Page 40 of Seven of Hearts

I waited until I heard the click on the other end, then my mother’s voice.

“Logan?”

I sighed. “Yeah. I’m here.” It was the most I could muster. Saying ‘hello’ or ‘hey, mom’ always sounded far too cheery. Kristin had gone no-contact with our parents the moment our lives were turned upside down by their actions, but she left the choice to have individual contact with them up to Kylie, Hunter, Zoey, and me.

Hunter was no contact. Same with Kylie since she sided with Kristin on most things. Zoey hadn’t even been a year old when everything happened. She had no memory of them as anything other than fiction, and never went to see them in person.

I was the pushover.

I accepted the collect calls. I put money in their accounts. I even visited them once or twice a year. And I always wished I could go back to my eighteenth birthday and not walk into that visiting room.

Before I was an adult, Kristin refused to let them have any communication with me. When I was of legal age, it was my choice.

I had gone to visit because I had questions. Because I deserved answers. Because I wanted them to know how badly they had fucked up my life.

All they saw was a kid whose new brother-in-law was a billionaire.

That’s when the requests for money started coming in. But I had already opened the floodgates, and I didn’t know how to stop the torrent.

“I was starting to worry,” Mom said. “You didn’t accept the call the last few times I tried you.”

“I’ve been traveling,” I said, keeping it vague. I didn’t want her to know I was only a few hours away from where she was serving time.

“Oh? Are you traveling now? I needed to talk to you about putting a little something on my books, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to call next. And you know the rest of your siblings won’t talk to me. You’re the only one I’ve got, Logan.”

Footsteps echoed up the stairwell, catching my attention.

“What—uh...What’s going on?” I muttered as a shadow rounded the corner.

Leah’s blonde hair was the first thing I saw as she stepped up onto the landing. It cascaded across her profile like a waterfall, hiding her face.

But I didn’t miss the sound of ragged breathing and sniffing back tears.

“Leah, what’s wrong?”

She jumped at the sound of my voice.

My mother paused her spiel on the phone. “What was that, Logan?”

“I’ve gotta go,” I muttered, then hung up.

Leah crashed into my arms and buried her tear-stained cheeks in my chest as she sobbed.

All the annoyance I’d felt over the phone call vanished as rage took its place.

“Are you hurt? What’s going on? Is it the baby?”

She shook her head.

“Your parents didn’t take the news well,” I guessed as I cradled her head against my chest and combed my fingers through her hair.

Hyperventilating or having a panic attack couldn’t be good for her or for our baby.

“W-What are you d-doing here?” she stammered.

I tightened my hold and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Just had a feeling you two might need some moral support.”

She reached between us to wipe her eyes. “And you were just...sitting there? Waiting?”

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