Heather frowned at me but was distracted by Malinda. “What?”
Malinda was leading the way to the back section at Heather’s bar. She said over her shoulder, “You said little Ava needs some girl time. That usually means there’s a guy involved, and he fucked up royally. Let’s handle her stuff before I launch into how we all need to handle the other weasel.”
“Uh—”
Malinda had kept going, and we heard a moment later, “There you are, dearie. Tell us who we gotta add to our weasel shitting-on list today, and consider it done.”
Quincey stopped and turned back to where Heather and I still were just inside the door. The rest of Manny’s was busy, like always, and I noticed her brother was watching us from behind the bar.
Quincey asked, “She’s always like this?”
Heather and I nodded as if we were one person.
I heard her brother start laughing. “I’m closing up, Heather. You got your hands full with Mama Malinda tonight.”
She glanced at him, but I moved forward.
Malinda wasn’t alone. I wanted to hear what was going on with Ava too. She’d been one of Heather’s workers, and from all our trips to Fallen Crest, I’d gotten a soft spot for her. She was always in the background, always working since she had so many jobs in town and the neighboring town, and she was attending the local community college. Whoever had hurt Ava was going down.
I was a bit fierce in my love for the girl, a young woman by now.
I also might’ve been projecting some mama-love here too, but I wasn’t going to focus on that until I’d told Logan about the baby.
Until then, Ava.
16
Earlier
It had been snowing when we left, and it was snowing when we arrived.
Logan held my hand the whole drive home, stopping to get the boys on the way. As soon as we got home, stepping inside our warm house, Logan stopped me and pulled me into his arms.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you.”
I tipped my head back, that same warm cheesy glow spreading throughout me again. “I love you too.”
We were home. We were married.
We were happy.
17
Present
Ava was done with men, it seemed.
She announced this between margarita number three and margarita number four. By the time she was onto number five, she was on the phone texting with someone. Malinda wanted to know who the guy was so she could break an umbrella over his head. Ava wouldn’t tell, saying, “It’s someone you know, and I don’t want to ruin things for him. He and I were never supposed to even happen. It’s all so dumb.”
By margarita six, she was gone.
I saw her slip out the back door as a truck pulled up.
My guess, she got horny, and the guy was back in the picture.
With Ava gone, Malinda was onto the next project: Weasel James Kade.
Now, what she did, I wouldn’t have done, but it was Malinda, and everyone did what Malinda told them to do.
She called Helen, who was friends with James’ whoever-she-was-to-him-now, and Malinda found out they were in Fallen Crest. So, everyone could guess by now what happened. Malinda invited them to Manny’s, stating over the phone, “It’s better if she meets the girls first because the woman’s involved, and you know it. Get her here while we’re all still able to stand.”
Helen, who didn’t do anything anyone told her, did what Malinda told her.
She brought the new woman who had two sons who were Logan’s half-brothers, and when she came through the door, my gut fell out through the bottom of my stomach.
It was Tate Sullivan, who was also Logan’s ex.
All eyes went to me.
I was on the phone outside of Manny’s, trying not to lose my shit. “You were never told who your father impregnated?”
Logan was on the other end. “No. He wouldn’t tell us. Analise wouldn’t say either. Or Helen. Why?”
Good because I wanted to be the one to tell him, “It’s your fucking ex-girlfriend.”
My Zen was gone.
I had a prenatal appointment scheduled the next day. I still hadn’t told Logan about the baby. We’d been married a month now, and my calm Zen was totally and completely destroyed.
I wanted to kill this bitch, and this was me.
I was nice. I was kind. I was strong.
I was the fucking foundation for Logan so he could handle all his shit in life.
Not. Any. More.
I was officially about to blow a gasket, and no one had ever seen me blow a gasket except Logan.
“Logan Kade, get your ass here and handle this bitch or get ready to post my bail because I am. Not. Fucking. Calm right now.”
I could hear him draw in a deep breath. “Where are you right now?”
“I am outside of Manny’s, and I can see a shovel at Heather’s old house, on the porch. I’m thinking of ten different ways I can use that shovel to disembowel your ex-girlfriend. How the fuck did this happen?”
He expelled another less restrained breath. “My father, that’s how this happened. Don’t do anything. We’re coming right now.”
I hung up because I was done listening to him.
He would come here. He would do what Logan usually did. He’d threaten, throw around a lot of legal jargon, but he’d go head to head against that woman inside, and I saw her.
She had fully and completely planned all of this, and she was smirking deep inside. I could see the smugness in her gaze when she saw me, right before she masked it and her bottom lip started trembling.
Helen only saw that last part and swept her to her side, becoming what? The protective mother now? To her?
I’d met Tate before, on a few trips when we visited Fallen Crest.
She was a snake. Not even. She was a viper.
I was going to lose my shit.
Nope.
Done.
I’d already lost it.
I stepped away from the wall, turned, and went inside.
Commence losing my shit: now.
18
Logan
We could hear the yelling from outside.
Nate glanced my way, but I was already running. That was Taylor, and I’d never heard Taylor like that. Her voice was almost shrill.
We shoved inside, heading to the back, and we both had to stop to take a second to process what we were seeing.
Taylor was being held back by Brandon, who was glaring at Heather, who was laughing, bent over beside them. Malinda was adjacent to Taylor, not being held back, but one of Channing’s guys was standing in front of her. She had her finger pointing over, no. Wait. She couldn’t reach over him. I think it was Moose standing there (he was named for a reason), so she leaned around him, pointing at… Tate.
Fucking Tate.
She was standing on the other side, my mother next to her. Helen (who was my mother in case that needed to be explained, and that said something right there) looked perpetually confused. She was looking between Malinda and Tate and back again. I noticed she was not looking at Taylor.
Fucking Helen. Seriously.
And Tate was now looking at me, and fuck her because I saw the smug look in her gaze.