Saturday rolls around, and finally we’re forced to spend time with Chester and Muffie.

They show up at the house pretty early. We barely have time to get up and get Alexa settled before they’re already knocking at the door. They come barging inside, followed by a woman that I’ve never met.

Turns out, the woman is a professional nanny, and we’re supposed to go on a hike with Chester and Muffie. Since we can’t exactly say no, Everly and I get dressed and head out with two of the richest crazy people I’ve ever met, and I leave my baby girl in the hands of a total stranger.

I keep thinking about that fact as we walk through the woods. I can’t exactly enjoy the scenic views or the really exciting conversation happening around me, since I just keep thinking about Alexa back home with that woman. I realize midway through that I’m already starting to act like a real dad, and while that does put a small smile on my face, I still don’t like what’s happening.

But fortunately, Everly is there to cover for me. Although I’m distracted, she seems totally engaged and ready. She takes charge of the whole thing, steering the conversation and chatting with Chester and Muffie about absolutely anything. She’s charming and funny, and I even think I catch Muffie smiling once or twice, which is a rarity.

Eventually, we get back to base camp and go our separate ways. Alexa is totally fine and taking her afternoon nap, so Everly and I get to spend a little personal time together down by the river.

Of course, that doesn’t last nearly long enough. I feel like I’m exhausted by the time we’re dressed and ready to go to dinner with the Winterfields. The nanny comes over again to watch Alexa, and although it’s strange that Chester didn’t ask if it was okay, I’m still thankful that he was thoughtful enough to bring her.

“What do you think so far?” I ask Everly as we walk slowly down the path between our house and the Winterfields’ place.

“I guess it’s going good,” she says. I have to admit, she looks so fucking gorgeous right now. She got a little sun on our hike, though not too much. Her skin is slightly flushed and her hair is long, cascading down her back. She’s wearing a simple summer dress with a yellow flower pattern, and it looks amazing with her skin.

“You were really good on that hike,” I say to her. “I’m sorry I was distracted.”

“I understand. You were worried about Alexa.”

I smile and take her hand. “How’d you know?”

“I was worried, too. And she’s not even my daughter.”

I sigh. “I guess it’s silly to worry. Chester wouldn’t let anything happen to my daughter.”

“No, but you’re a dad now. You’re going to worry.”

“I guess so.” I cock my head at her. “Seems strange to think that I’m a real father.”

“Life changes fast sometimes, doesn’t it?”

I grin at her. “It sure does. You’re married now, you know.”

“Oh, that’s true. Though entirely against my will.”

I bark out a laugh. “Against your will? Please. You were begging to marry me.”

“Hardly,” she says, grinning. “You had to bribe me.”

“You would’ve done it for less. I was being generous.”

“Oh, yeah,” she says, bumping into me. “You’re so generous. What a great guy. Tricking these poor weirdos into selling you some land by pretending to be married.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I almost sound like a villain.”

“You’re a very bad man, Logan Ray.” She smirks at me and I grab her, pulling her against me. I kiss her nice and deep, letting it linger for a second. I love the taste of her, and I feel my cock stirring in my pants, though I know I shouldn’t let myself get excited right now.

The sound of clapping interrupts our moment. I pull away and look over. Standing on the porch is Spencer Winterfield, grinning at the two of us. “Beautiful,” he says.

I feel Everly stiffen. I let her go though I don’t drop her hand.

“Do you always spy like that?” I ask him pointedly.

“Only sometimes.” He smirks at us. “That almost looked real, you know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask him, stepping closer.

But before he can answer, Chester and Muffie come outside, and we’re swept into the house. So far, this weekend hasn’t been so bad, because Spencer hasn’t been around. He’s been an unspoken pain between the two of us, and although I know she probably wants to run away right now, she’s going to stay strong. That’s just the kind of person Everly is.

