Page 98 of Keeping Kasey
But I couldn’t bring myself to leave it at the manor.
I trust Logan. I’m sure he will understand, and we’ll spend the night wrapped up in each other as arealcouple.
But there’s a part of me that feels like I’m sixteen again, asking my mom to understand me—begging her to—only to have her kick me out and move on with anormalfamily.
I sit at the desk and turn on the monitor, ready to get this over with.
“Well,” Damon says from the sofa. “You two seem awfully cozy these days.”
I keep my hands busy at the keyboard. “You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
When I turn, Damon’s expression isn’t taunting like I’d expected from his tone. It’s soft—a tender expression I haven’t seen on him before.
“And why is that?”
He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back. “You once asked me if I trust Logan.”
“And you said you do—with your life.”
“But I never told you why.”
“He’s your brother.”
His smile turns satirical. “So was Mason.”
I cock an eyebrow. “So, then, why?”
“Because this family is Logan’sentireworld,” Damon explains. “Everything he has ever done has been for the good of this family, even when it was in direct conflict with whathewanted.”
“If you’re going to tell me I’m distracting him from his job, Matteo already beat you to it.”
“Actually, I think it’s the opposite.”
I officially have no idea where he’s going with this, so I wait for him to go on.
“Family is a strong motivation, but love is stronger.”
“No one said anything about love,” I snap in a knee-jerk reaction.
Aside from a brief look that calls me on the lie, he ignores me.
“Logan committed his life to this family when he was only thirteen, and I don’t think he ever stopped long enough to consider what that forced him to sacrifice.” Damon’s lips pull into a small smile. “I think you make him see that he can be more than just the boss of this family.”
The confession strikes a chord in me, and I wonder why everyone has to open up to me when I harbor a secret that’s sucking the life out of me.
And since I realize that secret has the potential to ruin everything, I decide to ask the question I’ve been wondering since I first got here.
“Why did you pass the title to him?” I ask. “You could’ve been a good boss, too.”
There’s a far-off, almost reminiscent, look in his eyes. “I was born for the role, but Loganlivedfor it.”
It’s such a humble stance, and there’s no questioning the conviction in his words.
“You’re a confusing person,” I tell him.
He chuckles. “Right back at you, Goldie.”
