Chapter 16

**Megan**

“I don’t trust him,” my dad says. I sigh and hand Sara her coffee as I sit down next to her on the couch. Ella has just excitedly informed them that Logan slept over last night. Let’s just say my father’s face was worth a thousand words. She’s now packing her sleepover bag. I’m not sure why; she has clothes at their house.

“Neither do we,” Courtney says, gesturing between her and Yasmin.

“It was just a sleepover,” I weakly defend.

“If Ella hadn’t woken up, you would have screwed him,” Yasmin says, making my dad nearly choke on his cup of coffee. He glares at me.

“Are you stupid?” he asks me. “I’m pretty sure you’re not,” he says.

“Brett,” Sara snaps at him. “Leave her alone. It’s none of our business,”

“Yes, it is. She’s my daughter,”

“Doesn’t mean you have control over her sex life,” she says softly to him.

“Still,” he mutters and looks away from us. I smile a little. I know he disapproves of Logan; he doesn’t like him.

“Can we talk about something else rather than my mistakes?” I ask—silence laces between us all. Courtney goes on her phone, and I can tell they all want to continue this conversation.

The truth is, I know they’re right. That last night was stupid, but I don’t need them to tell me. I need them to say to me that it doesn’t change anything. That it was the alcohol. Something to make me feel a little better about myself.

“Oh my,” Courtney says. I look at her to see her scrolling through her phone. Yasmin leans over to see what she’s looking at.

“Well, that’s not good,” she says.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re on TMZ with Logan,” Yasmin states. I drop my head onto my knees and close my eyes with a shake of my head. “There’s a video of you both kissing.

“Fucking great,” I say and get up. “I’m going to help my daughter,” I say, putting my drink on the coffee table and walking out of the living room. I don’t want to be in the room while they all discuss that. The world will probably think I’m a homewrecker now after that. I don’t need to hear what people think.

I walk into Ella’s room to see her rooting through the light pink ottoman box at the end of her bed. That’s where all of her dolls and teddy bears are kept.

“Ella, what are you doing?” I ask. She turns and blushes before pulling a doll out and some clothes for it.

“Mommy, I gotta tell you a secret,” she says with a smile. I raise my eyebrows and walk towards her. “Shut the door, mommy. It’s a secret,” she whispers.

“Oh, sorry,” I say and turn to shut her bedroom door. I smile and sit down on the floor with her.

“Promise not to say anything to granddad,” she says. I nod. “Pinky swear?” she asks, holding out her little finger to me.

“I pinky swear,” I say, hook my little finger with her dainty one.

“Granddad and Sara want babies,” she says with a slight giggle. I frown.

“How do you know?”

“I heard them talking about babies,” she says, and I smile.

“You were nosy,” I take her doll and help her get it dressed.

“If they have a baby, will I be a big sister?” she asks.

“No, I will be. You’ll be their niece,” I tell her. She frowns at me. “They’ll be your auntie or uncle,”

“But I’m older?” she asks. I smile a little.

“You don’t need to worry. They’ll be family no matter what title,” I tell her.

“Can I be a big sister?” she asks.

“Urm…” I sigh. I’m not sure how to answer that question. After I had Ella, a few weeks later, I had the surgery my OBGYN told me about to get rid of the scarring, so if I were to have another child, the risks would not be so high. “Is that what you want?” I ask her. “A baby sister or brother?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” she says as she puts a hat on her doll. “Will I have to share my toys or my books?” the last bit she asks in horror. I chuckle a little. “Babies are sticky,” she then shakes her head. “No, I’d have to share you as well,” she adds finally and hugs me. I smile a little and hug her back as she sits between my crossed legs. “You’re my mommy,” she says.

“Yes, I am, and you’re my little Elle-belle,” I say to her and kiss the top of her head. “C’mon, Granddad and Sara are waiting for you and Max,” I look at Max to see she’s put a pink tutu on him. I smile at the defeated look on his face. “Maybe take the tutu off of Max,” I tell her.

“We were playing princess ballerina,” she tells me and crawls across the floor to him.

“I see, and who was the princess?” I ask.

“Max, I was the Queen,” she says.

“As it should be,” all the while, I have a smile on my face.

“When I come back can we play princess ballerina?” she asks.

“Yes, why don’t we build a fort too, and then we can sleep inside it,” I tell her.

“Yeah,” she says happily. I smile a little.

---

Courtney ties the back of my black dress as I down my homemade cocktail. I notice her and Yasmin give each other sideways glances in the mirror. The thing is, I’m pissed off at myself and at Logan for kissing me. It doesn’t matter that I wanted him to kiss me. He still shouldn’t have done it.

“What heels are you wearing?” Yasmin asks.