We fall back into small talk as we head into the house. Just like the place we’re staying in, Muffie and Chester’s house is beautiful and modern on the inside. Their place has more artwork and is a little more stylishly finished than ours is, but that’s not surprising, since it’s their main house. After some drinks and some small talk, during which Spencer seems very normal, if a little quiet, we head into the dining room and are seated.

“So tell me, Logan,” Chester says, watching me over his glass of scotch. “Your little project. It’s a homeless shelter?”

I smile at him, and my heart beats a little faster. Chester doesn’t normally ask about the project at all during these social calls. In fact, he hasn’t seemed very interested in what I’ll actually be building on his land during this whole process, and I think this is the first time he’s actually asked about it.

“A homeless shelter and a community center,” I say. “I want the community and the homeless to be in one spot, to learn from each other, maybe help each other.”

“It’s his dream,” Everly adds. “And he wants to fund it entirely himself.”

“Admirable,” Muffie says.

“Yes, but, why the homeless?” Spencer cuts in.

I look at him. “We have a homeless epidemic in this city, although the homeless tend to be invisible to most normal people. I want to help them, provide meals and places to stay and job training and possibly even mental health or medical aid. I want to get them back on their feet.”

Spencer nods slowly, a smile plastered on his face. “But why the homeless?” he asks again. “Isn’t it their choice to live on the street like a dog? I mean, there are such better causes. Like cancer research, for example. Nobody chooses to get cancer.”

I feel Everly stiffen next to me, but I put my hand on top of hers to help calm her. “Homelessness is almost never a choice,” I say. “I donate to cancer research as well, but somebody has to help the homeless. You can do for cancer what I’m doing for the homeless if you want, Spencer.”

His grin doesn’t go away. “What about you, Everly?” he asks. “Are you as into the homeless as Logan here?”

“Yes,” she says. “Passionately.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’re very passionate.” Spencer’s grin is as perverted as possible, and I feel my whole body tense.

“You’re both very passionate people,” Chester says. “Just hearing you talk about it makes me excited.”

“Thank you, Chester,” I say.

“Everly, I’m sure you could make a real difference,” Spencer says. “You know, if you took the… hands-on approach.” He winks at her.

“Yes, we should all get more involved,” Chester says, finishing his scotch.

I stare down Spencer. I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to get a rise out of us, but it’s not going to work. I’m going to keep my cool through this and not let this stupid bastard get to me.

I change the subject and the rest of dinner goes relatively smoothly. Everly is quiet, and Spencer tosses out one or two more jabs, but overall it’s not bad. Chester seems genuinely interested in the project, and Muffie doesn’t seem to disapprove, so overall it feels like things couldn’t have gone any better.

After dinner, it’s back into the sitting room. Spencer joins us again, pouring everyone a glass of champagne and clearing his throat for a toast.

“To the homeless,” Spencer says. “May Logan rid our fine city of their blight.”

“Here, here!” Chester cries. We all clink glasses and drink, though I’d rather punch Spencer in the eye.

After a few minutes of small talk, I excuse myself to get some fresh air. Muffie is busy asking Everly questions about where she grew up, clearly fascinated by living in a small town and being relatively poor. I head out onto the porch, needing a second to gather myself.

I take a deep breath and look out into the trees. Fireflies blink in between the empty space, filling the world with flashing light. I dump my champagne down onto the ground and clench the wood railing, trying to get myself together.

But I don’t have peace for long. “Running away already, Logan?”

I turn around as Spencer steps outside to join me. “I know what you’re doing,” I say to him. “But I’m not sure why.”

“What am I doing, then?” He smiles and stands in front of me, arms crossed.

“You’re trying to get a rise out of me. You want me to screw up this deal with your father. What I don’t get is what you’ll get out of it.”

“Ah,” he says, smiling at me placidly. “So you think you can see through me, do you?”

“Yes.” I step toward him, seething with rage. “You’re a small, pathetic, spoiled rich boy. You want something you can’t have. And so you’re trying to take it.”

