Page 76 of Consuming Logan

“Shh, now.” His mother clung to Marianne as the tears fell.

“Oh, Annie. He’s not coming back to him.”

His aunt stroked his mom’s back. “Accepting his boys is accepting his love, Belle.” Annie chuckled. “After forty years it’s about time you learn to love your husband and your family.”

By rejecting Tyson and Maximus, had Logan somehow told his father that he didn’t love him? Damn all this turmoil in his family. It was all the O’Connor’s fault.

Chapter 28

Ava heard the front door open. Good, Logan was home. She’d been trying to contact him for hours. Her hair hung in loose ringlets down her back. The floral print maternity lingerie ordered for her honeymoon clung to her pregnant belly, barely brushing her thigh. She’d elected to forego the panties tonight. A silky layer of amber pear-scented lotion, Logan’s favorite, had been applied to her skin after a long shower. The warm striations of sunset flowed through the window before landing on her wedding veil hanging on the closet door. Beside it on the fireplace mantel a framed collage of their five-year courtship looked back at her. Their first date at Disney World, Logan held her hand in his. A grinning Logan with his face surrounded by a cardboard daisy cut-out at the botanical gardens was one of her favorites. Above the hearth, a suspended wood and bamboo frame captured shared joy during their secret Malay wedding ceremony. They hadn’t declared the marriage with the US Embassy, but in their hearts, they were wed. Pure elation filled Ava’s heart. Their five years of loving Logan would culminate in a beautiful wedding with their families and friends. She couldn’t wait to see their wedding photos among the others. What was taking him so long to come to bed?

“Hey babe. You received an email message about trouble in your lab. You should give the hospital a call. How’d it go at your clinic appointment today?”

Nothing.

“Logan, come to the bedroom, I have something to show you.” Ava called.

She heard his grunt. What she did not hear were his footsteps.

“That’s going to be difficult considering I’m at the bar. Oh, and my hand is fine.”

Frustrated, Ava maneuvered off the bed, shoved her feet in non-skid slippers, and headed to the clothes valet. Logan could help her make a decision between the two pieces of bridal outerwear.

Logan sat on the couch, his eyes hard, red-rimmed, and unyielding. Finger tracks separated his ruddy blonde locks into sloppy clunks. He met her gaze.

“Hey,” she said, a little breathless, and then leaned over to give him a quick kiss. “You like?”

She spread her arms wide, so he could look his fill. Which he didn’t. Okay, maybe he needed time to get in the mood. Pregnancy equaled seven months of raging horny beast for her, so she was a sure bet. No time like the present to handle some last-minute details.

“Which wedding cape do you think I should wear?”

With both offerings on display, she presented one, doing a little Vanna White pose for style, and then the next. Logan didn’t bother to look at either.

Something was very wrong. “You okay?”

He smirked. “Maybe, maybe not.”

She paused, “Want to talk about it?”

“Nope, I want to sit here and drink,” he tossed back his head, downing the brown liquid in the tumbler he held.

“Okay,” she sighed, “while you’re just sitting here, can you tell me which bride cape you like?” She demanded holding up one short drape and then the other by her pregnant belly.

“I thought it was bad luck for me to see the bridal crap.”

“Hey,” she frowned, “play nice with the pregnant lady. That’s only if you see me in it,” she went on. “Besides, these are wraps, not my fabulous dress. Help me decide.”

He gave a cursory glance in her direction. “Start over.”

Ava’s smile slipped. “Excuse me?”

He dropped the glass onto the carpet. “Go back to the drawing board.”

Ava’s jaw followed the tumbler. Why was he being so calloused to her? “Seriously, Logan? What is going on with you?”

“You wanted my opinion. I gave it. They’re both ugly.”

Ava forced herself to stand still. Okay, he could have meant compared to her beauty the plain white waist coats could go the way of Goodwill. But she didn’t think so. Everything inside worse. But he was being an ass. Should she walk away and let him cool off? Maybe. He was obviously in pain and she wanted to support him. But she’d promised herself not to hide her feelings. At this moment, the man she loved had trampled on them. He needed to know this.