Page 15 of Unaware

I let my hand fall away. “I’m sorry you went through all of that.”

“Don’t be. I wouldn’t be here today if none of it had happened. I wouldn’t have moved to Virginia Beach, and I wouldn’t be exploring it with you right now.”

Logan slowly extended his hand towards me. Gulping, I slid my hand into his. The feel of his fingers wrapping around my hand was exhilarating.

“No scary rides, I promise.”

“What about something a little more evenly paced?” I pointed to the Ferris wheel.

With a smile, Logan said, “I can do that.”

I couldn’t believe it. I was holding a man’s hand. A man who had willingly offered it to me. A man whom I found attractive.

We walked towards the Ferris wheel and boarded one of its cages.

“This has got to be the biggest Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen,” I said.

“We’re going to go one hundred feet into the air. Are you okay with that?” Logan teased.

I twisted my mouth into a half-smile as the wheel began to turn. “As long as you don’t expect me to jump off it, I’ll be alright.”

“Maybe if we had safety gear,” Logan said with a shrug.

I pointed my finger at him forcefully. “Don’t even go there.”

We chuckled for a few moments. As our laughter fell away, Logan gazed at me. His soulful brown eyes penetrated me like he was attempting to burrow into my soul in a way no one ever had before. He was looking at me like . . . like he actually desired me. As though I fascinated him.

I pushed my hair behind my ear and turned towards the view out over the boardwalk and ocean. “It’s such an incredible view.”

“I agree.” After a moment, he added, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Aria.”

“No, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I’m not used to spending time with men. The only constant man in my life is my grandfather.”

“What’s he like?”

I felt my entire face light up. “Poppy? He’s a tough old bugger. He still runs the apple farm he’s owned all his life and still drives the farm machinery alright. I mean, he has Mum to help him as always, but he doesn’t need much in the way of assistance. He loves listening to the cricket, and he’s cheeky, sweet, and tells it straight, just as he’s always done.”

“He sounds like an awesome guy,” Logan said.

“He is. Mum and I have lived there with him ever since I was a baby. He’s our rock.” I was always so proud of the man Poppy was—a kind and down-to-earth man.

“Your dad wasn’t in the picture?”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “He and Mum divorced when I was only a few months old. Nothing crazy happened, they just didn’t get along. But he met another woman and moved on. He even moved on from me.”

Logan frowned. “That’s awful. I’ll never understand how a parent can abandon their child like that.”

I shrugged. “I guess I’m not worth it.”

“Hey.” Logan caught my hand. “Yes, you are. Don’t ever let anyone make you think otherwise.”

I dropped my gaze. The truth was, that was how I’d felt all my life. My mum and pop and cousins loved me unconditionally. Zoey and Lily cared, too, it seemed. But outside that bubble of nine people, I was nothing.

Until now.

Logan was awakening something inside me I’d never known existed. It was an emotion that was both exciting and frightening. Did I want to trust it? Did I want to open myself up to the possibility that I could be completely misreading everything here and Logan was simply being nice? Was I imagining that he was feeling the desire I was feeling, as well? That I could be projecting?

“So, you’re not used to a man being genuinely interested in you?”

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