Page 211 of Sin Bin

He nodded tightly.

“As if your birthday wasn’t traumatic enough!”

“I know,” he said darkly. “If I could have erased April eighth from the fucking calendar, I would have. To make matters worse, Cheyenne was never convicted. She got off scot-free.”

Meadow wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him fiercely, kissing the top of his head as her tears fell into his hair. He bowed his head, holding her arms against his chest as she wept silently. She was heartbroken for him, devastated that he’d suffered such a horrifying, soul-crushing ordeal.

She thought of the way puck bunnies threw themselves at him, craving the famous bedroom skills he’d had no choice in learning. She now understood why he treated women like cheap commodities, toys to be enjoyed and discarded. Being abused at such an early age had shaped his attitudes about women and intimacy. Because his introduction to sex had been poisoned, his feelings would probably always be tainted.

“It’s different with you,” he spoke as if he’d read her mind. His voice was low, rough and achingly raw. “The night of my birthday when we made love for the first time, and every time after that, there were no ghosts between us. No ugly memories. No fear or shame. There was no one in the room but you and me. Believe me when I say that making love with you couldn’t be more beautiful and perfect.”

She swallowed the painful ache in her throat and held him even tighter, her breasts plastered against his back. “I love you so much, Logan,” she whispered fervently. “I’ll always love you, and I’ll always be here for you.”

He linked their fingers over his heart. “You’re all I need, Meadow. All I could ever need or want.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

LOGAN

Santino called logan the next evening, waking him from his nap. He was exhausted from practice and still feeling the effects of yesterday’s hangover. So he was mostly unresponsive for the first few minutes of Santino’s call.

Apparently Jupiter had talked to Trish while Logan was out of commission yesterday. Trish was so concerned that she’d called Roxanne—her new bestie—who in turn called Logan to fuss over him. After assuring her that he wasn’t suicidal, he’d made her promise not to call Santino. She’d kept her word for all of half a day.

“I didn’t know,” Santino was saying. “If I had known where the donations were coming from, I would have sat you down and told you. I would have let you decide whether you wanted to keep accepting his money, but I would have strongly encouraged you to do so.”

Logan frowned. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” Santino was unapologetic. “Your father got away with not paying child support for eighteen damn years. The money he donated for you to play hockey is only a fraction of what he owed you and your mother. If she’d taken him to court, there’s a good chance he would’ve been ordered to pay big bucks given his tremendous wealth. That kind of money would have provided a completely different life for you and your mother.” Santino sighed. “Honestly, son, I wish your mother had played hardball and threatened to go public about their relationship. If he’d refused to pay child support, the negative publicity would have hurt his family’s reputation and jeopardized their fortune. That’s the last thing he would have wanted. He would have cooperated just to protect his family name.”

Logan scowled. “She shouldn’t have had to resort to blackmail to make that bastard do the right thing.”

“I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, some men need extra incentive to handle their responsibilities.” Santino sounded grim. “I don’t want you to think I’m blaming your mother in any way. I know she was young and naive, and times were different back then.”

Logan frowned, anger stirring deep in his gut as he stalked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. “I don’t want that son of a bitch taking any credit for what I’ve accomplished.”

“He doesn’t deserve any credit,” Santino said unequivocally. “The world is full of people who have the money but lack the talent and drive to become elite athletes. Lucien Brassard didn’t make you the phenomenal hockey player you are. He simply provided the means for you to show the world what you’re made of.”

Logan grunted, unscrewing the cap on his water bottle and taking a deep swig.

Santino blew out a heavy breath. “I’m really sorry about your mother, son. I hate that you had to learn the truth this way.”

Logan swallowed tightly. “Me, too.”

“So he didn’t tell you how she passed?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“And he didn’t volunteer the information?” Santino gently prodded. “He came all the way from Canada to lay his cards on the table. Your mother’s departure changed the course of your entire life. Why would Lucien leave without giving you the full story?”

Logan’s gut tightened. “I didn’t give him a chance. I told him to leave before I laid hands on him.”

Santino fell silent, thinking.

Logan swigged more water, watching the surveillance camera that showed live feed of the parking garage. He was waiting for Jupiter to come home from work. He missed the hell out of her. She couldn’t walk through the door fast enough.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Santino asked in concern. “I know it was a terrible shock, having your deadbeat father show up out of the clear blue. Maybe I should have a talk with him—”

“No,” Logan growled. “That won’t be necessary. I made it perfectly clear he’s not welcome back.”

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