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“Oh.” My mom tips her head up to smile at Logan before she turns that smile to me. “I’ve been working out with Logan and Chase at his gym.”
“Seriously?” I ask, and Logan nods his head with pride. I let out a low whistle between my teeth and start to move around them. “That’s impressive.”
Chase, Logan’s son and technically my stepbrother, is a former heavyweight MMA champion who retired from the fighting scene after he met his wife, Avery. He owns and runs a prestigious training gym now. He’s even bigger than his dad and more intimidating. I can’t even picture my little mom training with the two of them.
“You’re welcome to join us, if you like,” Logan offers, and I sense his tall, towering frame coming up behind me as I pop my trunk open. “We start at six.”
I reach into the trunk to grab my bag and the tips of my fingers brush against the handle a split second before Logan grabs it out of my hand.
Who says chivalry is dead?
Logan grabs my other bag, hauling them both up easily in his big mitts. There are handles and wheels he could use, but I doubt he’s even considered it.
I close my trunk then click my clicker, locking up my Audi after taking a second to suck in a ca
lming breath. “In the evening?”
Logan’s eyes glitter with amusement under his bushy brows. “In the morning.”
I make a face and Logan chuckles. “No thanks. That’s way too early for me.”
“You do look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?” my mom remarks with sudden concern, giving me another once-over as we all head up the front steps.
When I called this place a house earlier, I was downplaying it a bit. Really, the place is a mansion with a sprawling artificial lawn nestled within a copse of trees. The interior itself features six bedrooms, five baths, and a kitchen as big as my apartment back in California.
“It’s been a hard semester,” I reassure her with a tight smile then quickly change the subject.
I’m in my role now and it’s everything I can do to maintain it. My energy is running on empty. What I really want to do is hole myself up in a room somewhere and sleep until I forget the past twenty-four hours.
But I can’t do that yet.
I don’t want my mom to get one whiff of the crap I’ve been dealing with. I want to keep her as far as possible away from it, so I have to pretend that nothing’s wrong and everything is fine for a little longer.
“Wow, Mom,” I find myself saying as we pass through the double front doors. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”
With just a glance, I can see her touches everywhere.
My mom beams with pride and begins to flutter around the huge living area, pointing out and explaining all the changes she’s made since she moved in.
She’s an interior designer who lives and breathes color, textures, and fabric. Me? I could care less what my surroundings look like as long as I have food, a bed, and the internet.
My eyes start to glaze over as my mom finishes up describing how she rearranged all the furniture to increase the flow of the room and moves on to describing all the projects she’s working on with Logan.
That’s how the two of them met. Logan is this huge real estate mogul here in Nevada and my mom is one of the best interior designers in this part of the nation.
“I’ve put your bags in your room,” Logan’s deep rumbling voice jolts me back to reality.
I shoot him a grateful, though tired, smile as he thumps down the winding staircase that leads to the second floor. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, runt,” Logan chuckles and rubs my head like I’m a small child as he walks past me.
I huff out a breath, blowing the hair that’s now in front of my eyes out of my face.
I don’t know why I’m the runt when my mom’s shorter than me, but it’s been Logan’s nickname for me since I’ve met them.
“Do you want some lunch, Bree? I can prepare some sandwiches,” my mom offers, but I immediately shake my head at her.
I can’t even remember the last time I ate, but I don’t think my stomach could handle it right now.