“The gold glitter ones,” I say as I tie my hair up into a high ponytail.

“When are you meeting Mark?” Courtney asks.

“Probably around midnight. It’ll depend if he’s at the same bar,” I tell them. We’re going for food and then hopefully a couple of bars.

“Do you think that’s wise after last night?” Yasmin asks. I had told them both what entirely happened last night once Ella left with Max and my dad. “Maybe it’ll be better to talk to him when you’re sober,”

“What’s the point? Maybe I should give him a chance,” I say with a shrug. They look at each other, and then they both sit on my bed. Courtney holds up one of the mirrors to put her red lipstick on.

“Seriously?” Yasmin asks with a frown.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s a nice option,” I state.

“No one wants nice,” Courtney says and glances at me. “If you’re not as attracted to him, then there’s no point,”

“He’s safe, for both Ella and me,” I defend.

“Safe doesn’t mean you’ll be happy,” Yasmin adds. “And if you’re not happy, Ella will notice it,”

“Well, I’ll just end things with him and stay single. That way, no one gets hurt,” I say as I put on my nearly clear lip gloss. I’ve gone for a simple look with a black winged eyeliner with diffuse gold glitter on my eyes. “Is Melanie meeting us there?” I ask.

“Yeah, you can’t just give up,” Courtney says as she purses her lips in the mirror. She looks at both Yasmin and me. “Is red too much?”

“No, it’s nice,”

“That word again,” Courtney rolls her eyes. I smile a little and watch Yasmin curl her copper coloured hair.

“Nice is a good word,”

“It’s what you call the weather in spring,” Courtney huffs.

“Ok, the red lipstick is hot,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“But Courtney is right. You can’t give up on finding someone or settle for nice,” Yasmin tells me. I frown at her, and so does Courtney. Courtney holds her phone to her ear and then looks at Yasmin.

“It’s for you,” Yasmin frowns at her, “it’s pot calling, asking for Kettle,” she jokes, and I laugh.

“Shut up,” Yasmin huffs, “I’m not settling.”

“You’ve given up on finding anyone,” Courtney tells her.

“You have,” I agree.

“Both of you shut up, give me the margarita,” she says, grabbing the lightly coloured jug of iced alcohol. I shake my head. Courtney is right. We’re not stupid, we know she slept with Carl recently, and she’s trying and failing to keep him at arm’s length. “Melanie will agree with me,” she mutters, making Courtney and I laugh.

**Logan**

The waitress fills my glass back up and then turns to Carl to fill his. I watch as Carl tells her to leave the bottle. After my run-in with Zoe, I called him. He told me he’d had an argument with Yasmin last night, so it would seem we’re both drowning our sorrows. It must be difficult for him knowing she wants to be with him but can’t be. I’m not sure if I’d prefer his situation or mine. I have a woman I don’t want who wants me, and the woman I do want doesn’t seem to want anything to do with me.

I texted Megan a couple of times, asking if she was ok and still going out tonight. Nothing, but when I asked her about Ella, she replied, telling me she doesn’t want to discuss anything but Ella with me. She is out, though, I saw on Courtney’s Instagram. I’m not going to lie that I’ve done some social media stalking. From Courtney’s Instagram, I was able to find her Snapchat user; she had the same username. This gave me insight into how their night is going.

Megan looks hot in all the pictures. The dress she’s wearing is sexy as hell on her. It’s black and short with a split up one thigh and a strappy back. When I showed Carl, he found it quite funny that I had gone to the effort of making a Snapchat just to see what Megan was doing.

“Your fiance is here,” Carl says. I glare at him. “Sorry, your crazy stalker is here,” he corrects and nods behind me. It’s then I feel a hand move over the back of my neck. Zoe sits down next to me, still with her hand on my neck.

“Why are you here, Zoe?” I ask.

“Do you expect me to stay in on my own?” she asks.

“Do whatever you want, just stay away from me,” I say as I move her hand from me.

“What have I done for you to be like this with me?” she asks.

“Let’s see. You’re telling people we’re engaged when I’ve not even asked you to marry me. Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?” I ask her

“Well, what if I ask you?” she asks hopefully.

“No, why do you want to be with someone who doesn’t want you?” I ask. Carl raises an eyebrow at us and finishes his drink before pouring himself and me another.

“I don’t understand. We’re perfect for each other. I was with you when you went to rehab,”

“I’m bored with this. I’m going for a piss,” I tell Carl. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her,” I say to him and make my way out of the booth.

I feel like this is all a game to Zoe. Like I’m not serious when I tell her I don’t want her. She was there when I went to rehab because she was in recovery herself. Not because she was supporting me; that’s how we met. We only hooked up afterwards when she was at a movie premiere I had been invited to. I’m not sure how else I can make it clear to her.

