Page 13 of 21 Week Hiatus

I feel Logan tense beside me, and my neck starts to heat up. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more awkward.

“Trent and I broke up, mom. I’m dating Logan now,” I explain and clear my throat when my voice strains. The air grew thick with unspoken judgments, and I know Logan can sense the generational divide expanding like the gulf between tectonic plates. Even so, he stands tall despite likely feeling like an exhibit under scrutiny, his greying temples and the crow's feet etching the corners of his eyes marking him as a man not suitable for their only daughter.

“Declan?” My mother utters through her clenched teeth, widening her eyes further in my father’s direction. “Why don’t you speak now, dear?”

That’s code for be a father and talk some sense into your offspring before I lose my shit.

My chin lifts, a defiance kindling in my gaze as I meet my parents' shock head-on. I’ve never stood up to my parents nor disrespected them in my life, but I will not stand by and allow them to disrespect the man I love.

“Savannah, sweetheart why don’t we step outside and talk as a family, hm?”

I shake my head and take another step closer to Logan and he gives my hand a squeeze. “Dad, whatever you have to say you can say freely infront of the man I love.” While my parents share a apprehensive look, I lift my gaze to the object of every single one of my desires and he smiles.

“The man youlove?” He sputters, his brows furrowed in disapproval. “Savannah, you can’t be serious. This man… and I mean no disrespect…” He addresses Logan before turning back to me with a scowl. “But your so-called boyfriend here is far too old for you, don’t you think? I mean, for goodness sakes he could easily be mistaken as your father.” His tone drips with condescension and judgment, his words laced with disapproval and disbelief as I shift uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling the weight of his words like boulders on my shoulders.

“Well, it’s a good thing he’s not my father. I couldn’t care less how old he is, and neither should you. What matters is how he treats me and how much he adores me. Logan makes me happy, Dad. And I can assure you I have never been happier or more appreciated in any of my relationships with the boys I dated my own age than I have with Logan.” I express truthfully, shifting my gaze between my parents.

“Savannah, it’s inappropriate. Don’t you care at all what people will think or say about you or your… relationship.” My mother hisses, lowering her voice so other patrons in the restaurant don’t overhear. The air around us suddenly feels tense and heavy, like an approaching storm ready to unleash its wrath. The nerve of them talking about him like he’s not standing right there.

“No,” I snap irritably. “Why would I care what other people say or think? Their opinions don’t sleep in bed with me at night. I’m truly happy and I would really love it if you could be happy for me, too.”

My mother’s face is starting to turn a deep shade of red where she’s fighting to hold back all the truths, she wants to say but can’t in Logan’s presence. Ever the well-mannered lady my mother. “How are we—” she snaps, her voice rising an octave and immediately stops when the surrounding diners turn to look in our direction. God forbid we cause a scene and bring shame upon us. “This is not the place for this discussion young lady.” She rebukes and looks over at Logan once again. “If you’ll excuse us, Logan, we’d like to have a private word with our daughter outside.”

“Mom—” I try to interject but she pins me with a death glare. One I’ve learnt over the years not to argue with.

“Outside Savannah.” My mother gripes, widening her eyes at me in warning and gestures toward the exit with her thin shaped brows.

Sighing I offer Logan an apologetic look to which he nods and gives my hand a squeeze. “It’s okay, go, I’ll settle the check and meet you outside.” I manage a nod before my mother practically drags me outside the restaurant.

“God, the two of you are unbelievable.” I fume, crossing my arms over my chest after we step outside. “Did you have to be so rude in there.”

“We’re rude?” My mother snarls irritably, “What did you expect Savannah? You didn’t honesty think your father and I would support this relationship, did you? What on earth has gotten into you? That man you’re calling your boyfriend is what, twice your age? He’s practically the same age as your father. Doesn’t that disgust you?”

“God, will you stop with the father thing. I don’t care about his age, okay? And no, it doesn’t disgust me. I find Logan and his maturity incredibly attractive. If you just get to know him, you’ll see that Logan is a wonderful man and I am deeply in love with him and I’m going to continue seeing him whether you approve of him or not. That man in there is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

My mother covers her mouth and lets out a small cry before turning to my father. “Did you hear that, Declan? She's in love with him and wants to marry him.” Her attention snaps back to me, her eyes now ablaze with agitation. “Savannah, how can you not see that that man is not the right match for you. I understand, he's handsome and clearly has money to spoil you like a princess, which can be tempting for someone your age?—”

“Mom, Jesus, I’m not a gold-digger!”

