Logan sat on a DIY wooden chair, tapping his foot impatiently. Given the time these people spent in useless town meetings, they should have invested in seating that was more comfortable.

“What’s this about?” Ty asked, sitting by his side.

“I guess they’ve reached a decision about the town’s name. Or they’ve changed their minds about wanting to bomb the nearest cell tower.” It could go either way. And it wouldn’t be the first time.

“That was a close call,” Ty said, chuckling. “If I’m not mistaken, it was a matter of a couple of votes.”

Yeah, and a threat from Brock, the sheriff, to call in the Feds and a public health inspector to check out all the businesses in town. For that, he’d been unanimously banned from future meetings. Not that he cared to obey.

Carol went up to the podium and called everyone to order. They had a full house, with people standing along the walls. Even Alec, who was getting married in a matter of hours, was present. Megan wouldn’t be far away. In another lifetime, before Sky, he would have searched for his sister. Now he was avoiding her. His failure to give her an explanation of why he’d come back from New York without Sky hadn’t gone down well at all.

Carol cleared her throat. “We called this meeting because we have an urgent matter to address. We want Patient Zero back.”

What? Logan frowned. Had he understood correctly? It seemed so, because everyone turned to him, their looks reproving.

Ty leaned against him, smirking. “So it’s about you. Again.”

“This is so important,” Carol continued, “that we, the members of the town council—who, by the way, are unanimously in agreement on this issue—decided to submit it to a public referendum. Transparency above all.”

Logan stood up. “Are you people serious?”

“Of course,” Carol replied. “All in favor of getting Patient Zero back, please raise your hands.”

All the hands in the house rose.

“Approved by an overwhelming majority,” Carol decreed, slamming the hammer on the podium. “Logan, get Patient Zero back. Or we will.”

Murmurs of approval and several declarations of “That’s right.” Yep, they were serious.

He tried to appease the crowd. “I understand you live in your own particular world, where kidnapping someone is not really an issue, but I can’t snap my fingers and get Sky back.”

“Didn’t you go to New York to see her?” Shayna asked. “What happened?”

“I didn’t speak with her.” Logan couldn’t believe he was discussing this with half the town. Correction, the whole town.

“Why?” someone asked.

“Never mind,” he sighed. “Besides, why do you want Sky back? I remind you that you gave me the third degree for bringing her to town in the first place. You quarantined her. And me. Does that ring a bell?”

“That was when she was infectious,” one of the pandemic squad said. “She’s not infectious now. We need her. She’s a great addition to our gene pool.”

“Because she’s Latino?”

“Of course not, you silly. Race has nothing to do with anything. It’s because she has the fashion gene.”

For crying out loud. “There’s no such thing as the fashion gene.”

Collective snort.

“Oh yes, I forgot,” Logan said with a dry laugh. “The government’s hiding it. It’s a plot between the authorities and Cosmopolitan to keep us in the dark and subjugated.”

Some nods and murmurs.

Man, he might have started a new conspiracy theory. He should not have played that card with this crowd.

“My aloe vera plants are dying. I need Sky to tell me what I’m doing wrong,” Emily said.

“And I need help organizing my baby shower,” someone else interjected.

“We’d already scheduled her to help with the next auction,” Monroe added. “She has a knack for valuable antiquities.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll all have to do without her,” Logan said firmly.

Everyone started yelling at him at once.

Carol slammed her hammer several times. “People, people. Calm down. Let the Alchemist defend himself.”

Yeah, there was always time for a spontaneous lynching. Scratch that; they would probably vote on it first. Logan had no shadow of a doubt it would be approved by a majority, too.

“Why didn’t she come back from the award gala with him?” Maggie asked. “They were supposed to be back in town by Sunday.”

“True. She had a reservation for dinner at the restaurant,” Astrid said. “Table for two. The most romantic booth.”

Logan cringed. That was probably where Sky had intended to tell him she was prolonging her stay in Minnesota. He took a deep breath. “Because I fucked up.”

