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“You know that my mom died when I was young, right?”
“Yes.”
“And that I was basically adopted by Ev’s dad when I was fifteen?”
I nod.
“Well, that time in between was rough. Most of the time, my dad wanted nothing to do with me. He’d leave me alone for weeks at a time as a kid, most of the time with no food in the house.” Logan laughs harshly. “Sometimes the apartment didn’t even have electricity or water, and he’d just disappear.”
I squeeze his hand, sensing Logan needs support. Ev must have woken up at some point and made his way into the kitchen. I know he knows all of this already, so he remains quiet and just begins to finish making the sandwiches that Logan started. Logan looks at him with so much love my heart melts. I’m not at all jealous. I know he looks at me the same way. We may not have said the words yet, but I find myself thinking them often lately.
“Though honestly, that was better than when he was around. Even when he was home, he was stingy about feeding me. And if I asked, he’d just knock me around. I learned to stay out of his way pretty quickly and just fend for myself.”
That I can understand, at least in part. River and I were lucky though. We always had each other and Mom, who tried her best to protect us from Seth. We also were never hungry. I understand now, as an adult, that my mom probably went hungry more than once to make sure we had food, but River and I never went without. Logan was all alone. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must’ve been for him.
I don’t speak, but just squeeze his hand. He smiles sadly at me. “I stole food when I had to. I rummaged through dumpsters, went to every church lunch I could find. I had to avoid shelters because they’d ask questions, but I learned who would just give me food and look the other way and who wouldn’t.”
Logan sniffs as he continues,“That all changed when I met Evander. I’ve never been more grateful for getting caught stealing someone’s lunch than I was that day.” He looks fondly over at Evander, his eyes wet. Evander meets his gaze, tears in his own eyes.
“I’ve never been more grateful to have my lunch stolen,” Ev confesses, and Logan lets out a wet laugh. I find myself joining him. Ev continues, “You and Lake are the best things that ever happened to me.”
I can’t stand by myself anymore. I need to be touching both of them. I squeeze myself in the space between Logan and the counter and take Evander’s hand, bringing him closer to the two of us. They both squeeze tight.
“What happened to your dad, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“For a long time, I didn’t know. I basically moved into Mr. C’s house shortly after meeting them. I only saw my dad a handful of times as I was finishing up high school, and when I did see him, it was like he forgot I existed. I didn’t see him at all for about two years. After I graduated from the academy, I looked into him. I guess he got arrested for prostitution and sexual assualt. He ended up killing himself in prison.”
Logan says the words like they are facts in a history book, and I can understand that. It’s kind of how I feel whenever I speak about my childhood and Seth. I can sense he’s done with the conversation. Ev kisses Logan’s cheek. “You are so much better than him, Lo.”
Logan just kisses both of our heads before shaking his and backing away. “Well, anyway. You wanna share these sandwiches with me before I jump in the shower? Which you should also share with me, just saying.”
I glance at Evander who shakes his head subtly. I get the message. It’s time to drop the subject. So Evander and I split one sandwich while Logan eats the others, and then we crowd into my shower, which is not meant for three people. Eventually Evander and I excuse ourselves so Logan can take an actual shower. As much as I’m starting to enjoy sharing mutual blow jobs, there’s just not enough room for all three of us to do that. Plus, Logan really does have to get to work, so Ev and I go cuddle on the couch while we wait for him. We make plans to go over to River’s and spend time with him, Cooper, Cam, and the baby after Logan leaves.
Twenty minutes later, he’s dressed and ready to go. He comes and kisses us both goodbye.
“Be safe,” Evander tells him.
Logan gives us a lopsided grin, his expression full of mischief. “Always.”
Evander snorts and I roll my eyes. And while it’s completely insane, I’m missing Logan as soon as he leaves. As much as I love spending time with just Evander, it feels like a piece of my heart is missing when one of us isn’t here.
TWENTY-SEVEN
EVANDER
“Ireally appreciate you coming here early to help out. It’s been a while since I’ve had to cook for this many people.”
I look up at Luke from where I’m peeling potatoes. Our busy schedules have made it impossible to have another family dinner like we had at my dad’s up until this point. So when Thanksgiving started to roll around, Luke insisted on having all of us at his house. And I mean all of us. He even invited Avery, Zoe, Cam, and even Lucy. Lucy, Avery, and Zoe are all having the holiday with their families, though they may stop by for dessert. Cam’s family lives on the West Coast, but his grandma bought him a plane ticket to come visit, so he’ll be gone for a while.
Cooper didn’t say anything, of course, but I could see he was relieved to get their house back to themselves when he announced the unexpected trip. I met Cam a couple weeks ago for the first time, and I can understand how someone may need a little reprieve from the guy, even if it's clear how loyal he is to River
“It’s no problem at all, Luke,” I tell him genuinely. At first, it seemed weird to call him by his first name, but I got used to it. Like with my dad, Logan fell into the habit of calling Luke Mr. S, and for some reason he gets away with it even when I don’t. “I actually love doing things like this.”
Luke looks at me with genuine affection as he chops carrots. “Maybe one day you’ll be able to host a holiday at your house with Lake and Logan.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “Though I’m not sure how helpful either of them would be.”
I snort. He’s not wrong. Any time Logan helps my dad and me prep for a meal, he picks on the food more than anything else. And Lake is pretty much useless in the kitchen. “That’s ok. I love cooking for them, honestly. I think it’s how I show my love,” I say with a laugh.
“Nothing wrong with that.”
