All Chapters of Loved Him First, But Not Forever: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

I almost forgot.Regina was the girl I had brought back from the middle of nowhere.At first, Logan hated the idea of her living with us. He would wrap his arms around me and whine, half joking, half serious. "Babe, why don't we let her stay somewhere else? I'll buy her a place if I have to. Having her here all the time is messing with our life."But back then, Regina had just been rescued. She had been abused for years; she would jump at every little sound and cling to me in the middle of the night like a scared kid.I ended up stuck between them, trying to keep the peace.Somewhere along the way, Logan changed. The impatience in his eyes softened when he looked at her. Little by little, it turned into something like admiration."Regina might seem a little slow, but she's kind at heart. Unlike you."He said that while I was in the kitchen, using the back of a knife to knock out a live fish. I had bought it just to cook for him.I didn't argue. I turned to head back to the be

Logan came back just as the sky was starting to lighten.He had two orders of churros in his hand.They came from an elderly couple who ran a little morning stand. If you showed up too late, they would already be sold out.Back when it was just the two of us, we used to walk there every morning, hand in hand, to grab our favorite churros."You're up? Come eat."He leaned in and kissed my forehead, just like always.As if every fight we'd ever had could disappear as long as neither of us brought it up again.Logan set the churros down in front of me, warm and familiar."Try it. See if it tastes the same. When I got there this morning, their son and daughter-in-law were running the stand. He said the old couple's at home taking care of their grandkid now."His eyes lit up as he talked."Whitney, remember what you said? You said that when we're old, we'll run a churro stand, too. I'll make the churros, and you'll just sit there and take the money."He kept going, lost in his im

That night, Westport was anything but quiet.First, Logan, the man in charge of Logney Corporation, started a full-scale search. Hotels across the city were checked one by one.The back roads, usually pitch black on stormy nights, were lit up like daytime under searchlights.Rivers throughout the city were crowded with rescue boats, and more than 100 divers searched beneath the surface.Logan pulled every string he had.He even got other powerful families involved.He offered huge rewards, all for one thing: to find Whitney.Reporters swarmed the city, camping out everywhere.Photos of Logan, disheveled and out of it, spread fast. By the next day, Logney Corporation's stock took a sharp hit.-I had no idea about any of this happening in Westport.While Logan's search tore through the city, I had already made my way to Willow Creek.Ever since my grandfather's time, the Welches had cared deeply about education in remote, underdeveloped areas.Every Hope Academy built in th

When Logan first came to my house, he was like a stray cat someone had dragged in out of the rain. He wouldn't eat or drink. He just hid in the corner, arms wrapped tight around himself.I tried bringing him different food, but he would only crouch there, unmoving.Until one day, I brought home a cupcake I had made in class.I dabbed a little frosting on his lips. He licked it off, and his eyes lit up."Is it good?" I asked. "Sweet enough?"He nodded.The first thing he ever finished eating was that cupcake I made.I remember laughing. "You don't even know your birthday, right? Then from now on, today is your birthday."He looked up from the cake, hesitating before he asked, "Then will there be cake every year?"I ruffled his hair and thumped my chest like I was making some big promise."Of course. Not just cake. You'll have me, too. Every year, I'll make you a cake, and we'll celebrate together."Something I said as a kid carried on for over 20 years.We celebrated so many