Page 66 of His Fantasy Girl

“Like I said. Why not fucking admit it?” Rory cut through his thoughts. “You’re shit-scared. You think if you let yourself fall in love, eventually Abby will dump you like your mother did. Isn’t that the case?”

The words so mirrored his own thoughts that his mouth dropped open. Rory let out a short, humorless laugh. “I married your mother because of you. She was never what you might call lovable, but she was fucking gorgeous. It’s not a basis for marriage. I married Judith because she could give me what I needed—respectability. But never love. I understand why—I never considered I deserved love and believe me, in my case I had good reason. I did some fucked up crap when I was young. But you…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve never been good at this shit.” He took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that you are in no way to blame for the stuff that went down when you were a kid. Just as I suspect Abby is in no way to blame for how she’s turned out.”

“She’s fucking perfect,” he growled.

Rory grinned. “Of course she is. So you’ll back off and let her find someone equally perfect? Hell, maybe you can be a fucking bridesmaid at their wedding.”

“Bastard.” He exhaled loudly.

“How much of a coward are you, son?” Rory stood up. “Enough from me. Except—don’t fuck this up. I like her. And anyway, now that we’ve got Jess in the family we need someone nice to balance it up.”

Logan watched as he walked away.

Okay, step one. Accept that he was, in actual fact, shit-scared. Scared that he’d offer himself up and she’d find him wanting. That he’d fall in love…

As the word crossed his mind, he had a revelation, almost equal to the one he’d had in that boat when his life had flashed in front of him and he’d realized he might die without ever setting eyes on his fantasy girl again.

It was too late.

Way too late.

Because he was already in love with her. She was no longer a fantasy; she was his one-time chance at a real-life happy ever after.

Only if he had the guts to go after her, and if he was willing to take the risk and put his heart on the line.

For a brief moment he considered changing. Making himself into the sort of man she’d always wanted. A suit and a tie. A sensible car and a haircut. But he quickly banished the thought. Besides, Abby thought he was perfect, she’d told him so. She might have been drunk at the time, but weren’t people supposed to tell the truth when they were drunk?

Hell, he wasn’t anywhere close to perfect. But maybe they were perfect for each other.

And he knew where he was going to approach her. Right in front of her upstanding friends and colleagues. Time for her to decide what really mattered, and if there was any place for him in her perfect life.

All or nothing.

Abby was working at her desk, willing the time away so her shift would end. She longed to get away from here and be alone while she put herself back together again. While she did her best to forget how good Logan McCabe could make her feel, put him in a box and label it “Jenny’s dad” and somehow convince herself he could never be anything more.

She truly believed that deep down, Logan cared for her, but it wasn’t enough. If it had merely been that he didn’t want to commit because he liked playing the field, she might have tried to persuade him otherwise. But it was much more than that.

Over the long days, she’d relived all their time together, along with what she knew of his past. And she’d finally got it. He was scared. Scared of commitment. Scared of loving someone and having that love thrown back in his face.

And really, it was hardly surprising considering his crappy childhood and his horrible mother. Rory probably hadn’t helped either. She was just glad Logan had opened his heart to Jenny. That must have been an act of courage for him.

Now she was going to make it easier for him and take a step back. Logan was Jenny’s father and that was all. As for her and Logan, she would maintain her distance and ensure they were never alone. Eventually, she would stop hurting.

And she’d make it clear here at work that there was nothing between the two of them except Jenny. She’d be so circumspect they wouldn’t be able to fault her, and the next time a vacancy came up in the detective bureau, she would get the job. That might be some compensation.

Logan had been a glitch in her road to perfection, but if she worked hard enough she could get back on track.

But she didn’t want to be back on track.

And she didn’t want to be perfect.

She wanted Logan. There was a constant ache in her heart because she couldn’t have him. She rested her forehead against the cool metal of the desk and closed her eyes.

A door opened and the sound of raised voices drifted down the corridor. Abby lifted her head, her breath hitched, and a frown formed between her brows.

Was that Logan’s voice? If it was, he didn’t sound happy.

What was here doing here?

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