Logan

“Ben… why is Reece’s face everywhere?” I bat away a giant helium balloon with a picture of Reece stuck on it. The balloon bobs for a second but flies right back. “Ben?”

“Yeah. I’m out here!”

I follow the sound of his voice through the open door to the porch. He’s standing on a stool and hanging up a giant banner. Reece’s face is prominent against the white background, but it also has the words ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS’ on it.

“Hey, Logan.” Ben wipes his hands against his khakis and steps carefully off the chair. When he turns to me, his blue eyes are buzzing with excitement.

“Don’t you think you’ve gone a little… overboard?” I ask.

“No way. She’ll love it.”

I point to the giant banner. “Are you trying to invite aliens from space? Why is it so big? Isn’t that expensive?” Ben and I came up with a budget for the party and he promised he’d stick to it.

“Don’t worry. Hilton and Sara gave me a very generous employee discount.”

“I see.”

“Did we have enough space in the freezer to store all the ice cream and the cake?”

I nod. “Everything’s set. I’m just waiting for Tanya to bring the platters of fried chicken since the sandwiches and dip for the nachos are already here.”

“Great.”

I notice a smudge of dirt on Ben’s cheek and reach out to wipe it. “You have a little something…”

“Don’t.” He snatches my hand before I can make contact.

“You have something on your face.”

He wipes it away himself. “In the future, you just need to tell me. Okay?”

I yank my hand back and glare at him. “What is your problem? You’ve been acting weird—no, you’ve always acted weird. You’ve been extra weird since last week.”

He says nothing and tries to bypass me so he can go inside.

I step in his way. “Ben, stop running from me. Just talk to me.”

“You’re being dramatic. There’s nothing I have to say.” The fact that he hasn’t met my eyes once clashes with that statement. “We have a lot of things to do today, Logan. Get out of my way. Please.”

“No. Not until you tell me.”

Ben grabs my shoulders and nudges me aside. “Logan, stop.”

“I’ve been patient, Ben.” I slam the door shut when he opens it. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Logan,” he growls.

I slip in front of him. “The truth. Now.”

“You want the truth? Fine. Here it is.” Before I can blink, Ben swoops down and kisses me.

It’s a hard kiss. Like he’s punishing me for my stubbornness. I’m too shocked to kiss him back, but something tells me if he’d been gentler, I would have.

He pulls back, blue eyes stormier than the Caribbean Sea during a hurricane. There’s anguish in those startling blue depths. Without another word, he storms inside, letting the door crash behind him.

I stumble against the wall, gripping the bars of the window to keep upright. My other hand hovers over my lips, not quite touching my mouth. Still, I can feel Ben’s embrace like he’s there. Kissing me again.

The thud of feet climbing up the stairs jars me back to the present. I let out a shriek of surprise when I see Tanya standing on the porch. She’s dressed in a brown top and black shorts. Her braids are draped in a bun at the crown of her head. Her smile is brighter than the sun and twice as dangerous.

“I saw that.”

“T-Tanya. When did you get here?”

“Is that really the question you should be asking, Logan?”

I press a hand to my throbbing heart. “Did you bring the chicken?”

“Again.” Tanya advances on me, her black eyes glinting. “Wrong question.”

I know she wants to talk about Ben’s kiss, but that’s the last thing I want to do. “Lydia took Reece to her dad’s grave. She agreed to text us when they’re coming back. Which should be in an hour or so.”

“Uh-uh.” Tanya pounces on my hand. “You don’t get to suck face with Ben and not tell me everything.”

“It’s not what it looks like. And keep your voice down.”

“Ben!” Tanya yells, craning her neck toward the front door. “Ben, I saw you two! Come out here and share!”

I slap my hand over her mouth to quiet her. “Alright! I’ll talk. But not here. Let’s go for a walk. Okay?”

She nods.

I drag Tanya down the stairs and start walking with no destination in mind. The sky is a brilliant blue, and birds sing from their perches in the trees. I take a deep breath and wonder why my heart hasn’t stopped galloping yet.

“Well?” Tanya nudges me in the side. “I’m waiting.”

“Ben kissed me,” I whisper.

“Thanks for stating the obvious. I want to know why. And has he done it before?” Tanya gasps. “What about Anthony?”

I groan. Anthony. I hadn’t thought of him. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Date them both?”

I shoot her a dark look.

“Alright, I guess you’ll pick one because you’re ‘moral’ and ‘ethical’ and all that.”

“This isn’t funny. I have no idea what Ben is thinking.”

“He’s probably thinking, ‘Gee, this girl is hot. And I really like her.’ Or something along those lines. The more important question is… did you enjoy it?”

My cheeks heat up. “I—”

“You did!” She wiggles her eyebrows. “You like Ben too!”

“I don’t.”

“So you just like kissing him then? Without any feelings behind it?”

“Why is that so hard to believe,” I shoot back. “People kiss all the time and it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Girl,” Tanya slings her arm over my shoulder, “you are not ‘most people’. I saw you carry out a five year one-sided relationship with a man who touched you maybe once and that was just to ask you to pass the salt.”

“That’s not true. Harry hugged me a few times too.”

“How scandalous.”

I shove Tanya in the side. “You’re supposed to be helping.”

“I tried. I’m advising you to date them both. You’re the one who shot me down.”

