Cuffing and Tree Trimming

Chapter 3

The funeral was awful, as funerals generally are, or so I’ve been told. All I do is hang around the seating area and smile at Logan whenever he looks over at me.

I already paid my respects to his dad, who looks entirely shaken by grief that I doubt he could see me through the tears streaming down his face. It’s clear that he loved his wife.

By the end of the burial, Logan’s exhausted.

I offer to drive him home, but he wants to come over, so that’s where I go.

My apartment’s been quiet these past few days after Christmas. I’ve caught up on work. I also didn’t completely disappear into my editing cave since Logan would be in touch throughout the day, making sure I had eaten or taken a walk outside to clear my head.

Mom and Dad are still giving me the silent treatment, but it doesn’t hurt so much anymore. Izzy’s always excited to talk about her impending mortgage countdown, but I don’t have the energy to be so excited when Logan’s hurting as much as he is.

Maybe in another week or so, I’ll take her shopping for furniture.

Logan drops his duffel bag as soon as he steps inside my apartment. When I get to the kitchen, I’m hoisted up onto the kitchen counter and pressed back against the cupboards in a bruising kiss that steals my breath away.

“Please, I need you. Please, Max.”

We barely make it to my bedroom without tearing each other’s clothes off. At the end of the fiery storm, we’re both panting, trying to catch our breath. My body’s hot and satisfyingly sore. Logan leans downs to kiss me deeply, murmuring my name against my lips.

“I’m sorry if I was rough.”

I snort.

Logan stares at me. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

I smile at him, teeth on display. “I don’t know. What do you think it means?”

“I think it means we need to have a discussion.”

I snort. “Maybe you’re right.” I run a finger across his collarbones. “How are you really?”

“It was hard, Max. Really hard.”

I run my fingers over his eyebrow, down to his cheekbone. He nuzzles against my touch like a cat. My heart melts, especially when he dips down to kiss me slow and sweet.

“I’m sorry that it was hard for you today.”

“She would have loved you, you know?”

This isn’t new, but it helps him to talk about it and the least I could do is listen. He gives and I take; he takes and I give. That’s the way it works.

“Obviously, I’m amazing,” I laugh, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Now, go to sleep. We have to start planning for New Year’s Eve. There’s a rooftop party I want to try to get into, and the tickets go on sale at five in the morning.”

Logan tickles me until I squeal and then kisses me until I’m panting against his mouth.

Even though it was a pretty terrible day, it still ended well, with the both of us together.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I say, sitting down across from my sister at her favorite coffee shop. The air smells like roasted espresso beans and sugar cookies. If heaven were a place on Earth, this would be it.

Izzy shrugs. “Not a big deal. I just got here anyway.” She glances away, more interested in what’s hidden behind the glass case near the cash register.

We get up one at a time to get our orders of high-caloric coffee and a dessert because it’s still the holidays and I want to indulge.

“So what’s the matter with you? Why didn’t you want to come over?”

Izzy snorts. “I thought you were going to be with your boyfriend, sucking face.”

I nod slowly. “We do suck face a lot. I’m not even going to be sorry about it.”

Izzy’s mouth twists in a disgusted sneer. “I come bearing the family olive branch. Mom and Dad want you to come over for brunch over the weekend. You can bring Logan, too, if you want.”

I nod. “I’ll see if he’s up to it.”

Izzy frowns. “I thought it was pretty brave what you did, what you said to Mom. That’s why I need to get out, Max. You get it?”

“Yeah, kid. I get it. Are you going to be okay paying for everything on your own?”

“I find it’s pretty good motivation to stay on track because I don’t have the option of going back home.”

“Mom and Dad would love to have you back, you know that. Otherwise, they’ll have to face the fact that they’re empty nesters.”

Izzy nods and crosses her arms over her chest. “That’s not the real reason why I asked you here, actually.”

“Turns out I have something to tell you, too. But you go first.”

Izzy winces. “Fine, fine. I, uh, wanted to ask you if you wanted to go couch shopping with me. Because that’s a thing I need now, a whole ass couch.”

“Actually, no, you don’t. Why don’t I sub-let you my place? I won’t charge you more rent than what I pay at cost, so it’ll keep your expenses down. And you can have my place as yours if you wanted.”

To my despair, tears start spilling over onto Izzy’s cheeks.

“What? What? This is good news! Why are you crying?”

“Because! I thought you were going to be pissed at me because of what happened at Christmas!”

