“Everyone.” Cassie picked out a donut as well and slid onto the chair opposite me.
I counted in my head. That was nine of us, if Jess managed to get off shift on time. “I think we’re going to need more space in here.”
Cassie pulled her cupcake from one of the cake boxes. “Oh, and Everly said she was bringing Sage Wilder with her.”
The more the merrier. I had no idea who that was, other than she was one of the dance moms along with Everly. If my friend felt the need to bring her along, we would all welcome her. Our group did that. We collected good women in need of a tribe.
The women piled in one by one. Each bringing something with them. There were a few of us who weren’t pregnant and we took the opportunity to have a glass of wine. As usual, we gossiped. Mostly about our jobs but a little about the men in our lives. I even learned about some of what was happening with the teenagers in town.
I wasn’t sure how long Dominic would need to stay in protective custody, but the police were still actively investigating. They claimed to have no idea who had broken in or why. Which was, of course, utter bullshit. Jared was working on getting permission to get the information legally. If that didn’t happen in the next day or two, he’d have no problemhacking their system or contacting Tex. It was the same system San Diego PD used and he’d gotten in there a time or two. Still, it would be better to work with the guys in San Francisco.
Julie slid back onto the stool next to me as I shook off my worries. She took my hand in her. She fancy manicured tips were such a contrast to short nails “What’s got you so worried?”
That was a loaded question, if there ever was one. I knew I could trust her. Nothing I said would leave the room. Not even with the women who had husbands.
“I could lose them.” I blinked back tears. Not wanting to think about the fact the universe may have already cast its verdict on my ability to be a parent. “The only reason why there’s been no push back from social services is because we really are those kids’ safest option. Especially since the SFPD failed to protect them. Once the state is done with the investigation, those kids will be gone.”
Julie shook her head. “Don’t think like that. You’re not only the safest option, Bex. Anyone who’s been watching you can see how much they mean to you. Not once have you held back because you could lose them. Your heart has been invested from the moment they came into your life.”
She was right of course. But that was part of the problem.
“Exactly. It was hard giving up Dom. Breaking up with Logan was a breeze by comparison.” That might have been overstating things a little, but it made my point. “I won’t be able to go through that again.”
She smiled, gripping my hand a little harder. “There is a difference, though.” When I tilted my head, she continued. “You will have Logan by your side. Last time you pushed him away. This time, you hold onto that man and lean on him.”
I thought about her words. Leaning on Logan seemed so natural, unless of course I was the reason we lost Dom again, along with his siblings. Then he might push me away.
Chapter Fourteen
BEX
I couldn’t understand how Logan could work the hours he did and still look so damn good. Despite what happened that first night, we had managed to keep our hands to ourselves. Mostly. There’d been one time where we used our hands to get each other off, but other than that, we’d been good. And it was driving me nuts.
Watching Logan around the apartment was a lot to take. He rarely came home still wearing his scrubs, but he had a few times in the last week, and the sight was something to behold.
Still, it was nothing compared to watching him move around in normal jeans and a T-shirt. The black fabric pulled across his chest, leaving no doubt of the muscles beneath. The short sleeves showed off his biceps, leaving just a peak of the tattoo of the caduceus on his inner upper arm. More subtle on his dark skin than my brother’s tattoos but infinitely sexier. Then there were those jeans. There really should have been more of an ode to the way denim hugged a man’s behind. Or at least a poem on how faded denim hugged Logan’s ass.
He turned and caught me checking him out instead of folding laundry like I was supposed to be doing. His smile was cocky but his words were gentle. “I love your eyes on me like that.”
“I wasn’t looking at you in any way, Mr. Evans.”
At the mention of his last name, his eyes darkened. “Let’s get done before I drag you to the bedroom and…”
“La-la-la.” Dom walked into the room holding his fingers in his ears. “Can you two at least wait until you get rid of me before you get it on?”
I pushed away from the small table and turned to Dom. “No one is getting rid of you. All the kids are doing the LazerGames course because Nick is making them, and it would be good for you. It’s character building and who knows? You might even make a friend or two.”
At least that was the hope. All the teens who were doing the course were friends, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t welcome another person into their group. Besides, most of them had been through some sort of trauma over the last few years.
“I don’t need any friends.” The kid was determined to give me attitude.
Logan turned around and glared at him. “Dom. I understand we are not your parents. At least, not in any way we should’ve been. But you came to us. And we are more than happy to protect you from the assholes who took your mom and stepdad. All we ask is that you show some respect.”
Dom looked at his feet and nodded. “Fine.”
“Another thing to remember,” Logan continued as if he was born to parent a surly teenager. Or maybe one particular surly teenager. “Bex is your best shot at keeping you, Landon and Victoria together. I’ve seen enough kids come through the ER to know that fostering is hit or miss a lot of the time. Victoria stands the best chance of getting out of the system, but if you want to stay together, your best shot is staying right here. In Marina De Ferrier. So, it is probably in your best interest to make some friends. If the social worker can determine all three of you are fitting in nicely, things will run a lot more smoothly.”
He rolled his eyes and then immediately apologized. “Sorry. I’ll try.”
