Page 75 of Logan

I leaned closer to him so no one else would be able to hear our potentially disturbing conversation.

“If I ever hurt him, I’ll beat you to it and put a bullet in my head myself.”

Jason nodded, satisfied with my answer, and the two of us reached a silent understanding. We spent the rest of our time waiting without saying another word, positioned to either side of Clay’s door like a pair of dedicated guard dogs.

CHAPTER 30

Logan

The hospital staffdecided to keep Clay overnight for observation, just in case. Jason had been allowed to stay with him since they were family, but I’d been booted to the lonely wastelands of a nearby hotel room the minute visiting hours were over.

I returned the next morning, coffee cup in hand and yawning from a poor night’s sleep. The hotel had been particularly cheap, and the bed was of such low quality that I may as well have slept on the floor. My eyes were gritty, and I still felt half asleep as I neared Clay’s hospital room, which is why I didn’t immediately recognize the sound of my own name until I was almost through the door.

I stopped just on the other side of the doorframe, listening to the conversation happening just a few feet away.

“No, I can’t,” Clay was saying. “That wouldn’t be fair to Logan.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

What was he talking about?

His voice didn’t sound distressed, but he also didn’t seem happy.

Was there some problem in our relationship that I didn’t know about?

If that was the case, why wouldn’t he talk to me about it?

I couldn’t see what was happening inside the room, but I recognized Jason’s voice.

“I’m not saying you have to do anything right now, Clay, but just think about it. Do the two of you really want to be long-distance forever?”

It was a good thing I’d already finished most of my coffee, because the Styrofoam cup crumpled in my hands when I squeezed it.

Was he trying to convince Clay to break up with me?

I’d thought Jason and I were on the same page yesterday, but apparently, I’d been wrong. I had half a mind to storm into that room and demand answers, but a masochistic part of me was also curious about what Clay would say. If he agreed with his brother, that was something we needed to know now.

Heartbreak would be inevitable. I was already so in love with Clay that breaking up would devastate me, but if we ended it now maybe we could both walk away without too much damage.

Inside the room, Clay sighed.

“No, of course I don’t want to be long-distance. No one wants that. But I don’t see any other option right now. His life is there, and mine is here.”

“Is it?”

Even without seeing Clay, I could feel his confusion radiating out of the room. It mirrored my own. I also had no idea what Jason was talking about.

Someone inside the room shifted around loud enough for me to hear their fidgeting.

“Clay.” Jason said his brother’s name like it was a sentence all on its own. “Think about it. Is your life really here? You live here, yes. But that doesn’t mean your life is here. We’ve been talking recently about your future. Once you get your GED, then you can do anything. Get your own job. Go to college. Spend time traveling. Whatever you want. But none of that has to be here. My life is here, with Patrick. But your life could be anywhere. It could even be in Louisiana.”

My breath caught in my lungs when I realized what they were talking about.

Clay moving to Baton Rouge with me?

I’d be a liar if I said I never thought about it, but it had always seemed like a fantasy rather than reality. Clay wouldn’t want to leave his brother after finally settling down here.

Would he?

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