A body crashes into the back of me, and I feel wetness spill down my back.

“I’m so sorry,” the girl says. I turn, and my eyes widen.

It’s Megan. The last update from Courtney’s Snapchat was that they were in a cocktail bar on the upper east side, and that was an hour ago. Megan looks even hotter in person, and judging by the outline of her breasts; she’s not wearing a bra.

“Logan,” she slurs. “Whatcha doin’ ere?” she asks.

“Having drinks with Carl,”

“Oh,” she looks around a little. “I’m sorry about your t-shirt,” she slurs. “I need a pee,” she says and runs towards the toilets, and there's a long line coming out of the ladies. I smirk a little and grab her hand. “What you doing?” she asks as I pull her to the men’s toilet.

“You need to clean my t-shirt,” I tell her and pull her inside. I notice one other guy having a piss. I pull my t-shirt over my head and hand it to Megan.

“Can I pee first?” she asks and eyes the empty stall. “Eww,” she says with a look of disgust. I smirk and grab some paper towels and wet them with soap. I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I know I’d do anything for her, and if that means cleaning the toilet seat of a public restroom, I will. “Thank you,” she says when I’m done and walks into the stall, shutting the door behind her. “The lock is broken,” she tells me.

“I’ll make sure no one comes in,” I tell her.

“Why are you so sweet to me?” she asks. I don’t think I could tell her the real reason. “I’ve been ignoring you,”

“Because it’s you,” I tell her quietly. I look at the guy peeing to see him finish and start to wash his hands.

“Stop it. I want to stay mad at you,” I hear her huff. The guy chuckles and dries his hands before staggering out.

“Why are you mad at me?”

“Because you kissed me,” she slurs, dragging out the ‘ss’. I sigh, and then the door opens. She looks at me, and I watch as her eyes travel down my naked torso, lingering on the belt buckle of my jeans. She shakes her head a little and pushes me away from her. “And for looking like that,” she adds as she moves to the sinks to wash her hands.

Now I can see her birdcage tattoo in more detail. It’s my turn to check her out. I’m hard just looking at her. The universe is either teasing me or torturing me with having us alone right now. Every part of her is a man’s wet dream.

“Stop it,” she says as she moves to the hand dryer to dry her hands.

“Stop what?” I ask as I take my eyes from her long legs to look at her beautiful forest green eyes.

“You know what,” she says and then holds her hand out. I frown at her.

“Your t-shirt, I’ll dry it, then you can stop standing there topless,” she says.

“Why? Does it bother you?” I ask as I give her my t-shirt. She snatches it from my hands, and I can’t help but smirk at the evident irritation on her face.

“Makes me want to fuck you,” she snaps and puts the black t-shirt under the blower ceasing all conversation. I raise an eyebrow. Drunk Megan is a bold Megan. Perfect.

She turns her back to me. I want to touch her. Whenever I look at her, everything seems to fade into the background. All I want is Megan. I’d give up everything if it meant I could have her back in my arms. Why does she have to keep me at a distance? I sigh and with my mind made up, I step towards her and move my hand down her back to her pert butt feeling the silky fabric of her dress.

Megan looks over her shoulder at me. I press my lips to her neck. She visibly gulps, and I can’t help but press my body against hers. I watch as her green eyes slowly blink and then open a little as my lips skim over hers. Taking my t-shirt out of her hands, I tuck it in my back pocket.

“Then fuck me,” I say to her. She bites her bottom lip before slowly letting go and turning her body in my arms. Stepping back, I pull her with me to the stall she was just in.

Pressing Megan up against the door, I crash my lips against her, Her hands move up through my hair, and one leg moves up over my hip. Fuck, she feels good. Her mouth tastes like strawberries. I feel her hardened nipples through her dress pressed to my chest. Trailing kisses down her neck, I can’t help but leave a mark on her.

Pulling on the tied bow at her back, the top half of her dress loosens, making her strap fall down her shoulder. Megan’s hands move down my chest to the buckle of my jeans. I watch her undo my belt and then my jeans. Looking back at her as her hand moves into my boxers, a small sexy smile appears on her lips as she leans in to kiss me; all thoughts leave me when I feel her delicate, feminine fingers wrap around my dick.

Lifting Megan up, I press against her covered clit. She moans into the kiss as her hand moves in my boxers, stroking my penis. I leave her lips and kiss down to her chest, pulling her dress down, revealing one of her pert breasts and dusty pink nipple with a small piece of silver jewellery going through it. Nipple piercings have never bothered me, but right now, they’re the hottest piercing I’ve ever seen. Moving my hand up to smooth over her erect nipple with my thumb, she moans softly into the kiss.

