After renting a hotel room, I spent the rest of the weekend waiting, thinking of Alyssa. I knew what I wanted to say to her, but had no idea how I was going to say it. A million things ran through my mind, wondering what she had been doing all these years, and if she was married. Rage filled me as I thought of her leaving me and marrying some other guy. Somehow, since I saw her at the party and found out she was alive, the thought of her marrying someone else had never crossed my mind. What if she was married to the guy she was with at the party?
I shook my head to clear the images.
I thought of going by my old apartment with the guys, but I knew that they probably had moved and I had no desire to see them. After all, they didn’t even try to contact me over the years. And other than them, there was really no one in Nashville that I would consider a friend, and all of the offices everywhere were closed for the weekend. It was too cold to swim and I thought of goin
She nodded. “I can only imagine, because I know what it did to me.” She closed her eyes as she bit her lower lip, looking just as beautiful as ever. I fought the urge to take her into my arms and tell her that everything would be okay, because it was surely far from the truth. She opened her eyes, the same bright green that I had remembered, her voice merely a whisper. “Logan, we all thought you were dead. It just about crushed your band, your friends … me. For heaven’s sake! Frank even attended your funeral! Where were you?”“What do you mean he ‘attended my funeral’,” I asked, confused beyond all reason. “Alyssa, who told you that I was dead?”“Well … everyone!” she said, her voice shaking as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Frank said that your parents were there, thanking everyone for their support.”“Do not tell me that they actually had my funeral!&
AlyssaI watched as Logan stormed out the door, taking my dreams with him, as tears streamed down my cheeks. For some reason, I couldn’t look away, even after he was long gone.Alanna placed her hand on my arm as she led me back into my office. “Alyssa, are you all right?”I didn’t answer. Alanna nodded to Mrs. Farrow, and she walked out and closed the door behind her.“I’m going to go chase him down and give him an ear full!” she said, looking out the door. “How dare he talk to you like that!”I stopped her as she started to walk away. “No. Let him go,” I said, looking up at her with a blank look in my eyes. “He’s right.”“He was right?” she asked, her voice raising several octaves. “Alyssa, what the fuck are you talking about?”I nodded. “Think about it, Alanna. He thought I was dead, just like I t
When I opened the door to the hallway, Frank was standing there, ready to come in.“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, standing my ground.He shrugged. “I was about to ask you the same thing,” he replied, serious.“How did you know I was here?”“Alanna called me,” he replied. “What’s going on?”I let out a deep breath, and then looked into his eyes. “Craig knew that Logan was alive. He’s known for quite a while. In fact, Logan wasled to believe that I was dead, too.”“What the fuck?”I smirked. “Yeah. That’s what I said.”“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”Frank walked into Craig’s office, and there was a struggle and something hit the wall. “Stay away from Alyssa and Logan! If I ever see you near them again, I’ll kill you myself!”He walked out
A few minutes later, we pulled into a long driveway, hidden in the woods.“Man, Greer! You weren’t talking about secluded!” I teased. “What? Did the ‘ultimate party girl’ finally decide to go off the grid?”She laughed. “I’m afraid my ‘ultimate party girl’ days are over.” Then she looked over at me, smiling. “And I’m happy for it.”I returned the smile. Straight ahead a three-story wooden house with big plate glass windows across the front in all levels came into view. “Oh my goodness, Greer! This is gorgeous!”She smiled proudly as she pulled up in front of the house. “Leave the bags and come here,” she said. “I want to show you something.”She scooped Jasmine up into her arms, and I took Gray by the hand and followed. She walked to the back of the house, actually the front, and it was facing a secluded river. I realized th
“I hope you don’t mind,” Greer said as she passed the potatoes. “Since you were here and Brett has to leave again in a few days, we thought that we’d celebrate some Christmas with one another. Of course, Santa Claus won’t come until Christmas morning …” She looked at Gray as he smiled. “… but we thought that we could have a celebration, anyway. Kind of like Christmas before Christmas.”“Sounds wonderful!” I agreed as I slipped a chicken leg onto my plate, along with some mashed potatoes. “You know, we could do that every year. We could get together before the holidays to celebrate together, and then go home to celebrate at our homes.”“What a wonderful idea!” Mom added. “But you can always spend Christmas with us if you like.”I forced a smile. “Thanks, Mom.” Every time I saw her, she dropped hints about me not being married yet or havi
LoganWhen the plane landed in New York, my phone was burning up. I threw my overcoat over my arm as I pulled my carry-on from the overhead bin, and then looked down at the caller ID. It was my mother again. Both of my parents were tag teaming me, taking turns calling. I was a grown man and I couldn’t disappear for a weekend without my parents sending out a search party. I shook my head as I slid my phone into my carry-on bag and threw it over my shoulder, vowing to speak to them when I was damned good and ready.“Have a great day, and thank you for flying American Airlines!” the flight attendant said as I approached.I nodded. “Thank you,” I said as I exited the plane.The plane ride had given me plenty of time to think. Although I was furious with Alyssa, I knew that I shouldn’t be. My first thought was that she had left me so as not to be saddled with an invalid, but she actually thought I was
I walked to my car and slid my briefcase in the backseat. Within minutes, I pulled out into traffic and through winding roads until I pulled up to the front gate of my parents’ mansion. I entered the code and the gates opened. A moment later, I pulled up in front and headed up the stone stairs.“Logan! Where the hell have you been?” my mother asked, greeting me with her hands on her hips as I walked in, dressed in a red silk dress and matching high heels. As usual, not a hair was out of place. “I’ve been worried sick about you!”“Oh really?” I asked in disbelief as I pushed past her, hurried up the stairs, and headed straight for my bedroom. I grabbed a suitcase from the closet and started throwing clothes into it.“What the hell are you doing?” Mother asked as she walked in the door.“What does it look like I’m doing?” I asked as I threw more clothes into the suitcase.&
Alyssa After celebrating the holiday with my family in Colorado, I left for Tennessee Friday morning. On the plane, I had plenty of time to think … about Logan, about Curt, and about my decision to move to New York. By the time the plane landed, I knew what I was going to do about the later, at least. I walked into my office a few minutes later and Mrs. Farrow stood up behind her desk. “Ms. Collins, welcome back! How was your trip?” she asked as she walked around her desk with her arms open wide. I hugged her lightly and gave her air kisses over both cheeks. “It’s good to be back,” I said as I walked into my office, set my briefcase on my desk, and slipped my purse inside my desk. “Is Alanna in?” She shook her head. “No. Ms. Keel isn’t in yet.” I nodded. “Will you let me know when she arrives?” She smiled. “Yes. Of course, Ms. Collins.” “Mrs. Farrow?” I asked, settling in. “Do I have anyone waiting?”