Chloe
To say I was nervous was an understatement. “I should’ve stayed at home and pretended I was ill,” I said to Cass as noise from both sets of Logan’s grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins buzzed around the room.
Logan’s slightly early birthday celebration with family was in full swing and he was determined not to hide away. I was all for being together out in the open, finally, but I wasn’t sure how confident I was that doing it at his party was a great idea. Surely it would be more considerate to everyone to sit down and tell people individually? Everyone in this room loved Jace, and loved me and Jace together.
Cassie laughed. “Calm down, it’ll be fine.”
“Hey,” Nell snapped, appearing in front of us all of a sudden and snapping her fingers in my face. “Will you stop looking so bloody guilty. You’re here to tell your bloke’s family that you’re happy together and you look like you’re doing something wrong. Enough!”
Her eyes looked a darker green that I’d ever seen them, she was mad and/or pissed off and rightly so. I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach but clearly I looked like they’d already condemned me.
“Anyway, I’m going to get another one of those mini burgers, they’re so cute.”
She was gone as quickly as she appeared like the little whirlwind she was.
“Nell’s got a point,” Cassie said. “Relax.”
Nodding, I took a deep breath. “Where is Logan anyway?” I asked, trying to look over the crowd of their teenaged cousins playing on the Wii. They were blocking the view from the living room to the kitchen.
“Kitchen making some concoction he calls a cocktail for mum and my aunts.”
“They’re letting him do that?”
She shrugged. “Clearly they’re too trusting. I bet he sneaks at least three extra types of liquor in that aren’t in the recipe.”
“Right, I’ll be avoiding that then.”
“I dunno, I might have some after this week.”
“Oh?”
“Not bad, just very long. I was ready for Friday evening by Tuesday morning. Reception work is exhausting. Receptionist seems to cover general slave duties too.”
“Yeah, I bet. Plus, you can’t sleep with your boss to get ahead.”
Her boss was a stuffy old man that tried to fire a woman for asking him out for coffee before she realised he was engaged. He was claiming sexual harassment. The miserable old fucker should’ve just been flattered.
She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “I could try but it’d be my last day.”
“Problem solved.”
“Yeah, but then I’d have to become a stripper to pay the bills.”
Logan stopped abruptly in front of us, looking appalled. “Wow, that was bad timing,” he said. “Anyway, Chlo, you ready to be introduced to my family?”
“I’ve known your family for years, Logan.”
“You know what I mean, smart arse.”
My heart was in my stomach. I was so not ready to be introduced as Logan’s girlfriend but I did want everything out in the open. It would make my day if me and Logan could just be a normal couple.
He held his hand out and I felt like I was going to throw up as I took it. Being with him, holding his hand, felt so natural. He tugged me closer, letting go of my hand and tucking me under his arm. It wasn’t particularly intimate so no one batted an eyelid.
“Why’re you considering stripping, Cass?”
She stopped looking at us like she was cooing over a litter of puppies and rolled her eyes. “I’m not, just had a rough week at work. I’ll stick with answering phones, filing and being a slave for now.”
Logan seemed satisfied with her answer so he turned us away from the safety of conversation with his sister. His grandparents, his mum’s side so I was more worried because they were closer to the family, were right in front of us talking to Julia.
They smiled as if nothing was going on until Logan kissed my temple. We’d moved from friendly arm around the shoulders to something coupley and their smiles faded.
“Logan?” Ann said.
He stood proud when I wanted to climb inside his hoodie and hide. Why did I care so much what everyone else thought?
“Yes, Nan?”
“What’s going on?”
He faltered a little but it was a slight tense so I was the only one to catch it.
“Me and Chloe are… Well, we’re me and Chloe.”
“Together?” Ann squeaked.
Shit.
“Mum, calm down,” Julia said.
“You knew about this?”
Alan, Logan’s grandad, put his hand on Ann’s shoulder. “Julia’s right, calm down, love. The least we can do is allow our grandson explain what’s going on.”
“I just did explain, Grandad, I’m with Chloe.”
By this point everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing and we were the main attraction. Nell shot daggers at Logan’s grandparents from across the room.
“But she’s Jace’s girlfriend,” Ann said.
And that was exactly what I feared. Jace died three years ago and I’d moved on but when it came to me being with his brother I was still Jace’s and probably always would be.
Logan tensed to the point where it couldn’t have been just me that noticed. It was now my time to say something. I closed my eyes and felt Logan’s body stiffen more and more the longer the silence went on.
“I’m not Jace’s anymore, Ann. When I felt ready to move on I never thought I’d want it to be with Logan but it is and there’s nothing I can do to control that. There’s nothing either of us can do.”
And with that short speech all the tension left Logan’s body.
“There’s always something you could do,” Shona, Julia’s sister, said. “You didn’t have to act upon it. Logan, Jace is your brother for crying out loud!”
“Julia, are you supporting this?” Ann asked.
Julia, bless her, stood her ground. “Yes, I am. Logan is my son. They’re happy and I won’t ever stand in the way of that.”
“Jace is your son, too,” Shona said.
“He is, and I know for a damn fact that he would react with more grace, dignity and understanding than you are right now. Jace loved his brother and Chloe and I don’t care what any of you think but he would never want either of them to be unhappy. If anyone dare says otherwise you clearly did not know my son at all.”
“Jace isn’t here so we can’t ask him,” Ann said.
“Get out,” Julia said. Her voice was so icy calm it sent a shiver down my spine. “Anyone that doesn’t understand can leave now.”
Most left, although a few of Logan’s aunts and uncles did say they were supportive but felt it was best if they left. Logan’s paternal grandparents hugged us both and said they’d rather leave as it was getting late anyway but that we had their blessing.
I watched people filter out in a daze. It took less than five minutes from them finding out to leaving. It didn’t look good. I wanted to throw up. Nell did her staring dagger bit to everyone that walked out of the door and Ollie soon joined in.
What happened was exactly what I was afraid of.