Page 17 of Whenever You Call

“Because I know what it’s like to feel lost.”

There was something about him I couldn’t put my finger on. Whether it was his job, his caring nature, his ability to read my mind, or simply those kind eyes, I didn’t know, but I wanted to trust him—to believe good people really did exist out there.

“I’d like that,” I admitted quietly.

“Yeah?”

I nodded, trusting my gut for once.

Reaching around to his back pocket, Logan pulled his cell out. “I’ll give you my number, but don’t give me yours, and always block it from me should you ever decide you need to call. That way, no one can find you through me. You’ll have your privacy, and this will be on your terms. If we never speak again, that’s your decision, but should you ever feel like there’s no one else around… I’ll be there.” He paused, staring into my eyes. “Whenever you call, Hannah.”

Chapter6

HANNAH

The moment I shut the door I knew I’d never use his number.

One glance at his name in my cell had the sting of betrayal tearing through my veins, burning like poison until I almost deleted it there and then.

Logan - Paramedic.

It looked foreign.

He didn’t belong there.

But when my finger hovered over the delete button next to his name, another emotion took over.

Hope. Finally.

Logan’s name gave me hope.

It’s my job to take care of people.

I believed him, too.

“Hannah? We’re back!”Livia called out only moments before Bella’s footsteps came charging toward me out into the backyard, where I sat under the outdoor canopy, overlooking the pool.

I dropped my coffee cup onto the slate table just in time to catch my daughter in my arms when she threw herself at me, her tangled, long hair suffocating my face in the process.

“Hey, bug.” I smiled, squeezing her back. “You missed me?”

Bella nodded and tightened her hold around my neck, which immediately had me tensing beneath her. It didn’t take long to realize my girl was sad. I pulled her back so I could look into her eyes. She tried to fight it before eventually giving up, her arms hanging limp as she sniffed up and tried her best not to let her tears fall.

I brushed her hair out of her face. “Bad day?”

She nodded sadly.

“Wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head in defeat.

“Okay.” I gave her a soft smile, letting my hands rest on her shoulders and brushing my thumbs over her delicate little neck. “But can you tell me if I should be worried or not? You know how Mommy always wants to make sure everything is okay in Bella’s world, don’t you?”

Glancing to the side, she brought her thumb up to her mouth to chew on it before she said, “There’s a Daddy-Daughter dance at kindergarten. They said it doesn’t have to be a daddy who goes. Some kids only have mommies, anyway, but it’s stupid because IwantDaddy to go, but he can’t because he’s dead now, which means I don’t have a daddy anymore, so I can’t do the dance. Not properly, anyway.”

The agony that tore through my chest was crippling.

“Then two of the other girls laughed at me about it,” she added.

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