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“Yes!” I blurt out and immediately cringe.
“Yes?”
“I mean no,” I backpedal. “I don’t want her here for me. I want her here foryou. To maybe do the right thing for once, instead of being a b…”
I stop before the word “bitch” leaves my mouth and hate that it even sprung to mind. And when someone gasps—I think it’s Cory—I apologize.
“You know what, Logan?” Lucy says, clearly annoyed. “You don’t know the full story, and I think you need to talk to Dani before making any assumptions. Maybe she’s doing the right thing,” Lucy says, and my stomach twists. For two reasons. The first is that I’m ruining her birthday. I need to stop. And the second is Dani.
It’s only then that a light bulb switches on, and I figure out the real reason I’m so upset about this—Dani needs friends in her corner. She shouldn’t be ditching one of her closest. And thankfully Lucy’s still there for her.
“Sorry, I can drop it.But I’m not happy about it,” I huff out with a smile, making a joke to avoid the direction this conversation is headed. Lucy rolls her eyes again, knowing exactly what I’m doing, but gives me a hug with a thank you.
With Lucy in mind, I manage to relax and have fun, just like she said I should. Dylan, Joel, Cory, and I start up a game of poker around two, and after all getting hustled by Cory, we vow to win our money back by the end of the night. Of course, it backfires on Dylan and me, with us losing even more money, but Joel survives, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s because he can count cards or something equally clever. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d ask.
As a result of our need to best Cory, it’s about four a.m. before I finally call it a night.
Lucy doesn’t have a very big house, and yet, we all seem to collectively decide to stay over, finding any available sleeping space we can. I don’t know why everyone else made that decision, but mine solely came down to my current headspace. And the simple fact that I’m not sure I should be driving when I’m this tired. My mind’s been drifting at the best of times lately, but when tired, I’m likely to lose focus completely.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Logan
IwakeupSundaymorning feeling like shit. For a guy that hasn’t had more than one or two drinks in years, I somehow manage to feel hungover after not even a drop. At least, I assume this is what being hungover feels like. I can’t really remember.
Lucy walks into the living room, where I seem to have ended the night, and kicks the foot I have hanging off the couch. “Lift your legs so I can sit. You can put them back down on me after.”
I roll over and sit up, raising an eyebrow. “Really? Are you sure about that?”
She stares at me for a second then laughs. “Not really. But I knew saying that would make you sit up, so I look like the good one for offering.”
Shaking my head, I huff out a laugh and sink back into my seat, propping my feet up on the coffee table instead of on Lucy.
“Don’t let Joel see you doing that,” she says with a laugh.
“I think that only applies to his own house, doesn’t it?”
“No, it does not,” Joel says, entering the living room with Delilah in tow. “It’s a pet peeve of mine, no matter where we are.”
“He’s not lying. He almost asked my dad to put his feet down in his own house the other day,” Delilah says, and we all laugh as Joel collapses into the chair beside me, his expression turning somber. “I didn’t get a chance to ask last night, but how’s Liam doing?”
“Ah, we’re going to go make some coffee for everyone,” Delilah says, motioning for Lucy to join her in the kitchen.
I offer a nod as Joel smiles, watching Delilah as she and Lucy walk away.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that with them in the room.”
“You’re fine. I don’t have any secrets.”
Joel laughs. “That’s not what Liam tells me. He says the two of you have a lot of ‘secret business.’”
I bark out a laugh, shaking my head. “Oh,that. Yes, I’ll take that to the grave,” I joke, but the words taste sour. Joking about graves right now makes me feel sick. If Dad were alive, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. “Anyway, Liam’s okay. Most of the time,” I say, answering his original question. “But he’s confused. And still pretty closed off since Dad died. But you know that already. I just hate this for him. Has he said anything?”
Joel raises an eyebrow, and I know it’s his way of telling me he couldn’t say even if he had. But I also know he’s usually willing to share overall progress, so I raise an eyebrow back and wait for his response.
He laughs. “Okay, yes. But nothing that would suggest he wants to be with one person over the other. From what he has said, I can tell you that you’re exactly right. He’s confused, and that has a lot to do with how little information is going his way.”
“He’s five.”
