Logan ran Thursday morning around the lake by Paris’s cabin. He hadn’t planned on staying, but when they’d arrived via helicopter at the cabin, Paris’s father had been delighted and insisted the All-Stars stay for spaghetti dinner. Surprisingly, they all agreed to.

Since he was staying with the group, he’d gotten to know some of the All-Stars better, which had been nice. They’d been helpful when he’d asked them to help him figure out what to do at the first event tomorrow night.

He’d also taken this opportunity to get to know Ty a little bit. Who was pretty much the most amazing kid Logan had ever met. Not that he had met that many kids, but still. Ty told him all about the cruise and the fish and talked and talked. Logan had been impressed and a bit sad for all that didn’t happen between him and Paris, but mostly happy for Paris and Shane.

When it was time for the guys to go, Paris’s dad had told him to stay. Paris had frowned and looked worried, but her father had said, “I’ll get Ty to bed. You guys just hang out for a bit out here.” They obliged, and talked about what felt like everything. She’d fallen in his arms again on the beanbag upstairs.

When he’d put her to bed, he’d decided he didn’t care—he had to have Paris in his life.

Now, he pushed harder on his run, kicking it up a notch. He’d dreamt the night before about swimming. Swimming and swimming, and when he surfaced he was in his garage in LA, cars surrounding him. Kim was there, but she was looking at her phone and when he asked her what was happening she said, “Don’t worry, you’ll come back to me soon, baby.”

He kicked it up a notch and pushed himself harder. It felt like the dreams were feeling more and more real, and he didn’t want to let them in.

After everything at his father’s grave yesterday and Kim being there, he knew he had to deal with his now life. And he would. But today it felt like the past might be catching up to him. His mind felt hazy, and flashes of people and places he didn’t recognize were coming to the forefront.

He didn’t want to go back to the other life.

He thought of Paris. Of course he knew Ty was top priority. He had to figure out a way to make things work with Shane.

The night before he’d tried to talk to her about how they could all make it work, but she wouldn’t talk about it. She’d been showing him YouTube videos of what he’d done at the former events the previous two years, and it was ridiculous. He’d done that stupid howl thing. What was even more ridiculous was that the audience would do it back. Paris had refused to discuss how they could all work it out. He didn’t know if she was just overwhelmed, but he worried.

He tried not to think what Ty and the event tonight meant to his semi-relationship with Paris.

Something still felt off. Like there was a truth out there he still didn’t know. But, he figured, at the end of the day he loved her. That had to be the only truth that mattered.

When he got back to the cabin, Paris was outside by the boathouse, waving him over as she held out his gym bag. “Sorry, but you have to go.” She nodded to the driveway. “Good thing Hunter had your car brought here.”

Sizing her up, he wanted to ask so many things, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. So, instead of getting into an intense conversation, he just pulled her in for a long, slow kiss. He didn’t know if she would want him kissing her right now or not, but she put her arms around his neck, pulled him in, and kissed him back. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss.

She pulled back, letting out a soft laugh. “I have to go back in.”

He nodded. “I know. I’ll see you tonight. Love you.” It was so natural for him to say. He had to say it.

Giving him a half-smile, she didn’t move. “Logan?”

He kept his hand around her waist. “Yeah?”

“I hate myself, but I’m falling in love with you again.”

Warmth filled him and he felt like he’d won the biggest game of his life. For a second, he thought he might cry like a big baby; then he pulled her in, hugging her tight. “Really?” Could it be? Could they make it work? His heart raced.

She giggled. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but … I’m terrified.”

He kept her close, loving the feel of her against him. “I know.” He sighed and then bent to kiss her again. “Don’t worry. I won’t wreck it this time, I promise.”

* * *

Around lunchtime, Logan waited in front of Shane’s house. He’d called the insurance place earlier and asked if he could meet with Shane at lunch. Shari, the secretary, hadn’t known who he was and told him Shane went home for lunch and would be back later.

He watched Shane’s truck pull into the driveway. It was a nice suburban home, new, with a pool in the back. It wasn’t Logan’s LA mansion, but it was nice enough in Jackson. When Shane and Shari got out of the truck, he emerged from his Mustang, which he’d parked down the street, and walked toward the house.

“Shane,” he called out. Not overly loud, but loud enough.

Shane wore khakis and a Smith Insurance Polo shirt. When he turned around, Logan noticed, once again, he looked old. Older. Today he also looked tired.

