Shelter You (12 page)

“Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend Mia and her daughter Lily.”

I’m floored by his use of the word “girlfriend.” I’m Logan’s girlfriend and though I’m still a little surprised by it, I’m mostly elated. I look back and forth between his parents and again I wait for a negative reaction, a secret look from mother to son that says
What the hell are you thinking
? And again I’m astonished when there is none.

“Mia, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Logan’s mom, Carol and this is his dad, Steven.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I reply timidly.

“Look at this gorgeous baby. How old is she?”

“Um, she’s almost two months old,” I say. God, I feel like a slut. They probably think I moved from one man to the next without so much as a second thought. I knew that this would be a bad idea.

“Oh, she’s big for two months, but that’s great. She looks really healthy. May I?” she asks, opening her hands up to indicate she’d like to hold Lily.

I hesitate, but only for a split second. I don’t want them to think that I’m anti social or one of those moms that doesn’t let anyone hold her kids. I gingerly pass Lily into her arms and watch as she smiles at her, kisses her little forehead and rocks her back and forth. “She’s a doll, Mia. You should be very proud.”

“Thank you.”

Steven smiles at me and shakes his head. “Good luck getting her back now.” He jokes and Logan lets out a chuckle.

“Where are Mandy and Chris?” he asks, looking between his parents.

I’m struck by the similarities, I can see pieces of both of them in Logan, His father’s eyes and hair, His mother’s nose and lips. It’s like he got the best features from both of them. What strikes me the most is how they look at Logan, the love in their eyes for him is plain as day. There’s no neglect or resentment just pride in their child, acceptance and joy. It makes me sad for the childhood that I lacked, the cold upbringing I had.

“They should be here any minute.” Carol chimes in. “You know Mandy is always late and Chris is driving in from the city.”

“Right.”

“So Mia,” She says, turning her attention back to me. “How did you and Logan meet?”

“Um, well I was at the hospital,” I reply timidly.

“Oh no, is everything okay?” she interrupts, showing real concern.

“Mom, relax.” Logan intrudes. “I was there on a call and Mia was there because Lily was a little under the weather. I ran into her, we talked, we became friends. You get the picture.”

“You suck at telling stories,” she says, turning to me and winking. “I’m sure it was a lot more romantic than that. We’ll talk later.” She walks over to Logan and gives up her hold on Lily, passing her over to him so that she can check on the oven.

“Don’t let her get you started talking, Mia,” says Steven. “She’ll never stop asking questions. She’ll have your whole life history by the time you leave here tonight.”

“
Steven
.” She scolds him and I can’t help but smile at their lighthearted bickering.

“What? It’s true.” He teases, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Call me when dinner’s ready. Football is on.” He plucks Lily right out of Logan’s hands. “Come on son.” He commands, walking out of the room and taking my daughter with him.

Logan pulls me into his side and kisses the top of my head. “Don’t worry she’ll be fine. He’s a pro. Do you want to come watch some football with us?”

“She’s fine here.” His mother smiles. “You go ahead so Mia and I can get to know each other.”

“Will you be okay?” Logan looks at me.

I look at him and nod like a deer caught in headlights. Maybe she was saving her negative reaction for when she had me alone. Logan gives me a gentle squeeze before leaving me on my own.

“Can I help you with anything?” I ask her.

“No thanks sweetie. Take a seat and relax. I’m sure you don’t get a lot of down time with an infant.”

“No, I definitely don’t,” I reply, taking a seat on a stool by the breakfast bar. This is awkward and I’m not much for small talk, but at this point I’ll say just about anything to fill the silence. “You have a lovely house.”

“Oh, thank you dear. I’ll give you the full tour when I finish up here.”

“That would be wonderful. How long have you lived here?”

“Oh ages. The kids grew up in this house.”

“Right. I think Logan might have mentioned that.”

“Lily is
beautiful
. How are you getting on with a baby? Are you doing alright?”

“Yes. Thank you. I’m doing okay. I mean, some days are harder than others but for the most part I think…No, I
know
that I’m doing a good job.”

“I can see that. She’s thriving, Mia. You should be proud of yourself.”

