Chapter 188

“I don’t think it will last,” I told Tammy, who accepted my words with a sage nod.

“I had a suspicion,” Tammy said. “She doesn’t seem very nice when people try to interview her. I’ll support whoever he chooses, of course, but honestly, I always hoped he would fall in love with someone more down to earth.”

In a flash, I remembered Logan’s whispered words of love when he thought I was asleep. I couldn’t help but wonder what Tammy would think if she knew that the person Logan fell in love with and married was me.

The rest of the evening continued as normal. The turkey was delicious. We didn’t talk too much more about Logan, choosing instead less tense topics. The couple shared with me their favorite eating spots around town.

As I was leaving, Tammy loaded me up with containers full of leftovers and a promise to have dinner again soon.

From what I could tell, they seemed like genuinely nice people. Though, I supposed, from the outside looking in, you could never be too sure. As much as I wanted to speak with Logan about them and press for his side, I decided not to, not wanting to bring up old wounds.

He had promised to tell me and would when he was ready. In the meantime, I could keep my relationship with Logan separate from my friendship with his foster parents. So long as I didn’t talk about one to the other, I would be safe.

Back in my apartment as I vegetate on the couch, my stomach so full of turkey and mashed potatoes, I decided to start planning a nice weekend back to my home city. It’d only been two weeks, but I already missed Maria, Megan, and Rachel. We’d talked a few times but it wasn’t the same.

Also, I missed Logan something terrible. A weekend alone might not be enough time to reconnect with him. I wanted to lie naked in his bed, our bodies pressed together. I wanted to hear his voice in my ear without the phone getting in the way.

For now, however, talking through the phone would have to do.

Retrieving my phone off the coffee table, I open it to call Logan. Oh. I missed a message. It must have come through when I was at Frank and Tammy’s.

I opened my messages. It was an image sent through text – from… Tina?

That was strange. And suspicious.

I had to check it, didn’t I? If I didn’t, it would eat away at me. What could it be?

Likely, it was just Tina being smug. It was probably just a picture of another tabloid article about her and Logan. I’d open it, roll my eyes, and move on with my life.

With that in mind, I clicked on the message, opening it.

That was not a newspaper headline.

It was a fully nude selfie of Tina. Taken with her arm back behind her, she showed off the entire length of her body.

Why the hell was she sending this to me?

Wait. I knew those sheets, and the shape of that headboard. Zooming into the photo, I looked closer at the wooden headboard. It could have just been similar, but…

No.

I recognized the nick in the wood there near the banister.

Because I had accidentally put it there.

This was Logan’s bed.

Why the hell was Tina naked in Logan’s bed?

Tina was likely eagerly waiting for my reaction. I could envision her watching her phone with fiendish delight, just waiting for me to rage or cry.

Instead, I felt numb.

Backing out of the message, I returned to the main menu and called Logan as I had initially intended.

“There you are,” Logan said, a laugh in his voice. “Long night?”

I’d told him I was having dinner with Tammy and Frank. He was likely curious. Or at least, pretending to be.

Pressing the phone hard to my ear, I tried to listen for any background noise. If I heard Tina again, I would scream.

“Hazel?” Logan asked when I didn’t say anything.

“Is Tina there?” I said, my voice harsher than I meant it to be.

“Of course not,” Logan said.

“How can you say it like that, like it’s so obvious, when it’s clear you are keeping things from me,” I snapped.

“I haven’t told you about the Christopher’s because –”

“This isn’t about them,” I said. “This is about you and me and Tina.” I spitted out her name.

“Hazel, I genuinely have no idea what you are talking about. You are going to have to be more specific.”

“Tina!” was all I could manage. “Naked! In your bed!”

He went very quiet then. Too quiet.

Oh, he knew what I was talking about now.

“How did you know about that?” he asked.

Hurt speared my chest. “She sent me a picture. So it’s true!”

He cleared his throat. “I told you she was here.”

“You failed to mention the part where she was naked!”

“She tried to seduce me.”

“Logan!”

“When I came home, I found her naked in my bed. I threw a towel at her and made her get dressed. Nothing happened.”

“I’m supposed to just believe that? She was naked in your bed, Logan.”

“Not because I wanted her to be. She was only there because she broke in…”

“This is too much.”

He went quiet again. “What do you mean?”

“She’s clearly stepped outside of the contract, Logan. You have to break up with her.”

“You know why that’s complicated.”

“I’m your wife.”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Are you? You didn’t even tell me she was there naked!”

“To protect you.”

“I don’t need you to protect me like that!” I snapped. I inhaled a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. It wouldn’t do any good to yell at Logan, and that wasn’t something I wanted to do anyway. I was just so hurt, the anger came like a kneejerk. “I just want the truth.”

“I promise you that this is the truth,” Logan said. “Tina tried to seduce me. After I rejected her, I kicked her out of my home. She will not attempt this again.”

“She doesn’t respect us, or the boundaries we’ve tried to put on her,” I said, imploring him to understand. “If you won’t uphold the contract, Logan…” I sighed, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly tired. “Then maybe…”

“Maybe what? Hazel?”

I didn’t want to say the words out loud. Loving Logan like I did, I didn’t want to end things between us, especially not over the phone.

He was my husband. Everything I was doing was for him and our relationship.

I just wanted the same damn curtesy. Just once.

“I’m so… tired…” I said.

“What does that mean?” he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

“I’m just tired, that’s all. I think I want to go to bed.”

“We should talk about this,” Logan said.

“Tomorrow,” I said. “Not tonight. I just want to rest.”

He had a few false starts, like he wanted to argue but couldn’t. Or wouldn’t.

Eventually, he relented. “If that’s what you want… Goodnight, Hazel.”

I hung up the phone. And then I cried.