“And?” Monroe said, a look of incomprehension on his face.

“What do you mean, ‘and’? I fucked up. Big time. I accused her of trying to manipulate me the same way Vivienne did.”

“Who’s Vivienne?” someone hissed.

“The uptight bitch he came to town with when he first arrived. The ex-wife,” a helpful soul filled in.

“Right. I forgot. Please, continue.”

Logan looked up to the ceiling. He couldn’t believe this. “There was a misunderstanding. I assumed Sky was scheming behind my back. I said some very nasty things to her.”

“Did you apologize?” Adam inquired.

“We’re beyond that now. She doesn’t want to see me again.”

“But do you love her?”

“Of course I love her. I can’t fucking breathe without her, but I love her too much to ask her to leave her life behind and come back here.” And on that note, he might as well inform everyone that he was selling the greenhouse and heading for New York or France or wherever Sky was, because he wasn’t exaggerating a bit when he said he couldn’t breathe without her. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t function, really.

“We get that you love her, but have you told her that?” Shayna asked.

Before he could answer, another person did. “No, he hasn’t.”

He froze. That voice.

He turned around. Sky was standing by the door, Megan at her side. Well, not really at her side—his sister was blocking the exit.

Man, Sky looked so beautiful.

“No, he hasn’t,” she repeated, her eyes glittery from unshed tears. “And he can’t know if I want to see him ever again because the ass hasn’t bothered to ask me that either.”

Headshakes and murmurs of disapproval.

“You’re going to get tarred and feathered,” Ty whispered. “Start running.”

“Sky,” Logan said, walking toward her.

Cerberus stepped in front of her defensively and growled at him. That mutt must have grown a foot and gained twenty pounds in the last few weeks. Or had Logan just forgotten how fucking scary Arnie could look? Never mind the tar and the feathers; he was going to get dismembered.

“Arnie, may I? I need to speak with Sky.”

Arnie growled again, more threateningly.

Nope, Logan wasn’t welcome to come closer.

He tried a flanking approach, but the dog intercepted him, showing teeth, ears laid back.

“Sky, call him down. Please.”

Sky pondered for a long second, reached for Arnie, and said, “Down, baby. Don’t kill him yet. Let him talk.”

The beast all but purred at her touch and obeyed, sitting by her side, his vicious eyes trained on Logan. Ready to jump at the slightest provocation.

Logan stepped forward. “You came.” Then it dawned him. “Voluntarily? Did any of these wackos threaten you?”

“Not exactly,” she said, turning to Megan, who looked suspiciously innocent. “I was told there was a wedding dress emergency and that Carol was ready to use staples to fix it.”

“I warned you to butt out,” Logan upbraided his sister.

Alec snorted. Megan too. “Life’s too short to waste it on moronities,” she said.

“How long have you been standing here?” Logan asked Sky.

“Since the Cosmopolitan plot.”

Long enough. “I’m very sorry about all this. About everything. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start from the part about you fucking up,” someone suggested behind him. “We want details.”

Logan tried to ignore the crowd, although yeah, that was a good place to start. “I lost it, babe. Vivienne was the one emailing Eric. He assumed you were her and—”

“—and you assumed I was selling you out,” she finished.

He nodded. “I’m so fucking sorry for all I said to you.”

“Staggering, your faith in me. Unwavering, really.”

Her hard tone felt like a whip. He lowered his head, ashamed. “I was wrong.”

“How long have you known it was Vivienne and not me who suggested relocation?”

“For a while,” he confessed.

“Why didn’t you apologize? Or did I matter so little to you that I didn’t deserve an apology?”

“No, baby, of course you did.”

“Men,” someone said, tsking. Carol, by the sound of it. “Not even half a working neuron.”

“Can we please go somewhere else to talk about this?” he asked Sky. This was no way to apologize to her, with all these interruptions and sidetracks.

“No!” was the collective answer.

“Back the fuck off! All of you!” Logan yelled at the crowd, which recoiled. Risking Arnie, Logan reached for Sky. “Please, let’s step out for a second.”

