“Just a few more hours and then the weekend will be here,” Tara says as she slumps against my desk with her head buried in her arms.

I giggle at her position. “Long day for you?” I ask.

She lifts her head and huffs. “Ugh, it’s been a long week. Charles has this huge case, and we have been working nonstop trying to get everything ready for the upcoming court date. I don’t remember the last time I left here before dark.”

“That sounds terrible. Are you guys close to being finished?”

“I hope so. He has family coming into town for the weekend, so we are giving it a rest until Monday. Otherwise, I’m sure we would be pulling another twelve-hour day.”

“So do you have big plans for tonight?”

“Yes,” she says, and her smile widens. “I plan to eat dinner with my husband and go to bed with him. How about you? Anything going on this weekend?”

“Logan is getting back into town tonight, so I think we might do dinner. Nothing too crazy.”

Looking down at her watch, Tara stands and straightens her dress. “Well, I’d better get back to work so I can leave at five. It’s been great having you here, Brenna.”

I smile at her compliment and return to work after she leaves. It has been a little over a week since I took the job at the law firm, and so far, everything has been going great. I drop Jane off at Gabby’s every morning and pick her up after work. Every day, she fills me in on the fun she had and all the activities she and TJ did. Gabby has even been practicing the alphabet with her, and she is close to having it down.

Logan has still been amazing, and I’m not sure I could have survived this past week without his support. Jane has grown very attached to him and has missed him just as much as I have since he left for his trip.

Logan: Just landed. How about you and Jane come to my place for dinner?

Sounds good! What should I bring?

Logan: Just you two pretty girls. I will take care of the rest.

Well, we can’t wait to see you.

Logan: The feeling is mutual. Come on over after you pick her up.

The rest of the day flies by, and before I know it, five o’clock hits and everyone starts to file out of the office. Richard needs to stay late to finish a conference call but tells me to head on out with a wink.

My relationship with Logan quickly became public knowledge, and even if I wanted to hide it, the surprise lunch date before he left and the delivery of flowers yesterday would have been a huge giveaway. Seeing as Logan has just come out of a long-term relationship-slash-engagement, I was surprised with how well his family took the news and how welcoming they have been with not only me but with Jane as well.

Walking up to the door, I ring the bell, and Gabby greets me with a smile as I see the kids running around the house.

“Come on in. Jane has been an angel, just like every other day.”

“Would you even tell me if she wasn’t?” I ask, laughing.

She considers my question and then shakes her head. “Probably not. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you. We are going straight over to Logan’s for dinner.”

The kids go running by again in a flash of giggles and disappear around the corner.

“They both took a good nap today, so they are going full speed. So I was thinking ... what do you say we have a girls’ night sometime?”

“Like a girls’ night in?” I ask since I can’t very well go out when I have Jane.

“No, girls’ night out. I’m long overdue, and now that I finally have a friend I enjoy spending time with, I told Trevor I was cashing in.”

I laugh and can understand her need after spending the week with two wild kids running around her house. She keeps reassuring me that having Jane isn’t a problem and that she loves finally having another girl in the house, but I still feel bad, especially when she refuses to accept any money from me.

“What will I do with Jane?”

Her smile widens. “My wonderful husband offered to keep the kids for us, and I have no doubt he will get Logan over here as well.”

“I don’t know,” I say, unsure about leaving Jane.

“Come on, Brenna. We both need it, and you can invite your friend Claire. I would love to meet her after all the wonderful things I’ve heard about her from you.”

The more I think about it, the better it sounds, and I know Claire would love a night out. I would have to make sure Jane is one-hundred percent comfortable staying with the guys, but if Logan is here, I doubt she will hesitate.

“When were you thinking?”

“Tomorrow night.”

My mouth drops open, and I laugh. “Wasting no time, I see.”

“No way. I don’t get many opportunities like this, so when I get one, I jump on it. Sleep on it and let me know tomorrow.” She hands me Jane’s bag that I keep a couple of extra outfits in.

“I will talk to Claire and get with you in the morning.”

“Perfect. Now, let’s go round up a kid for you.”

By the time Jane says her goodbyes and we make it out of Gabby’s house, an hour has already passed since I first arrive. Picking her up is never a quick job and typically takes about that long. She is never ready to leave, but tonight when I finally mentioned going to Logan’s, she jumped up and was ready to go.

She has been talking nonstop since she got in the car, much like every other day, and I am thankful the ride to Logan’s is short because I can’t even keep up with what she is going on about.

Logan meets us in his driveway, and after she is unbuckled, Jane runs full force into his legs, wrapping her little arms around him. He picks her up and swings her around in circles as she giggles uncontrollably, before lowering her back to the ground.

“Hi,” he says, pressing his lips to my forehead. Lowering them to my ear, he whispers, “I want to do so much more but not in front of the little eyes.”

My temperature rises as I imagine the things I would like for him to do. It has been a long three days.

Once we enter the house, Logan shows Jane the new puzzles he bought for her, and she gets right to work, putting the first one together. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me into the kitchen and lifts me onto the counter, out of view. Luckily, my skirt isn’t a pencil one because he wouldn’t be able to slide his body between my legs like he is currently doing.

“I thought that might buy us some time,” he says just before his lips slam down on mine.