I wish we weren’t here right now, that I could take my time with her and savour every inch of her body—the door to the toilets opens as I lick down to her exposed nipple. Twirling my tongue around her nipple bar she bites her bottom lip to hold her moans in as I hold her nipple between my teeth. Her fingers move through my hair as her hand stroking my penis moves from my boxers to my back. I feel her push my hips against hers. I look up at her to see the lust and desire for me in her eyes.

Megan lets out a shaky breath as our eyes lock. She wants me just as much as I want her, she can blame this on the alcohol, but the look in her eyes tell me everything I need to know.

“Are you and Megan ok now?” I hear someone say, making me frown. I flick my tongue on her nipple, and I see her visibly gulp.

“Yeah, I think so,” by the sound of the voice, that’s Mark. Megan pushes me back a little. Thankfully the door to the stall goes to the floor; the gap is at the top. “If not, we probably will be soon,”

“Why’s that?” the guy asks.

“Her ex’s fiance is in New York,” he says. Megan turns her head and pushes me further away as she frowns in confusion.

“Oh yeah, I saw online that she landed yesterday morning,” I sigh and pull Megan closer to me into a hug. I wish we were anywhere but here right now.

“They’re here tonight,” the guy says.

“Are they?” Mark asks.

“I saw Logan Peters and some blonde girl sat with him, so I assumed that’s her,” the guy says. Why are they taking so long to piss?

Megan moves me away from her again. I sigh and move my arms from around her. She looks like she wants to kill me right now. I watch as she rights her dress, all while she’s scowling at me like if she could kill me with her eyes.

“It’s not what you think,” I whisper. She shakes her head, and I can see the tears in her eyes.

“Megan’s hotter,” the guy says. “I don’t think it will ever be serious with you guys, though,”

“Why?”

“Because she doesn’t want it to be, you need to face the fact that you’re like me,” he says “to her, that is,” he adds. “I think you’re wrong about Logan, though,” I hear the flush, and then the sink taps go. “Last time she stayed at mine, she had a nightmare. I don’t think he’s the one that gave her those scars,”

“Someone did, and he looks like the type,” Mark states. “No girl is that closed off to a relationship due to a healthy relationship,” he adds.

“I guess,” the guy says, and then the dryers go. After a few minutes, the doors to the toilets open and then close, bathing us both in silence.

“I was going to tell you,” I say to her. I’m not sure if that’s the truth.

Zoe is insignificant to me. She doesn’t come into my mind. To me, our relationship is over, it was a fling that was fun, but that’s it. Nothing more. How can she be this much trouble for me after a year? It’s frustrating.

“What am I to you?” she asks. I frown, and I can see she’s waiting for an answer.

“Everything,” I say truthfully.

“So why do I feel like I mean nothing?” she asks.

“No, Megan,” I say and go to comfort her.

“Don’t touch me,” she snaps. “I am done with you. I am pathetic to think you’re the man I fell in love with. You’re not, and I need to realise that,” she says, her eyes glossed with tears. “You’re Ella’s father, and that is it,” she says to me and turns to open the door. “Please don’t hurt her,” she begs me. I clench my fists.

“I’d never hurt her,” I tell her.

“You said the same to me,” she says and walks out of the stall. I hear her walk out.

A voice in my head tells me to go after her, but I don’t think that will do anything. She’s telling the truth. She’s done with me.

---

**???**

Flicking through her friends' social media, it would seem my Megan has gone out looking like a slut.

Getting up from sitting on her bed, I right the hidden camera up in her bedroom corner. The alarm sensor hides it. Last night her brat of a daughter woke up while I was trying to fit the camera in her room. Thankfully I managed to put the one in the living room. It was thanks to that I’m able to do this one now.

Luck is on my side; she took that damn beast of a dog to her grandfathers. I need to get that mutt to like me. Otherwise, it’s going to be a problem. I’m not into killing animals, but if I have to, I will.

Stroking the white cat on her bed, I hold my finger to my lips, telling it not to tell our little secret and walk out of her room towards the living room. Picking up a set of keys, I walk out of the condo to the service elevator. Getting a job as a cleaner was the best idea. I get to watch her right in front of her; it turns me on just knowing that.

I saw her with her baby-daddy yesterday; it angered me so much. He’s not worthy of her. The shit he’s done. The icing on the cake, though, was that his fiance has come over to join him. I had to follow him today to find out what she was like. It turns out he has two places he occupies. The fiance is staying at his more used one. I’ve only seen him take women to that one. Not the more expensive one that he shares with his friend. That’s also the one the press know nothing about. To the world, he lives in a moderately expensive bachelor pad.