Page 62 of Whatever You Want

The front door flew open before we even reached the house. A tall, slender woman with shoulder-length dark hair greeted us.

“Hi Nana, hi Papa.” Brina waved her hands in the air. She ran into them, wrapping her arms around their legs.

Logan’s dad held his hand out. “Hi there, I’m Patrick. It’s nice to meet you.” I looked up at the man who strongly resembled his son. Both men had a similar build, except Logan had a bit more muscle and a few more inches in height.

“It’s nice to meet you as well. I’m Ava, and this,” I said as Madison slid up to my side, “is my daughter, Madison.”

I tipped her head back, forcing her to make eye contact. “Can you say hello?”

She leaned into my side and waved, giving them a bashful smile. Funny how she was curious on the drive over, asking a million questions, and now she seemed to forget how to use her voice. Brina was still talking a mile a minute, thankfully taking the attention off us.

Logan’s mother pulled him in for a hug. “I’m so happy you are here. I don’t get to see much anymore. You’re always so busy.”

She sounded annoyed, but you could see the wrinkles around her eyes deepen with her smile.

He kissed her cheek. “Sorry, Mom. I’ve been busier than usual.”

She rolled her eyes before they turned to me. “Sometimes I wish he had a normal nine-to-five office job.”

“Unfortunately, the criminals I have to hunt down for a living like to do their work after dark, so that will never happen.”

He wasn’t kidding. His phone was constantly going off in the middle of the night. He kept a spare suit and tie in my closet for when he got called in. When I asked him why he had to wear a dress shirt and tie to go out at three a.m., he reminded me that there were usually camera crews at the crime scene, and he had to look professional in front of the reporters.

His mom wiped her hands on her floral apron. “Ava, I’ve been dying to meet you. My granddaughter has not stopped talking about you and Madison.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, too, Mrs. Blake. Thanks for inviting us.”

“Please call me Kelly.” She gave my arm a gentle squeeze as we shuffled inside.

As we entered the living room, two black labs trotted toward us. The sound of their big paws thumping along the hardwood floor had me taking a step back. Logan moved forward and held his hand out. “Harley…Bentley…sit!” he commanded. Both dogs stopped, sat, and wagged their tails.

Brina rushed around her father and got down on her knees to greet her excited friends. She hugged them both tightly, and each dog took turns licking her face. “His breath smells like poop.” She giggled, causing all of us to laugh.

Logan’s father grabbed a few dog toys out of the basket in the hall. “I’m going to take them out back and let them run around for a few minutes.” He looked to girls. “Would you two young ladies like to come with me?”

Madison looked up at me with pleading eyes. I gestured for her to go ahead.

Kelly held out her hand. “Shall we?” My gaze glanced at all the family portraits lining the walls as we followed her through the house. “I hope you guys haven’t eaten today because I might have made a little too much food.”

Logan laughed. “So, what else is new. You have a tendency to cook like you’re expecting the Tenth Mountain division to stop by.”

She gave him a stern look over her shoulder. “It’s always better to have more than enough than not enough.”

Logan leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Don’t be surprised if she sends us home with enough Tupperware containers that will last us a week.”

We angled through a small cozy family room to the back of a kitchen that opened up to a large open sunroom.

“Whoa…” Logan stumbled to a stop, his mouth opened and closed as a man with dark hair rose from one of the gray couches. “What the hell are you doing here?”

The mystery man set his beer down on the coffee table and stepped forward. He drew Logan in for a one-arm hug. “Don’t act so happy to see me.”

Logan tipped his head to his mom. “Why didn’t you tell me Gage was in town?”

“He wanted to surprise you.” She shrugged, grabbed the pie from my hands, and set it down on a buffet table to the right.

Logan playfully pushed his friend in the shoulder. “Well, color me fucking surprised. How long are you in town for, man?”

“Just for one night. Lily and I are passing through on our way down to the Outer Banks.”

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