“I’m sorry,” I rasped. “Logan got here, and…”

Her eyes shot past me to Logan, who was now standing. A tight, grateful smile grew over her lips, and her posture relaxed.

“Thank you.” Her voice rose as she repeated, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Logan stepped beside me and placed his hand on the small of my back. “I won’t let Cassandra out of my sight, Felicia. I’ll keep her safe. She’s going to be staying with me for a while, so there’s no need to worry.”

My head whipped to the side, and I found myself gaping at him. I’m what? That hadn’t been discussed.

“I’m glad to hear it.” My mother exhaled harshly, relieved. She stepped forward to hug Logan, and whispered something in his ear in the process.

“I will,” was his only reply when he pulled away after a brief moment.

My mother looked between him and me, then crossed the room to Harry. I watched as they exchanged a few hushed words, then walked out of the room together and into the kitchen.

“What did she say?”

“Just warned me I better take care of you.” His hand reached around, ensnaring my waist and turning me to face him. “Are you feeling any better? Your cheeks are no longer cherry red.”

Cherry red? Nope, only molten lava coursed through my veins—and there was no way he was going to change the subject.

“Logan, I don’t think it’s a good idea that I—”

“Don’t,” he interjected, rubbing his thumbs over the thick fabric of the robe covering my hips. “Don’t think about anything except how much I love you and that I want you safe with me. Just a few weeks.”

“Weeks!?” I gasped, trying not to appear as freaked out as I felt. We were not ready to live together for any period of time. It had only been two days since Valentine’s—two days since I let him in and confessed I loved him. I didn’t want to rush things and risk ruining what we had.

“All right, Cassandra, like I said, we have everything for now.” Harry reentered the room and stopped in front of the door. “The report will be processed, and you’ll be notified as soon as a court date is scheduled.”

“Okay.” Court date. The flames were back. It had to be the furnace.

“Take care of yourself.” He gave me a brief hug, and when he pulled back, I caught the hard stare he shot Logan.

My mother spent the next twenty minutes scouring the house for anything missed as the last few officers cleared out. My constant attempts to sway her to leave and return to work were received on deaf ears; she was determined something was still amiss. She even checked the furnace, which both she and Logan insisted was fine but lowered the temperature on anyway.

I stood alone in the living room while my mother attempted to sweep up some of the glass from the back door. With each passing minute, the frantic sobs climbing from her grew louder, resonating off the walls around me. I didn’t know how to comfort her. She had seen the damage to the house, and I knew she was afraid to leave me.

Logan stepped out from the hall where he’d disappeared to for a short time and snaked his arms around me from behind. He saw the same scene I did, and without a word stepped around me and walked toward her.

He kneeled down beside my mother and explained how he’d have everything cleaned up and new, sturdier doors installed immediately. She almost clung to him in a hug, speaking in a whisper I couldn’t hear.

Was this really the man I’d met months ago? How had I gone so long without seeing exactly how thoughtful Logan really was? He’d done an expert job keeping it hidden.

“You’re right.” My mother’s words broke through my thoughts. Then I couldn’t hear anything else they were saying.

I watched as they both looked to me. Then she took his hand as he helped her to her feet. She handed him the dustpan she’d been clutching and, with anxiety etched over her brow, left hesitantly after numerous hugs and promises from me that I’d take it easy and call her daily.

I stood at the door, watching her squad car drive down the road as reality hit me. It was over…for now.

Chapter Three

Cleanse

The weight of dark clouds shadowing my thoughts was becoming unbearable. Outside, the sunset was more a thing to dread instead of behold, and there was no relief in having an empty house after watching everyone but Logan leave.

But life still moved forward. Minutes rushed by, the day continuing into night while I was stuck in my own weird limbo. I needed to find my place back in step with it, but I remained emotionally and physically stagnant. How do you move on from something your subconscious can’t comprehend—something too painful to digest, with the haunting what if lurking outside your mind’s door?

With a blink, I pulled myself back to the present, staring blankly out at my empty driveway. The tracks from multiple vehicles were mixed with deep footprints still evident in the snow. My car hadn’t been returned, which meant it was either still parked on the side of the road or had been taken to a garage.

My eyes closed and shoulders slumped in exhaustion as I sagged against the doorway, wishing for a redo of the day.

“I’ll call and check on the car tomorrow—make sure it ends up with a reliable mechanic,” Logan said from somewhere behind me. How could he always read my thoughts? Was I that transparent, or was our connection deeper than I realized?

“Thanks, but I can call. You should go home and check on Oliver.” I turned to face him, shutting the door. “You’ve been here all day. He’s probably worried sick.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“I don’t want Oliver to worry, that’s all.” I shrugged, suddenly nervous. Did I really want him to leave?

Logan stepped toward me. “He’s not. Both Julia and Jax are looking out for him.”

“Did they find Scout?” I interrupted. Hope tinged my voice, raising it an octave.

Logan skimmed his fingers up my arms. “They will, and Oliver will shower that pup with more affection than any dog can handle.”

I believed it, and when Logan’s hands traveled up over my jaw, my lips curled into a smile just for him. “He’s such a sweet kid. I don’t want him wondering where you are, or out looking for Scout with Jax.”

He grasped my chin gently, lifting my head. “He’s not. Oliver has too much fun with Jax and Julia to worry about anything. He’s probably getting ready for bed as we speak, anyhow.” He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, knuckles caressing my cheek, eyes locked on mine. “If he mentions my absence, I’ll make it up to him.”

“Thank you.” My heart beat louder as I lost myself in his crystal-blue orbs.

“Now, as much as I adore your concern for my son, I want to talk about you—worry about what you need.”

I blinked twice, then released a breath as I dropped my gaze. What did I need? I could use a shower and some clean clothes, for sure—not to mention I needed to get the blood off the floor before it set into the wood. Logan had dutifully kept my mom from trying to clean up in my bedroom. I didn’t want to clean it either, truth be told.

I placed my fingers on the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. “I need to wash it all away,” I murmured, with so much meaning behind the words.