Page 117 of Break the Barrier

Her one word sends relief through me, but I scoot onto the stool next to her, keeping us facing each other. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Her eyes connect with mine. “I was so worried about you. You had disappeared without a word, and then you were taken by that awful guy. What the heck is his problem anyway?”

I feel a sense of stress fill my chest, and I take a deep breath. I don’t know what Logan has told her, but I can’t leave her hanging either.

“He doesn’t like me very much, and he’s mad about some stuff we went through when we were married before.”

Lue huffs. “Oh yes, so kidnapping is the answer.”

I can’t help but chuckle at Lue’s sarcastic answer. “Yeah, well, he’s not the smartest man.”

“Neither is my dad.” Her grumpy reply wipes away my smile, and I stare sadly at her.

“What’s going on, Lue? Does your dad know you’re here?”

“No, I told him Grandma was picking me up.”

“Lue…” I start, but she turns and grabs some papers out of her bag before setting them on the bar between us.

“When were you guys going to tell me?”

I frown and reach for the papers. When I do, my breath catches in my throat.

It’s our marriage certificate, and it’s not something I can dispute easily, given that my name is signed right there beside Logan’s.

“Lue, it’s not quite so simple.”

“Dad married you to keep you safe from that guy who took you?”

I open my mouth, then close, then open again. “Well, okay, yes. That’s the gist of it.”

Her eyes widen slightly, and I see a bit of excitement resting just below the surface. “So, you’re like my stepmom.”

She doesn’t say this like a question, she says it like her mind is not only made up about this, but she’s thrilled about it.

“Well, technically, in a legal sense, yes.”

“So why are you and my dad not together then?”

I know Lue is fifteen, but her no-nonsense questions are catching me off guard.

I look down at my lap, my hand absentmindedly picking off lint. “I didn’t handle things very well,” I reply vaguely, wondering how much to tell her. “I should have been more open with your dad, and I wasn’t. I pushed him, and you, away.”

“Yeah, I was really sad about that.”

God, breaking her heart is worse than breaking Logan’s. Her eyes well again, but she sucks them back.

“I’m so sorry I hurt you. I never meant to.”

“I know.” She looks down and lets out a rough sigh. “But you being there was so good. It was like having a mom.”

My heart literally breaks at the thought. That Lue considered me even close to a mother figure blew my mind and made me insanely happy.

“Well, let me say this, if I could pick a stepdaughter, I would pick you every time.”

“Well, then do,” Lue says, not pulling her punches.

“Do?” I raise a brow, glancing around the empty restaurant for someone to tell me what this girl just said to me.