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Cori could write articles galore, but when it came to how to play the game herself, she sucked. No matter how sick he is, I’m going to look so darn cute tomorrow he won’t be able to resist. Then again, she’d known he was at the door yesterday, and she’d opened it anyway wearing just a T-shirt and panties; she hadn’t gotten a hug. Not even a glance.
She needed to remember everything he’d said about how he grew up. There was no love in his life. Maybe what she was trying to offer him, not the sex but the emotion, was more than he wanted. He was forty and single for a reason. It wasn’t because he was a loser. The man had the entire package. There was no way women weren’t throwing themselves at him. Then it hit her. She didn’t want to be one of them. She was making this too easy for him. When she was pushing him away, he was chasing her. Now she’d been trying to let him know she wanted more, and he was avoiding her. Maybe my next article should be the differences between men and women.
She grunted softly to herself. I better interview others because obviously I don’t have a clue. She reminded herself Logan wasn’t just any man. He was a Henderson. They were a different breed altogether. There should be an entire manual written just for them.
Cori laughed because she wasn’t the easiest person to figure out either. She was accusing him of sending mixed signals, but she was the one who started all this with a lie. Unfortunately, part of the lie was still between them. I’m such a hypocrite. They needed to have a conversation, and she needed to start with telling him everything. Of course, that might be the last talk we have.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t moving forward with her research. While he was off doing whatever, she’d found some interesting things about Tabiq. For one, Shaun wasn’t the big player there. Bennett seemed to be visiting on a regular basis. The reason for the frequent trips was still a mystery. Given a bit more time, she knew she’d find out. Asking Ziva wasn’t an option nor was speaking to Zoey. Morgan was such a sweetheart, but she was an stay-at-home mom alone right now. That might be the avenue she needed to take.
She peeked out the window, and the sun was shining. Sitting here, wondering what Logan was doing, wouldn’t accomplish anything. Maybe this was the right time to see what Morgan was up to. Cori dialed her number.
“Hi, Cori. How are you?”
She couldn’t believe she called before planning her excuse. Think fast. “I’m good. I know you mentioned Shaun was out of town, and it’s such a nice day.”
“That it is. My mother snagged Ginny for a stroll and said she wants to keep her for a while after. What are you doing today?”
“I thought maybe you’d like to go to... the bike path with me.” Cori remembered at their luncheon she’d mentioned a bicycle built for three. “We could take Tyler.”
“Oh, that would be nice. Just one problem, Tyler has a certain route he needs to take. Would you mind if you came to our house, and we rode around here?”
“Sounds like a plan. Just text your address and I’ll come right over.” She already had their address. It was a few houses down from Elizabeth and Loras. She’d been surprised at Shaun living in such a residential neighborhood. Until she’d met Morgan and Tyler. Then she knew what enticed him to walk away from a penthouse apartment in the heart of Boston.
It wasn’t long before she arrived at Morgan’s, and they were on the road. Cori had never been on a tandem bike, and it took a bit of getting used to. At first, she thought it’d be easier than riding alone, but you had to work together. Morgan took the front, Tyler the middle, and she pulled up the rear. After a few minutes, she’d gotten the hang of it and was actually having fun.
“I truly like this bike.”
“Shaun bought it for me... I mean us. I guess that’s when I fell in love with him. He’s so... well he’s a wonderful father.”
Cori didn’t need to see Morgan’s face to know she was smiling. She could hear the emotion in her voice, and understood why. Tyler was such a special young man. To love another man’s child as their own is a sign of an exceptional man, someone capable of great love. There was no way a man like him was off in Tabiq doing something disgusting like paying to sleep with young women. There had to be an explanation.
Once they were back at the house, Morgan invited her in for lemonade. Tyler had gone off to play in his room. This provided her with the chance to ask more about Shaun.
“It must be hard with him gone.”
She shrugged. “Not much I can do about it. This venture is important to him. He wanted me to go with him, but I couldn’t leave Tyler.”
So it was something he wanted her to be part of? “Oh, he was looking forward to a little getaway with his wife. Nice.”
Morgan shook her head. “No. It’s just that he wanted to share this with me. I explained to him that it was better for him to go alone. This was his time. We would have many more times to travel there together.”
“It must be tough anyway. I can see you really want to be there with him, and I can understand why.” No, I can’t, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.
Morgan asked, “Do you know that I’m adopted?” Cori shook her head. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without my adoptive parents. You’ve met them. They’re wonderful people. But since meeting Shaun, I’ve been really thinking about it even more. I don’t know either of my biological parents, but I have two parents who love me unconditionally. Shaun’s family grew up with a tyrannical father and never knew who their mothers were. So finally getting to meet them after all these years must bring so many mixed emotions to each of them. They’re all processing it differently, which is understandable.”
Mothers? More than one?There was no way she’d heard correctly.
“He wasn’t sure it was ever going to happen for him. Shaun never said anything, but I could see it in his eyes each time one of them went to Tabiq and met their mother. It was like he was happy for them but never believed his mother would be found. That’s why I wanted him to have this time alone with her. I’m sure it’s going to be emotional for both of them.”
Cori was stunned. There were so many questions she had but nothing was coming out of her mouth. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it all. Logan hadn’t mentioned anything about his mother. Had he not met his, or when he did, hadn’t it worked out?
“Shaun’s lucky to have someone as loving and supportive as you, Morgan. Thank you for going on the bike ride with me. Sounds like it was helpful to be distracted for a while.”
“It was. Thank you for coming over and listening. I guess I needed someone to talk to who could relate.”
That sure isn’t me.“I’m here anytime you need someone to listen.”
“I guess we’ll see you tomorrow at brunch?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” She hugged Morgan and headed back to her apartment.
The entire drive home her mind was racing as she thought back to the research she’d compiled on the family before meeting any of them in person. How was it that never came up? No one ever mentioned what happened to their mother, never mind that they each had a different one. Someone must’ve questioned that long ago. Then again, James was a powerful man who could’ve hidden such a thing. But why? And how?
There was no marriage or divorce decree. So these women were never married to him. Cori knew that at least Shaun’s mother was from Tabiq. Since Alex met Ziva there, she assumed that’s where his mother was from as well. That was too much of a coincidence. Was it possible that all six mothers were from there? It would explain how James was able to hide it from them for so long. He was a big enough bastard to do that.
By the time she entered her apartment tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her heart went out to them all. She had hated them because of what James had done to her grandpa. She never imagined there would be anything to make her believe they were any different than he was. She knew differently now. They’ve suffered so much at the hand of their father. It explained why they shut themselves off from most relationships. Their pain ran deep. There was no way she could ever exploit them with what she’d just learned. It was time for her to reach out to Logan and tell him the truth about why she’d searched him out. Admit to what the story was supposed to be. Then somehow she was going to have to convince him that she would never share everything she’d learned with another living soul. Their pain is safe with me.
