“Hey! Guys, this is Lily and Leo, two of the best folks in Knotty Falls. And this is Clay, Bridge, and Tex.” He points to each alpha in turn, who all look at us with interest. “I’d say they were the best guys in the unit, but no one would believe me.”
“Not even us,” one of the alphas jokes, and the others nudge him, protesting loudly.
“Hi everyone.” I say when they’ve settled down. They seem like nice guys, but their names are already mixed up in my mind. “Thanks for keeping Logan safe over there.”
“He did his share of safe-keeping, ma'am.” I think it’s Tex who speaks, although that’s only because he has a Southern drawl and I’m good at jumping to conclusions.
“I’m glad. If there's ever anything you need, you can find us right next door.” They all glance at the wall which backs onto an auto garage, and I laugh. “I mean, Logan’s house. Leo and I live at Rosie’s Blooms, a flower farm out near Highway 6.”
“We might take you up on that,” one of the other alpha’s says, their gazes jumping between me and Logan. I’m not sure what they’re thinking, but the tips of Logan’s ears go pink, and the third guy bursts out laughing.
“Sorry,” he tells me, his grin so wide I can practically see his molars. “It’s just that we’ve been hearing about the dazzling Lily Percy foryears. This guy can’t open his mouth without singing your praises or sharing another funny story about Leo and Bloomer.” He shoots Leo a wink. “In fact, I feel like I know you all better than these chuckleheads, and we’ve been dick-deep in the desert together for three tours….”
“Okay!” Logan slaps his friend on the back of the head while Leo giggles. “Watch your mouth, Bridge.”
The guy gives me a sheepish shrug, but there’s no missing the affectionate way he watches Logan as he bobs down to inspect Leo’s sling. Leo rests his good arm on Logan’s back, their heads close together as they discuss his injury, and all three alphas watch the interaction like it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen.
When Logan stretches back to his full height, he ruffles Leo’s hair and looks at his blond friend. “Clay, can you show Leo the new boxing gloves we got in? I’ve just gotta chat to Lily real quick.” When I glance at him in surprise, he gives me a reassuring nod. “He’ll be okay with them, I promise.”
“Oh. Yeah, of course. It’s just that Ellis asked Cooper to watch out for Leo…”
I nod in the direction of the bodyguard looming in the doorway and a slow grin steals over Logan’s face. He keeps a hand loosely cupping Leo’s shoulder as he calls out to the other alpha. “Hey, Cooper! You want to provide backup for mybrothers while Lily and I have a chat? Since your boss asked you to play nice with the jarheads, and all.”
“What?” Cooper takes a few steps closer, his mouth hanging open a little. “How did you hear that? We were in the car, doors closed.”
“Lip reading 101.” Logan’s mouth stretches into a taunting grin. “You should practice mumbling, brother, if you don’t want jarheads to learn all your secrets.”
Cooper rolls his eyes but Tex pats Logan’s back. “Take your time, Cap. Leo's in safe hands, ma’am.”
“He really is,” Logan tells me as he leads me up the metal staircase to the second-floor office. It looks down on the gym through a large window, and I watch as his friends fit a large boxing glove on Leo’s uninjured hand. “They're good guys, honestly. They're just getting back on their feet, so I've given them the apartment next door while they help me get this place off the ground.”
“That’s great, Logan. I’m glad things are working out for you all.”
“Working out forus,” he insists, drawing me between his legs as he perches on the edge of his desk. It’s not a big office, with a couple of filing cabinets, an old leather sofa, and a fridge packed with healthy snacks and sports drinks, but it already smells like Logan, and I relax into his embrace. “But something is bothering you, I can tell.”
I sigh and press a hand to his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart under my palm. “Leo knows who Ellis is. He just came out and said it while we were having sundaes at Kaysie’s.”
It’s not like I wanted to keep the truth from Leo, but I was hoping to find the right moment to explain it to him properly. But Leo, as usual, got the jump on me.
Logan presses his hand over mine and rubs a circle on my knuckles. “You mean he called him dad?” His lips quirk in alopsided smile. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I mean, I’m not gonna lie; it kinda burns. But it's good, too.” I bite my lip, and his arms tighten, pulling me closer. “Leo's super smart and tough as hell. I bet he's gonna work all this stuff out faster than the rest of us.”
“He said you’re his dad, too. He wanted Ellis to know that.” I lean forward and nuzzle his cheek, soaking up his scent. “Plus, he said his movies are good because he has Marines working on them.”
“Oorah.” Logan gives a soft chuckle as he strokes the back of my head. “I've trained him up good, then.”
I snort. “He worships you. I’m pretty sure if you said the moon was made of cheese, he’d run to get the crackers.”
Logan makes a pleased sound, but when he pulls back, his eyes are serious. “And you know it doesn’t change things between us, right?”
I want that to be true, but it doesn’t feel like I can be certain about anything anymore.
“I want us to be a family, but I want you for myself, too,” he says, his voice dipping to a deeper octave. Ellis might have a pitch-perfect baritone, but Logan has one of those voices youfeelmore than hear. A rumbling wave of authority that he doesn’t have to strain to get your attention. And right now, all that attention is fixed on me. “I’ll play nice with Ellis so Leo knows he’s got both of us, whenever he needs. But I need you to know that I’m here foryou. Those knuckleheads weren’t lying when they said I’ve been obsessing over you for years.”
I smile as I stroke the short hairs at his nape. “Really?”
“It’s always been you, LeeLee. From the moment I saw you sitting in the fields, singing lullabies to the sunflowers.”
“Jeez, not sure how that became a core memory for everybody.”
