Chapter 169. Take Care

Chapter 169. Take Care
Riley stepped aside for a moment from the commotion of the bridal shower, which was really noisy. Tomorrow morning Kaella would marry her lover, and today would be her last day as single. So everyone was excited about having a party in one of the finest suits at a five-star hotel in Charleston. Her cell phone had been ringing loudly since then. She ignored the call because she was pinning the bride-to-be's crown and taking photos with Kaella's other friends. But now, she would pick up Logan's call and talk to him because Logan must have called her for something important.

“Hi Honey, sorry for not picking up your call. I was at Kaella's bridal shower. It's very noisy in here. Tomorrow you will come to her wedding, right?”

Riley finally found a comfortable and quiet place to talk to Logan, while everyone was partying like crazy in Kaella's suitroom. Luckily, he had a balcony which was very quiet and had a beautiful view of the city of Charleston. Folly Beach was in the landscape in front of her, stretching out beautifully and in golden blue. Sunlight made the sea surface appear to have a layer of sparkling gold. Colorful umbrellas were seen decorating the beach, which was busy with tourists on summer vacation.

"Of course. I'll be flying in my private jet this afternoon."

“Tsk, you rich man. You don't have to queue and jostle to buy commercial airline tickets. I wonder if you've ever felt that way? Standing in front of the ticket counter for an economy seat.”

Logan burst out laughing on the other side. The sound of his laughter gave warmth to Riley's heart, who missed him so much.

"I did once. You probably wouldn't believe that before I could buy a private jet and hire a pilot, I'm just an ordinary guy with a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy. I'm starting from scratch, baby."

“Ohh… you are my tough and handsome man. There are always bitter things that hurt behind everyone's success. And congratulations, you made it through.”

"Thank you. You're the first to congratulate me."

"You must be kidding? No one has ever done that to you?”

Riley leaned her body against the balcony railing while enjoying the warm breeze that gently caressed her face. She was busy imagining Logan's face on the other side because they had lived so far from each other for so long. She had returned to Charleston a month ago to continue her studies and help Kaella prepare for her wedding. Next week was early fall. Kaella wanted her wedding to take place before the fall because she wanted to take outdoors as the wedding venue. So she didn't want any rain at all when she threw a party in the backyard of this five-star hotel.

"Nope. They think I got my throne because of my parents. Only a few people knew that my father’s company was collapsing. But that doesn't matter anymore now. Everything has passed. How are you there? I miss you, baby."

“I miss you so much. I've been seeing Kaella and Felix hanging around me. They make me jealous. And sometimes Kaella deliberately flaunts her affection in front of me. Tsk, that sucks," Riley snorted angrily.

"By the way, what did you want to talk to me about? Any important news I should know?”

Riley looked down and played her fingers on the surface of the balcony bar, which had intricate carvings forged from iron. The diamond ring on her finger glittered in the sunlight. Landon's and Logan's. She had moved the rings in his left hand, and side by side, because she used her right hand most of the time for work. He was afraid that Landon's ring would be damaged because she often used his right hand to do everything.

"Nothing serious. I don't have much work, and I wanted to chat with you. How have you been lately?”

"I guess I'm fine. After I returned to Charleston, I was immediately occupied with lectures and some work. Next month I will have an exam. So the materials that I got recently made me a little stressed. Archer is now often fussy at night, he misses you and always terrorizes me with all kinds of questions about you. He wants to go back to New York and live there with you. But I told him I had to finish my studies here before we could live in New York as a family.”

“I miss Archy too. Did you tell him that today I would come to Charleston?”

"Nope. I want to make a surprise for him. He will definitely be happy.”

"I'll pick him up at day care after my plane lands. You don't have to pick him up."

"Okay. But don't give him anything else." Suddenly, Riley's tone turned fierce. “The toys you sent him last week are still too many. I forbade him from opening your package because we don't have enough room to store his many toys. My father always takes care of the toys when Archer leaves them in the living room.”

Logan chuckled softly at Riley's series of grunts. He could imagine how Riley's face was filled with wrinkles and her lips pursed adorablely.

"Okay. I won't buy him a toy. Sometimes I can't stop myself from buying toys. I always think of Archer whenever I pass the toy store.”

"Don't give him any more toys. That's not good for him. Well, you know, I wanted to raise him to be a less wasteful man."

"I know. Forgive me."

Then silence. Suddenly, Riley lost the topic to discuss with Logan. Yet days ago she had many things she wanted to say to Logan. But she refrained from calling Logan and asking him all the things she wanted to ask him.

"Riley...." Logan sighed heavily on the other side. "I still can't find him."

"Landon?" Riley asked quietly. Her heart ached every time she thought of that man. The ring in her hand seemed to throb with heat, as if half of Landon's soul was inside the ring, and he was churning vigorously inside the ring.

“So is he really missing? He handed the body over to you?”

“I can't feel his presence anymore now. It feels different. There is only me, there is no him in my body."

Riley tried her best to keep her tears from falling down her cheeks. Memories of that night at church had her heart pierced painfully every time she thought of Landon. His words sounded strange and she didn't even realize it until the next morning. She couldn't find Landon again. Logan suddenly woke up at her bedside and looked dazed. Logan knew nothing about what happened that night. He groaned softly, feeling his head hurt because Landon had used too much of his emotions for that overly emotional wedding vow in the church.

It was surprising because Landon used the moment at the church as a moment of farewell. There were a lot of things Riley wanted to do with Landon. That night they returned home with lighter feelings and smiles on their faces. Their hands intertwined all the way back from the stone church until they arrived at the house. They then went into Landon’s room, shared a kiss and hugged each other to sleep together. They were just sleeping. No sex or anything else. It was something Riley regretted because that night was supposed to be a more intimate memory together before Landon disappeared from her life forever.

