Maybe the guy next to me is just processing everything a different way.
“It’s going to be okay,” I offer. “We don’t have a choice but for it to be alright.”
“I know.”
“Are you…I mean, you’rehappyabout this, right?”
When he finally turns to me, his eyes are glassy. “It’s more than I expected,” he admits. “More than I ever thought I could have. I’m just not prepared.”
I scoff and wave at the snow around us. “None of us are prepared. I barely know you, and now we’re both scent matched to the same Omega.”
He stays quiet, his mouth set in a hard line. His hands are on his thighs, and he bounces his left leg repeatedly.
He’sfreaking out.
“Tell me about her,” I say, and that makes him stop his jerky movements and turn to me. His eyes are almost black, his jaw is clenched, and his face is flushed.
“What?”
“You know Maeve better than I do,” I say, doing my best to stay patient and not sound bitter. “Which is a privilege, by the way. I’ve known her barely a few weeks; not even a month. So, tell me about her.”
He looks at me like I’ve spoken a foreign language and not like I’m trying to offer a token of friendship.
We’re in the same boat. We’re in this together, and the last thing I want is to not get along with one of Maeve’s scent matches.
It would hurt her in the long run.
“What—what do you want to know?” he stammers.
“I saw the way you looked at her the entire car ride,” I say. “Especially when she was sleeping.” Logan swallows and clears his throat, his fingers twitching. “You looked at her like she hung the moon and stars.”
He nods. “She did,” he whispers.
“That’s exactly how I feel,” I say. “But you’ve known her longer. So, tell me your favorite thing about her.”
He cocks his head. “Why?”
I want to tilt my head back and laugh bitterly. “Honestly? Because you look like you’re about to crash out; and I’m barely keeping it together here.” I motion to my chest. “My scent match is inHeatwith only a few walls separating us, and I cansmellit. She hasn’t asked for me, so I’m forced to sit out here with you, and if we’re lucky enough, she’ll ask for us, too, and not just her established boyfriend to help her through it. This whole situation is fuckinginsane, and you look like you can’t decide if this is the best or worst day of your life. Because I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack and die on this fucking porch. Are those good enough reasons?”
Logan blinks. “Yeah. I would say those are good enough reasons.”
I nod and cross my arms, waiting for his answer.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize…” he blows out a breath, “I didn’t expect this, either. I thought we were going to pick up some kittens, and I would get to know her better.” He chuckles humorlessly to himself. “I like her because she’s everything I’m not. All the good qualities I wish I had, she does. She’s effortless with meeting new people.” He motions to me. “She’s able to be gentle, but still strong. And when she’s excited about something, you want to dive headfirst into the topic with her. She’s justgood,” he breathes. “She’s genuinely good, and precious, and rare.”
“She is,” I agree softly. “You put it into much better words than I could have.”
There’s no doubt in my mind that Logan thinks the world of Maeve. When he talks about her, his expression softens and his breathing slows, as if just the thought of her is enough to calm him.
“And I’m notprepared,” he adds defeatedly. “I don’t have a plan in place—I need a plan, that’s how I operate, and she’s the best thing that could happen to me, and I’m already?—”
“No one here has a plan, because no oneplanned this,” I say, motioning to the snow. “We’re just going to have to improvise as we go. But she’s the most important part of this.”
He nods. “Absolutely.”
“We keep it together for her. Whatever she needs, we give her.”
As much as the pep talk is for Logan, it’s for me, too.
