After the past couple of eventful weeks, we finally fulfilled our plans to escape reality for a little while. Richard was more than willing to give me some extra time off from work and all but pushed me out the door to pack.

According to Trevor, they still haven’t caught the guy who came after me at Déjà vu, and knowing he was still out there somewhere has kept Logan on edge. While I have been trying my best to forget all about him, I still freak myself out at times thinking someone is watching me, or I jump when I hear a noise. Sometimes I am not as brave as I like to pretend.

This time away has been nothing short of amazing. We only have a couple of days left before we head back home, and I am already dreading it. Logan’s cabin is rustic and beautiful, sitting high in the mountains with an amazing view. The seclusion is so peaceful and has allowed us the opportunity to spend time together with just the three of us.

Yesterday, Logan took us to the carnival, and Jane had the time of her life. They played a ring toss game that resulted in winning a goldfish. We stopped at a small pet store on the way back to the cabin to find it a proper living space. Jane named it Fred, and I can only hope it lives a long goldfish life because I hate to see the heartbreak that would come from his death.

Trevor and Gabby came up for the weekend and are staying in their cabin a little farther up the mountain. Jane and TJ spend the day catching up on all the playtime they missed this week apart, and she ended up leaving with them for a sleepover. In the morning, we are driving up to their place for breakfast before venturing out for fishing and a scenic train ride.

“What are you doing out here, babe?” Logan asks, joining me out on the second-story wraparound porch.

“Just taking in this gorgeous view. I have never seen anything like this, and I want to memorize it all.”

“We can come back whenever you want. Wait until you see it during fall, once the leaves start to change colors.”

I may never get used to this life, but I plan to enjoy every moment of it. I hope we can make trips up to the cabin often even if only for long weekends. The tranquility of it all is something to be desired, and I’ll leave here feeling refreshed.

“I can’t wait. This was just what I needed; thank you for suggesting it.” I relax back against his body.

His lips run a trail of kisses up my neck and stop at my earlobe. “I know something else you need,” he whispers, his raspy voice sending chills through my body.

“Mmm,” I purr as I press back against his noticeable hardness, pulling a moan from his mouth. “I always need you.”

Swiftly turning me around, Logan crashes his mouth to mine, his fingers flexing against my hip. It’s not often that we are allowed this much privacy, so I am more than willing to take full advantage of it.

Walking backward with skill, Logan leads us back inside to the master bedroom without ever breaking the kiss. He stops just sort of the bed and drags my dress up my body and over my head. I slip my hands under the hem of his shirt, guiding them over his taut muscles as I pull it from his body. Moving back south, my fingers make quick work of the button and zipper on his jeans, pushing them down over his ass to leave us both standing in nothing but our underwear.

“You’re unbelievably beautiful,” he says, his voice laced with need.

My gaze falls to the floor, and I shake my head. I am still not used to having someone say such sweet things and treat me so lovingly. I never knew how amazing being in love with the right person would feel.

His finger curls under my chin, lifting my eyes back to his. The charming smile on his handsome face makes me putty in his hands.

“I know it’s selfish, but I love knowing I am the man who gets to give you everything you deserve. I get to be the one who loves you and spend the rest of my days with you by my side.” His lips meet mine in a soft kiss.

“We can be selfish together then because I love knowing that every night I’m the only one you’re holding in bed. I get to start and end my days in your arms, and I’m beyond thankful for the day you took me to lunch.” My fingers glide under the elastic waistband of his underwear, his muscles flexing under my touch as I push them down.

Without further words, he strips me bare, and we fall to the mattress. His tongue leaves a wet trail from my belly button to my lips, causing an eruption of goose bumps to break out across my skin. He enters me slowly with his eyes locked on mine, neither one of us looking away or blinking. The connection between us gets stronger every time we are together.

“I love you so much,” he says with each deliberate thrust.

“I love you, too.” My fingers dig into his back, muscles flexing beneath them.

We move together as one, and when he pulls my leg up, bending my knee close to my shoulder, his pace picks up. I push up with my heel and feel my release building, but I try to hold off because I am not ready for this to end. His lips fused to mine again as my fingertips dig into the flesh of his back while I struggle to contain my orgasm.

The pressure becomes too much, and my release hits hard, leaving me calling out Logan’s name. My limbs feel boneless, and I swear I can see stars, but I keep moving with him, knowing he is near the edge by the increase of his breaths and the moans coming from his lips.

Seeing the look that passes his face, I tighten my walls around him, and my name falls from his lips. We stay naked and in each other’s arms for long after, his fingers running up and down my spine.

“I never thought I could feel like this,” I say, breaking the silence.

His fingers still momentarily but quickly pick up their caressing. “Me either. I always imagined having a marriage like my aunt and uncle’s. You know, the kind that just seems to come easy. Sure they had their fights and rough spots along the way, but that made them stronger. My parents were the same way; from what I remember, at least.”

“You don’t talk about your dad much.”

“There isn’t much to say really. Do I wish things were different? Of course, but so much time has passed, I am not sure we can go back.”