“Yes and no,” he says softly, dropping his arms and dropping the act. “You want the truth?”

“Tell me,” I say to him.

“I don’t care about the land. Well, I’d like it, since I could build a nice hotel there and make some money. But what I really want is Everly.”

I stare at him, surprised as hell. “Everly?”

“That’s right,” he says. “Since the moment I saw her, I’ve wanted her. I’m sure you feel the same way. She has a magnetism about her. God, I want to bang her so hard that she can’t walk straight for days.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. All this time, it hasn’t been about money or the land itself. It’s been about Everly.

“You can’t have her,” I say to him simply. “We’re married. She’s my wife.”

“Oh, come on, Logan. You may have my parents fooled, but I know better.” He cocks his head at me.

“What are you saying?” Horror fills me, replacing my anger almost completely.

“I know,” he whispers. “Who do you think sent that email? You two weren’t even careful.”

I stare at him, totally unsure of what to say. I almost can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“You sent that email?” I ask him.

“I sent it,” he says, grinning. “It was easy, you know. Just hire a guy, tell him what to do. People will do almost anything for money. Isn’t that right?”

That fucking bastard. I step closer to him, rage taking over once again. He violated Everly, fucking stalked her, hit on her in front of his own parents and me, and now he’s threatening me. This fucking piece of shit thinks he can get away with absolutely anything.

He won’t get away with this. I should have seen this sooner. Everly did, but I didn’t listen to her. I assumed that if Spencer were involved, he’d be interested in beating me, not in Everly. But I was so fucking wrong.

He wasn’t following me at all. He was following her.

I step closer to him and his grin comes back.

“Careful, Logan,” he says.

“Careful? I should rip your fucking liver out right here, you scumbag piece of shit,” I practically growl at him.

“Go ahead,” he says, beaming. “Hit me. I’m sure my father would like that.”

“You fucking pussy. Hiding behind your daddy.”

“And you’re a fucking liar.” He steps up to me, eyes wide. “You think you can fool my father, that’s fine, but you can’t fool me. I want Everly, and she’s not really yours. She’s not even really the mother of that baby girl. Whose daughter is that, Logan?”

“Alexa is mine,” I say softly. “And if you ever mention her again, I will kill you.”

He stares at me for a second but clearly decides not to test me. “I want something.”

“What?” I ask him, trying my hardest not to crack his skull open.

“I’ll tell you soon. But for now, just enjoy the night. And don’t forget that I know.” He backs away from me slowly.

“Tell me what you want.” I go to follow him.

“Soon,” he says, and disappears back inside.

I’m left standing there fuming, not sure what the fuck to do.

So it really is Spencer. And he wants something from me. I can only imagine what it is, since what he truly seems to want is Everly. But she’s not mine to give, and even if she somehow was, I never would hand her over to a monster like Spencer.

I don’t know what to fucking do. I can’t go back in there. I can’t sit around and pretend like that conversation didn’t happen. I want to murder Spencer for what he did to Everly. I want to hurt him so badly that it almost pains me to think about it.

But I know I can’t act right now. If he sent that email, that means he has the proof to ruin this whole charade for me. If Spencer shows it to his father then I’ll lose everything, and I’ll have put Everly through this for nothing.

I can’t risk that. I can’t risk wasting Everly’s time and effort and potentially embarrassing her more. I know this will become a news story, and while I can handle the hit, I don’t know what’ll happen to her.

I have to protect Everly now. I want the shelter, but I need to make sure that this stupid plan doesn’t blow back on her. I can’t allow that.

I take deep breaths, getting myself under control. I have to go back in there and smile and pretend. Not for my sake, since if it were up to me, I’d beat the fuck out of Spencer and forget about the damn shelter. But I have to do it for Everly’s sake. I can’t risk destroying her, all for my own stupid selfish desires.

I head back inside with a dumb smile plastered on my face. I’ll get through tonight. And later, I’ll plan.