Chapter 25
Logan stood in his living room, looking out the window across the land that was covered in a thin white blanket of snow. It had been nearly two weeks since he had called it off with Brice and the same amount of time that the harassment had been going on. Every day from Tuesday to Saturday, Brice and Harry would show up, ransacking the backroom, making threats and generally upsetting the mood of the store. Not that the mood there was great to begin with. Things with Maddy had not improved much, and she barely spoke two words to him.
Not only had Logan had a vengeful ex-boyfriend on his hands, his sister hated him as well. And that crushed him more than anything. His sweet Maddy, his little sister, whom he had hurt once again. As the hurt welled up inside, he pushed it down.
Sighing, he glanced down at his phone. He had sent another text to Brice today, and like the other texts and calls, they went unanswered. There was no mistake about what this was about, that much was evident. The day after they broke up, Brice had shown up with Harry. At first Logan was naive enough to believe it was just a coincidence. But by the fourth day, Harry was making lewd comments, and Brice joined in, laughing.
Logan knew the truth, and the truth hurt him. No, that was a lie, it crushed him. He had opened his heart to Brice, and though he could not bring himself to say it, he had fallen in love with the man. Logan was not sure when it actually happened, but every moment with Brice had brought that love closer to the surface.
With a sigh, he shook his head, though he wanted to punch the wall. He knew that becoming soft, talking about feelings, letting out emotions, only led to heartbreak. And Brice had proven that.
Taking a sip from his coffee, he knew that he brought trouble not only to himself, but Maddy and Bree as well. The shop was in danger, sure, but their lives were in danger too. He wouldn't put it past Harry to try and set them up, and Brice's promise of not allowing it meant nothing now. The way things were looking, the vengeful bastard would probably help Harry set it up.
Logan smiled as he watched Bree's SUV pull up in front of the house. At least there was someone around him who didn't hate him. A moment later, Bree got out, wearing her oversized blue coat and pink knitted hat. Hurrying up the steps she came in as Logan walked over to her.
“What’s going on?” he asked as she hung her coat up.
“Freezing my ass off. Hey, get me a coffee, please.”
Logan nodded, heading into the kitchen. Pouring her a cup, he refilled his own as Bree came in and took a seat on a barstool at the island. He pulled one up next to her and sat and watched as she took a sip.
“You make better coffee than either of us.” Bree took another sip of the coffee and then smiled.
“Thanks.”
Logan wanted to ask a million questions but he knew not to push it with Bree. So instead he waited patiently as she seemed to gather her thoughts.
“No surprise visits today by the asshole twins?” she asked.
Logan shook his head. “They seem to keep away on Sundays.”
Bree nodded. “Sorry he did that to you. I thought he was decent—for a cop, especially around these parts. I thought he was going to be the difference this town needed.”
“It doesn't matter now. It’s over anyways. Well, I called it off once Maddy confronted me.” Logan wanted to be sure Bree didn't think he was weak.
Bree took another sip of her coffee, then setting it down, she turned back towards him.
“Maddy is why I’m here.”
Logan's heart raced, wondering if she was OK.
“She’s fine,” Bree said as though she could read his thoughts. “She’s made a lot of progress at the meetings, and she feels bad for the fight you guys had. We were up late last night talking about it.”
“She was right. It was dumb on my part. And to be honest, if I would’ve not pursued him, this shit wouldn't’ve been as bad.”
“Maybe. But the thing is, she wants to move back in tonight and she wants to talk to you alone.”
Logan smiled, his heart swelling with love for Maddy. “Does she?”
Bree nodded. “And she wants to share more about what she has been feeling. I know you always have been there to listen to her, but this time, really listen more than ever. It’s going to take a whole lot of courage for her.”
Logan nodded, his hand going to his eye and wiping away a tear. “I'll listen. And I won’t say anything unless she ask me to.”
Bree smiled, taking her cup and then taking another drink from it. “You’re a good guy, Logan, and she loves you. And this shit hopefully will end when your parole ends.”
Logan sighed as he stood up and leaned against the counter.
“Maybe it will. But I think once parole is done, I may have to move on from here. I don't want to see Maddy hurt, and Harry will never let up. So, I’ll move away, maybe an hour from here.”
“No, you won’t,” Maddy said firmly from behind him, causing Logan’s heart to jump.
He turned around. Maddy stood at the kitchen door, a few tears on her face. “Maddy?” Logan said, his voice shaky.
“This is our home, and no one is making us do anything we don't want. I love you Logan. I'm sorry, please forgive me for what I said.”
Logan rushed towards his sister, his own tears falling as fast as hers as he threw his arms around her. “I'm sorry, Maddy. I should’ve thought of you first,” he whispered, holding onto her.
“You did for so long. You did nothing wrong.”
They held each other for a long time and then breaking the embrace, they both smiled.
“And I don't care if Harry or Brice have it in for you, I’m going to stand by your side.”
Logan smiled, a nod to his head. Pride filled his heart when he saw how strong his sister was. The courage she displayed, the same courage the coward Brice spoke about.