“That’s nice of you to say.”

“Can I ask about Lily’s dad? I don’t mean to pry and you can tell me to mind my business if you want. I won’t take offense.”

“No, that’s okay. He’s not in the picture. He didn’t want to be.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”

“Are your parents helping you?”

“No ma’am.”

“Call me Carol.”

“Carol, right. My parents wanted me to give Lily up for adoption and told me that if I didn’t go through with it I could no longer live with them. So I took Lily and I left.”

“You left? Where are you from?”

“Florida.”

“You came all this way from Florida with a baby?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. You’re a brave girl,” she says softly. There’s a familiar look in her eyes and I can tell she’s holding something back. There’s a story in her eyes and a pain that I’m all too familiar with. “I’m sorry about your parents, Mia. They made the wrong choice and they should have been there for you. If you ever need anything just let me know.” I don’t know what to say so I just give her a small smile and she continues. “Logan is a good man. If he’s cares about you there’s nothing that he wouldn’t do for you. I can tell that he cares about you a great deal and I think that you need someone like that right now, Mia. Hold onto that.”

“I’m sorry, but shouldn’t you be telling me to leave your son alone right now? That I’m the wrong kind of girl for him?”

She shakes her head and tilts it to the side. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m an eighteen year old mother. How could you really be okay with that?”

“How can I be okay with my son dating a beautiful girl who just happens to have a child? Maybe because I was an eighteen year old mother once.”

“What?”

“Shocking I know,” she says with a chuckle. “I had Chris when I was eighteen years old.”

“I had no idea.”

“I was a single mom too. Chris’s dad wanted nothing to do with us. I met Steven when Chris was a year old. He was twenty two and being groomed to take over his father’s business. Let’s just say his parents were none too thrilled with me when they found out about us. To this day, I swear they never got over the fact that he settled for me and they never really warmed up to me. So… what I’m saying is that I know better than anyone how hard it is, Mia. I know what you’re going through and I thank God every day that I met a man who was willing to take me along with all of my extra baggage. I hope that you find that too and if it just so happens to be with Logan then I would welcome you and Lily with open arms.”

“I don’t know what to say. I just assumed you’d all hate me.”

“Nope. We’re a happy bunch.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’re so understanding.”

She gives me another one of her warm smiles. “Come on, let’s go watch some football. This chicken is going to take a while.

Carol gives me a tour of the house before we make it to the living room. Logan is on the loveseat with a sleeping Lily.

He holds out his free hand to me, and when I take it he pulls me down on the couch with him and settles me into his side.

“How’d it go?” he whispers in my ear.

“Your mom is amazing,” I reply.

He gives me a squeeze and I melt into him even more. I still can’t believe how far I’ve come in such a short while. How my life has changed, how a few unwelcome moments have altered the course of my future, but now I have Logan by my side and I never would have imagined that someone as amazing as him would be within my reach, in my realm of possibilities. But when I’m with him, when I see him bonding with Lily, I can’t help but to hope that he’ll be a permanent fixture in our lives. I can’t help but want to trust him.

The front door opens, pulling me from my inner ramblings and in walks a man. He is clearly Logan’s brother Chris. He’s a few inches taller than Logan with more chiseled features but they have a few similarities that make the connection prevalent. By his side is a beautiful woman who I assume is his sister Mandy. Her long dark hair is pulled to one side and hanging over her shoulder, and her eyes match Logan’s perfectly, along with her radiant smile. Interestingly enough, behind her is Sarah who stops dead in her tracks as she takes in the sight of Logan, Lily and I snuggled up together like a cozy little family. She doesn’t even attempt to hide the disgust in her eyes. Her nostrils flare and all of a sudden this evening just got a lot more interesting. Sarah stands there for a moment, looking as if though she’s just swallowed a bitter pill but she quickly recovers; she paints a fake smile on her face and puts forth her best attempt at pretending that she’s unaffected by the sight of us.

“Mia? What are you doing here?” She drawls in a syrupy sweet voice. “I had no idea you were coming.”

His sister walks further into the room taking us in. “Hi, I’m Mandy, Logan’s sister and this is our brother Chris.”

