Page 77 of When You Left Me Speechless

It’s 6:00 p.m. I spent the day studying and waiting to hear from Logan. I know nothing about what he has planned for tonight other than I need to be ready to leave at six, I need to wear old clothes that I don’t care about getting dirty, and this morning he texted me and made me give him Lacey’s phone number. She has been completely tight-lipped about all of it, refusing to give me any clue as to why he might have needed to text her. I’m sitting in the living room, scrolling on my phone, trying to distract myself from the excitement I feel about whatever surprise he has up his sleeve.

No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Beau whisked me off to Europe; not one day of it was romantic. No grand gestures. Nothing to show me that he wanted me there. I kick myself for not realizing sooner it was going to end badly. That seed of doubt creeps in. Maybe he was right. Maybe I am an idiot. Towards the end, we weren’t even sleeping together. I push those thoughts out of my head. Today isn’t about him. It’s about Logan and me.

I hear a knock. I walk over and open the door. He is holding a bouquet of white daisies.

“I thought I said no flowers,” I say coyly, not wanting to give away the butterflies I feel from him standing at my door holding my favorite flowers.

“I’m not going to take you on a date and not bring you flowers.” He leans forward and kisses my forehead. I feel my face blush, and goosebumps break out across my arms.

I shake my head, “Well, they are beautiful. Thank you.” I take the flowers and bury my nose in the bouquet, letting the sweet aroma fill my nostrils.

“Ready to go, chatterbox?”

“Yes, let me just run and put these in some water.” He follows me inside my apartment and into my kitchen.

“Lacey wouldn’t tell me a damn thing, am I dressed okay for whatever wild plan you have come up with?” I gesture to the old white T-shirt, cut-off shorts, and sneakers I’m wearing. I fill up the vase and place the flowers inside.

“You look beautiful,” he says, walking up behind me and spinning me around. He picks me up and places me on top of the counter. He tips my chin up and kisses me. The thought of him taking me right here on the counter crosses my mind and makes the spot between my legs throb with need.

He pulls away, biting my lip softly. I let out a little frustrated sigh. He laughs, “Come on, let’s get going. There will be more time for that later.” I hop off the counter and walk over to get my purse. I let out a little squeal when I feel his hand playfully slap my ass.

“So what do you have planned?” I ask, trying my luck but knowing he isn’t going to tell me until we get there.

He laughs. “You’ll see.”

Before backing out, he hands me a cup of coffee. “I know it’s the afternoon, but that has never seemed to stop you from drinking it before.” I grab the cup and take a large sip.

“So, why did you want Lacey’s number earlier? Did Tanner finally realize that she was the best he ever had?”

He laughs. “No, I wanted it for me, but that’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“You really are driving me crazy with all of this.”

He laughs again, “You’re cute when you get annoyed.”

I cut him a look and take another long sip of my coffee. “If you aren’t going to tell me what we are doing, will you answer other questions?”

He nods. “As long as they have nothing to do with tonight, I will answer anything you want to know.” His hand settles on my thigh, and I allow myself to like how it feels.

“Okay, where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Is this an interview or a date?” he jokes. A little chuckle escapes as he turns onto the street.

I shake my head. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

His hand gently squeezes my thigh. “I think I would want to be married,” he says, pausing a few seconds before continuing. “Maybe start a family with that person. Be successful in my career. What about you?”

I look over at him. “Something similar, I guess. My parents and my sister have these relationships that put the movies to shame. The way my dad looks at my mom or the way David, my brother-in-law, looks at Olive, I want that. I want someone to look at me like I’m their whole world.”

He’s quiet for a minute, making me second guess if maybe I said too much. I told him I wanted nothing serious, and I just told him I wanted a relationship that rivaled the movies.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“To be clear, I’m not saying that’s what I thinkthiswill be. I’m having fun, having fun with you. I just think one day, once I’m done with school, it would be nice to be loved the way David loves Olive or my dad loves my mom.”

He nods his head and doesn’t take his eyes off the road. “You’re lucky. I didn’t see that kind of love growing up. My dad left when I was five, and even though I think my momknew it was for the best, I saw how much she hurt when he drove away.

“My mom loves love. Growing up, she always was watching those romantic comedies and making me watch them with her. I figured out at a young age I never wanted to be the kind of man my dad was and that when I found my person, the one I decided to spend forever with, I would love her the way they love in the movies. She would be my entire world, and I would let her know it every damn day. So, I get it. I want that, too.”

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