“Of course, you’re not, that’s not what your mother meant, sweet pea.” My father jumps in. “We know you’re not like that, but to those looking in from the outside that’s how you’ll be perceived, honey. Everywhere you go, they’ll be whispering behind your back. They’ll think you anopportunist, a fortune hunter. They won’t even stop to consider that a beautiful young girl like you would be in love with a man his age.”

“Right, because if you were available and a young hot blonde showed you interest you wouldn’t be tempted, huh dad?” I probe, placing my hand on my hip as I fix him with an expectant glare.

“Of course, I would, that’s every middle-aged man’s fantasy. What man wouldn’t want to be with a beautiful young woman who makes him feel excited and alive again.” I go to throw my hands up in triumph, but he seems to anticipate it and stops me. “However,I would only be interested as long it’s still exciting for me because after being married for almost twenty-five years and having raised a kid, I’m not going to want to start all over again at my age. But you, Savannah, you’re going to want to get married and have children someday. You’re not honestly considering having a child with that man, are you? By the time your child is eighteen he’ll be in his sixties.” My father explains and takes a hold of my shoulders and looks me in the eyes. “Think about what you’re doing Savannah. Just do me a favor and for one second strip away his good looks and all his success. If he looked like any other middle-aged man with a beer gut, would you still want to be with him?”

I can feel my frustration boiling in my veins as I struggle to maintain control. “You don't understand how Logan and I feel about each other. You think it's just superficial attraction to his appearance and wealth, but it's more than that. What we have is real and I’m not going to stand here and try to convince you of that. But I will say this: Logan is and has been a positive influence in my life. Being with him brings out a side of me that I never knew existed. In the short time we've been together, he’s helped me uncover parts of myself I never even knew were there. I’m more myself with him than I ever have been with anyone else.” My words come out in a rush, fuelled by emotion and conviction. The weight of my love for him hangs heavily in the air. “If he doesn’t want to get married, I’m fine with that. If he doesn’t want to have kids, that’s fine too. I don’t care, because all those things are what I wanted before I met him, but that’s changed now, I’ve changed?—”

“No, Savanah!” My mother's voice breaks through my ardent defence. “You've conformed to his desires, forsaking your own dreams andneeds all for the sake of being with him. But mark my words, when this initial thrill fades away and you're lying next to a wrinkled sixty-year-old man who can barely… keep it up without the help of a pill, you'll regret your decision. I just hope for your sake that you come to your senses before it's too late and you waste away the best years of your life.” Her words hit me like a slap in the face and I falter for a moment. But then I remember the love and contentment I feel when in Logan's arms, and I know that I have made the right choice, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath,because arguing with my parents is like screaming into the void; pointless and exhausting. They’ll never understand, so instead of fighting I just shrug and fold my arms over my chest defensively and bite back the tears I can feel coming. “I would rather waste away all the years I have left with him than be with some immature asshole my own age who can’t even appreciate me.” I assert firmly and shake my head when my mother rolls her eyes in exasperation.

“Savannah, listen to me, you’re making a mistake.” My mother pleads, taking hold of my upper arms as though she wants to shake some sense into me. “This man has you so blinded with lust that you’re not thinking clearly.” She cups my face, her brown eyes searching mine. “Sweetheart, I didn’t raise you to be a fleeting thrill for some middle-aged man to use and abuse. This so-calledrelationshipwill not last. He’ll eventually tire of you and move on to a younger fresher model. Can’t you see we’re trying to protect you?”

Ah, hell no.

They're not trying to "protect" me; they're trying to control me. But this time, I refuse to let them. This is my life, and I will live it on my own terms. I will love whoever I want, regardless of their opinions. The anger within me boils as my mother presumes to judge Logan. “Mom, stop,” I brush her hands away from my face, glaring at her. “You have no idea what you're talking about. Logan is nothing like that. He's a good man who chose to walk away from his own son in order to be with me. He sacrificed his own flesh and blood for me.” Seeing the confusion on my parents' faces, I push forward to clarify, knowing itwill only further stir the pot. “Logan is Trent's—my ex-boyfriend's—father.”

If I wasn’t filled with rage, I would have taken out my phone and snapped a photo of the dumbfound look on both my parents’ faces.

---