“What happened?” I ask and instantly regret the question when his muscles tense underneath me.

He’s quiet, and I lift, situating myself so my chin rests on his chest, and I can see that his beautiful blue eyes are directed toward the ceiling. Pushing up a little more, I press my lips to his, bringing his attention back to us.

“Everything changed when our mom got sick, and by the time she died, he was a different man altogether. I feel bad for Tanner because he was so much younger at the time. He doesn’t even remember our mom or even when our dad was a decent guy. He chose to drink away his problems instead of coping with them. Work and whiskey became his life, and Tanner and I were just an afterthought. Six months after the funeral, Aunt Ruth came to the house and packed our bags herself, and our father never even protested.”

My heart breaks when I think about those two young boys who had just lost their mother and then their father too. And poor Tanner who doesn’t have the memories that Logan does of their parents. I take a deep breath and contemplate whether I want to say what is on my mind.

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like to watch his wife fall ill and lose her life. Not trying to make excuses, but that had to have been extremely painful, and I could understand how he may have lost part of himself along the way.”

“I feel the same way, but still, he has never tried to make it better after all this time. We will occasionally see him around the holidays, but most of the time, it’s a quick call or text.”

“Have you ever thought about reaching out to him?” I ask, sliding my fingers through the hair at the top of his head.

He closes his eyes, relaxing into my touch. “Stubbornness seems to run in my family.” He chuckles. “But yeah, I have considered it. I just never follow through. What about you?”

“Well, I have nothing but bad memories of my family as a child and left as soon as I could. My father left when Lynne was a baby. I overheard a fight they had one night about him not being her father, and then he was just gone. My mother has always been a drug addict and went as far as to call the cops on me when I tried to take Lynne with me when I moved out. I have zero interest in having a relationship with my mother because I know she is too far gone, and I refuse to watch Jane grow up the same way I did.”

Logan tightens his arms around me and leans up for a kiss. “You are an amazing person; you know that, right? Not many people would step up like you did.”

“Well, the same could be said for you. I mean, our first date and all this drama unfolds, yet you stay.”

“Nothing could pull me away from you, Brenna. I knew it after just a few short hours with you.”

My leg slides over his, and I straddle his waist, gliding my hands up his abdomen and chest. “So I get to keep you?” I tease, leaving featherlight kisses along his lips.

One of his hands threads through my hair while the other grips my hip. “There is no getting rid of me now, babe. I’ve told you, you are it for me.” He lifts me slightly, and with perfect alignment, he pulls me back down on his erection at the same time his tongue plunges into my mouth.

This session ends much quicker than the first, and after we finish, I am so spent that I collapse on top of his body and fall asleep with him still inside me.

---

“So we have an announcement,” Gabby says the next morning after breakfast.

When I finally managed to open my eyes, all I wanted to do was stay in bed with Logan, but he reminded me that we had a certain little brown-eyed cutie to pick up.

“What is it?” I ask, fairly certain that I know what she is going to say.

She glances up at Trevor, who wraps an arm around her and kisses her head.

“We’re pregnant!” she exclaims, jumping up and down.

“Congratulations!” I run up and pull them both into a hug. She had mentioned during our night out that they had stopped preventing pregnancy and would see what happened. I am so happy for them and their growing family.

“How far along?” Logan asks after he hugs them both.

“It’s still pretty early, so we aren’t really broadcasting it, but I couldn’t not tell you guys. I see my doctor next week and will know more then.”

“Have you told your parents?” Logan asks.

“Yeah,” Trevor answers. “We had lunch with them and Tanner before coming up here. Other than them and you guys, we are keeping things hush for a while.”

“We aren’t telling TJ yet because that boy has a huge mouth, and the entire city would know before the day was over.” Gabby laughs, and I now see why the kids were fed and set loose to play in the house before we arrived.

“I am so excited for you guys,” I say.

“Thank you, Brenna. We are pretty damn excited too. Hopefully soon, we won’t be the only ones popping out babies,” Trevor says, throwing a wink in our direction. “Although I wouldn’t mind having a few more.”

“A few?” Gabby questions, her eyes popping out of her head. “Exactly how many are you planning for?”

“I don’t know. Four or five.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus.” Gabby begins to fan her face, and laughing, Trevor pulls her into his arms.

Logan circles an arm around my middle and kisses my forehead. He has mentioned wanting to have our babies running around the house, but we never spoke any further on the matter.

“At least three,” he whispers in my ear as if he can read my mind. “Being with you makes me want a big family. Little girls that look just like you. So at least three more, possibly four.”

My smile widens at how he says three more, always including Jane in all our future plans. I have never really thought about a number, but everything that comes out of Logan’s mouth always sounds so wonderful. He could probably say he wanted ten kids, and I would ask where I needed to sign up.

I turn in his arms, linking my fingers behind his neck and pulling his face closer to mine. “I like the sound of that.” My lips press against his softly.

