Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5) (40 page)

No. After texting Logan to come and get me, I was more than okay.

Ten minutes later, as he pulled into the driveway, and I got inside, I was so much better than okay. Our lips touched, and I was fucking fantastic.

He pulled back, looked harried, but touched my lip. “How’d it go?”

I told him, but once I was done, I asked, “What happened?”

He grunted, reversing the vehicle back to the road. “My dad’s getting married.”

“What?”

“When you meet her, you’ll understand.” He held my hand and laced our fingers together. “You ready for this?”

No. “Yes.”

“You want me to read it?”

Yes. “No.” I had to.

“Okay.” He squeezed my hand. “But I can, if you can’t.”

“I know.” I squeezed back. “I’ll get through it.”

THE LAST

LOGAN

I stood back.

This was Taylor’s time to speak and she did, raising her head and clearing her throat. She began, “It’s not for the weak or faint of heart.

It will take a toll on you. Your body will hurt. Your soul will ache. Your family life will suffer. No one will understand what you do or why you do it, but you do it. You will work nights. You will work weekends. Holidays. You will bathe the elderly, the weak. You will clean their body, their bodily fluids. You will have to know every medication, what it does, when to stop it, when to give it, and how to get it into people. You will have to know how to interpret blood tests, when the doctor must know. You will have thirty seconds to start an IV, how to hook up an EKG machine. You will need to know how to interpret tracing or when you should give or take away oxygen. You will experience joy, grief, and sorrow in a day, sometimes within the same hour.

You are the glue between the patient, the family, the doctor. It’s you who will keep everyone happy, as comfortable as possible. Code blue. Trauma evaluation. Labor. Delivery. Surgery. Babies. Postpartum. Psychology. These and more will all need to be learned. And when you think you know everything, you don’t.

You’re just starting.

I was asked to write this essay on why I want to be a nurse. I know that I wrote all that will be demanded of me, and the reason for this was because I know what it takes to be a nurse. I know the joy and the sorrow. I know the suffering, but the real reason I want to be a nurse didn’t need an essay. There’s really one reason, I will pick up the torch that my mother left when she died caring for the man who would shoot her.

She did a service to others in her life, and now…

...it’s my turn.”

Taylor was crying, and she folded up her essay, sliding it into my pocket when she was done. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t dare. Love swelled up in me, and I wanted to take her in my arms, but I refrained.

She stood over her mother, then used both hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She stayed there, gazing down at the headstone. I waited. I’d wait an eternity for this woman. I saw the strength in her. I was drawn to her from the beginning, knowing she wanted to fight for Sam, or maybe she just wanted to fight. Something deep in me was drawn to her, so I used an excuse to talk to her. I didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t really Delray. I didn’t care about him. I didn’t even really care about messing with him. It was her the whole time, only I didn’t know it myself. Now here we were. This visit was different. It wasn’t because of the essay, though. I felt it in the air. We came another time, but there was a sense of finality in her voice. Her tears seemed deeper.

She was letting her go.

I straightened, frowning. “Taylor?”

She gazed at me, her eyes uncharacteristically bright. Then she smiled, and the sight did two things. I felt the twitch deep in me, when only she could smile at me, and it transformed her face. The pain was gone. All of it.

“You’re okay?” I had to know. My fingers still ached to reach for her.

She nodded. “I am.” She took a breath. “Do you have it with you?”

I pulled out the vase, then the sand, and handed over the sparkler. She took everything, bending back down so the vase sat in front of the headstone. The sand went inside, and she stuffed the sparkler in there, standing it upright. I handed her the lighter, and after she lit the sparkler, she stood back, moving to stand beside me. Her hand found mine, and we stayed there, watching the firecracker spark to life.

I used to be a partier. I used to be a manwhore. I used to fight—well, okay. I would still party. I would still fight, and I’d be a manwhore, but it was over.

Tate’s words came back to me.
“I hope you fall in love. You can feel what the rest of us feel.”

I scoffed at that. I saw more heartache than good coming from loving someone, but here I was.

I was holding hands with my last girl.

TAYLOR

We were setting up for the big party, and when I say ‘setting up’, the guys went to get two kegs while Sam and I stayed behind to get the food done. I came to Fallen Crest with Logan for the holiday break, and we were at his mother’s house, getting ready to throw a ‘Kade Party’. From the way Logan said it, these types of parties were a big ‘fucking’ deal. I wasn’t sure what the night was going to be like, but I was ready for anything. I learned to adopt that mantra being Logan’s other half. I never knew what he was going to do, say, or when he’d suddenly sweep me up and carry me off to bed, but it was an adventure, like Logan himself.

I’d have it no other way. Where he was, so was I...except now. He was off getting booze, and I was waiting as his sister ordered food.

As if on cue, Sam hung up the phone and announced, “Our part is done. Twenty pizzas are on the way.”

“That’s all we have to do?”

“Nope. My friend is bringing the rest.” And right then, the doorbell rang. Sam pointed to the air. “That’d be her, right on time.”

We heard the door open, then shut, and rustling bags approached from the hallway. A moment later, a girl appeared with three grocery bags filled. She lifted them up, a bag strapped on her back. She grunted. “I’ve got the chips here, and the rest of the booze is in the bag.” She gestured behind her. “Back there.”

