Page 45 of Playing with Fire

We finished up, and once they were at the small table of the eat-in kitchen, I cleaned up the mess we made.

“Alright, girlies.” I grabbed their plates. “Run and get dressed and brush your teeth.”

They darted out of the room and I shook my head, chuckling. I didn't literally mean run. My phone chimed and I pulled it out of my back pocket. A smile tugged at my lips as I clicked on the text notification from Logan.

Logan: Did you want to swing by and grab the SUV?

Did I care if I used the SUV today instead of my car? Not particularly. But even though I was seeing him for lunch today, the thought of seeing him for a minute this morning excited me.

Me: Sure. I'll swing by.

I had to kind of pass his house to get to the elementary school anyway, so why not?

Logan: You can use it to go to and from the hospital too, so you can go straight from dropping them off and it'll save you on gas.

Me: Are you sure?

That would actually be easier.

Logan: Yes. I'm going to give you the spare key so you have it. Feel free to use it anytime you need it.

Me: Ok. Thanks.

Did he just offer me the use of his car whenever I needed it? He probably meant anytime I needed to use it for driving his kids around.

After packing their lunches, I threw them in their backpacks before ushering them out the door and heading toward Logan's house. I parked my car on the street, and the girls climbed out onto the sidewalk as I walked around the front of my car. Logan opened the front door and made his way down the sidewalk.

“Daddy,” both girls squealed, taking off toward their father.

I smiled as he lifted each of them up with one arm. Every time he did that it amazed me, reminding me how strong and muscular he was. As he got closer, I read his shirt and laughed.Firefighter Dad: Like a normal dad, but badass.

“Cute shirt,” I said as he came to a stop in front of me.

“Thanks.” He looked between his daughters. “The girls got it for me for Christmas.”

The smile he aimed at me had my stomach fluttering, and the way he held my gaze so intently reminded me of two months ago at Jay's wedding. I was so sure then that something lay between us, and now I didn't have to question that anymore.

“Alright, girls.” He kissed the tops of their heads. “In the car. Izzy needs to get you two to school.” He sat them down and they ran to the SUV parked in the driveway.

He took a step toward me and then another, his gaze trained on my face, and held the key to the SUV out toward me. “Here.”

Our fingers brushed as I took the key from him, both of us lingering at the touch.

“Use it anytime you need to.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the SUV before looking back at me. “And I ordered you a credit card you can use for gas and such.”

“Thank you.” I shifted, trying to tamp down the way my stomach flipped from his touch. “I'd better get going.”

His hand twitched like he wanted to reach out. But I understood not wanting the girls to ask questions that neither of us had the answers to quite yet. I brushed past him and smiled as he reached out with one finger to trail along the back of my hand.

Alice and Nikki chatted excitedly in the back seat during the short drive to school, and all I could think about was their father. He was everything I'd ever hoped for and more. And I was intent on showing him exactly that.

Chapter Twenty-Three

LOGAN

I stoodon my front lawn until the white SUV turned down the next street toward the elementary school. The need to reach out and pull her toward me was so strong, and yet I knew I couldn't. At least not yet. Not only did I want Izzy to be sure this was what she wanted before telling the girls, but I owed Maggie a conversation before then too. She did the same for me when she started seeing Jesse, and it became serious enough to bring him around our daughters.

I turned to head back inside, but stopped when I saw Dylan heading toward me from his house.

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