“Why would I be pissed at you? None of this is your fault.”

“Max, I’m part of the problem, aren’t I? I’ve been living at home forever, and I take all the handouts I can get.”

“That just means you aren’t as pathologically stubborn as I am, that’s all. It’s fine to ask for help, Izzy.”

“Oh my God, who are you? My sister would never say those words to me. Not once, not ever.”

I snort. “I don’t know. Logan’s said something like it to me a few times, and I’ve started to believe him. It’s nice knowing he’s in my corner, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. I swear, all the guys in Montreal are the shits.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll meet the guy of your dreams sometime this year. I have a feeling.”

“Yeah, right. I work at a bar, Max. What kind of future can I give to a relationship, huh?”

“Money isn’t everything.”

“Says the person who’s richer than our entire generation.”

I lick my lips. “Are you feeling better now?”

“You mean it, Max?” Her eyes are practically glowing with hope. “I can rent your place? Really? Where the hell are you going to live?”

“I want to find a place closer to Vick. There’s a new development that’s already built that I’ve been curious to check out. We’ll see if they have any more condos left to buy.”

A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be married, and that I would be looking for another home with a mind to a future I can share with someone, let alone Logan.

“You’re not just doing this because you feel sorry for me?”

I lick my lips. “I’m doing this because I want you to have a place to live that isn’t back home where we grew up. I’m doing this because I can, and I want to help you.”

Izzy grins. “I’m so lucky that you’re my sister. Seriously. Evie’s going to flip when I tell her. Holy s**t, we can have sleepovers now with wine and sushi and brownies. I have to call her right now. Give me a sec.”

I let my sister call my little cousin, smile when Izzy practically crows with happiness over the good news. I can’t hear what Evie’s saying, but I already know that kid is working her shift at the bookstore she adores.

When she’s done yelling over the phone, Izzy turns her wide, wide smile to me. She pockets her phone and practically bounces in her seat. “I’m so f*****g excited. I’m going to have my place, and it’s going to be glorious!” she raises her arm and stabs her fist in the air.

“Merry belated Christmas, Iz.”

Izzy about strangles me with her hug and screeches in happiness right in my ear.

Valentine’s Day…

“You’re wearing your ring,” Logan says, panting against my mouth.

“Less talking and more kissing,” I say against his lips. I yank on the collar of his shirt and pull him on top of me, a welcome weight. “Now’s not the time to talk about that,” I groan.

“I can do both,” Logan says, his smile pressed up against my mouth. It’s unfortunate that I like that so very much.

I lean back, let my head fall onto the couch cushion. “Yes, I’m wearing my ring. So are you.” I hold up his left hand as evidence. “What’s the matter?”

“I didn’t think you wanted to wear that ring anymore.”

“Why not? It’s a pretty ring. I chose it for myself.”

Logan lifts my left hand and lays a kiss over my ring finger. “I know you did. I was there. You were very proud of choosing it, too.”

I smile at him. He’s really beautiful like this, soft for me, his mouth swollen from my kisses. It’s a good look. A really good look.

“If a girl’s only supposed to get married once, then she better choose her ring, right?”

Logan laughs, then nuzzles into the skin at my throat. Goosebumps erupt all over my skin, and I shiver in his hold. He licks along the column of my throat before laying down a ghost of a kiss, which only serves to make my horrible case of goosebumps worse.

It’s been almost eight weeks since his mom died, and we’ve spent more time together than I thought we would. With the new year, I’ve set a new list of goals I want to achieve, and one of them was having a life outside of my channel and social media.

Logan’s part of that plan.

“I didn’t want to bring it up, but I guess I should,” Logan says, leaning over onto his side. He moves me gently so that I’m settled on my hip, pressed up against his front. If I wanted, I could push him off the couch and watch him tumble to the floor, but he’s been really sweet to me all night during our first Valentine’s together.

Besides, there’s still the bedroom games we’re going to play later and I can’t wait.

“Okay. Tell me.”

Logan kisses my forehead, then down to my nose, then finally settles at my lips. We get sidetracked by more kisses, the deep and wet kind, the kind that steals my breath away.

“You were saying?” I pant, pulling back to catch my breath.

“Now that the holidays are over and you’ve given me time to grieve…what about that annulment, Max?” he asks, curious.

My heart slams against my ribs, hard and fast. I look down at my wedding ring, sparkly and perfect, nestled on my finger. It fits just right. “I think I could stay married for a little while. How about you?”