Page 48 of Unmistakably Us

Sixteen

Logan was gone. And not just because he left. He was gone. It was clear in his dead eyes. Sure, there was anger but when that drained away, so did everything else. The passion, the laughter, the…love, everything. All of it, wiped out by Melody freaking Thorne. Just when January thought her mother had done the worst she possibly could, she upped her game.

January didn’t know how, but she would fix this. Even at the cost of all else. Her mind was reeling, and her heart was shattered, but when Francis held her like a real mother should have, January relished it, even with all the warring taking place in her soul.

“Let it out, child. I do not know how such a vile woman gave birth to two such beautiful souls.”

“Oh, Francis. I hurt him so bad. He doesn’t deserve that. He thinks he’s some broken person, but he is capable of love beyond what he was ever shown. Now, he’ll never give love a chance. I did that to him. I broke him when all those who tried couldn’t do it, I did it without even trying.”

“Hush now.” Francis led her to the sofa and curled her into her body, her head on her lap like a baby, stroking her hair and making her feel loved. “You said it yourself, he is capable of love beyond what he thinks. He’s angry, I mean, that was a doozy of a bomb she dropped. Give him time, especially if you come clean, he’ll forgive you.”

January sat up and looked at Francis in terror. “NO! I can’t tell him. Don’t you see? It would be me choosing someone else over him just like everyone else he’s trusted. It’s better if he thinks whatever it is he thinks. He can recover from this easier than...just, no.”

She didn’t believe her own words, but January was determined to fix this, without help. She made this fucked-up shitstorm, so she’d be the one to shovel the aftermath, alone.

“Francis, thank you for treating me the way my mother never did. Always ready to defend me or advise me or just listen to me, but I made this mess, I have to be the one to fix it.”

When she didn’t speak but threw her hands up in surrender, January wasn’t sure she actually received Francis’ cooperation, but she’d take the temporary reprieve. Especially since everyone came filing back into the living room from elsewhere.

Frank made a beeline for his wife with a questioning look on his face. That look broke her just a little bit more.

“Who was here?” Michael looked around. “And where’d Logan go?”

Gus was the first to answer part one of the question. “The people who mixed their DNA to create us.” She motioned between herself and January.

Thank God, Francis stepped in to answer part two because January wasn’t sure she could even utter the words he left.

“The Thornes said some things that upset our Logan, and well, he went to get his head straight.”

Dax looked suspicious; maybe he knew something January didn't. “And what could they have possibly said that would impact him in any way?”

The truth was about to be known by everyone. They would hate her. Not more than she hated herself, but still, she loathed the idea of them looking at her with that disappointment.

“It seems there are some impending nuptials—”

A cacophony of voices interrupted Francis with whooping and hollering. Then the words started to register in her brain.

“I can’t believe he moved that fast.”

“Congrats.”

“I didn’t think Logan had it in him.”

Confusion was the understatement of the century. As far as January thought, no one knew her and Logan were more than just really close friends until he hauled her up against him outside earlier.

Gus’ gasp was the sound that broke through. “Oh, January.” She knew, everyone else made assumptions, but she knew. She’d had enough clues from when she first arrived. January had hoped she’d forgotten, but no such luck.

By extension, John did too, and his look crippled her. He was not happy, but he didn't understand. January knew if he did, he would respect her for her reasons. He himself would do anything, kill anyone to keep Gus from harm.

That’s all she was doing; she just couldn’t tell anyone. If Gus ever found out, it would wound her beyond measure. Not that her parents were grade-A dicks, she knew that already, but that they had used Gus to elicit Jan’s cooperation.

Francis commanded the room once again. “Pipe down. All y’all making assumptions, and you know what they say about assuming things. It seems that January’s parents have chosen another groom for her, but I’m sure there is more to the story than what that witch dropped on the doorstep.”

Turning her attention to January, Francis was giving her the floor to explain.

“Oh, snap.” Leave it to Stacy to sum it up in a few words. Francis shot Stacy a withering glare. Seems that was the only person who could cow Stacy.

January’s attempt at a cleansing breath failed. With the toxic air that was available, it was no wonder. This family that she’d grown to love, need, were clearly disappointed, hurt, dumbfounded, you name it, by the revelation. Nothing to do at this point but to rip it off like a Band-Aid.

---