Bree walked over, stood between them, and put her arms over their shoulders. “I’m standing with you both,” she said.
They all embraced in a huge hug, and Logan felt a sense of renewal wash though him. His sister loved him, and Bree, his second sister, loved him as well. Both had stood by him through thick and thin.
As he looked at both of them, he knew he was going nowhere. “I’m staying. No matter what, I'll make my stand here.”
Both girls smiled. “We all will,” Maddy said.
They all hugged again, and then Bree stepped back. “I’m going into town to get some groceries and give you guys a few hours to catch up,” Bree said, then headed to the front door. She stopped as she reached the entry to the kitchen and turned around. “I’ll pick up some pizza for later.” Then, without waiting to see their reaction, she continued her trek down the hall.
“She is something else,” Logan said, watching Bree walk away.
“Is she ever. I'm glad she’s part of our family, Logan. You know how bad it hurts her, that her own parents never wanted anything to do with her?”
Logan nodded, and hearing the door close, turned back to Maddy.
“I remember her sixteenth birthday party, spending it here with us because her parents were off on another trip. She used to annoy me, but now I love that girl.”
Maddy smiled, then walked over to the coffee pot and grabbed a mug from the stand beside it. Logan watched as she poured a cup and then turn back to him. His heart swelled.
“I love you Maddy.”
“Love you too. Come on, there’s stuff I want to talk to you about.”
***
For the next hour, Logan listened as Maddy explained about the last four years of her life. Though she did not speak much about the actual event that lead to the trauma, she did spend time explaining how it made her feel. The fear, the worry, the paranoia, and the panic attacks. And as she talked, Logan felt his heart break over and over again, wishing he had been there for her that night.
“So, starting next week, I’m going to see a therapist over in Council Bluff. She’s going to help work on my anxiety so I can start getting my life back together.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Logan said, reaching over and giving his sister a hug. Kissing the top of her head, he then leaned back.
“There’s something else I want to tell you,” she said, her hands taking his in them.
“You can tell me anything.”
She nodded. “Logan, it’s not your fault, nor responsibility, for what happened to me.”
Logan shook his head, tears falling. “But I made a…”
“No. You promised to look after me when Mom and Dad died, and you have. You put your own life on hold for me, and now I'm telling you, let it go. Let the guilt go.”
Logan began to sob, his heart hurting, the anger, pain, and guilt rising to the top. Her words were kind, but he had failed her. Looking up at her, his heart broke again hearing her talk.
“It’s not your fault, Logan.”
Logan nodded as Maddy put her arms around him. “I…for so long, I felt so bad…” he cried, his body heaving as his released his guilt. And there was so much of it inside of him, and letting it out felt so great.
“I know you have, but you need to let it go. There is only one person to blame, and he is gone.”
Logan nodded, then pulled back from the hug. “I'm sorry I killed him, Maddy. I just brought on more heartache to our family.”
Maddy smiled, her eyes shining for the first time since Logan could remember. It warmed him up, and he found his face breaking into a smile as well.
“The past is the past. We can spend the rest of our lives beating each other up over what we could have done different. I spent the last four years doing just that and it got me nowhere. Or we can concentrate on making a future here in Broken Hollow, moving on in life. What do you want to do?”
Logan smiled. “Let’s work on the future.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
They hugged again, and then grabbing her coffee mug, Maddy took a drink. “One last thing. I'm sorry what I said about Brice.”
“It’s in the past. And well, you see how that turned out.”
Maddy sighed. “Tell me about you two. When did it start and why did it end?”
Logan took a deep breath. This was not something he planned on sharing, but it was Maddy, and he would hold nothing back. And for the next half hour he explained from the slight touch of the hand, the misunderstanding about Bree and Carol, leading up to them calling it off, how it was like a whirlwind.
“So, then after all the pain he went through, and after sitting here telling me he agreed putting our relationship on hold was the best thing, the very next day he comes in with Harry,” Logan said, a shake to his head.
“I'm sorry it turned out that way. But you’re a good guy, and me and Bree will help you find someone else soon enough. Not another dirt bag like him.”
“Sounds good,” Logan said, but dating another man was far from his mind. Picturing himself with someone else caused an odd feeling to go through him. As much as he was angry with Brice, he missed him. And the thought of seeing someone else beside Brice bothered him. But looking up at Maddy, he smiled. Brice was the past. He had a future with a sister he needed to concentrate on.
“So, is Bree is moving back in with us?”
Maddy went to talk, but they both laughed as Bree walked in with a pizza box in her hands.
“Bet your sweet ass I'm moving back in. Logan, get your butt outside and grab the groceries.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, standing up and saluting her.
They all laughed, and Logan went to grab his coat. Putting it on, he turned around and looked on while Bree and Maddy cleared off the coffee table for the pizza. Though Brice had broken his heart and betrayed him, there was still enough love in the room to help heal the wounds. The guilt he carried over Maddy, though not completely gone, was working its way out. And the hurt over Brice would be leaving soon enough with time.