Page 79 of My Song for You
I could only nod, because she was right. It was what I had always feared from the beginning. It was what Alexis had feared. I was in love with Jared, but what I wanted wasn’t important.
“The only thing I ask from you in return,” she said, “is that you end whatever relationship it is you have with Jared. You can’t be his friend or anything else you might have going on with him. It all ends now.”
I frowned. “Why would I do that? Jared is Logan’s father. He’ll see me whenever he visits Logan.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that. He’ll be too busy with touring and with his life to visit.”
So in the end, Jared would be nothing more to Logan than a monthly child support check. Like I feared, he would end up disappointing his son again and again and again. Plus, it was clear that Tiffany didn’t want to be part of Logan’s life, not in the same way I did. Maybe it was because she knew her career, like Jared’s, wasn’t the best when it came to being a mother. She was only interested in Jared, but unlike me, she fit in perfectly with his life.
Except where did that leave Logan?
Chapter 33
Jared
Logan and I walked back to his home in silence after his assistant principal had finished speaking with me. I should’ve made more of an effort to talk to him, but all I could think about was what Callie would do once she found out about the article that had gone viral. All I could think about was who had leaked the information. All I could think about was what the hell was I going to do to fix it, preferably before the band’s promo blitz began in two weeks. Because after that things would be crazy, and by the time life settled down again it would be too late.
At the apartment, I unlocked the door and let Logan in. Before picking him up from school, I had dropped off his new guitar in his room, propped up against the bed with his toy puppy.
“Are you really my daddy?” he asked, staring at the two gifts.
I knelt to his level. Shit, where did I start? “It’s complicated, and I don’t expect you to understand. But yes, Logan, I’m your daddy. I only found out about it a few weeks ago. Your mommy and I thought it was best that you and I got to know each other first before we told you the truth.”
“Mommy? Hunter said my real mommy doesn’t want me. He said no one wants me.” Tears spilled from his eyes. The pain in his words just about gutted me.
“None of it’s true. Callie is your mommy, Logan, and she loves you very much. You can’t stop believing that because of what someone told you. She would do anything for you. I would do anything for you.” I wiped his cheek dry with my thumb. “I love you.” I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a gentle hug. “I love you very much.”
At first his small body stiffened in my arms, but at my words the tension leaked from his muscles. He hugged me back. “I love you…Daddy.”
That only made me hug him tighter, tears in my eyes.
I blinked them away and released him. “Do you still want to learn to play the guitar?”
He smiled, eyelashes and cheeks still damp with moisture. “I want to play guitar like Daddy.”
This time I didn’t bother blinking away the tears.
—
After spending time with Logan, I’d left him with Sharon, and joined the band for our daily practice session and meeting. Our first single off the new album was releasing next week. The band didn’t have time for my crises. Until Callie and I discussed what to do about the situation, I didn’t want to discuss it with the guys. We had other things to focus on for now. After I talked to Callie, I would talk to my lawyer and the record label’s publicist to find out what needed to be done to fix the mess.
Logan and I were on the couch, watching his favorite show when the apartment door clicked open. My heart took this as a cue to pick up its pace. I wanted to break the news to Callie first about the leaked story, but one look at her face told me I was too late.
I pushed myself off the couch. Logan was faster. He sprinted across the room and threw himself at Callie. She hoisted him in her arms and kissed his cheek.
“I have a daddy,” he said, coming close to puffing out his chest.
Callie smiled back at him, but the smile never made it to her eyes. Instead, they glistened with unshed tears. “I need to talk to your father. Okay?”
Logan nodded, and she returned him to the couch to finish watching his show. She then indicated for me follow her into her bedroom. Which meant she didn’t want Logan to overhear us.
She walked to her window and looked out. She didn’t speak at first. She just continued staring out the window, lost in thought. The bright afternoon light glared through the glass but did nothing to warm the room.
When she finally turned around, she appeared more exhausted than she had after that super-long shift three weeks earlier.
“How could you do it?” she asked, her voice calm yet slightly off. “How could you use your son for publicity like that?”
I frowned. “Whoa, what are you talking about? I had nothing to do with the information being leaked.”