The loud sound of feet slamming against the wood floors breaks the sweet moment as the kids come running through the cabin. They are both laughing so hard that they are out of breath, and Gabby grabs them some water.

“BrennBrenn, how’s Fred? Did you remember to feed him? But not too much,” she rambles off the questions without pause.

“He was happily swimming around in his tank when we left the house. And don’t worry, I didn’t overfeed your fish.”

I almost thought she wouldn’t leave last night without bringing him with her. She has quickly become very protective over her new little friend and doesn’t have much faith in me and Logan.

“I can’t wait to show him to Tanner. Can we FaceTime him later, Logan?”

“We sure can. He already called me this morning wanting to check on you.” He leans down and cups a hand over his mouth and whispers, “I think he misses you.”

Jane laughs like he just told her the funniest thing ever. “Duh, silly. I’m his best friend, so he’s going to miss me.”

“You’re right,” he says, shaking his head. “What was I thinking?”

“Come on, Jane. Let’s go play Memory again,” TJ says as he runs down the hall.

“Okay!” Jane shouts. “But you’re going to lose again.” She takes off after him, and we all laugh.

Gabby and I work together to get the breakfast mess cleaned up, and then we all head down to the lake for some fishing. Jane has never done anything like this before, so I am excited to get her out there. Logan takes his time, showing her how to bait the hook and the proper way to cast the line. I can’t help but laugh as I watch her give her best attempt, only to catch the tree limb or not even let the line out. Logan has the patience of gold, and I continue to fall harder and harder for him every day.

After about twenty minutes, Jane finally gets a bite, and with the help of Logan, she reels in a decent size fish, but once she realizes the hook is lodged inside its mouth, she has a meltdown. I’m not sure what she thought fishing entailed in her mind, but this apparently was not it. She began crying because all she could think about was her poor little goldfish Fred and couldn’t handle hurting another fish. Logan took care of unhooking the fish and setting it free back into the water. Jane calmed down slightly as she watched it swim off but refused to continue.

Joining me on the blanket, Jane sits on my lap as we watch everyone else fish. I run my fingers through her soft hair, pull it up into a ponytail, and secure it with the hair tie from my wrist.

“BrennBrenn?”

“Yeah, sweet angel?”

She rotates in my lap so she can face me but looks down at her hands. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything,” I say, wondering what has her so down and acting nervous.

She sniffles and glances up at me with damp eyes before quickly dropping her gaze back to her hands. “Do you think that maybe … well, would you want …” She pauses, collecting herself and rubbing a hand under her little button nose. “Could you be my mommy instead of my other mommy?”

A pain hits me straight in the chest, and a stray tear falls from my eye. This sweet, sweet innocent little girl. While I hate that she has had to live this life for the past four years, I am also honored she would choose me to be there for her.

“I wish it was that simple, baby,” I say, and her small body begins to shake with sobs. I pull her into my arms and rock her back and forth in my lap. “I would love nothing more than to be your mommy, but that’s just not how things work, and I know it’s hard for you to understand.” I pull her away from my chest and wipe the dampness on her cheeks. “What I can do is promise to be here for you as long as I can. I won’t let anything happen to you, and I want you to always know that you are safe with me.”

Her head bobs up and down. “One day, if you can be my new mommy, can Logan be my daddy? I’ve never had a daddy before, but I think Logan would be a really good one.”

I glance up to find Logan standing in front of the blanket, and having heard Jane’s words, he falls to his knees beside us. Jane’s eyes light up when she notices we have company, and when he cups her cheek, she leans into his touch, much as I do. She transfers herself from my lap to Logan’s and faces back toward the lake. He hooks an arm around my waist and tugs me to his side.

“I have the entire world in my arms right now,” he says, leaning down to kiss Jane’s head before turning to meet my waiting lips. This man couldn’t be any more perfect. Perfect for me and perfect for us. “Monday morning, I am telling the executives that I will no longer be traveling.”

“Why would you do that?” I ask, unable to hide my shock.

“I used to enjoy the thrill of bouncing from place to place and seeing new things, but I have lost the interest in it. Traveling takes me away from my girls, and that’s just not something I want.”

“Can you do that? Will that affect your job?” Surely, he can’t just walk in and dictate to his bosses how his job is going to go.

“My connections and knowledge of the company make me a very valuable asset. I can still do my job from the comfort of my office while they get someone else to fly around the country. Trust me, everything will be fine, babe.” His lips brush against mine, and I do what he’s been telling me all along to do. I trust him.

We sit together like this for a while, and I think about how everything about us has come so unexpectedly. No matter how much of a crush I may have had on Logan, I never imagined he’d have an interest in me. We have experienced a couple of misunderstandings and encountered some obstacles along the way, but they helped form what we are today. I couldn’t have predicted when we went out for lunch that day that this is where would have ended, but there isn’t anything I would change about it.

As the afternoon wears on, we grow hungry and decide to head back to the cabins for lunch before we leave for the train ride. Much to Jane’s pleasure, no other fish were caught after Logan set hers free.