Page 64 of Playing with Fire

“Okay. So where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

I huffed and his lips twitched. I actually didn’t mind surprises, but I had to admit I was overly curious about this one.

He reached across and took my hand in his. “How’s your mom doing?”

“Stubborn, and doesn’t like that she needs help doing certain things right now.”

“That’s how my mom was when she needed to get a knee replacement last year.” He shook his head. “My stepfather had the patience of a saint the whole time. Not sure how he managed.”

“Not sure how my dad is doing it either.” After a minute of silence, I looked over at him. “What about your dad? You don’t talk about him. Is he…”

Logan’s jaw locked. Damn it. Obviously, there had to be a reason he didn’t talk about him.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”

He shook his head. “He’s alive. Lives in California. I don’t have much of a relationship with him. He calls and says hi to the girls every now and then.”

“Oh.” There was so much he wasn’t saying.

“It’s complicated.” A sigh left his lips. “He cheated on my mom.” He hesitated before going on. “With someone who watched me as a kid from time to time.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. Was that the reason why he never took Jay’s suggestion to hire me? Knowing he was attracted to me?

He stole a quick glance my way before returning his focus to the road. “He left us to start a new family. I was pretty much an adult when he finally decided he wanted to try to fix things between us. I wasn’t interested. But I went through the motions for my mom because she wanted me to forgive him like she did.”

“But you haven’t?”

He shrugged. “My mom is better off now with someone who truly cares about her, so in a way I have, but not enough that I want a close relationship with him.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“It does?” He glanced over at me, brows slightly raised. “Most people think I should try harder.”

“I think everyone is different and needs to make decisions based on what they want, what they can handle, what makes them happy.”

His body visibly relaxed, and his grip loosened on the wheel. “He had a trust set up in my name, but I refuse to touch it. My mom says I’m being petty. It was also a point of contention when Maggie and I were married. We ended up compromising and transferring it over to the girls so they’ll get it one day.”

“I think that’s reasonable.” I nodded. “I’m assuming you can access it if you need to?”

“Yeah. I’m the trustee, so I can access it anytime as long as it's used for them.”

He turned into a small parking lot, and I gasped when I saw the sign for scenic helicopter tours. “You’re taking me on a helicopter?”

“Is that ok?”

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. A few nights ago, a show we were watching together depicted tourists going on one, and I mentioned always wanting to ride on a helicopter. I couldn’t believe he remembered, or that he listened that intently.

“You serious? Like for real?”

He smiled. “Yes. You said you always wanted to do this.”

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would. Or that someone would do this for me.

“Isn’t it expensive?”

He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s worth it. They’ll take us over the mountains and lake. Views are gorgeous.”

---