Shari dropped the bag she’d just pulled out of the back and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my goodness!” Shari still looked cheerleadery, Logan noted. Not as small and tiny as she’d been in high school, but she had almost the same kind of perky curly cut around her face. Obviously, she was nowhere near as beautiful as Paris to him, but he’d never been into the cheerleader type.

“What are you doing here?” Shane stopped, staring at him.

“We need to talk.” Logan didn’t go up the driveway. He’d thought about how to approach Shane, and he didn’t want to be too aggressive. “Can we go for a drive and talk?” Logan gestured to his Mustang down the street.

Hesitating briefly, Shane looked angry, then resigned. He turned back to Shari. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He trudged toward him down the driveway, and Logan noticed he still gritted his teeth like a bulldog when he was angry.

They got into the car and started driving. The music was on, and Shane reached over and turned it off. “What do you want, Wolf?” He let out a sardonic laugh. “It wasn’t enough to pick my kid up in a helicopter yesterday? Now you have to come pester me to my face?”

Logan drove for a bit, taking a sharp turn and heading out toward the ski resorts. “I’ve been informed about everything.” He hated how formal he sounded. “Look, Shane, I messed up. A lot. Paris told me.”

“Did she? What, exactly, did she tell you?”

Logan didn’t know where to start, but he knew he had to. “That I was a royal jerk. About going to Cal, my dad, the drinking, drugs, about throwing that bottle at her, about being awful to you.”

“Huh.” He grunted, then inhaled and exhaled loudly, precisely. This was how Shane had always been before a big game, before something important, when he needed to focus. He was a loud breather. Shane slammed a fist into the dashboard. “You have no idea all the crap you put me through. No idea. And this isn’t over. It won’t ever be over!”

Logan saw a lookout and pulled over sharply. Both of them were out of the car and around the front in no time. Logan wanted to fight, needed to fight. Needed to hit something. Not just Shane, but the past, or the future. Whatever it was.

Shane must have seen the look in his eye, because he came at him with a hard punch to the jaw before Logan could move out of the way.

Logan gingerly touched his jaw and shook his head. “I deserved that.”

Shane swung, again. This time Logan moved out of the way. “You have no idea what you deserve!” Shane’s eyes looked bloodshot and so very, very angry.

Logan wanted to punch, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t even think of any reason he didn’t deserve to get the crap beat out of him. So he put his hands up in surrender and closed his eyes. “Hit me!”

Another punch hit him in the gut. He stumbled back, his eyes flying open. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to let Shane beat the crap out of him.

Shane was coming for him already, ducking his head and ramming into him. Logan grasped at him and held on, but Shane shifted his weight and they both tumbled to the ground.

It was just like growing up with each other and the messiness of their fights. They’d been like brothers and fought like brothers.

Logan got leverage on him and ended up on top, his body splayed over him, using sheer force to hold him down. “We need to talk.”

Shane cursed and used his legs to flip Logan back.

Logan maneuvered him back down, too strong now to stay down. He peered into Shane’s eyes. “This has to end. We have to be friends.”

“No.” Shane spit in his face.

Logan yanked back and rolled away from him, disgusted. They both scrambled to their feet. “I know I was a screw-up!” Logan confessed. “I know I drank and threw that bottle and gave her that scar.” It was weird and made him jittery when Logan thought about all of it. “But that’s not me. I don’t even remember that. I—” He broke off, his throat welling up with emotion, and dropped his hands. “Dude, you’re like my brother. I … we were tight. We …”

“There is no ‘we,’” Shane snapped, making air quotes. “There’s only ‘the Wolf.’ There’s only Logan, Logan, Logan.” Shane kicked a rock and it went flying off the side of the mountain. He walked a couple of steps away and stared off into the distance.

Logan gave him space. He didn’t know what to do, how to fix this.

Shane shook his head. “I cannot believe this. I cannot … Would you believe that I actually never thought she got over you?” He let out a derisive laugh. “I’m pathetic. So pathetic.”

“Dude, you cheated on her, so don’t blame her,” Logan said quietly.

Shane flinched. “I never said I didn’t screw it all up royally too. Both of us are screw-ups. Does that make you feel better to know?”

Both of them just stared out over the mountain.

Logan was tentative. “I love her. I love her and I want to make things work.”

Shane snorted. “You don’t love her. You don’t … You have no idea what you’re saying, and when you remember and become your jerk self again, none of this will matter.” He spit to the side. “None of this will matter.” Shane brushed past him, hitting him with his shoulder as he went. “Take me home before I throw you off this cliff and end up in jail.”