My jaw tightens.
“Well,” she says gently, “you’re not being honest right now.”
“That’s not fair,” I say.
“Isn’t it?” she asks softly.
Dr. Nina finally speaks.
“Logan,” she says, calm and steady, “is there something you’re holding back in this room?”
I look at Jess. She’s watching me like I’m made of glass.
Exhaling slowly, I run a hand through my hair. “I love you,” I say carefully. “I do.”
Jess’s shoulders soften, just a fraction.
“But I’m not back to… where I was,” I continue. “Not yet.”
The air shifts.
“What does that mean?” she asks quietly.
“It means I’m choosing you,” I say. “Every day. On purpose. Not because it’s easy. Not because it feels like before. Because I want to rebuild it.”
I swallow.
“But the version of love I had before… the blind, effortless one? I’m not there yet.”
Jess’s eyes shine, but she doesn’t look away when she says, “I can live with that.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Logan
Alas, life isn’t all rainbows and mid-day sex sessions.
It’s moments like this where I remember Dr. Nina’s voice in my head:
Don’t weaponize what happened.
I don’t mean to minimize, but-
“Come on,” I say out loud. “You cannot possibly compareHarry PottertoGame of Thrones.”
Jess narrows her eyes over the rim of her wine glass, which is dangerously close to tipping.
“Fine,” she says. “GOT is more PG-13.”
I stare at her.
“Jess.”
“Okay, fine,” she amends. “R-rated. But they’re both fantasy. Both based on books. Both have… British accents.”
“Harry Potter is about wizards,” I say patiently. “Game of Thrones is about naked people.”
Her jaw drops.