Sam took the bags while the girl took her backpack off, placing it on the table. She turned, saw me, and her eyebrows lifted up. “Well. So this is her.”

The girl was stunning, whoever she was. Dark blonde hair. A sexy and toned body, and as she raked me up and down, I could tell she was familiar with Logan. The way she said ‘her’ had me narrowing my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

“This is Taylor, yes.” Sam moved to stand next to me. Her eyes narrowed. “Chill, Heather. She’s family now.”

At the word ‘family’, the girl’s entire demeanor changed. The frosty reception melted, and she beamed brightly at me, throwing her arms in the air. “Well, hell then. How are you? I’m Heather.” She jerked a thumb toward Sam’s direction. “We’re besties.”

I started to nod, saying that I got that when she advanced and I was pulled in for a hug instead. I could feel her smiling as she whispered in my ear, “Sam says you love the kid so if you hurt him, I will hurt you tenfold.” She pulled back, still beaming, and clapped me on the shoulders. “Got it?”

Sam started laughing, overhearing. She shook her head, but picked up the bag of booze and moved further into the kitchen. “It’s not going to work. Taylor’s the one who put me in my place.”

Heather’s eyebrows shot back up. “Really?”

“Really.”

Heather looked at me. “Really?”

I shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

Sam laughed, starting to unpack the bag. “Right. She doesn’t remember.” She winked at me. “We’re going with that story, huh?” She said something to Heather then, who moved closer to her and the two started talking about a bar, but I held back.

Heather knew Logan. She cared about him. He told me about her, and about their time together. I heard the fondness in his voice when he did, so this girl wasn’t just important to Sam, she was important to Logan, too.

I cleared my throat, feeling like I needed to say something.

Heather was in the middle of saying something, but quieted. Both turned to me once more.

I gave them a small smile. “Logan cares about you.” I held her gaze. I didn’t want her to question if I knew or not. I just wanted her to know. “You’re different than the others.”

“The others?”

I nodded. I saw the knowing look in her eye. She was strong. She came in here and let me know how much she cared for him. She wanted to protect him. I respected that, and I wanted her to know that too. “Logan’s slept with a lot of girls. I’m not stupid. I’m aware. Trust me, I heard all the stories from on campus and I know that was only the time he was at college, but he told me about you.”

She’d been leaning against a counter and her arms had folded up over her chest, but they fell down slowly back to her side. She straightened, her head righting itself. “Yeah?” Her eyebrows pinched together. “What’d he say?”

What he said didn’t matter. It was how he said it. “I heard how much he cares about you. It was in his voice, and meeting you today, I can tell you care about him too.” That was it. There was really nothing more to say, except, “Thank you for caring about him and wanting to protect him. I love Logan, and that means a lot to me.”

I felt a little bit like a blubbering idiot, but I felt it was necessary to say something, and I meant what I said. I respected her. This was the rare incidence where it wasn’t earned. I gave it freely. I wanted her to see that too so I let it show. I let her see it, and it was that moment when the door opened and male voices were heard. The guys were back. They were coming toward us, and then they quieted.

Logan stepped next to me. “Taylor?”

I ignored him. This wasn’t for him to be a participant. I raised my chin up, my eyes still locked with Heather’s, and I gave her a small nod.

She continued to study me, looking me up and down. Then a slight grin lifted the side of her mouth up. “I think I just got a new girl crush. Kade, if I turn lesbian, you need to worry.”

Logan laughed, throwing his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me against him, nodding toward Sam. “I thought you’d hit on Strattan first.”

“No way.”

“Hey!”

Heather added, “Sam’s too skinny. Plus, who wants to deal with Analise now that she’s back? I’ll take my chances with Taylor.”

Another “Hey!” came from Sam, but she didn’t mean it. She was grinning from ear to ear. “Well, whatever. Nate and Logan have their bromance. I think I might compete with you for a womance with Taylor, too. Her dad will get us good tickets for the Cain U football games long after Mason graduates.”

“Hey.” Mason’s eyebrows bunched together, standing behind Logan. He came forward, holding a bag of liquor. “Should I be pissed about that?”

“No way, big bro.” Logan’s hand fell to my waist as he moved around me, hopping onto the table, and pulled me back so I stood between his legs. His other hand fell to my left hip, and I leaned back, feeling his arms slide over, anchoring me more firmly in front of him. His chin rested on my shoulder. “Sam’s right. We need to start thinking long-term about tickets once you’re gone. You only have one more year. And we can’t always depend on Nate. His parents might be famous in the movie biz, but he’s not always on good terms with them.”

“The fuck?” Nate moved from behind Mason and folded his arms over his chest. He glowered at Logan. “Is that why you asked last week if my parents knew any football coaches? To see if they could get tickets?”
Logan shrugged, his arm brushing up and down from the motion. “They know celebrities. They’re kind of celebrities themselves. It doesn’t hurt to see our options once Mason graduates, but you guys are right. The Broozer will hook me up.” He tightened his hold over me, and I felt his attention, his voice grew huskier.