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She’s silent, and I allow her all the time she needs for what I’ve said to soak in.
“That’s good, right?”
“It’s great, because it also means she can be ado-adopted.” I sob again, and Izabeth wails right along with me through the phone, sharing in my unimaginable joy.
The emotions that have overwhelmed me for the last hour subside long enough that I feel safe driving home. I talk myself down from doing a hundred miles an hour to get there. My brother didn’t just torpedo through my life this year; Logan needs to hear this from me in person.
Logan’s head pops up and he whirls around when he hears the mudroom door open. He’s on his feet and across the room before I fully step inside, eyes searching my face.
“How’d it go?” Terror spreads across his face as he waits. A few days ago he’d confessed he loves Rainey, but his actions have made it obvious for a long time.
“Good.” Light hope replaces terror and his demeanor cautiously brightens.
“You get to keep guardianship?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
His expression mimics what I imagine mine looked like in the courtroom. “It went well, though? I don’t understand.”
The door between the mudroom and my garage stands wide open as I repeat what went down at the hearing. Logan grabs the wall closest to him to steady himself, as unprepared for this update as I was. After allowing the news to absorb, he picks me up to carry me through the house in a victory lap, but my healing rib protests the idea.
He leans in and gives me a deep kiss instead. The first proper kiss we’ve shared since the day of the break-in. The taste of him on my lips is a delight and comfort I’m unworthy of, and my body aches as I pull him closer to me, unaware of our audience.
“Ewwwwwwwwwww! Oh my god!” Maggie shrieks, witnessing the moment between her dad and I.
I break apart from Logan to check if Rainey also saw the kiss. I’m mortified she not only saw the kiss, but she’s delighted by it.
“YESSSSSSS!” she whoops loudly and claps. “YES! I knew it.”
I look at Logan, and he looks at me. We’re both speechless by her reaction because we’ve been painfully careful to not reveal any non-friendship side of us to either girl.
“You did not,” I tease her.
“Sure did,” she yells and takes off through the house with Maggie on her tail.
When I catch up to them, they’re at the dining room table, sorting through a basket of crayons and bickering over who gets the brightest pink one.
“Uh—girls?” Logan says from behind me. “Maybe we should have a quick chat?”
“Why?” Rainey looks up at me from her chair, clearly annoyed that I’m intruding on her art time. “Because we saw you kiss?” She proceeds to make very loud, wet smooching noises with her lips.
“Ew, Rainey. Stop!” Maggie says, covering her face.
“Knock it off, Rae.” I poke her shoulder. “Maggie, I’m sorry if we embarrassed you,” I tell Logan’s daughter as I take the seat next to her. “Can I hold your hand?” She nods and laces her fingers with mine. “Maggie, Ireallylike your dad. And I think he might like me, too.”
Maggie looks to Logan who nods in agreement.
“Mags—How would you feel if Noah was mygirlfriend?”
“That’s cool.” Maggie shrugs, then adds, “Just no more kissing. That’s gross—I’m never kissing a boy.”
“Me, either!” Rainey agrees, reaching across the table to snatch up the hot pink crayon Maggie was hoarding.
“Hey! I was saving that,” Maggie says, swiping the crayon back. And just like that, the girls move on like the kiss between Logan and I never happened.
My post-concussion symptoms slow, and I’m able to return to work regularly, picking up where I left off, and grateful to my team for enduring my absence. A vase of peach roses sits on my desk when I walk in on my first day back full time. I don’t have to look at the card to know who they’re from.
Phone calls with updates on in-progress campaigns and discussion about changes needed bombard me. I’ll work through my lunch for weeks if I ever want to see inbox zero again. It still beats being stuck at home, alone and miserably in pain, while the rest of the world moves about their day.
