Chapter 59
-Hailey-
碗
After breakfast, Logan and I thanked my mom and retreated upstairs. I needed to take my pain pills. Then we stripped down to our underwear and laid down for what we thought would be a quick nap.
I woke up to moonlight streaming through the window and someone banging incessantly on the bedroom door.
It swung open before I could even sit up. Abby stood there, hair flowing over her shoulders, her scrubs replaced by jeans and a cream–colored sweater. Her hazel eyes zeroed in on me.
“Up,” she commanded, crossing her arms. “You’re not spending your first night back in town cooped up in this sad little room. We’re going to Harry’s.”
I blinked at her, still groggy. “Harry’s? Abby I’m not really in the mood for-”
“Nope,” she interrupted, stepping into the room. “You don’t get a say. You’ve been gone for years, and I’m not letting you hide. Plus, I need a drink. And it’s Friday. Fifty cent wing night. You looove Harry’s wings, remember?”
That was true. And my stomach growled as if on cue.
Her eyes flicked to Logan, who was sitting up beside me, running a hand through his hair.
“You’re coming too, biker boy. Don’t even think about arguing.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a smirk. “I’d never. I could use a drink too.”
I groaned, rubbing my face. “Abby, I’m still recovering. My shoulder—”
“Is fine,” she shot back, tossing my boots at me. “Now move.”
Logan chuckled, sliding off the bed and pulling on his jeans. “Ace, you might as well give in. She’s not gonna take no for an answer.”
I watched Abby’s eyes linger on his boxers, and I shot her a look I knew she could feel. She glanced back at me with a smirk, then disappeared back downstairs.
Logan tossed me one of my hoodies, and I pulled it on, actually putting my arm through the sleeve and wincing as my shoulder protested the movement. He stepped closer, his hands resting on my waist.
“You good?” he murmured, his voice low.
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah. Just… nervous, I guess. Abby’s not exactly subtle.”
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “She’s a spitfire. I like that. Means she cares.”
“Yeah, well, care feels a lot like interrogation sometimes,” I muttered, wriggling into my jeans.
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Chapter 59
Logan grabbed his keys off the dresser, jingling them in his hand. “I’ll meet you there. Gotta gas up the bike!
“I want to come with y-“I started, but Abby’s voice cut through from downstairs. “Hailey, let’s go! I’m driving!”
Logan smirked, shrugging.
I pulled my boots on and followed him downstairs, my stomach knotting with every step. Abby was already waiting by the door, tapping her foot impatiently.
“See you there, Ace,” Logan said, brushing his lips against mine before heading out the door. The rumble of his bike filled the quiet street.
Abby raised an eyebrow, her gaze lingering on the door. “He’s… intense.”
“Yeah,” I said, my cheeks warming up.
She grabbed her keys and gestured for me to follow her out to her SUV. We climbed in, and she started the engine. The radio cut on softly, playing some indie song I didn’t recognize.
Abby glanced at me as she backed out of the driveway. “So,” she started, her tone cautious. “Tell me about him.”
I sighed, staring out the window. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” she said bluntly. “Who is he? Where is he from? What does he do? How did you meet? What’s his favorite color? Is he a serial killer?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “No. He’s not a serial killer. He’s… complicated. But he’s good. Better than anyone I’ve ever known.”
Abby was quiet for a minute, like she was weighing her words carefully. “You seem different,” she finally said. “Happier. More like… you.”
I glanced at her, surprised. “Really?”
She nodded, her eyes on the road. “Yeah. I mean, you’re still a pain in the ass, but… there’s something lighter about you.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tightening. “It’s Logan,” I admitted quietly. “He’s… he’s part of it. He’s been there for me in ways I didn’t know I needed.”
Abby glanced at me, her expression soft. “I’m glad,” she said.
Then she sighed, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. “Look, I’m sorry for coming at you so hard this morning. I was… scared. Angry. I didn’t know where you’d been, and when Mom texted and told me you were back, I just… I didn’t know what to do with all that.”
I nodded, my chest aching. “I get it. I would’ve been the same way.”