“Fine.”

Thank fucking God.

He closed the doors of the council room behind them both and addressed her again. “Of course you deserved an apology, baby. You deserved my head on a platter. My balls too. I went to New York. I was at one of those trade shows, ready to throw myself on your mercy. You were doing your job, and I realized I had no right to snatch you away from all that. Megan told me how you turned down the summer semester in France to stay in Minnesota. I didn’t want that for you. I didn’t want you to give up your dreams. I figured with me out of the picture, you’d continue on your way to France. I thought if you hated me, it would be easier.”

He must have said something very wrong, because her eyes blazed. She went on her tiptoes, chin up, and pushed at his chest. “What gave you the right to decide for me, you moron?” Another push. “You think you decide what’s best for me, for us, and then make it happen?” Another push. “How does that make you different from Vivienne and her manipulations, huh? How?”

She was slapping him now. He stood still, taking the punishment. She needed to get her anger out, and he deserved so much worse. But it didn’t seem to help, because she wrenched away, ready to leave.

No way. Losing her again wasn’t an option, not now. He grabbed her and hugged her. Arnie went ballistic at his sudden move. Whatever. Let the dismemberment begin. The beast could start with Logan’s mangled heart. It was in pieces on the floor already. “Please don’t go, babe. Please. Let me explain.”

She stopped fighting him and broke into tears.

“He’s begging,” came from inside the council room.

“What?” someone asked. “We can’t hear from back here. What’s happening?”

“He’s begging,” came again, this time louder. “She’s crying. The dog is growling. The Alchemist might lose his family jewels.”

“Good. He deserves it.” That sounded like Megan.

They had a spotter broadcasting the event for those in the farther rows. Fine. He didn’t care. As long as Sky wasn’t storming away, there was hope she’d give him another chance. Breathing her in, he hugged her tighter. It felt so fucking good to hold Sky in his arms again. He’d missed her so much.

He waited for her sobs to quiet into sniffs.

“You’re right, baby,” he said. “I’m an asshole and a moron, and I behaved no better than Vivienne. Of course it should had been your choice.”

She spoke into his chest, her voice still quivering. “Did you mean what you said in there?”

“Every single word. I love you. Can you forgive me?”

She didn’t answer. The fact that she didn’t tell him she loved him didn’t escape him either.

Suddenly there were a couple of knocks on the door. It opened a crack, Carol’s head becoming half visible. “We hate to interrupt, but we need to get rolling on the wedding. The star shower won’t wait. Just ignore us.” Then the whole town started streaming out, most of them scowling at him in disapproval.

When it came Megan’s turn to pass, she totally ignored him and addressed Sky. “You ready?”

Sky cleared her throat. “Ready for what?”

“My wedding, of course.”

“I don’t—”

“We’re in the middle of something, Megan,” Logan interrupted.

“Shut up. I’m helping you. You can grovel later, when you’re wearing a tuxedo. After the wedding.”

Sky shook her head, looking panicky and overwhelmed. “I can’t stay. I—"

But Sky couldn’t finish, because Megan had already grabbed her and was pulling her along.

* * *

With the reception in full swing, Sky wandered aside, Arnie on her heels, and looked up at the star shower, her body covered in goose bumps. She’d been in bigger, much more elaborate weddings with hundreds of guests, some with their own entourages. But not even one of those events had come close to the emotional charge of this one.

They were up at the cabin she’d been to before with Logan. Monroe apparently was certified to perform weddings. That, or he’d found a certificate in an auction unit. The whole town was there.

Megan was the most beautiful bride, and that dress… that dress had been made for her. And for a preppers’ wedding. No doubt about it.

“You okay?” she heard Logan say from behind her. He’d been holding her hand throughout the ceremony, as if afraid she would leave. While he’d been distracted, congratulating the newlyweds, Sky had escaped, needing a moment alone to regroup.

