Chapter 289

Megan

Surprise doesn’t cover what I’m feeling right now as I look at Logan. How the hell did he find out where I live? The lights in Masked didn’t do him justice. He’s wearing designer clothing; his jeans are hung low on his hips and moulded around his thighs, his shirt is tucked into his jeans and pulled tight around his muscular torso, and finishing his look off is a navy blazer. The cut on his cheekbone adds to his handsome features.

“Who is it?” Melanie calls, bringing me out of my trance. Max comes running up to the door and pushes past me, yelping and whimpering in excitement at seeing his previous owner. “Max,” Melanie calls. I open the door a little more to show her just who is at the door. “Holy shit balls,” she says under her breath. I know right now I’m looking at her in panic. She gives me a small smile and walks toward me. “Come in,” she says to them. I look at her with a frown.

What the hell is happening right now? Have I walked into a different universe? This makes no sense. Why is he here? Did Yasmin give him my address? Did Elena? I’m so confused right now.

All three of them walk into my home. David stops at the door and pulls me into a hug.

“Breathe,” he whispers in my ear; I nod and hug him back. It’s been just over three years since I last saw David in person. “It’ll be ok,” he adds, and I nod again, unable to articulate a sentence. “How’s Ella?” he whispers.

“She’s asleep,” I say quietly, knowing Logan can’t hear because Melanie moves him to the kitchen. “C’mon,” I say and shut the door behind him before making my way to the kitchen.

Melanie hands Carl one of the beers we keep for some of Courtney’s male friends. She holds one out to Logan. He looks up from petting Max and shakes his head to then continue stroking Max. I smile at Max’s excitement at seeing him. I notice Pepper coming out of the study to have a nosy, and I can see her feeling left out.

“You kept him?” Logan asks, referring to Max.

“Yeah,” I say and then frown, “why wouldn’t I? It’s not his fault you left,” I know very catty of me, but it’s the truth. Why would I take my anger out on an animal?

“That’s our cue to leave,” Melanie states and takes the drink she’d made for herself. She nods at Carl and David to follow her out to the balcony.

“Nice place you got here,” Carl says as he walks out.

“Thanks,” I mutter and take my glass of wine. I down it and then squash down any affectionate feelings I have towards Logan so that I can talk to him without my emotions getting in the way. I need to remember he’s engaged.

“How can you afford a place like this?” he asks.

“How did you know where I live?” I ask, ignoring his question.

“We followed you. You can imagine my surprise to find you are living in a building I own,” Logan states, explaining my next question. Which was how come the doorman let him up without telling me?

“Why?” I ask.

“Because I want to know why you’re whoring yourself out,”

“I’m not whoring myself out,”

“How much do you charge?” he asks, ignoring me. I frown at him. “How else are you going to afford this place? I know what many strippers get up to when they get off work,” he accuses. I just stare at him. “Are you screwing the security guard, too, or is he your pimp?”

“Fuck off,” I snap at him as I pour myself another glass of wine. It turns out I don’t need to remember he’s engaged; I just need him to show me he’s an arsehole. I glance at the balcony to see David looking at us. The balcony doors are slightly ajar, so they can probably hear what he’s saying to me.

“Tell me, what the hell you’re doing in a place like that,” he demands.

“I work there,”

“You could work anywhere. Why are you working there?”

“Because the money is good, I need the money,”

“Why? What could you need the money for? You don’t need it, your grandfather is stinking rich, you got an inheritance from your mother and a trust fund, so tell me why you need to be doing this job,”

“What is the problem? Yasmin works there; you don’t see Carl being a dick to her,”

“She’s different, now tell me, why you’re selling yourself,”

“I’m not,” I say, raising my voice. “I’ve never slept with any of the members,”

“Yeah, because it looked like it, you fucking disgust me,” he says in disdain. “I wish I’d never found you,”

“Why are you having a go at me? You’re the one that left me, you’re the one that ran off to England and got engaged, I was pregnant, and you left. Yet you’re shouting at me,”

“Yeah, and looking at it, you got rid of the baby, so that worked out great for you,” he argues. I sigh and look away from him, and take a sip of my wine. “You murder my child to what strip and sell yourself? To pay for a nice place in New York?” he asks.

“You’re an arsehole; you have no idea what I’ve gone through these past five years,” I growl at him.

“You don’t deny it,” I don’t see the point in denying his accusations. He’s already made up his mind.

“Get out,” I snap.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you handle the truth?” he asks.

“I said get out,” I raise my voice.

“Don’t get too comfy here because I’ll make sure you can’t stay here,” he growls. “My buildings aren’t for whores,”

“Logan,” David says. Logan looks at him, and it’s then I see Ella standing by the hallway crying.

“Mommy,” she cries. I gulp and look at Logan. He looks toward Ella, and I can see the rage on his face cloud over his eyes, ridding his mind of any logic.

“Ella,” I say quietly, and she runs towards me, crying. I take a deep breath and take her in my arms as she cries into my shoulder.

“What the fuck is this?” Logan asks.

“Logan,” David warns. “Stop,”

“Why? She gets rid of my child to give birth to a bastard; she probably doesn’t even know who the father is,” he rages.

I carry Ella out of the kitchen and back to her room while telling her that it’s ok. The anger in me right now is the worst kind of rage I’ve ever felt.  My heart is pounding in my ears, and I know I'd be shaking if I weren’t holding Ella right now. How dare he come into my home and talk to me like this?

Melanie follows me into Ella’s room and shuts the door. There is no way Ella heard us; she probably woke up naturally and followed the noise. I place Ella on her bed and wipe her cheeks.

“Who is that man?” she asks while trying to stop herself from crying.

“It’s no one to concern yourself with,”

“He was nasty to you,” she says and looks at me. Her blue eyes are glistening with tears. The blue eyes remind me so much of the man fuming in my kitchen.

“He’s an old friend of mommy’s,” I say. “I’ll get him to leave,”

“He won’t hurt you, will he, mommy?” she asks, and I can see she’s scared.

“No, he won’t, I promise,” I pause and look at Melanie. “Will you stay here with Auntie Mel?” I ask. “Then when he’s gone, we’re going to watch a movie, ok?”

“Ok, mommy,” she wipes her tears. “He upset you,”

“Yes,” I say, not wanting to lie to her, mostly because I can’t. “But Mommy is strong and will be ok because she has you,” I say to her. She nods and gives me another hug.

“I love you, Mommy,” she says, and I smile.

“I love you too,” I pull back from the hug and look at Melanie.

“We’ll pick the movie while we wait for you,” she says to me. I nod and walk out of Ella’s room.