She reached over, squeezing my hand. “I just… I missed you, Hailey. And I’m sorry if I made you feel like you
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Chapter 59
couldn’t come back.”
9:-
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I blinked them away quickly. “I missed you too,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I stayed away so long.”
We fell silent, with the weight of the past few years hanging between us. But it felt… lighter somehow. Like we’d started to chip away at the walls we’d built.
Abby cleared her throat. “So,” she said, her tone shifting back to playful. “Does he have any hot single biker friends?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Abby, no.”
“What?” she teased, grinning.
The neon sign for Harry’s cast a warm glow over the parking lot. Abby parked the SUV, turning to me with a smirk. “Ready to face the music?”
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”
We climbed out of the car, and I could already hear the faint murmur of voices and laughter spilling out from the bar. Abby linked her arm with mine, pulling me toward the door.
“Let’s get you that drink,” she said, her tone light but firm. “And maybe some wings. You look like you haven’t eaten properly in years.”
I laughed, feeling some of the tension ease out of me. “Like you’re one to talk, skinny mini.”
As we stepped inside, the warmth of the tavern wrapped around me, pulling me into a world I hadn’t been part of in so long.
“Let’s go,” Abby said, dragging me toward the bar. “First round’s on me.”
I nodded, following her, but my gaze kept drifting around the room. Part of me wanted to run home and hide, but another part was hoping to see some familiar faces.
Abby flagged down the bartender. It was Shawn Dobbs, a guy I knew from high school. We exchanged the awkward white–people–flat–lipped–nod. He was actually kind of cute now, with a thick mustache and intricate tattoos crawling up his arms.
“Hey, Shawn! Three beers and three orders of hot wings,” Abby said, sliding onto a stool. She glanced at me. “You still like the spicy ones, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, but my voice sounded far away. The bar was crowded, the air thick with the smell of fried food.
Shawn plopped three frothy beers in front of us, and Abby handed him her card to open a tab. We grabbed the beers and she nodded toward a booth in the corner. “Come on. Let’s take that spot before someone else does.”
The wings arrived a few minutes later and I grabbed one, tearing into it.
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Chapter 59
36
265 vouchers
Then the door swung open, and a blast of cold air swept through the tavern. My head snapped up, and there
he was.
Logan stood in the doorway, the patches on his cut catching the dim light, his green eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. My stomach fluttered, that familiar heat curling low in my belly.
He smirked, weaving through the crowd with that confident swagger that always made my pulse race, and drawing more than a few glances. He slid into the booth beside me, squeezing my thigh.
“Hey, Ace,” he murmured.
“Hey,” I said, melting.
Abby raised an eyebrow, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Well, isn’t this cozy?”
Logan chuckled, digging into his plate of wings. “You’re the one who dragged us here, Doc.”
She rolled her eyes leaning back in her seat. “I’m a nurse, thank you. And someone needed to drag you two out of that bedroom. You were probably about to be up there making out like teenagers.”
I choked on my beer, heat flooding my face. “Abby.”
Logan laughed, his arm sliding around my waist. “She’s not wrong.”
Abby snorted, shaking her head, but she was smiling. “Gross.”
The banter eased the tension, and things actually started to feel almost normal. I leaned into Logan, letting the warmth of his presence chase away the lingering shadows.
Abby watched us with a soft expression. “So, Logan. Tell me something. Do you actually have a job, or do you just ride around on your motorcycle looking hot all day?”
He grinned, tearing meat off a wing. “Both.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re lucky you’re charming, or I’d have to interrogate you harder.”
“I’m a mechanic,” Logan said. His tone was light, but his eyes were serious. “Bikes, mostly.”
“Fitting,” she said dryly. She leaned forward. “Listen. If you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you myself.”
Logan smirked, glancing at me. “Must run in the family.”
“Huh?” Abby said.
“Nothing.” he replied quickly. “Don’t worry… I’d never do anything to hurt her.” He wiped his hands with a napkin and slid out of the booth. “Next round’s on me. Tequila?”
I watched him weave through the crowd, my stomach fluttering again. But seeing him across the bar, looking at me like I was his whole damn world, made something inside me settle.
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Chapter 60
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
