Page 73 of Bloom: Part 1

He patted my back. “Well, don’t take it seriously. The therapist said I should tell you—uff.”

I elbowed him in his stomach. “Quit playing. You were like a father to me.”

He winced. “Ouch. Now I feel like an old man.”

“Max doesn’t mind, so—” I shrugged. “And by the way, I get it. The way you are with Max. I may spend more time here now, but if you need me for anything, call me.”

“Eh, we can do without you for a while so you can catch up on what we’ve all been doing since we were teens.” Laughing, Crowe hopped onto his motorcycle. “I’m proud of you, kid.”

I watched Crowe go, my chest hurting as if I’d lost something. But that was ridiculous. He would always be my brother. Even without the name.

Logan was no longer in the kitchen. I climbed the stairs and found him in the bathroom, naked, while he brushed his teeth. How many naked bodies had I seen? Too many to count, but Logan’s was different. My heart beat wildly, and my hole ached.

I wanted him so much.

Logan spat toothpaste into the sink. “Did your talk go well?”

“Yeah. What did you two talk about?”

“Just sharing concerns about your well-being.”

“And?”

“And what?” I sat on the floor and wrapped my arms and legs around his feet. He gave a startled laugh. “Bloom, what are you doing?”

“I won’t let go until you tell me what you talked about.”

“I already told you. We talked about you.”

“You can’t lie for shit, you know that? You asked him about my name.”

He turned the faucet on and rinsed out his toothbrush. “You were eavesdropping. Is that how a good boy behaves?”

“I don’t want to be good. I want to know the truth. Why did you tell him you understood why he didn’t have me registered?”

“I’m going to shave. You don’t want to hang on to my legs and have me get nicked by the razor, do you?” He picked me up like I were a doll and placed me on the counter. He protected my forehead with a hand while he opened the cabinet and got out his grooming supplies.

“Logan, please tell me. I’ve asked myself that question many times.”

“Why didn’t you ask Crowe?”

I shrugged. He’d already done so much for me without asking anything in return. How could I have asked him for more?

“All right. If Crowe had registered you by giving you his last name, the state would have taken you away. Given the condition you were in, he wanted to protect you from being committed and further abused.”

“Oh.” That made more sense than wanting me to stay anonymous so I could kill anyone for the club without getting caught.

“Yes, from what I gathered from our little chat, he seems protective of you.” He squeezed shaving cream onto his hand and lathered his face. “Was there anything romantic between you two?”

“Me and Crowe? No way! I told you. I’ve never been interested in anyone until you.”

“I see.” He swiped the razor across his cheek, watching me in the mirror. “Well, that’s a relief.” He removed another layer of shaving cream from his jawline.

“Why? Would you have been jealous?”

He stilled the razor. “At first, I was. Now I understand your relationship better. Do you want to shave me?”

“I don’t know how to use a razor. Don’t you see my face?”

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