Page 42 of The Uncomplicated Café
Sharing in her joy, Logan smiled and squeezed her hand.
Floating down the hall, weightless with happiness, Abby freely allowed herself to hope.
Perhaps everything would turn out okay after all.
Chapter Twenty-Four
LOGAN
“Have a seat.”Logan gestured to the armchair opposite the couch. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Sam settled in the vintage wingback, his posture stiff and uncomfortable.
“It’s been a heck of a day for you.” Logan tried to put himself in the man’s shoes. Assuming everything he said was true, he’d been through the ringer. And despite his earlier resistance, Logan was inclined to believe him, if for no other reason than one—the raw and undeniable emotion he saw in Sam’s eyes.
Sam loved his son.
“You could say that.” Sam shifted in the seat, his hands gripping the armrests as if the chair might eject him into the stratosphere any second.
Why couldn’t the guy relax around him? Sure, he’d been skeptical of his story in the beginning, but he’d come around.
“Abby and I were talking earlier, and we have an idea we’d like to run by you.”
Sam repositioned again.Jeez. Did the guy have rocks in his pockets?
“I know you have a part-time job and a home in Redton, but we’re hoping you might consider staying here, with us. I’llbe moving into the house once Abby and I are married, which’ll leave the bungalow vacant. It’s not much, but I think you and Max could be happy there. Or he could keep his room here. You’d both be welcome to join us for meals, use whatever you need in the main house, and we’d help you find a new job in Blessings Bay.” Logan leaned forward, his adrenaline pumping. The more he rattled off his idea, the more he wanted—no,needed—it to work. “Max loves his school, his friends at church. He’s a star player on his soccer team. Plus, there’s us. We’re pretty great.” He flashed a good-natured grin, hoping to cut the tension with some humor. “Max’s also pretty fond of our neighbor, Verna, and her bulldog, Bing. What I’m trying to say is, Max has a full life here. And we’d like you to be a part of it.”
Shoot. The moment the words left his mouth, Logan knew he’d said the wrong thing.
The muscles in Sam’s forearms flexed as he clutched the chair tighter. “That’s kind of you. And I appreciate all you and Abby have done for my son.”
Uh-oh. Logan sensed abutcoming.Stay calm. Let the man say his piece. It won’t be as bad as you think.
“But,” Sam continued with a forced confidence in his tone, “I believe the best thing for me and Max is to head back to Redton as soon as the test results are in. Then, when I’ve had some time to sort things out, we’ll start over somewhere new.”
Logan’s pulse pounded in his ears like a warning blare. He needed to tread lightly. “May I ask why?” He refrained from adding,Why would you want to take Max away from everything and everyone he’s come to know and love over the last several months?
Sam stared at the floor a few feet in front of him. “Max has been through a lot. So have I. We need time to reconnect and reestablish our relationship. As father and son. Away from”—hisgaze briefly flitted to Logan’s face then back to the floor before he added—“distractions.”
Logan’s jaw tensed. Distractions? Is that what Sam wanted to call the people who’d raised, loved, and cared for his son like their own? “And once you’ve sorted things out, where will you go?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“But you’ll let us know when you decide?” When Sam didn’t respond, Logan pressed, “We’d like to remain a part of Max’s life in any way we can.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Logan’s stomach clenched, as if he’d been punched in the gut.
Sam awkwardly stood.
Logan sprang to his feet, unwilling to let this go. “You’d really cut us out of Max’s life, just like that?” His heart screamed,We’re his family, too. He needs us as much as we need him.Was this the loving man Iris Hodge had described—the man who put his son’s best interest above his own? After the pain of losing his father for all those months, how could Sam rip two more people from Max’s life? Logan couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“For a while, yes. I’m not saying it’ll be permanent. But temporarily, at least, I think it’s necessary. I hope you can understand.” Sam turned toward the staircase.
Logan’s chest heaved.No. No, he didn’t understand. “Wait.” His throat burned, and he swallowed against the sharp, acidic taste of pure panic in his mouth. “Our wedding is less than two weeks away. Max is my best man. Can you bring him back for the wedding? Please.”
Logan had never begged a day in his life, but all pride evaporated in that moment, his thoughts fixed on Abby. He couldn’t let her walk down the aisle without Max standing beside him at the end. He couldn’t break her heart. Or Max’s. Max wanted to be there. Heneededto be there. The weddingwouldn’t be the same without him. In truth, he couldn’t imagine a single day without him, let alone the most important day of his life. What could he say to sway Sam’s decision?
