Page 39 of Perfect Persuasion (Love’s Second Chance #2)

Claire had been settled in Logan’s house for less than an hour and her makeshift room was already flooded with visitors. Sophie, Trevor, Marcus, Derek and her parents hovered at her bedside. Logan stood in the doorway, scowling in typical Logan fashion.

“Do you need me to get you anything to drink?” Sophie asked.

It was the second time she’d asked in five minutes.

“No thanks,” Claire responded, overwhelmed by so much attention.

“How about some tea?” her mother chimed in. “I could make you a nice, hot cup. Logan, you do have tea, don’t you?” She turned to look at him.

Logan crossed his arms over his chest. “Nope. Sorry.”

He didn’t sound apologetic. Claire was well aware that there was no love lost between her mother and Logan. Anne had not been pleased to learn where her daughter would be spending the next two weeks.

“You’ll have to get some then,” Anne informed him coolly. “Decaffeinated, of course. Claire loves hot tea, don’t you, Claire?”

“I do,” she confirmed, sending an apologetic glance to Logan. Her mother, as predicted, wasn’t exactly making things easy.

“Why don’t you run to the store and get some now?” Anne suggested. “We’ll be here to keep Claire company.”

“Mom,” Claire protested, dismayed by her mother’s rudeness. “I don’t really want tea right now. I’m actually a little tired.”

It was a lie, but she really wanted everyone to go away. Especially her mother.

Her father got the hint. “Why don’t we go, Anne?” he suggested. “We can visit with Claire again tomorrow after she’s more settled in.”

Anne didn’t look very pleased with his suggestion, but she relented, leaning down to give Claire a kiss on the cheek. “You call me if you need anything.”

Claire nodded dutifully. “I will, Mom.”

“I don’t like the idea of you staying with that man, you know,” she whispered.

“I know, but I’ll be fine,” Claire assured her. At least she hoped she would be fine. Whether or not she would remained to be seen.

“I’m not so sure.” Anne frowned at her, but her husband gave her a not-so-subtle nudge. “Well.” She straightened, still looking reluctant. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t forget to call me if—”

“I need anything,” Claire finished for her. “I know. Thanks, Mom.”

Anne and John left the room, Logan following in their wake. Claire’s gaze slid to her remaining audience. Sophie was rubbing her huge mound of a belly, looking dead on her feet. Trevor had a supportive arm wrapped around her back.

“Why don’t you guys head home?” she suggested. “Soph, you look like you could use a nap.”

From the look on her face, Sophie wanted to take Claire up on that offer. “Are you sure you’re settled in?”

“Absolutely.” Claire leaned up to meet Sophie as she leaned down for a hug. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me but you need your rest too.”

“Are you sure?” Sophie gave her a searching look.

“Yes, for the second time.” Claire made a face at her. “Now go.” She turned to her brother-in-law. “Trevor, take her home. I command you.”

He grinned, his golden eyes twinkling. “If you command it, then I have no choice.”

“Soph, you’ve trained him well,” Claire said with a laugh.

“Trained him,” echoed Marcus and Derek simultaneously. The expressions on their faces suggested that Claire had offended their manly pride.

Trevor merely laughed and slid his arm around his glowing wife. “I’m man enough to admit it.”

“Come along, honey,” Sophie ordered with a smile, pulling him to the door. “Claire, you call me if you need anything. Marcus, I’ll see you next week for the new showing at the gallery, and Derek, it was nice meeting you.”

“It was nice meeting you too,” Derek offered, his voice genuine. Claire had been impressed with her family’s well-disguised surprise at finding a famous actor hiding away in Logan’s house. Derek, meanwhile, had been both warm and concerned for Claire’s welfare.

Trevor shook hands with Derek and turned back to Marcus. “Try not to run the gallery into the ground without me there this week.”

Marcus sent his friend a wry grin. “I’ll do my damnedest not to.”

After Sophie and Trevor left, Derek hastily excused himself, leaving Claire and Marcus alone.

He raked a hand through his hair and looked down at her, the grin fading from his lips. “I should really be going too.”

She searched his gaze. “After all this happened yesterday, Logan wanted me to move in with him, and since he’s the baby’s father, I thought it best. I don’t want to be a burden to Sophie and Trevor when they should be enjoying each other, and my only other option was living with my parents.

