Page 317 of Sin Bin

“I saw him leaving the restaurant with another woman. She was in the truck with him.”

The anger and confusion cleared from Hunter’s face. “That must have been Cynara.”

Meadow stared at him. “Cynara Tavárez? His sister?”

Hunter nodded. “She’s in town. That’s who you saw in the truck. Believe me, he hasn’t moved on. Not even close.”

Meadow felt a wave of relief so strong she had to sit down.

“I know you were upset about him going to the party in Winnipeg,” Hunter continued quietly. “I agree that he shouldn’t have gone. But Dubinski asked him to be his chaperone, and Logan owed him a big favor. I’m not justifying his decision to go, but I wanted to give you some context.” Hunter smiled wryly. “If it’s any consolation, he had a terrible time and couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Meadow looked down at her lap. The explanation made her feel undeniably better. “Thank you for telling me.”

Hunter joined her on the couch. “I want you to know that he’s trying really hard to work through his demons. He’s going to counseling and he started practicing Tai Chai. It’s still early, of course, but Sensei Tanaka says he’s already making progress.”

“That’s good,” Meadow said earnestly. “I want him to heal and get better. Nothing would make me happier.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second.” Hunter spoke with deliberation, choosing his next words carefully. “I know he hurt you, and I know the thought of giving him another chance scares you. I’m not asking you to sacrifice your well-being for his sake—”

“Aren’t you?”

Hunter stared at her for a long moment.

She lifted an eyebrow in silent challenge.

He ran an elegant hand through his dark hair and sat forward, lowering his voice. “The only reason I’m here is because I know you love him just as much as he loves you. I saw how terrified you were that day when you couldn’t get ahold of him and you thought something horrible had happened. I saw how tenderly you tucked him into bed and kissed his forehead. He told me how you took care of him, how you bathed him and held him and cried for him. I’ve seen him at his worst, so I never thought the day would come that I’d see him as happy and carefree as he is with you. He fell hard all those years ago, and he’s been saving his heart for you ever since. You’re the best thing that ever happened to him, Meadow. Maybe that’s an unfair burden to place on your shoulders. But it’s the truth. He’s lost without you. Completely broken.”

Meadow closed her eyes as tears swam into them. “I love Logan,” she whispered thickly. “I love him so much I feel like I’m drowning without him. I miss him every single minute of every single day. But…I just don’t know if…” She shook her head, her voice trembling. “When he shuts down, he can be so cold and distant. When he gets like that, I don’t know what he’s capable of. That’s the way he was the day of the yacht party. So when I saw him and his stepmother together…” She trailed off and swallowed painfully. “I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“I know, chère,” Hunter said gently. “Believe me, I know how dark his moods can be. When he retreats into that deep and unreachable place, he’s trying to escape his pain and rage. I think he shuts everyone out to protect them as much as himself. But I hope you know he would never, ever harm a hair on your head.”

“I know. I’ve never worried about that.” She knuckled her tears away, but they kept falling.

Hunter took a clean white handkerchief out of his pocket and passed it to her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled with a teary laugh. “Do you always carry a handkerchief in your pocket? Or did you come prepared to reduce me to a weepy mess?”

His eyes twinkled. “Both.”

They shared a small laugh.

“I know I have no right to ask,” Hunter said quietly, “but would you consider attending the game tonight?”

She blotted her streaming eyes and swiped at her running nose. “I can’t—”

“Just think about it.”

“I can’t. Really. I’m volunteering at an adoption fair this evening.”

“Ah. I understand.” Hunter smiled softly. “Sounds like a very good cause.”

“It is. We have several children who are up for adoption. If just one of them finds a permanent family tonight, I’ll consider the event a tremendous success.” She gave Hunter a tiny smile. “If I didn’t have a prior commitment, I might have been open to attending the game.”

He smiled, encouraged by her words.

When the doorbell rang, she excused herself and went to answer it.

The woman standing on the porch was the same woman she’d seen in Logan’s truck last night.

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