he had a big date. The date part made me cringe and was complete, utter bullshit, but I wanted to spare her the truth. I didn’tknow where he was or why he had vanished into thin air. Jack avoidedme,and reality stung like a knife’s blade twisted in my gut while the hole bled for an answer to one question:Why did Jack run away?
Before the situation with Logan, Jack had been around almost every single day. I had grown used to him like a pesky snowflake caught in my eyelash. Our rocky relationship had shifted over the last few weeks, with a slow burn sizzling between us, leading up to the moment we gave in to our forbidden desire. All the secret shared kisses, tender times, and memories should never have happened, but they had, and my heart beat for him. The chemistry between us was undeniable, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him, even with space between us and time to reflect on all we had done.
It was a mishap my father wouldn’t be too fond of. My dad couldn’t find out what had happened between his best friend and daughter. He’d never forgive Jack. Thank God Logan hadn’t outed our off-limits whatever the fuck this was.
I glanced at the clock.
“Shit,” I mumbled.
