Page 68 of Ruined

I frown. “And they don’t…?”

“They don’t what?” When I don’t immediately reply, Oliver jumps off my lap and takes my hand. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

I let him haul me off the bed and into the living room, still trying to wrap my head around what he just told me. The twins know about us—our past and our age gap—and yet there’s been no judgment, no disgust on their faces. In fact, they don’t seem to care at all.

Oliver keeps holding my hand even when we join the twins in the kitchen, and I don’t pull away. The nature of our relationship is complicated—no doubt about it—but maybe it doesn’t need to be as complicated as I thought.

24. NOT READY

“So what’s it like?” Nico asks as he sprawls on the sofa, Xbox controller in hand. Logan and Luca are in the kitchen, arguing about the correct amount of cheese.

“What?” I press a button on the other controller, and the game’s intro tune fills the room.

“Fucking your stepdad.”

I snort. “He’s not my stepdad anymore, and besides, it was a long time ago.”

Nico flashes a wicked smile. “But he’s your daddy, right?”

I nod, and when I speak, I can’t help but sound defensive. “Yeah. He is.”

“Well, something must be working between you two. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have abandoned us like this.” His voice is casual, but I can hear the subtle bitterness underneath.

I huff out a laugh. “I haven’t abandoned you.” Sure, I’ve spent a lot of nights at Logan’s place, but Nico makes it seem like a grave betrayal.

“Well,” he mutters. “As long as he treats you well.”

“He does.” My lips turn up in a smile, and I glance at Logan in the kitchen. He and Luca seem to have agreed on the ingredients, and now Luca’s boiling pasta while Logan cuts up vegetables.

“If he starts to act up, just say the word,” Nico says.

The implied threat in his words makes me laugh, and I reply by overtaking his car in the game. He curses in Italian, and we spend a few minutes focused on the game while Logan and Luca finish cooking. Eventually, Luca calls us to “get off our asses and set the table,” and we make a competition out of who can do it quicker. Nico slams the cutlery beside the plates while I balance four glasses in my hands. It’s a miracle I don’t drop them.

“Boys,” Luca says, exasperated, but we don’t stop.

“Oliver.” Logan’s voice booms.

I pause in the middle of throwing napkins at Nico. “Sorry, Daddy.”

Nico and Luca exchange a look, and my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

Logan rounds the counter and pulls me into a half-hug. He murmurs in my ear, “It’s okay. Now, be a good boy and sit at the table.”

God, I hope the twins didn’t hear that. I’m not as embarrassed about my kinks as I used to be, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable displaying them in front of the twins. Especially not when my body reacts as strongly as ever to Logan’s touch and voice.

I take a seat in a hurry to hide my embarrassing reaction to that tiny moment, and Logan carries the pan of pasta to the table. The food is as amazing as I expected it to be, and even Luca seems pleased.

“Did I pass the test?” Logan asks, amused.

Luca shrugs. “It’s not bad.”

“It’s awesome,” Nico says with his mouth full of pasta and sauce all over his chin, and Luca gives him an eye roll.

Logan just smiles and twirls the pasta around his fork. He looks proud.

Beaming at him, I put a hand on his thigh under the table. “You think this is good? You should try his pancakes.”

He smiles in reply and puts his hand on top of mine, and a warm feeling settles in my skin, my veins, and my very bones. God, I’m so freaking in love with him that I feel like my heart might burst.