Page 76 of Bloom: Part 2

Well, that’s a short truce.

“You’re welcome to stay the night if you want,” Jamie said.

“No way I’m sleeping with him under the same roof,” Joel muttered. “He’ll likely butcher me in my sleep.”

“It’s for the best if we leave,” Crowe said. “Bloom will come back with me to the clubhouse until we sort out everything.”

I clenched my hand into a fist, digging my nails into my palms. He only wanted to protect Bloom, and I couldn’t blame him for that. Everything inside me wanted to protest—that Crowe hadno right to take him away. The clubhouse was no longer his home. He was supposed to be with me in our home, hogging my sheets and plastered all over me when I woke up in the middle of the night. He was supposed to sit at the edge of the pool with his feet in the water while he watched me swim my laps. He was supposed to sit on top of the island, wearing nothing but my shirt while I made us dinner.

He’s supposed to be mine.

My father was doing it again. Taking away the thing I loved most. He’d almost ruined my medical practice. Now he was driving Bloom away, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it.

“Bloom, let’s go,” Crowe said.

I kept my head straight, not wanting to see him walk away from me. But my resolve crumbled at the shuffle of his hesitant footsteps. I glanced up. Bloom looked at me, his face a mask of confusion and hurt. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then shut it abruptly. Crowe placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No,” Bloom said softly, shrugging off Crowe’s hand. He closed the gap between us and slipped his arms around my waist. “I’m with Logan. I’m not gonna leave him alone.”

“Bloom, don’t you get it?” Crowe cried. “He’s not the man you think he is. He’s lied to us about who he is this whole time.”

Bloom pressed his face to my side and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what his name is. He’ll always be my Logan. I know it’s not easy. A part of me hates that he betrayed his family, but there’s also the part of me who knows firsthand how cruel a family can be. I killed my parents because they abused me. All Logan did was send his father to prison. If you want to reject him, you should reject me as well because what I did was way worse.”

I sucked in a deep breath, my eyes stinging. There were moments when I wondered if Bloom truly loved me or if hisflawed brain had picked me for other reasons I still couldn’t come up with. But in that moment, the force of his love engulfed me, raw and undiluted.

He deserved so much better than me.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “Let’s go home.”

23

BLOOM

Icame awake with a start, my chest heaving like I’d surfaced from drowning. The sheets clung to my damp skin, and the hollow thud of my heartbeat roared in my ears. My hand shot out to the empty side of the bed, groping for warmth that wasn’t there.

Logan.

Where was he?

The events of last night rushed back to me, blurring in and out like a bad TV signal. I’d been so drained emotionally and physically that I’d been dead on my feet as we climbed the stairs. Logan had insisted that I went straight to bed and we would talk in the morning.

Where was he? Had he packed up and left during the night?

“Logan?” The name tore from my throat, rough and desperate. My pulse hammered harder. Where was he?

I stumbled out of bed, the cold floor shocking against my bare feet. With every step, the echoing silence rang out like a noose tightening. He’d pulled the blinds, so the room was dark, but the clock on the nightstand said it was already past noon.

“Logan!” My voice cracked, fear rising sharp and bitter in my throat.

“I’m in here,” Logan said softly from the bathroom. Only then did I see the door left ajar. The air rushed from my lungs, leaving me trembling. Even though I’d heard his voice, I needed to see him. To convince myself he hadn’t left. Not this time. Not ever. I wouldn’t let him.

I scrambled toward the bathroom. The first thing I saw was his reflection in the mirror. He’d just showered. A towel hung low on his hips, his hair damp and droplets of water running down his back. His eyes met mine in the mirror, softening. He turned, a half smile playing on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“You’ve got to be the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”

Not exactly what I’d expected him to say. I blinked at him. Then because I didn’t know what else to do, and I was still somewhat overwhelmed from last night, I sat right at his feet and wrapped my arms around his legs, resting my head on his thigh.

“If you’re still tired, you should go back to bed,” Logan said. “We’ve got nowhere urgent to be.”

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