Page 46 of Keepsake

I snorted. “Don’t be so condescending.”

“I’m not Logan.” She tsked. “Lone Pine is a good school. I’m impressed.”

I wasn’t telling her my boss’ sister was the principal there. Keeping my mouth shut, I defended the kids. “They are bright kids with good grades, no reason they wouldn’t be accepted.”

And of course the big fat check I had to sign for a year’s tuition.

“Are you sure that’s the path you want to take, Logan?”

Mom made me hate my name sometimes. She said it so stiffly, like my nose had to be up to pronounce it.

“There’s no other option for me,” I replied honestly. “I won’t give them up.”

“Well, then I’d like to meet them.”

My tongue must have gotten stuck in the roof of my mouth because suddenly I was coughing, an invisible lump in my throat.

“Don’t be like this, Logan Magnolia.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not being like anything, mom.”

“If you’re bringing these children into your life, isn’t it normal I get to know them?”

Yes, it was, of course, the normal thing to do. They were part of my family, so it should be normal for them to meet my parents. But I really didn’t want to do it.

“They are adapting,” I told her. “I can’t promise anything yet.”

“Well, I guess that’s to be expected. They’ve been through so much.”

My eyes rose to the door where Lachlan was right now with the doctor. If I couldn’t put my feelings into words, how could a three-year-old do it?

“I’ll wait for a few weeks,” Mom was saying. “But I want to meet them, Logan.”

“You will. I have to go, talk to you later.”

I let her go, already thinking about how long I could avoid the meeting. How long could I hide that Alvaro was living with me?

No more logs on this fire. That was all that I wanted. I couldn’t deal with it anymore. Between Alvaro’s parents, the kids’ problems, and Alvaro himself, I couldn’t add my mother into the mix.

I rubbed my temple in thought, my phone chimed yet again, and I almost cursed in public.

Alvaro:How was the appointment?

Logan:Still going.

Alvaro:What? The boy doesn’t talk. How long could it take for them to see that?

Logan:I don’t know. I’m outside now.

Alvaro: …

Alvaro:And you’re freaking out.

Logan:I’m freaking out.

Alvaro:This is the right thing to do, Logan.

Even though I wasn’t hearing it, I remembered the quality of his voice when he called my name. I liked that a lot. Alvaro was older, bigger, his presence taking up the whole place, wherever he was. He exuded calm, and I needed that right now. So, I released a calming breath and texted back.

---