Page 6 of Secret Baby With My Brother's Best Friend

"Oh! Nanny said it's almost eight here,"

"Yes, there's a two-hour difference between our cities. Anyway, what did you have for dinner today?"

"Nanny made me some meat burgers with sweet potatoes."

"Wow! That sounds yummy. Did you like it?" I asked. I could listen to her speak all day and never get tired. I was already missing her.

"I loved it. It was good. Nanny is a good cook."

"Hmm, even more than me?" I asked playfully.

"Nope. You're the best cook, Mom."

I smiled. "Aww. And you're the best kid in the world. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom. So please call me everyday so that I won't miss you too much," she said, joyful, unlike earlier.

"Baby, what if Mom comes home tomorrow, that will make you happy, right?"

"It will, but what about your work? You said it was important to you so I think you should finish it. Don't worry about me. I will be ok."

I was quiet for a second. She had a point, a perfect one at that. “Ok mommy. Good night!" Cassie exclaimed finally.

"Night, sweetie. Sleep tight."

I hung up, going over what Cassie had innocently said. She was right, and I shouldn't throw away an opportunity such as this. Not for that jerk, either! Why should I pass up an opportunity this big to get out of his airspace? No way! He should be the one backing away from me. What have I been thinking? Going back home was the last thing I needed. It would be a waste to throw away such an opportunity now. I mean, I was already here, so it was probably better if I just sucked it up and finished what I started. Frankly, declining a job this big because of my history with Logan didn't make sense. It would only show him how much control he still had over me, which is unacceptable.

And allowing myself to be significantly affected by Logan's presence after all these years of him being away was a moronic call on my part. He shouldn't have any control over me. The past was gone, and it was probably best to forget it after all this time. But still, I couldn't help but wonder why he had left me back then. I was curious to know what had happened to him and why he disappeared without even a goodbye.

Did he even have a reason?

Chapter Four

Logan

I was up as early as seven the following day. I had barely gotten any sleep the entire night. The thought of Harper being so close and within reach haunted me relentlessly, no matter how much I tried to push it away. My mind was consumed with thoughts of her. I couldn't stop thinking about her and how much seeing her had affected me.

The constant mental images of being with her drove me insane, but I couldn't deny my intense longing to touch her. Harper was messing with my head, and I needed to find a way to deal with it before she caught on. So, I decided to hit the gym for my routine daily exercises to keep myself in shape.

When I arrived at the gym, I noticed it was still relatively early, and there were only a few people there. I started with the treadmill, running and keeping my mind occupied and focused so I wouldn't think about Harper. It wasn't working, and just when I thought I had finally managed to exhaust myself of the thought of her, Harper walked into the gym, looking all hot and sexy in those skinny high-waist black leggings, a black sports bra, with a pair of white sneakers. I gazed at her, losing my pace for a second. I almost fell, but I didn't. I gripped the treadmill just in time and found my pace again. Harper took the treadmill on my left, and I turned mine off.

"Good morning, Harper," I greeted her. "Are you also here to work out?" I awkwardly asked.

"What do you think?" She replied curtly, glancing at me briefly. Our eyes met, and I felt my heart race at the intensity of her gaze.

"I didn't pin you for the type to work out. Remember when we were younger? You said working out was a pain in the ass. You said it was for people who didn't know they hated themselves. Do you remember that?" I laughed, dabbing my face with a towel. "Look at you now, working out."

I thought I saw her smile briefly, but it was gone almost immediately. "I have no recollection of that," she said, irritated.

It was a blatant lie, and it was funny to me even after all this time. She still sucked at lying. I laughed. I stepped off the machine and walked over to her treadmill.

"Is this your first time on a treadmill?"

"No."

Another lie. I shook my head, amused. "You know I can tell when you're lying."

Harper didn't respond.

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