Page 27 of Seven of Hearts

I didn’t miss the ginger lollipops that had branded wrappers featuring a cartoon baby bump. Were those for morning sickness? Had she already been sick today? Was it a precaution or something she had to have on her at all times?

“Let me get that for you,” I said as I grabbed the handle of her tote.

“It’s fine. I can get it,” Leah argued as she reached for it.

The thing had to weigh at least fifty pounds. What else was she hiding in there? Bricks?

I pulled it off the backseat and shut the door. Leah reached for the bag, but I didn’t hand it over.

“Logan...” She sounded just as tired as I felt. Leah raked her hand through her hair. “I can’t do this right now.”

“I’m sorry,” I said as I tightened my grip on her bag. It was the only thing keeping her from walking inside the DeRossis’ house to start her workday. “I probably should have said that last night. I was just...I think I was in shock.”

Leah looked down at her feet. “That makes two of us.”

“I told Will,” I said as I glanced back at the house.

Leah’s head snapped up and she glared at me. “Youwhat?But he’ll tell?—”

“I had to tell someone. I had to...Fuck, Leah. I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t.” I took a deep breath of cool morning air. “He won’t tell Kylie. He won’t tell anyone.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Fine.”

Without thinking, I dropped her bag and pulled her into my arms, but Leah was stiff as a board. “I’ll—um—I’ll call you when I get back to the city. We can...I don’t know. Figure something out so you don’t have to pay for everything. I’ll...do my part. I promise.”

Leah tensed. “That’s what you think?” She pushed away from me. “No thanks.”

I stood there, stunned. I was trying to figure this out, dammit! Why was doing the right thing so fucking hard?

“I don’t need a meal ticket,” she said with a bite to her words. “I do just fine on my own.”

Of that, I had no doubt. She worked for billionaire and millionaire families.

“Tell me what you need from me.”

“I don’tneedanything,” she said as she locked the car.

The edge she put on the word ‘need’ threw me for a loop.

“I’m not looking for you to bankroll this child’s life. I’m not interested in having a half-assed baby daddy who sends cards on birthdays and a check once a month. Bills aren’t the only thing a child needs taken care of. I’m not going to force my child into a confusing relationship with their father because you can’t decide what side of the fence you want to sit on. If you’re out, that’s fine. I wasn’t planning on you being part of this anyway. You’re off the hook.”

Her words were a sucker punch.

Leah shouldered her heavy bag with ease. “Have a safe trip back.”

9

LEAH

Logan:Thinking about you.

I staredat the text message like it was a death threat. It wasn’t, of course. But it was as unexpected as one.

“Miss Leah, can you check my math homework?” Gio called from the kitchen table.

I dropped my phone and pushed the thoughts of Logan out of my head.Why was he texting me out of the blue?

It had been a few days since the fateful twenty-four hours when he had shown up at my apartment, then cornered me at the DeRossi house the day after. I had barely slept since. I was running on decaf coffee, hoping for a little placebo effect to wake me up.

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