Page 46 of This Is Love
Logan juts his chin toward the guy. “Did he say how much the tow is going to cost?”
“No,” I grunt, “I’ll figure it out with him when we get there.”
Sucking in a breath, Logan growls, “I’ll cover it. And I’m guessing it’ll need at least two new tires. They never like to replace just one if they can help it.” He’s got this weird look on his face that I don’t think has anything to do with the fucking car, but I can’t pinpoint what’s causing it. He grips the back of his neck. “I’m happy to put it on my card.”
“Look,” I snap, “I don’t need you to cover shit for me. I said I would handle it.” Irritation bubbles up inside of me, knowing that the card he’s referencing likely has a sky-high limit on it. Becausemyfather foots the bill. “Must be nice to have astepdaddy who will take care of everything for you.” I flip him off with a nasty smirk. “I’ll deal with it, thanks.”
A strangled noise, almost like a sick moan slips from Rya’s lips. “Jaxon…”
I’m busy trying to figure out what’s in her eyes when Logan hits me square in the chest with the palms of both hands, shoving me backward. I stumble a few steps but regain my footing only to find him seething, his body heaves as he stares at me with cold eyes. I cross my arms, aiming a lethal look of my own at him. “What the fuck, dickweed?”
Digging into his pocket, he pulls out the credit card in question and slaps it against my pec, his eyes sparking with anger. “Fucking fight me on it later. I want to get us off the goddamn side of the road.” His jaw works to the side for a second before he spits, “At least you stillhavea father who is alive and well.” He turns on his heel and stalks a good thirty paces or so away, finally stopping in the middle of the field and sitting down on the ground and dropping his head into his hands.
Rya drags her gaze from Logan’s back to meet mine. “Jaxon, I was trying to warn you from saying anything else.” She presses her fingertips to her temples, slowly shaking her head as she murmurs, “Logan’s dad. He died after he was in a car accident.”
I frown. Wait, what? “He was a cop. I thought it was a line-of-duty kind of thing.”
“It was. He was in a high-speed chase when some lady on her cell phone swerved into the lane as he was passing. After he crashed, he was able to call Jamie and speak to her and Logan. Um.” She sucks in a wet breath, blinking rapidly. “He died a few minutes later. They had no idea his injuries would be fatal.”
Oh my god. My heart gives a violent, ill lurch in my chest, then plummets into my gut.Fuck. And suddenly, Logan’s reaction to getting Rya’s call, the way he’d come out of that car, itall makes sense. His face had been the most frantic I’ve ever seen it, the sole exception being the ten seconds when we thought Rya could possibly have been dead in the Tri-Beta basement bathroom. I feel sick about what I said to him.
I exhale hard. “Stay here. I’ll say something to him.” At the nervousness in her eyes as they slip over to her best friend, I feel the need to tack on, “I get it. I was a dick. I’ll make it right. I’ll apologize.”
Rya nods, sighing. “Okay. Good idea.” She wraps her arms around herself, shivering against the cold. “And then we can get the fuck out of here.” She juts her chin toward the tow truck, where it seems like the driver is simply making sure my shitty old car is secure.
With every step I take toward Logan, I agonize over what to say. But in the end, it’s kinda simple. Dropping to my knees beside him, I rest my hands on my thighs. “I’m fuckin’ sorry. Rya filled me in. I never knew how your dad died, I just knew he was gone. It was thoughtless of me, no matter what your relationship is with my dad.”
He glances at me, his jaw working to the side as he studies me. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he shrugs. “It’s whatever.”
“No. It’s not. No matter the circumstances, I shouldn’t be fucking taunting you about taking shit from my dad. It’s not your fault he’s a dick to me. It’s his.” I let out a huff of air. “If I had known how your dad died, I would have?—”
“You would have what?” he bites out, shaking his head. “You’ve hated me for so goddamn long, I expect crap from you. No harm done.”
My eyes crash shut at the hurt in his tone. Something inside me twists, and I’m left unable to fucking breathe. I shift, sitting on my ass beside him, and swing an arm around his back, gripping the shoulder farthest from me. I squeeze when he doesn’t respond, tilting my head near his. I suck in a harshbreath that feels like I’m pulling in that air over razor blades. “I’m so sorry. Getting a call like you did today must have been fuckin’ scary. Me and my problems with my loser father aren’t your fault. If I admit something… you promise not to use it against me?”
At that, Logan turns his head, rolling his eyes. “You make me fucking nervous sometimes.”
My lips twitch, curving on one side. “It’s jealousy. That my own fucking dad treats me like a second-class citizen and he’s good to you.”
Logan smirks, then makes anuh-ohface. “Well, I bet I fucked that all up at dinner.”
Brows darting together, I cock my head to the side. “What?”
“I basically told Eric what I thought of how he treats you. So, do me a favor, let’s use his goddamn money while we can.” His brows lift as I stare at him, bewildered.
“Why did you do that?”
“Because it’s wrong. And I see it more clearly now than I ever have before.”
“Logan? Jaxon? The car is ready to be towed.”
We turn to see Rya waving us over, and I scramble to my feet, then hold out a hand to help Logan up. His remains in mine a little longer than it requires, and I inwardly smile.Jaxon, you fuck up a lot of stuff, but maybe you haven’t fucked this up. Yet.
Joining the tow truck driver, he gives us a brief nod as he flips a few pages on his clipboard. “It’ll be fifty bucks to tow. By the way”—he pauses, gesturing to the back right tire—“your valve stem is damaged. Now, I’m not normally one who hazards guesses, but I’ve never seen anything quite like that. So, it’s possible it was tampered with, and that’s what caused the blowout.”
We don’t get backto the dorm until after nine. I watch Logan take Rya through the heavy double doors to the wing they both reside in, and finally, for the first time since spotting my father at the ball game, allow myself to catch my breath.What a fucking shitty evening this has been. But also, enlightening in more ways than one.
I run my hand over my stomach as I turn away. It’s pleasantly full of a burger and fries from Big Judd’s, like I’d originally plannedhoursago. At least the Uber driver hadn’t given us shit when we asked him to drive by the diner to get food for Rya and me. It probably helped that Logan bought him a burger for his trouble on top of the extra cash he’d apparently promised him to get him to wait for us on the side of the road.
