“Please. She spent all that time and money on an education she didn’t need, then went chasing a silly little dream, and now’s she’s throwing it all away on a—”
“Are you taking the piss right now?” Though a few people shoot glares our way, Logan doesn’t bother lowering his volume as he snatches my phone out of my hand. “Do you have any idea what your daughter has built out here?” He keeps talking before she can reply. “No, you clearly don’t, or you wouldn’t be calling it silly or little or a bloodyhobby. Savannah’s the most brilliant, determined, driven person I’ve ever met, and she’s only getting started.”
“Logan,” I whisper, my heart throbbing and tears pooling in my eyes. They’re good tears. Tears that say I’m so glad we found each other and didn’t give up on this beautiful thing we have together.
Squeezing my hand without looking away from the phone, Logan sits up straighter and scowls at my mother. “I know full well that I’ll never understand your falootey way of life in your mansion on your acres of land, but I don’t need to because I understand your daughter. I know what scares her and whatmakes her happy. I know what I need to do to help her feel safe and supported and loved, no matter what.”
Mama scoffs. “Mr. Callahan.”
“And since it’s clear you have no idea how to do that for her—her ownmother—I have never been happier that she’s choosing a life with me in Aus over the misery of trying to make you proud. If you can figure out how to properly love your daughter, maybe we’ll let you visit sometime.Maybe.”
Then he hangs up.
Mouth hanging open, I gape at him as a whirlwind of emotions swirls inside me. Love and gratitude and shock and amazement all leave me feeling dizzy and barely able to comprehend what he just said. What hedid.
Logan looks at me and grimaces. “Sorry, love. I may have gotten a little carried aw—”
I throw my arms around him and pull myself in for a hug, straddling his lap to make it easier to bury my face in his neck. “I can’t believe you just did that,” I whisper.
He wraps me up in his arms and exhales. “Should I apologize to her? I should apologize.”
“Absolutely not.”
“She’s your mum.”
“And she’s tough as nails. She’ll get over it. I’ve never been brave enough to cut her off like that, but I’ve wanted to.”
Resting his cheek on my hair, he sighs and rubs warm circles along my back. “You deserve better, Sav.”
I smile against his throat and let myself relax into his hold. “I have better,” I assure him. “I have you.”
A moment later, our group is called to begin boarding, and I happily follow Logan onto the plane.
An excited squeal brings me to a complete standstill outside customs at the Sydney airport. Logan must have expected my response because his arm is already at my back, pulling me forward again. Straight for the older woman anxiously bouncing on her toes with half a dozen giant balloons gripped in her hand.
“You’re being ridiculous, Mum,” Logan complains loudly, but his broad smile contradicts his exasperated tone. With a squeeze of my waist, he pulls away from me and scoops the woman in an exuberant hug that lifts her into the air and elicits another squeal out of her. Half a second later, she’s sobbing and holding on to him like she may never let go. “I missed you too,” he says, then carefully sets her on her feet again and embraces his dad just as tightly, his eyes closed and a content expression on his face.
Logan is plenty affectionate with me, but seeing how he greets his parents without any ounce of embarrassment despite the busy airport fills me with a warmth I’ve never felt before. And maybe some longing too. In the seventeen hours since Logan hung up on my mom, I’ve received a single text from her.
Mama:
Have a safe flight.
I highly doubt she missed Logan’s insinuation that I’m making a permanent move to Australia, but I can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever acknowledge the truth. It’s not like she visited me in California, so there’s no way she’ll come all the way to Sydney.
“Logie,” Mrs. Callahan whispers loudly and smacks his arm, her warm brown eyes fixed on me. “Where are your manners?”
Logan meets my gaze, silently asking me if I’m ready to meet his parents. As if I’ll be able to avoid the moment if I tell him no. I didn’t think I was nervous, but now my stomach is churning violently enough that I quickly search the building for the nearest restroom. Finding nothing, I try to swallow my anxiety and slip my hand into Logan’s when he reaches out to me. I’m so nervous that I can’t even tease him about the nickname ‘Logie.’
“Mum,” he says, and it sounds like there’s something stuck in his throat. “Dad, this is—”
“Savannah!” Mrs. Callahan finishes for him and practically tackles me with a hug. The only reason I stay on my feet is because Logan keeps a firm grip on my hand. “Oh, you have no idea how nice it is to finally meet you, sweetheart!”
I instinctively return her hug with my free arm before she squeezes the life out of me, but my mind starts to spin while I process what’s happening. “I’m sorry it took us so long to come,” I choke out, overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. I know she isn’t biologically related to Logan, but I expected her to be more like him. Reserved. Stoic.
But she’s nothing like that, and when she drops the hug, it’s only so she can press her hands to my cheeks and beam at me. “Oh, you have nothing to be sorry about, Savannah.” Her American accent has the most adorable Australian flavorand makes me smile right back at her. “We know you would have come sooner if you could have. What really matters is that you’ve made our Logan so happy.”
Unexpected tears prick my eyes. The differences between her and my own mother feel like a knife in my chest, making it hard to breathe. Is this how a parent is supposed to treat their child?