“I can’t deal with this right now.” I brush my hair away from my face. “Reece’s friends should be arriving soon. So is Ben’s father. I’ll just get through today and then find a quiet moment to pull Ben aside tonight.”

“And ask him to kiss you again?” Tanya coos.

I wiggle my finger at her. “Remind me… how old are you?”

Tanya tosses her head. “Fine. I’ll drop it for now, but if you dump Anthony, can I have him?”

I laugh and hook my arm in hers as we trot back home. On our way there, we bump into Sara and Hilton, sans Tango.

“Hey, guys!” Sara waves. “Logan, are the party preparations finished?”

“I just stepped out for a minute. Ben is finishing up at the house.”

“He’s been looking forward to this all week. You’d think the man was born a father,” Hilton says with a laugh.

“Don’t say things like that.” Tanya pinches my side. “You’ll make Logan melt.”

Hilton looks confused but Sara catches on right away. “Oh, are you two finally together?”

“Not yet, but expect the good news very soon,” Tanya says.

“What good news?” Hilton asks, his gaze jumping between all of us.

“Nothing. Tanya’s just talking nonsense.”

Sara grins. “Well, I know my opinion probably means nothing, but I think you two would look great together.”

“Who?” Hilton asks.

I chuckle as Sara caresses her husband’s head. “You’re so adorably clueless, babe.”

Tanya and Sara take turns teasing Hilton. I laugh along, glad to have so many kind, genuine people in my circle. We near the house where the sidewalk has already begun to fill with cars.

“I wonder if Ben’s dad has arrived yet,” I mumble, glancing at the fancy SUV in front of us.

“Logan?” Tanya stops and worriedly tugs on my elbow. “I forgot to tell you something.”

“What?”

She opens her mouth but before a word comes out, the front door bursts open and Anthony jogs down the stairs. He’s dressed casually in a blue shirt and jeans. His smile widens when he spots me.

I whirl on Tanya who winces. “He asked what he could do to help so I told him to pick up the chicken instead.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?” I hiss.

“Sorry. I wanted to but then I saw you and Ben and it slipped my mind.”

“I’ll deal with you later,” I warned and then turned to Anthony. “Hey, what a surprise.”

“Hi, Logan.” Anthony leans over and kisses me on the cheek.

“Who’s this?” Hilton asks, raising his chin and puffing his chest out like an overprotective older brother.

“Anthony, this is Sara and Hilton. They’re Ben’s bosses. Guys, this is Anthony. He’s my…”

“I’m her boyfriend.” Anthony shakes Hilton and Sara’s hands confidently. “Nice to meet you.”

“Awkward,” Tanya mouths.

I cringe. “Why don’t we all head inside? Anthony, have any of Reece’s friends arrived yet?”

“Ah, no,” he says. “But her grandparents are here.”

That explains the fancy car on the curb.

I lead the way into the house and spot Lauren and Kurt sitting on the chairs in the sofa. Kurt springs to his feet when he sees me. A genuine smile breaks free as he waves. “Logan!”

Bad first impressions and attempted bribery aside, Kurt’s love for Reece is undeniable and, in that particular area, we are the same. “Hey! Great to see you again.”

Kurt kisses my cheek and nods at everyone standing behind me. I make the introductions, my gaze veering to Ben. He ignores me, busying himself with the rest of the decorations in the living room.

I get the sense that Lauren also wants to ignore me, but she forces herself to be polite and greet everyone.

When we’ve all shaken hands, Kurt gestures to the kitchen. “I brought beer and wine for the adults. Everyone help yourselves.”

While Tanya, Sara, and Hilton walk off, Anthony comes up behind me and places his hand on my waist. I stiffen and start to push him away when Kurt addresses me. “I heard Reece went to Harry’s grave. Poor kid. I hope she’s not too upset.”

“Hopefully, everything we’ve planned today will make her feel better.” I glance over at Ben again, but this time he’s staring right at me. Or, more specifically, at Anthony’s hand around me. I squirm away and ask Anthony, “Would you like a drink?”

He nods. “Sure.”

Kurt eyes Anthony. “You said you were a lawyer?”

“Yes, sir.”

The two migrate to the other side of the room to talk while I slip into the kitchen. Tanya is there, working on a glass of wine. I pull her aside and hiss, “I can’t do this.”

“Okay, Logan. Calm down.” She sets her glass on the counter. “What happened?”

My voice is a mere wheeze. “Ben! Ben happened!”

“Alright.” She takes my shoulders and forces me to face her. “You have every right to freak out, but you can’t do that now. This is Reece’s day. Nothing can ruin it for her. Cool?”

I nod. “Cool.”

With Tanya’s support, I return to the living room where Sara and Hilton are welcoming an unknown woman through the door. She’s dressed in jeans and a white tank top with a long silver chain dangling across her chest.

Her weave belongs in the trash and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s where she got it. Her brown arms are dangerously thin and she tremors every few seconds. My first impression is that she’s a drug addict.

I disentangle myself from Tanya’s arm and step forward, trying not to judge. “Hello, are you the parent of one of Reece’s friends?”

“No.” She slips her sunshades to the top of her head, revealing deep-set brown eyes. “My name is Stella Martinez. I’m Reece’s mother.”