Logan: Do you have a minute to call me?
Logan: It’s been an hour, so I’m taking that as a no.
Logan: Just got off a call with my publicist. He said your boss planned to meet with you this morning, so I’m guessing that’s what you’re doing now. I know this isn’t ideal, but it’ll be okay, Rosie. I promise whatever happens, we’ll handle it together. Don’t forget to breathe, and call me when you’re done. Side note: those pictures are hot AF. I may have to use them for inspirationlater…
I let out a quiet chuckle as I hit the call button. Only Logan Edwards can soothe my nerves and set me on fire in the same breath.
“Are you taking deep breaths?” he asks in lieu of a greeting.
“I’m trying.” I smile. “I’ve spent the last two hours getting grilled by Avery, so that’s easier said than done. You know I love her, but the woman’sintensewhen she’s in crisis management mode. It’s weird being on this side of things.”
“I bet.” Someone murmurs in the background. “Hold on a sec.” There’s complete silence on the other end, so I’m guessing he pressed the mute button. He’s only gone for about twenty seconds before he returns. “Sorry about that.” He clears his throat. “That was…uh, Ryan. He had a quick question.”
“What are we gonna do, Logan?” I groan, rubbing my temples as my brother’s name leaves his mouth. “We have to tell them before they see one of those headlines.”
“Breathe, Pip,” he reminds me. “We were going to tell them anyway. This just speeds up the timeline a little bit.”
“I know.” I sigh. “And I feel ready with my parents and stuff. I do. But Ryan…”
“I’ll tell Ryan,” Logan offers. “There’s no getting around it. He’s going to be upset we lied to him. I sure as hell would be, if the roles were reversed. But unless you really want to be present, I think me having a talk with him is the right thing to do. Truthfully, it’s longoverdue. I want to make sure he understands how serious this is. How I’d go out of my way to avoid hurting you. When Ryan walks away from our talk, he’ll undoubtedly understand how vital you are to me.”
I smile. “You’re pretty vital to me too, Edwards.”
“I’d better be,” he jokes.
“Ass,” I tease.
A notification pings on my phone, so I pull it away from my ear to see who’s texting me.
Mom: Rosa, honey, I just saw something interesting online. CALL YOUR MOTHER.
“Fuck my life,” I mutter.
“What?” Logan asks.
“My mom just texted me.” I breathe in, and then out. “I’m pretty sure Dr. Tate is in the know.”
“Damn, that didn’t take long.”
“No, it did not.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Call her. I’m going to find Ry and see if he wants to grab drinks after work. Let me know how it goes with the good doctor.”
“Oh, I will,” I grumble facetiously. “I’m sure it’ll be a super fun time.”
He laughs. “Baby, if your mom’s involved, it’ll definitely besomething.”
“Don’t remind me.” I roll my eyes.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Call me back when you’re done if you need to.”
“Okay.” I sigh. “Bye, Logan.”
“Bye, Pip.”
I close my eyes, count to ten, and give myself a little pep talk before dialing my mom’s number.
“Hello, sweetheart,” she answers on the first ring. “It’s nice to hear from you in the middle of the day.”