Chapter 96

Aria’s POV

After ice cream, Logan drove William, Joe, and me back to Isabella’s house to collect our suitcases, and then back to my own house. Joe was delighted to be back home. William was confused.

“My mom will be expecting me,” he said as he rubbed his hand up and down the opposite arm. He didn’t give the impression like he actually wanted to go home, more like he was worried about what his mom might think.

“She’ll be okay,” I said. “Liam is going to talk to her.”

“Okay…” William said, though now he seemed worried about that too.

“So are a few other people,” I said gently. “Your mom might be busy for a while, but she’s getting the help she needs, okay? In the meantime, you can stay here with Joe and I until Liam settles a few things. Then, I imagine, you will be staying with him.”

“Okay,” William said, his spirit lifting now. “He’s my dad, you know?”

“I know,” I assured him.

If the kids were responsible for that report, then there was no reason to break William’s heart with the truth, especially if Liam was going to step up anyway and act as William’s father in Sophia’s absence.

This was assuming that what Logan had told me was the actual truth. I wanted to believe him, he certainly had compelling points, but until I saw the scientific proof, I couldn’t be sure.

I had been hurt over this so easily. I was afraid to start trusting again, just to be hurt once more.

As the kids hurried off toward Joe’s room to look at his cars, I turned to Logan who stood awkwardly in the foyer, like he wasn’t sure if he was welcomed or not.

After how he just save the life of my son and me, he would never not be welcomed in my home for as long as I lived.

“Come into the kitchen,” I said. “I’ll put some coffee on.”

“Sounds great,” he said, and followed me.

I’d noticed when we had been outside that Liam’s car was gone from his driveway. If he truly was out with his lawyers and the police, then he likely wouldn’t return until late, perhaps even early morning.

In a way, I was anxious about that. I wanted all of this Sophia drama over and done with. On the other hand, I wasn’t ready to face Liam just yet. The moment he was free, I knew this would be the first place he went. After all, William was here.

In the kitchen, I filled the coffee maker with water and coffee beans, then started the roast.

Logan leaned against the counter beside me. Arms crossed, he stared out at the room behind me, not seeming to be looking at any one thing in particular.

“I imagine you will want to take the kids to school tomorrow,” Logan said.

“I’ll have to. We’d arranged for the school bus to start picking Joe up at Isabella’s. They wouldn’t know to come back here yet.”

“I’ll swing by in the morning and pick him up, then.”

“I can… oh.”

My car was still parked in front of Sophia’s house. After everything that happened, I hadn’t really thought about that.

“I’m sure Liam will tell you when it’s safe for you to go back and get your car.”

“Yeah,” I said, watching the coffee drip into the carafe. I didn’t even want coffee. I was already so wired, I wasn’t going to sleep tonight. Caffeine was going to be no help whatsoever.

But I wasn’t ready for Logan to leave just yet.

“Logan, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to ever thank you. If it weren’t for you… I don’t want to think about what might have happened.”

“Did she threaten you?” Logan asked.

“She kept touching the handle to this drawer of the end table. I didn’t think much of it, really. I thought maybe it was just a nervous habit. But when you came and distracted her, I got it in my head that I should check.”

“So you did,” he said.

“I did,” I confirmed.

“And you saw the gun.”

I swallowed hard. “I did.”

“There’s no guarantee she would have used it, Aria. Sophia likes to make threats, she always has. Whatever she has to do to get her way, she’ll do.”

“Has she ever followed through?”

“She’s never really had to before,” Logan said. “Most of the time, people give her what she wants. At least they used to. Even Liam. God, the waterworks really worked on him. He carried around so much guilt all the damn time. Steve would have kicked his ass if he was still around.”

“It’s difficult to live up to the memory of a dead man,” I said.

Logan hummed. Glancing at the coffee pot, he pushed off from the counter.

“I’m sorry, Aria, but can we raincheck on the coffee?”

“Of course,” I said, and saw him to the door.

“Maybe we can talk tomorrow,” he said.

“Okay,” I said, unsure what I had done wrong.

Seeing my expression, he shook his head lightly. “It’s not you, Aria. It’s me. Being around you in the night, especially when you look so shaken… I want to hold you, but I shouldn’t. It would mean more to me than to you. So I should go.”

I couldn’t argue with that even if I wanted to, so instead, I told him, “Goodnight, Logan.”

“Goodnight, Aria.”

The next morning, Logan returned on time to take the kids to school. While he was gone, I made coffee again, hoping that we could talk. In the light of day, the attitude might not feel as overtly romantic.

I was still shaken up, but what I needed was a friend, not a lover. With Isabella working, that left a short list.

Logan was at the top of it.

When he returned, I welcomed him into my home and had him join me in the kitchen.

“Tell me more stories about you and Logan from before I knew you,” I said.

“They would have to include Steve too,” Logan said.

“Tell me.” I was dying to know.

Smiling, he launched into a few stories, each were innocuous, childish, but fun. Just as he was about to tell me one involving Liam’s first time with a drink, my phone began to ring.

Checking the screen, I frowned. “It’s the school.”

“Answer it,” Logan said at once, needlessly, as I’d already done so, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Is this Aria, Joe’s mother?” said a woman on the other line.

“Yes,” I said. “Is Joe okay?”

“That’s the thing I wanted to ask you. Joe has had perfect attendance this year. It’s strange for him to be absent, especially on test day.”

“Absent? Joe isn’t absent.” I looked at Logan, who seemed as confused as me.

“I dropped him off and watched him walk through the door like I always do,” Logan said. “William was with him.”

“William isn’t in class either,” the woman said.

“William isn’t there either,” I conveyed to Logan.

“That’s impossible. I dropped them off. I watched them go inside,” Logan said. He stood up. “Tell them I am coming over. I want to see those tapes.”

My heart hammering so loudly it was echoing in my ears, I was fairly certain I was going into shock again.

I didn’t understand.

How could Joe be missing?