Which, having met my parents, you can agree isn’t really an option at all.

” She waited for him to laugh, but he didn’t.

“I love them dearly but they drive me nuts.”

“You have to do what you think is best.” He walked over to her bed, reached down and took her hand in his. “I just want you to be happy.”

A tear slid down her cheek. She’d never seen Marcus so solemn.

Even she had to admit there was more to her decision to stay with Logan than convenience and necessity.

She wanted him back and it scared the hell out of her.

She had a moment of terrible panic, questioning her decision.

She wanted to be happy too, but could she find happiness with Logan? She only knew she had to try.

“You’ve been such a wonderful friend to me over the last few weeks, Marcus. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. How much you mean to me.”

“I feel the same way,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “If you need anything, let me know.”

On impulse, she hugged him to her and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for everything.”

The sound of a throat being cleared killed the moment. Claire turned to find Logan hovering in the doorway, his eyes dark, jaw clenched. He oozed fury. Claire could feel it wrap around her like a physical entity.

“Am I interrupting?” His tone was mocking.

“Not at all.” Marcus straightened and gave Logan a measuring look. “I was just on my way out.” He gave Claire’s hand a final squeeze. “Take care of yourself and the baby, Claire,” he said softly. And then, he was gone.

Logan strode across the room, stopping only when he reached her bedside. “I think now would be a good time for you to explain some things to me.”

Though he couched it as a suggestion, she knew he really wasn’t giving her an option.

He was still seething. She knew from experience that she would have to be every bit as firm as him if she wanted to win this battle.

“Sit down, Logan,” she commanded. “I don’t need you towering over me like an angry bear. ”

His lips tightened, but he did as she asked, sinking down onto the bed next to her. His hip barely brushed against hers, just enough to send sparks running through her body. She wished she wasn’t so pregnant, lying on his guest bed like a beached whale. But life was never fair.

“I’m sitting,” he said, his voice clipped. “It’s your turn.”

“Fine.” She decided it would be best to proceed with caution. “What do you want me to explain?”

Logan’s eyes were hard as they searched hers. “Were you sleeping with him?”

“What?” He really thought she’d been sleeping with Marcus? Claire didn’t think she’d heard him correctly.

“Were you?” he demanded.

“It’s not really any of your business,” Claire informed him coolly, stung that he actually believed she was a wild bed-hopper capable of jumping from one man to the next.

“I think it is my business. I want to know where the hell I stand in all this.” He raked a hand through his hair, leaving it standing on end. “Do we need to talk custody? I don’t really like the idea of you exposing our child to a string of boyfriends.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, thoroughly annoyed with him now. “So now I’m not just sleeping with Marcus, I have a string of boyfriends too. Who are all these men anyway? If I’m enjoying their charms, it would be fair if I at least knew their names.”

“Don’t be a smartass.” His voice was cold. “You know what I mean. If this is the path you’re choosing, I’d like to be warned. I may want to seek sole custody after all.”

Was this the man who had been so wonderful this morning, promising to be there for her when she needed him?

If this was the treatment she could expect from him, even moving in with her parents seemed like a viable option.

She studied him for a moment, trying to reconcile the many faces and moods he showed her, when understanding dawned.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?” Everything fell into place, making perfect sense to her.

He stared.

“You are.” She could read it on his face and she felt her anger begin to fade. “Logan, Marcus and I are just friends, good friends.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Logan began making light circle patterns along the top of the comforter tucked around her. He focused on his finger’s progress before speaking again. “He seemed to want more from you than friendship.”

“He’s been kind, nothing more. He knows that I’m not ready for that.”

Logan’s finger stilled and he looked up. “You’re not ready for that now, or you won’t ever be ready for that?”

“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. He didn’t like that response, she could tell. “But I do know that my main focus right now is this baby.” She patted her belly. “Our baby.”

He nodded a bit jerkily. “As it should be.”

She reached out and covered his hand with hers.

“But I also want to work on our relationship.” She paused, uncertain of what to say, how much to reveal.

There were some emotions she just couldn’t give voice to, not yet anyway.

“We’re having this baby together, and over the past few weeks, we’ve become strangers again.

I don’t want that, not for the baby and not for us either. ”