When Cassie leaned over to help Logan out from under the bed, she wasn’t sure who looked more upset.

They’d avoided talking about her dad ever since that morning after the Fourth of July. It was easier to focus on New York and dreaming of a new life far away from all of this. They both wanted to escape, for different reasons. Logan wanted a new life, and he deserved one; he’d worked so hard to get where he was. Cassie wanted to leave behind the mess of a family she was a part of.

But she knew she could never escape, not really. Di was right. If her dad wanted her to do something, she would do it. The entire reason she was with Logan now was because her dad had asked her to be nice to him. Guilt washed away the pure bliss that had been shooting through her just ten minutes ago. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted Logan to hear about her parents’ problems. Would he guess that she was hiding other things?

Now at least it made sense why her dad had known who Logan was. And why he didn’t want Logan to suspect his bike accident had anything to do with her. Her family didn’t want another legal battle with his. She thought back to her mom’s comment on how expensive an apartment in New York would be. While Di had made it sound like their parents were working things out, a divorce would be expensive, if it ever came to that. Could they not afford another legal battle? The thought of not having enough money for something was completely foreign to Cassie.

Even if they could afford it, what would happen if Cassie refused to testify? How could she face her dad, her family, knowing that she’d stood against them? Would Columbia even be an option for her? Would any college?

There was no rebelling possible, no way out. She had to support her dad, or he wouldn’t support her. It was what everyone expected her to do.

“What are you going to do?” Logan said as he took her offered hand and stood up.

“I don’t know yet.” Her voice trembled.

Logan took a step back and dropped her hand.

“You’re going to help your dad.”

“I said I don’t know yet!” Her eyes flashed. “This is hard for me. I don’t know what to think.”

“It’s not really that complicated.” He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed. “He’s not a good guy. You’re an adult, you don’t have to do what he wants.”

“But he’s my dad, you know?” Tears glittered at the edges of her eyes. All month he’d never said a word about her dad, and while she knew he probably hated him for what he’d done to his mom, he couldn’t expect her to feel the same way, could he?

“Actually, I don’t know.” Logan set his jaw. “Mine left when I was four.”

Cassie’s eyes widened and raised a hand to her open mouth.

“Logan, I had no idea—”

“It’s fine,” he said quickly, waving a hand. “We don’t have to talk about it. He’s not a part of my life.”

“Not at all?” Cassie sat down on the bed and looked up at him. Logan started to pace.

“No,” he said firmly, his arms swinging beside him as he walked back and forth. Had they been talking about anything else, she might have teased him about how much like a shark he looked right now, with his angry gaze and puffed out chest. “He made so many promises…”

Cassie held her breath, not sure she wanted to hear more. Logan had already been through so much. How much more pain could one person have in their life?

“Every year it would be the same. Birthdays, holidays, all he would send were cards with promises of phone calls and visits. He never called. He never came.”

His eyes shone with tears that she knew he’d never let fall.

“He sent stuff all the time when I was little.” He made a weird harsh laughing sound. “He was totally loaded. My mom told me later he never sent any child support though. And she didn’t have the money to go after him for it. She told herself the presents to me were enough. But all I wanted was to see him.

“When I was twelve I finally got him on the phone and told him to stop sending me stuff. I didn’t want anything else from him if he couldn’t keep his promises and visit.”

Cassie’s heart was breaking for the stubborn little boy that had grown into such a strong young man who never wanted anyone’s help.

“And that was the last I heard from him. No more presents, no more calls, nothing.”

“Oh, Logan.” Cassie made to stand up, but he put out a hand.

“Don’t, okay? I know what I went through is totally different than this. And I may be a little biased and assume all dads are assholes.”

“I don’t know what mine is like with other people,” she said. “I only know him as my dad. That’s what makes this so hard.”

Logan sighed and collapsed onto the bed next to her, covering his face with his hands.

“My whole life is hard,” he mumbled into his hands. Cassie hesitated for a brief moment, but put a hand on his back. She felt him relax a little underneath her touch.

“It’s nice to know we have something else in common now,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “Even if it’s just complicated feelings about our dads.”

He let out a chuckle.

“Of all the things for me to have in common with Cassie Hart, a rich jerk for a dad wasn’t what I thought it would be.”

Cassie let out a giggle. Laughing wouldn’t change anything, but what else could they do?

With a sigh, Logan leaned back on the bed. Cassie followed suit and curled up against him. He had been through so much and had still turned out so smart and hardworking and…perfect. Her heart filled with the strongest desire to help him, in every possible way.

“I guess if everyone is back, I’ll need to sneak back out?” he murmured into her hair. His arms were wrapped tightly around her. She snuggled even closer against his chest, needing to feel every part of him.

“Or you could just stay here until they all fall asleep,” she said, turning her head to look up at him. He gazed down at her through half lowered lids and she bit her bottom lip. “Or you could hide in my bed all night and leave tomorrow morning.”

He sucked in a breath and leaned over for a kiss. It started out so softly, his lips just barely brushing hers. Then he pressed himself against her and his arms gripped her even tighter. She opened her mouth, their tongues swirling together as she sighed into him. Her hands went to his hair, pulling him tightly to her.

Despite the past few weeks of doing this same thing, tonight she wanted more. Needed more. Everything was falling apart and he was the only thing that seemed steady in her life. And she knew she was inches away from losing him. As soon as he found out what she’d done to him, her father wouldn’t be the only one he thought was a rich jerk.

Her whole family was such a mess. She couldn’t wait to get away from them. Maybe once they were in New York she’d tell him. Once they were far away from everything else making their lives crazy.

She let out a soft moan as Logan’s hand slid under her shirt, caressing her skin. Her entire body shivered against him. He pulled out of the kiss and looked into her eyes.

“Cassie I…want to tell you something.” He took a deep breath. “I think I’m…”

He swallowed hard, his gaze intense. Her heart skipped a beat.

Could he really feel that way about her? With everything that was happening?

She didn’t want him to say it, not out loud. Not until he knew everything. She leaned in and kissed him again, praying that she’d get a little more time with him before it all came crashing down.

“Cassie, where are you?”

For the second time that night, they pulled away from each other, breathless and panicked. It wasn’t her sister outside the door this time.

It was her rich jerk of a dad.