She nodded, trying to swallow a lump the size of a frigging tennis ball that was stuck in her throat. Had been stuck in her throat since she stepped into that council room and realized there was no wedding emergency. She’d attempted to backtrack, but Megan had blocked her exit. For such a small woman, damn if Megan wasn’t strong.

Then Sky had heard Logan say that he’d fucked up and that he loved her and—well, her legs had been trembling too badly for her to walk, let alone storm out of there.

Now things were infinitely more complicated. Her defenses were low. Very low. Weddings always made her emotional. And Logan… Logan could melt her heart with a look. A whisper. Forget the tuxedo he was wearing. He could be in his damn hazmat suit for all she cared. He would still get to her.

“You look beautiful in that dress,” he said quietly.

She shrugged. It wasn’t anything eye-catching, not a confection that risked outshining the bride. It was the dress Sky wore for weddings. Lola had known that. The fact that this particular gown had somehow ended up in Megan’s car just showed that Sky was due for a conversation with her meddlesome sister.

“It was such a magical wedding,” she replied, deflecting the compliment. Megan and Alec had been married surrounded by stars falling from the sky. Both had been crying.

“Yes,” Logan said, hugging her.

Her voice was shaky and barely audible. “Now what?”

“Do you think we could discuss this alone?” he asked, gesturing at Arnie.

“Not a chance in hell. He won’t leave me alone with you.”

She felt his forehead on her shoulder. Could even feel his grimace. “I would never hurt you.”

“You already did. And you hurt him too.”

“I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t intend to.”

Sky turned around. “What did you intend when you called me a whore?”

He winced and sank to his knees, his head against her stomach. At Arnie’s height. “I swear to you, that will never happen again. Ever.”

“It’s not wise to have your neck so close to his teeth. Arnie might take a shot at you.”

Logan shrugged. “He can have at it.”

She tried shifting away, but he grabbed her waist, not letting her go. “Please, baby. Stay. Don’t go.”

“Get up,” she said tartly. “You’re doing what you accused me of doing. You’re trying to manipulate me.”

He shook his head. “I’m not, baby. I’m throwing myself at your mercy.”

She pulled at his arm. “Well, you can throw yourself at my mercy by standing where I can more easily sucker punch you.” If they were going to start over, they had to do it on their own two feet, face-to-face.

He looked up at her, a smile tugging at his mouth.

“Don’t you dare smile,” she warned him as he stood up.

“I’m sorry, Butterfly. I just missed your cheekiness so badly.”

She crossed her arms, feeling her anger dissipate. Damn him. “What would have happened if I hadn’t been tricked into coming back?”

“I was coming for you.” He reached for his phone. After tapping on it, he showed her the screen. It displayed a ticket to New York. “I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I knew what I was ready to sacrifice to get it. I was wrong. I can’t lose you.”

As the waterworks behind her eyeballs cranked up again, Logan put his arms around her. Arnie, sensing the tension, stood at full attention, growling threateningly.

“He’s not going to forgive you that easily,” she said, trying to speak over her tears.

“I’ll win him over.”

She looked him in the eye. “It will take time. He’s wary now. Feeling vulnerable. Angry that you let him down.”

“He’ll get all the time he needs. If he gives me a second chance to prove myself, I promise I won’t let him down ever again.”

“We’re not talking about Arnie anymore, are we?”

“No, we’re not,” Logan said, cupping her face. “I love you, babe.”

He came closer, painstakingly slowly, giving her the opportunity to reject him. But she couldn’t. When he coaxed her lips open, she accepted him, kissing him.

“You haven’t said you love me back.”

She went for flippant. “You need my confirmation? I thought you had it figured out already.”

“I do. I don’t. I mean I don’t have it figured out, but I do need confirmation. I need it badly,” he acknowledged.

“Of course I love you. You think I’d be here if I didn’t?”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, babe. If you want to go to Paris, we’ll make it work. If you want to stay in New York, we’ll make it work.”

“What if I want to stay in Minnesota for the time being?”

He smiled and kissed her softly. “We’ll make that work too.”