"I miss him." Riley finally couldn't hold back the sound of her sobs that escaped her lips.

“We got married at that time in the church. And he didn't tell me that the wedding would be a farewell to us."

"I really don't understand Landon's way of thinking. He was too difficult to understand then. At first, I was very worried that he would hurt you and Archer. That's why I asked Wren to watch over you. But it turns out he didn't do anything at all. Landon married you in that church and suddenly gave my body back to me. You changed him, Riley. You show kindness and tenderness that melts his heart.”

“But I didn't expect him to disappear forever. What does he mean by leaving a ring and then disappearing?” Riley suddenly became emotional. She wiped her tears roughly as she looked at the boats moving around Folly Beach.

"You love him?"

"I love you both," Riley replied firmly.

She didn't want Logan to be misunderstood and thought that she only loved Landon. In fact, she also loved Logan. But because Logan and Landon had different personalities, Riley couldn't lose either of them.

"I don't want him to leave. I'm used to his presence around me."

Slowly, Logan's life had calmed down again. Logan didn't commit any bloodshed. He worked normally in the office, took care of all his affairs abroad, and didn't kill anyone anymore. Riley was pleased with the new, quieter rhythm of Logan's life. Logan no longer dealt with blood and Logan treated her very gently. Unfortunately, they had to separate because they had to complete their respective tasks before they could carry out their pending relationship. Riley decided to return to Charleston because she had to complete her studies and be responsible for her own life choices. Meanwhile, Logan had to clean up the mess in his life that Landon had made so that everything returned to normal before he took Riley and Archer to live with him in New York..

"I don't want Landon to go either. I thought everything would be fine after Landon disappeared, but it turns out I've lost his ruthless and cruel figure. My life feels empty without Landon."

“He really is a damn asshole!” Riley was always angry whenever they talked about Landon.

“That night he suddenly asked me to make wedding vows at the church only to leave me. Do you know about the plan?”

"Absolutely not. I only found out that Landon had helped Ernesto rebuild the church because a few years ago it almost collapsed during a tornado. Landon gave Ernesto money to rebuild the church."

“So, Landon knows Ernesto well enough? Now I know why he took me to that church.”

“My company audit found evidence of remittances to Ernesto's account when I asked him to check the history of the cash flow. I've been so focused on all the mess Landon made. I never checked the money Landon used."

"Are you mad at him for using your money?"

"Mad?" Logan chuckled softly on the other side. "Of course not. Most of my wealth came from the businesses Landon had developed. He managed to set up several successful casinos and clubs that made huge profits outside of New York. I couldn't possibly forbid him from using the money he made from his cunning. Yeah, I mean, we're a bit different when it comes to managing finances and business. Although in the end we will both achieve a fantastic profit."

"Honestly, that's what confused me. You do business in different ways, even though you have the same brain? Really weird,” Riley chuckled loudly.

She might have learned about bipolar and alterego, but in real cases like Logan and Landon's, she still couldn't understand them one hundred percent.

“Then what about our wedding, Riley? We've been avoiding this topic since last month because you wanted to focus on your college and the life you left behind in South Carolina. But I can't wait any longer to discuss this."

"We've been married before," replied Riley blankly. "We did it in front of God, and it was witnessed by Ernesto."

"You and Landon. Not with me. I have absolutely no recollection of ever going to that church with you. Riley, please, I don't want to lose you again. We have Archer and I want to have a complete family. I'm tired of living alone in that house. After you came into my life, I felt lonely when you came back to Charleston."

Suddenly, Riley felt her lips go numb. All this time she was just running away from feeling sad because Landon suddenly disappeared without saying anything to her other than what he said at church that night.

“Pretend that all this means something to us. Pretend that you want me forever."

Landon would be stupid to think that she'd been pretending to want it all along and thought that what had happened between them was completely meaningless. In fact, she really wanted Landon, and she wasn't faking it at all.

“Riley, are you still there?”

Riley blinked once, and she hurriedly answered Logan's question.

“Sorry, I was too focused on Kaella opening our gifts.”

Riley was lying. There was no one around her but herself and the sadness that hugged her so tightly.

"So, what's your answer?"

"What? Wedding? Oh Logan... I really want it. I want to marry you, of course. But I have to finish my studies and everything here.”

“We can get married and you can continue your studies. Isn't there nothing that forbids a married student from attending college?"

"That's right..." Riley closed her eyes tightly. For some reason she felt reluctant to get married. Maybe because she once vowed marriage to Landon, and she was afraid that those memories would mess up her life again. Now she thought that the wedding vows would sacrifice someone valuable in her life. Even though she knew it was a very ridiculous thought, she was actually thinking about it now.

"We can't talk about it on the phone, Logan. We need to meet and talk face to face.”

"Okay. I'll be coming to Charleston soon. I love you so much, Riley."

There was a tinge of frustration in every word Logan spoke. Riley was fully aware of that, but she couldn't help but smile bitterly without saying anything about his words of love.

"See you later, Logan. Take care of yourself."

After turning off the phone, Riley massaged her temples, which felt dizzy. She had to lean completely against the balcony railing if she didn't want her body to fall on the cold marble floor. Tears welled up in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment when she blinked. Her breath blew rapidly in the damp and sultry air. She had a panic attack two years ago, but she managed to overcome it. Losing Landon and everything that happened in her life recently made her soul shake. Moreover, yesterday, she had just received very surprising news. That she was pregnant.