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Sloane Calloway was mine.

CHAPTER14

SLOANE

There was a small smile on my face the next morning, as I hovered in front of the group home that I volunteered at. There had been a text waiting for me from Logan when I’d woken up. I’d been confused at first because he’d put his number in underBoyfriend, but I’d quickly changed that.

And the texts had continued from there.

He asked me question after question, and unlike when I was looking him in the eye…it was much easier for me to answer him over the phone.

I smiled as one more came in.

Logan: Favorite dessert?

Me: That’s easy. Apple crumble.

Logan: So boxing that up last night wasn’t a complete miss.

Me: Not at all. I ate it for breakfast this morning.

Logan: Ten gold stars for me!

Me: If I had gold stars, you would definitely get them.

Logan: We should decide our reward system right now so it doesn’t get confusing.

Me: Do we have to have a reward system?

Logan: I like tangible awards for my achievements.

Me: And imaginary gold stars are tangible?

Logan: …

Logan: Good point. I’ll go back to the drawing board.

Me: I can think of things I could reward you with.

Logan: Miss Calloway…it almost seems like you’re flirting with me.

I grinned, my cheeks flushing like he was there in front of me. I was definitely flirting with him. And I never did that.

Me: …

Logan: Ten gold stars for you.

I closed my eyes, trying to steel myself against his charm. This wasn’t something I could lose on. I’d thought that my disastrous choice on my eighteenth birthday had destroyed any part of me that had the capacity to feel.

But all of Logan’s attention was teaching me that somehow…there was something inside me still fragile enough to be broken. Some part of me that was still dreaming of a happily-ever-after…

And that was something I could not deal with. Because when Logan was done with me…

I pocketed my phone, ignoring the next time it buzzed as I walked inside the building.

I had a love/hate relationship with this place. I loved hanging out with the children, but I hated all the memories it dug up. How different would my life have been if Everett had never shown up that day? In that imaginary life, maybe I could have deserved someone like Logan York.

These kids also deserved better than me, but unfortunately, there just weren’t a lot of people out there who cared.