Page 9 of Annika's Aurora

“That’s what you’re going with? You didn’t know I’d be here? Well, then, I’ll just gather my stuff and get out of your hair.” She was angry. Very angry. Every hurt feeling over the past fifteen fricking years surging through her.

She tried to move past him to leave, not wanting to face any of this right now, but he grabbed her arm. The warmth of his palm seeping straight through cloth, skin, and bones. Warming places deep inside she hadn’t realized were chilled.

“Annika.” She glared at him, tears threatening. He said only her name, yet she felt it deep inside her. The shelter she’d craved from him surfaced with just one spoken word. “Please.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to disappear. “No, Logan,” she whispered. Everything she wanted to tell him, she was unable to articulate. In that moment, she feared the sound her voice would make as it came bleeding out of her heart. “I can’t. I’m tired.” She extracted her arm from his grasp, immediately missing the warmth.

Grabbing her suitcase from where she’d dropped it, she retreated to her bedroom. Shutting and locking the door. Shutting Logan out and reinforcing the icy crust she’d built up over her heart.

Annika leaned against the locked door, breathing hard. The tears spilled over, and she trembled. Still angry, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her mom.

Annika:You knew he’d be here, didn’t you? You set me up.

She ended it with a mad face emoji.

How could Johanna have done this to her? She didn’t want to see him. There was too much bitterness and anger. It was better to freeze all that out. That’s why she’d stopped writing to him all those years ago. The hurt and disappointment she felt after sending each email became too much. Waiting with hope and anticipation after each message sent only to be crushed … again … when he didn’t reply. It had nearly killed her.

Her mother knew he was here. So, apparently, he did reply to one of the Northrups. To Johanna.Why her and not me? She bit back the scream that fought to be released.

Why did Johanna never tell her? Did she even tell dad? Annika threw herself face down across the bed. Wanting to kick and scream and have a full-blown tantrum like a toddler, she appeased herself by releasing her tears and letting them flow.

The alert of an incoming text woke her the next morning. Groggily, Annika grabbed her phone and read the text from her mother.

Mom:You two need each other. Talk. Get to know each other as you are now. Heal the hurts.

Gee, thanks, mom. She sent the eye roll emoji back.

Annika:Don’t think that I’m not still mad about this.

Mom:I know, Sweetie. But you love me, so you’ll forgive me. You can do the same for him.

God mom! Can you be any more obtuse?

How was she ever going to forgive him? He’d abandoned her when she’d needed him most. She could have forgiven him for the first couple of weeks. After all, he’d been grieving too. But fifteen years! And not one word from him. Annika didn’t know if she could ever forgive him for that. She forced herself out of bed before the tears swamped her again. Reaching into her suitcase, she grabbed her running gear. She’d go for a long run, try to escape her anger, and refuse to think of it as running away from her problems.

Logan sat at the kitchen table, head in his hands. The bowl from the cereal he’d eaten an hour ago sitting near his elbow. Sleep had been elusive since he’d found Annika in the kitchen, so he didn’t even bother to try. His mind felt like the proverbial hamster on the wheel. Running and running. Around and around.

He’d made so many mistakes throughout his life but staying away from Annika for fifteen years had to have been the biggest and stupidest. His mind had chased its tail all night long, trying to figure out a way to make it up to her. The first step had to be to apologize.

Now, if only she’d let him.

He heard her door open; his heart thumping loudly in his ears. Shit, he was nervous. How could he possibly be so scared to face her? It was just Annika. They’d been close once.

She was fitting earbuds into her ears and thumbing through her phone as she entered the great room. She wore tight spandex over toned legs. The zipper of her black hoodie was partially down, revealing the creamy skin of her chest above a purple sports bra. Logan blinked. She looked hot as hell, and his dick took notice.

She looked up then, and her steps faltered as she spotted him sitting there. Her eyes narrowed warily. “I’m going for a run.” Annika worked out? That was new.

He stood up so quickly he nearly knocked over the chair. “Want some company?”

“No,” she said simply, then was out the door.

Christ. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. How could he apologize to her if she wouldn’t give him the time of day? He walked slowly to the door she disappeared through and stepped out onto the porch. She was halfway down the street already. Running as if her demons chased her. He fought the desire to go after her, instead watched the way the spandex pants hugged … everything.

Shit. He couldnotgo there. But damn, she looked good. She’d always been pretty but in a sweet innocent sort of way.

Now, she’d grown into a stunningly sexy woman. They were definitely no longer eighteen. He could appreciate the way his old friend had matured.

Not if you want her to forgive you.Well, that was it then. It was hopeless. She’d always been a stubborn little thing growing up; that’s why he’d always called her Sunfire. It didn’t look like that had changed much.

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