He cradles my head in his hands, and my fingers grip his shirt, pulling him in closer between my legs. His hardness rubs against my core and leaves me wanting more, but Jane is just in the other room.

When we finally break apart, I am left panting, attempting to catch my breath. Logan rests his forehead against mine, his thumbs gliding along my jaw as he presses soft kisses to my lips.

“I think it’s obvious that I missed you.”

“When are you leaving again?”

Pulling back slightly, he moves his hands to my thighs. “So far I don’t have any travel planned next week. I should be able to work out of my office.”

“I like the sound of that,” I say, nipping at his lower lip.

“Logan! BrennBrenn! Come look!” Jane exclaims from the living room.

Grasping my waist, Logan lowers me from the counter making sure my body slides down the front of his before my feet hit the floor. With a sexy smirk, he drops another kiss on my lips, and grabbing my hand, we go see what all the excitement is about.

Spread across the hardwood floor, Jane has completed one of the new princess puzzles Logan gave her. I am shocked at how fast she was able to put it together, and by the beaming look on her little face, I know she is proud of herself.

“Wow, you did so well, Jane. You are getting better and better.” I walk closer and kneel on the floor beside her.

“I love puzzles, BrennBrenn.”

“Maybe you should say something to Logan,” I say, motioning toward where he stands.

Jumping to her feet, Jane launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you, Logan. I love them, and I love you. You’re the bestest.”

“You are very welcome, pretty girl. And I love you too.” He picks her up and throws her into the air, catching her before repeating it again and again. Her happy giggles fill the house, and it upsets me to think about all the things her mother is missing out on.

---

After dinner, we all relax on the sectional couch—me resting against Logan and Jane leaning against me—and watch one of Jane’s favorite cartoon movies. It’s incredible when I think back to how much my life has changed in the past week. Where I was spending most nights working and closing down a bar, now, I am working at one of the largest law firms in the city and my nights are spent taking care of this sweet angel. I have never been in a hurry to get married or start a family, but this is definitely something I could get used to. That thought also scares the life out of me because this isn’t permanent. Lynne can show up any day now and take Jane back, and things with Logan have no guarantees because it is still so new.

Looking to my left, Jane is sound asleep with her blanket clutched tightly in her arm. In her excitement to see Logan, she left her ratty, pink lifeline in my car and didn’t realize her mistake until we sat down for the movie. Logan, of course, ran outside and retrieved it for her, continuing to be her hero.

“She out?” Logan whispers in my ear, causing chills to spread down my body.

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you guys just sleep here?”

I turn my head, meeting his navy eyes. “I don’t know if that’s okay yet. I mean, this whole thing is so confusing, and I don’t even know what the proper way to do all this with her and us. I bet this wasn’t the welcome home evening you were planning.”

A smile pulls at his lips, bringing my attention to them. “You’re right, it’s not. But it doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less.”

Rolling my eyes at him as he kisses my head, I reply, “You don’t always have to be so sweet.”

“For you, it’s easy. Trevor called me about tomorrow night.”

“He did, did he?”

“You don’t seem too excited. Do you not want to go out with Gabby?”

“No, that’s not it,” I say. “I just don’t know about leaving Jane.”

“If you don’t feel comfortable, then don’t go. Gabby will understand. But I will be there, and I’ll make sure nothing happens, babe.”

The way he says it sounds like I don’t trust them to watch her, but that’s not the case. If there was one person I knew I could trust with her, it would be Logan—without a doubt.

“I know you will; there is no question about that. It’s just that I leave her all week while I’m at work, and now I’ll be doing it again to go out. I just feel terrible.”

“Have you heard from your sister?” he asks.

I exhale deeply and shake my head. “No. She still hasn’t returned any calls or messages. Today the phone actually rang, but it still went to voicemail.”

His fingers are so relaxing, rubbing up and down my arm. I could get lost in just this simple touch.

“I don’t want you to get upset, but I think it’s time to do something, babe. You know, she’s way beyond the point of abandonment. How are you going to feel when she shows back up and wants Jane?”

My chest aches at the thought, and I need a moment to sort through my feelings. It’s not as though I haven’t spent hours agonizing over the possibility of Lynne popping back up just to take Jane back. But to hear it out loud makes it seem so much more real.

“It would kill me,” I admit honestly.

“You have rights too. I see how attached you have grown to having her around, and I would hate to see you hurt. Hell, after one day with her, she wrapped herself fully around my heart, and I’d do anything to protect her.”

“Monday morning, I will talk to Richard and see what we can do. I need to stop protecting my sister and focus on Jane. She is the one who deserves it.”

The conversation stops, and Logan tightens his arm around me while we finish watching the cartoon. When the movie is over, he carries Jane out to my car and buckles her in, placing a kiss on her sleepy head. She stirs in her sleep and reaches her arms out, wrapping them around Logan’s neck.

“Good night, baby girl.”

“‘Night, Logan,” she mumbles, closing her eyes once again.

The car door closes and strong arms encircle my body, leaving me feeling safe and warm. We sway back and forth in his driveway as he sprinkles kisses along my neck. Being with Logan is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and I love every minute of it.

“How about tomorrow you girls come back over and bring your bathing suits. I’ll make breakfast and then we can spend the day in the pool.”

A tiny moan escapes me as he nips at my ear. “That sounds good. Jane will love it.”

“Then I will see you in the morning,” he says, opening my door for me.