“Hello,” I say, rising to my feet and holding out my hand to them both. “I’m Mia.”

I can feel Logan stand right behind me as they take turns shaking my hand. Mandy looks between me and Sarah, confusion evident on her face and questions, “How do you two know each other?”

“Mia works for me,” Sarah responds, chiming in. “Logan called me a few weeks back and asked me to help Mia out of a tight situation.”

“Mandy,” Logan says, interrupting, “Mia is my girlfriend and this is her daughter Lily.”

I hear Sarah gasp and flick my gaze to her, catching her stunned and angry expression when Logan declares me his girlfriend. There’s no hiding the disdain on her face and for just a brief second I hate myself because I find myself loving her reaction. I love the fact that Logan is making this statement in front of everyone that matters to him and simultaneously squashing any hope that Sarah may have had for a romantic relationship with him.

Mandy gives me a reassuring smile. “Well, welcome Mia. It’s nice to meet you.” She turns to Logan and just like all of the other members of this family, she snatches my baby right out of his hands. “Hello, Lily. Aren’t you just the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen?” She coos, rocking her back and forth as she walks up to her parents, greeting each one of them with a kiss.

Dinner is served shortly after everyone exchanges their hellos. Carol was nice enough to set up her bed into a makeshift crib for Lily to sleep comfortably in while we eat. Logan makes sure to secure me a spot at the table next to him and places his hand reassuringly on my knee. I look around at everyone, taking in their comfort with each other and I wonder what it must have been like to grow up in a house like this, with a family that loves each other this much.

Chris gives Logan a nudge on his arm. “How’s work little brother? Still keeping the streets safe and all that?”

“It’s good,” he replies but doesn’t elaborate. He doesn’t like talking about work, I’ve gathered as much from our short time living together.

“Well if you’re ever ready to get off the force, you know I’ll be more than happy to set you up with a job and your own office in the city. The family business is waiting for you.”

“Thanks man, but I’m good,” he replies almost uncomfortably.

“So Mia,” calls Sarah, “when do you move back into your apartment?”

“What happened to your apartment?” asks Mandy. If I didn’t know any better I’d say she almost seems worried.

I push a strand of hair behind my ear and give the crowd a timid smile. “Um, it was burglarized a few weeks ago.”

His mom’s mouth gapes open in horror. “What? Logan!”

“It’s fine mom. Mia and Lily weren’t there when it happened.”

Sarah chimes in as if on cue, clearly trying to make an already uncomfortable situation worse. “And you know Logan, always the hero. He took Mia and the baby in.”

“You guys are living together?” asks Chris with a grin on his face. I’m glad someone is getting a kick out of this conversation.

“Just until your apartment is ready.” All eyes go back to Sarah who has evidently claimed the role of ring leader. “That’s what you told me right, Mia?”

“Um, yeah well actually.”

“Actually…” Logan chimes in, gripping my hand underneath the table. “The apartment wasn’t up to code so Mia and Lily are living with me now, permanently.”

“Permanently?” Sarah gapes at us. “You two have only known each other for a few weeks? Isn’t that a tad bit impulsive? What if it doesn’t work out? What happens to Mia and Lily then? Where would they go?”

Carol glares at Sarah as if giving her a silent warning. “Logan would never do anything to hurt Mia or Lily. If he wants them to live with him it’s because he’s sure it’s the right decision. You can’t always control what feels right, can you Sarah?”

Mandy shoots me a wink from across the table. “I think it’s romantic. I’m happy for you two.”

“Thank you,” I reply with a smile, “but it’s not exactly permanent. Logan and I agreed that it was just until I can find another apartment.”

“Well I think it’s wonderful,” Carol says, giving me a knowing smile. “You know too much upheaval isn’t good for the baby, Mia. If Logan says you can stay long term you should consider it. His house is big enough and he has plenty of room.”

God his mom is good. She knows exactly what she’s doing, she can see Sarah’s frustration and she’s twisting the knife and letting me know she has my back all at once.

“I’ll consider it,” I say timidly.

Logan pulls me into his side and places a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll convince you,” he whispers in my ear in a teasing tone.