Page 84 of Mine to Love

“Good. Then you don’t have to worry about being contagious and giving me whatever this is.”

She chuckles then clutches her midsection.

“Your appendix? Have you called the doctor?” I trail my hand down her arm.

“It’s not that either.”

“You’re worrying me here. What’s going on?”

She lets out a long sigh. “You really want to know?” She struggles to sit up and brings her knees to her chest.

“Of course I do.” I brush her hair from her face so I can see her better.

“It’s cramps.”

“Cramps?”

“Yeah. Pretty bad. I started my period yesterday. I got an IUD and it’s supposed to help them, but my doctor said my first cycle may still cause me pain.”

“Your period?”

“Sorry to gross you out.”

“I’m not...it’s not gross.”

“Well, if you knew what my body’s been doing for the past twenty-four hours you’d be grossed out.”

“What can I do to help?”

She gives me a shy smile and tilts her head so her cheek rests on her shoulder. “That’s sweet, Logan, but you don’t have to.”

“I’m not here because I have to be.”

“So why are you here?”

I glance away and scratch the stubble on my chin. “I was in the neighborhood.”

“No you weren’t. Your parents live on the other side of town.”

“They went out with friends. I stopped by Holden’s.”

“Ah. Busted.”

I chuckle and run my fingers through her tangled hair. “I went over to hang out with Holden since I thought Emerson was out with you.”

Reese lifts her head, panic in her eyes. “You didn’t tell... I haven’t said anything to Emerson about... I don’t even know what to say, what’s going on between...”

“I came here because I wanted to know if you were with another man.” There. Honesty. No bullshit. Ramifications be damned.

“Oh.” She drops her knees to the couch and twists so she faces me. “You think I’m the kind of girl who—”

“No.” I stop her with a finger to her lips before she can say the demeaning words. “I realized we’ve never...”

This is where I’m stuck. I have no problem being honest in the boardroom or to my clients or even my employees. I tell my brothers off in a heartbeat. My parents are another story. Coming clean with my emotions and feelings with them is as hard as it is with Reese.

And then I remember her earlier statement. “You got an IUD?”

“We’re squirreling around the talk, aren’t we?”

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