A curse falls from his lips before his rough palm slides to the small of my back, and he loses whatever war was waging behind his eyes. With slight pressure from that palm, he guides me out of the room. “Let’s go say goodnight to Magnolia before we leave.”
“Is Waverly watching her tonight?”
“She is. I figured I already have Rita here extra hours next week for the away games. Waves said she’d cover for me tonight. Not that Rita isn’t a great nanny, but I feel better when Maggie’s with family.”
“When are your games?” I ask as we head downstairs. “These are the last preseason ones, right?”
“Yeah. We’re away Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon. The season kicks off?—”
“The following Thursday at home,” I finish for him, pulling up my mental calendar.
“You’ve been paying attention, wife?” Logan guides me through the house into the family room, where Waverly and Maggie are snuggled up on the couch, watching a movie.
“Kinda my job, Adler.” I wink and take one of Maggie’s sticky hands in mine. “You going to be good for Aunt Waverly?”
“Li,” Maggie babbles. It’s as close as she’s come to Waverly’s name since I met the two of them, and I swear every time Maggie utters the single syllable, I think her aunt sheds a tear.“Cell phone reception sucks at the vineyard, Waves. If you need anything and can’t get us, I’ll text you the main number to call. They’ll find us.”
She tilts her head and appraises me, probably unsure if I’ve earned the use ofWavesinstead of Waverly. But my sister-in-law nods anyway, continuing with the tentative truce we’ve established since the custody hearing.
“Bye, ladybug.” Logan kisses her forehead. “Daddy will be back soon. I love you.”
“Dadda...” she whines, not wanting Logan to leave. And if it were anything else, I think I’d probably cave, throw pajamas on, and curl up on the couch right next to her for the night, but we can’t.
“Love you,” he whispers one more time, then guides me out of the room. “I fucking hate leaving her.”
“I can understand that.” I debate my next words as we step into the garage, and Logan opens the door of the Escalade. Stopping, I place a hand to his chest. “Instead of having Rita stay to watch Maggie next week, how about you let me do it? It’s just one overnight, right? Wednesday?” And it’s not even like it’s the entire night. He’ll be home in the early hours of the morning. “Saturday is early afternoon. Why have the nanny do it, when her stepmother can?”
Okay. That’s the first time I’ve referred to myself as a stepmother.
Not sure how I feel about that just yet.
“You sure, Olive? Wednesday’s game is in Nashville. Doubt I’ll be home before two or three.”
I smooth my hands over his lapels and look up—because even with four-inch heels, Logan still has nearly a foot on me. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”
He lifts his hand as if he’s about to cup my face but hesitates and drops it instead. “You never cease to amaze me, wife.”
“Now that’s a compliment I can appreciate, Logan.” I drop my hands and pick up the edge of my dress when Logan stops me with a strong hand curled around my throat.
His thumb caresses the column of my neck. “I realized something the other day.”
“And what was that?” The words come out nearly hushed.
He studies my face, like he’s looking for an answer to a question he’s never asked. Like the answer lies unspoken between us. And I wait... one breath, then another.
“You okay, Adler?”
“I never actually apologized.” His words are soft but pack a solid punch.
I shake my head. “No. You didn’t.”
His other hand slides up the other side of my neck, cupping the back of my head. “I should have. Really, I just shouldn’t have said it in the first place. My anger was at myself and my agent, and it was easier to blame you than myself or him at the time. It was misplaced and it was wrong. I was wrong. I didn’t mean it, and I shouldn’t have said it. I am sorry, Olive.”
The weight that’s been sitting heavy on my chest lightens just a bit, and I lift up and kiss my husband’s cheek. “Seeing your name dragged into anything negative hurts. Whether you want them to or not, words matter. Your words mattered. And your apology mattered. Thank you.”
He stares at my lips, and for a moment, I think he might kiss me, but instead, drops his hands and steps back. “I should have told you that as soon as I said it. I should have told you that the night we got married.”
“Well, you told me now. You’re about to face down my entire family, and we’re kind of scary, so I’m sure you’ll get to defend yourself about a hundred times tonight. Consider this practice.”
