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“You’ve never been naïve or immature,” I tell her. “Even as a toddler, you always saw more. You were always dreaming of the future.”
“I don’t want to wait for the future,” Emma says softly as if she’s fighting off more tears. “I know I could date a bunch of guys. Go through the motions. Do the partying thing. Whatever. But what’s the point? I’ve found my future. I’m ready.”
Finally, she moves her hand from Logan’s sleeve to his hand. Logan flinches and sits up like he’s going to snatch it away, but then I shake my head. He sits still and holds my daughter’s hand. It looks oddly natural.
“You know what people will say,” I tell them, “about your age gap. About how quickly you’re getting married. Shotgun wedding. Robbing the—”
“Dear,” Angela says.
“He’s right, Mom. You know he is, but it’s not what the rest of the world thinks, Dad. It’s whatyouthink that matters.”
“That’s all we care about,” Logan says softly. “We’ve been real, real low. We should’ve been honest from the start—”
“And for the record,” Emma says, “Loganwantedto be honest. Not about the… you know, the first night.” She nods, moving on, and I’m relieved. The last thing I want is details. “But when he found out I was pregnant, it was me, Dad. I tried to tell you. I was just so scared.”
“And maybe I haven’t been the easiest to talk to,” I say, thinking of last night when she tried to speak with me, and I slammed the door in her face. I felt so bad about that after. The so-called mobsters were calling me nonstop, demanding money, and saying vicious things.
“No, I could have,” Emma says firmly. “I had so many chances,but I chickened out, plain and simple. I thought you’d never look at me the same if you knew what I did. Lying to you. Going behind your back.”
“You’ll always be my little girl,” I say, moving my hand across the table, then stopping when I realize she’s holding Logan’s hand.
Emma lets him go and throws both hands toward me. She holds onto me tightly. “I love you. I want you to be in your grandchild’s life.”
“There was never a question about that,” I say, almost offended. “Of course, I’m going to be in their life. Ofcourse.” My eyes start stinging, and I realize I’m crying, too. I’m thinking of Emma as a baby, the first time she was in my arms, so full of love, clutching my finger. “There’s nothing that could stop me.”
“All of us,” Emma says, glancing at Logan. “Together.”
I almost want to say this is enough, but I must know something else. Letting her hands go, I look at Logan. “If I told you to walk out that door and leave Emma, never see her again, what would you do?”
“Michael,” Angela whispers.
“No, I deserve to know.”
Logan rests his arms on the table. He seems even bigger than usual, but not as though he’s trying to be intimidating. It’s just how he naturally is. “I’d have to let our friendship go,Michel. I’ll never be a father who abandons his child or their mother. I’m always going to be there for her. I’m always going to protect her and my child. They deserve better.”
I know what he’s referencing. The haunted look he had in his eyes, the stuff he explained in the car about his mom before the meeting. His demons. Finally, I feel the tension leaving me. I blink, and there are more tears in my eyes. I’m going to be a grandfather.
“Good,” I say, looking fiercely at Logan. “You do that,Edouard. You make surealwaysto do that.”
Emma looks at me, wiping her cheeks. “Does that mean…”
“It means that if everything you told me is true—”
“It is,” Emma says passionately.
“I’m going to be there,” Logan says. “I’m going to retire after this season. I’m going to put my family first.”
“You’re going toretire?” I say, sitting forward.
Emma laughs in surprised delight. It’s so nice to hear that. It’s so nice to be with my family without worrying about those wannabe mobsters. Already, I’m thinking of Logan as part of my family. Or maybe I always have on some level.
“After everything we’ve told you,that’sthe shocking part?” Emma says.
I shrug, grinning. How am I smiling? My daughter’s happiness is infectious. If Logan truly wants the best for her, if he will make her happy, why should I be angry? Why should I care if the rest of the world might not understand?
“You’ve been playing like a demon. Some are saying your best season in years.”
“That’s because it’s my last,” Logan says definitively. “I’m going to do what few athletes have the luck to do—retire with most of the money I’ve earned. Start a family. Live happily. Avoid drugs. Avoid booze. Avoid darkness. Avoid chasing the high that being a star gave because, hell, I never cared for the glamor anyway. And there’s nothing…”
