Page 114 of Seven of Hearts

“Hello?”

“Hey, honeybee. Whatcha doing?”

I missed the intimate gravel of his voice, and it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet.

I sighed and put the call on speaker. “Considering my bosses are all aboutrelaxingandnot pushing myself too hard before the baby comes, I’m sitting at home instead of making dinner for the kids.”

Logan chuckled. “You’re having a baby in eight weeks. I’m pretty sure it’s normal and encouraged to slow down.”

“Yeah? Well, I hate it,” I clipped with an edge of annoyance in my voice.

“I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry I’m not there to keep you company.”

“They’re paying me to be a glorified driver. They wouldn’t even let me pick up groceries because they were worried I would try to carry them inside. I hate getting paid to sit around and do nothing. It makes me feel like shit.”

“It sounds like you have employers who care,” he countered.

“I wish they’d care a little less. I’m bored out of my mind. I have nothing to distract me from every little pain or new symptom, which means I spiral, and then?—”

“Leah,” he said with a chuckle. “You’re spiraling.”

I growled.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. “I’m wrapping up at the office today and dealing with my car, getting out of my apartment tomorrow, and then I’ll be on a plane.”

“But what about all your stuff?”

“I’ve packed the rest of my clothes. I don’t have much else to get rid of. I’ve listed most of it online and already have offers. Hopefully, they’ll all show up tonight and I can have an empty place so I can come back to you.”

“But what about that storm?”

A doozy of a snowstorm was supposed to hit Chicago the day he was scheduled to fly back. I kept hoping that he’d come back early or that the weather system would dissolve into thin air, but it looked like I was out of luck with both.

“I’ll figure it out. I don’t want you to worry.”

“Telling me not to worry doesn’t stop me from worrying,” I countered.

“Have you tested yet?” he asked.

“Don’t change the subject.”

Logan chuckled. “You’re stalling.”

Before I could respond, the phone chimed with a video call request. My heart leaped as I swiped to accept it, and his face filled the screen. The office he was in looked rather blasé. It was basic and not at all personalized. Not exactly what I would expect of a vice president.

“That’s your office?” I asked with a grimace.

Logan chuckled. “Yes. What’s with the judgmental tone, honeybee?”

“It’s just . . . plain.”

His smile was kind. “Everyone in the company has the option to work remotely as long as they have a secure connection and follow security protocol. The office is basically just a co-working space. And there’s a really nice coffee maker here. That’s a big draw.”

I laughed. “So why did you move all the way to Chicago if you didn’t have to be there in person?”

I could see the answer in his eyes before he said it. “Because I was looking for any reason to leave and stay gone. Ten months ago, it would have taken an act of God to bring me back for good. Now I can’t wait to get back.”

The baby took that as his cue to tumble around inside of me, warping my belly as he somersaulted. “He’s moving so much. Apparently, he takes credit for that.”

---