Page 89 of Structure of Love

“Good thing he has court-ordered rehab. This might work out for the best. We can shuffle him off to a rehab center and not tell your mom where he is. Leave instructions that she can’t contact him until he’s released. Or do a daytime rehab, where he’s only home with you at night.”

“Sounds like a great idea. It’ll be hard on her. I kind of feel bad for how I went off on her in the hospital. I was terrified, I knew she had to be. But I just didn’t have any patience left. She keeps repeating the same mistakes, over and over. It’s like she can’t learn. I think part of it too, though, was her reliving thenightmare of our youth. I told you about how we were in a bad car accident as kids?”

“Right, I remember.”

“I think tonight triggered her. She wouldn’t normally scream in a hospital. She’s more in control and does the whole ‘I’m disappointed in you’ shtick. But I can’t keep giving her grace because I know she’s stuck in the past. She’s the one choosing to stay in it. The rest of us have moved on. Even Cooper is moving on, and he was the one directly affected by it.”

“All very true. And I think she doesn’t deserve grace at this point, not when her actions are directly harming both of her children. Will your father come back after Cooper’s accident?”

“Likely not. Cooper’s been in bad trouble like this before, or sick, and he never came back then.”

“What about you? Did he ever come back for you?”

What an interesting question. You know, I didn’t think anyone had ever asked me that before. “No. Never for me either. I honestly think he gave my mother kids because she would have divorced him otherwise. He’s never been keen on spending time with his children.”

Logan shook his head in disbelief.

Indeed, what did you say to that?

My internal calendar piped up with a flag. Yoo-hoo, pay attention, please. I paid attention and pursed my lips, not sure what to do about the new dilemma. “Sooo, change of topic. Erin’s birthday party is next Friday.”

“True.”

“I’m sensing overlap between Cooper coming to live with me and Erin moving in with you, and I don’t know how well that’s going to go? He’s due to leave the hospital sometime next week.”

“Different sets of drama, to be sure.” Logan shrugged. “I think it’ll be fine. Wait, does your mother have a key to your house?”

“Oh fuck. She does, for emergencies.”

“How about you change the locks tomorrow? Cooper can just lock the doors and ignore her.”

“Sold. I take it your parents don’t have a key to your house?”

“Hon, they don’t even know where my house is. It’s part of why Erin wants to move in with me—they can’t find her easily that way.”

Now that was just sad. My relationship with my mother might be rocky, but Logan’s relationship with his own parents was apparently nonexistent. It was beneficial in this case, though.

Even with all these problems we juggled, my heart demanded I tell Logan. I didn’t know how I was going to tell him I was in love with him, that I wanted a future with him. I sensed I’d need to wait until we were through these two major events first. Too much was already going on. Next week, I’d organize a romantic dinner or something and tell him.

We got to my house with no more trouble, fortunately. I paused before getting out of the Jeep. “You staying with me tonight?”

“Love to.”

I was glad, and I felt better with him next to me.

We entered the house, me flipping on lights as I went.

I did take a quick glance into my guest bedroom, as a reminder of its state, and found if I took the catch-all stuff off the bed and dresser, put that away, and did some dusting, the room should be fine. Good, it would take me an hour at most.

The analytical part of my brain was pleased, but I was mostly wrung out. Somewhere between exhausted and done in. I was also, strangely, too jittery to want to lie still in a bed. Adrenaline crash, maybe? God knew I’d been riding high on it for hours.

Logan sauntered into my bedroom like he had every right, which he did. I loved how he felt so comfortable in my space.He started the shower, and that appealed strongly. I smelled of sweat and hospital. I would not rest easy if I went to bed carrying all of that with me.

He came to me, extending a hand. “Come on. You need to unwind.”

“Ooh, I get personal services?” I teased with a tired smile.

“You do if you get naked.”