Surrounded (Unsettled Series Book 2) (13 page)

Logan

“Elizabeth, this is Logan. Please call me when you get a chance. We need to talk.” She hadn’t picked up my call, but I hoped that she’d get back to me soon.

I threw open the door to the SUV and jumped in, leaning into the steering wheel.
What was happening?
I banged my hand against the steering wheel in frustration. I wasn’t proud of the fact that I’d had a one night stand with Elizabeth, but that night I’d needed to forget all the shit in my life that had been going up in flames. A few hours before the event, my accountant called to inform me Ashley had stolen millions from the foundation. I was crushed to learn the depths of her betrayal. Elizabeth had been flirting with me all night and one thing led to another. I didn’t make a habit of using women. But between finding out about Ashely and having one too many drinks, that night I landed in the one place I really didn’t need to be—her bed. And now here I was waiting to find out what the hell—if anything—that night meant.

I scrolled through the contacts on my phone. I hit send when I found Trev’s number. After a few rings he picked up.

“Hey L, wassup?”

“I think I have a problem.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah, remember when I told you things went to shit at the charity event? Apparently Brooklyn overheard someone saying that Elizabeth is pregnant.”

“Elizabeth who?”

“Elizabeth Drexel,” I groaned. I’d never had any slip ups in the past, so this was unimaginable.

“Pregnant by who?”

“Me.”

“Shit.” He let out a long breath. We were both quiet for a few seconds. Then Trev asked the question I knew was coming next. “Is it yours?”

“I don’t know. I
mean, I don’t think it is. But I won’t know for sure until I talk to her. Fuck, this is a nightmare.” I turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb, heading towards the freeway. I wanted to get all this figured out like right now.

Trev’s voice boomed through the car speakers, “I don’t know what to say. I hope for your sake it isn’t yours because if it is, your life is about to get ten times more complicated.”

“No shit, Captain Obvious.

I rolled to a stop at the red light and waited for it to change. I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.

“Sorry man, I just…”

“I know.”

There were so many things swirling through my head. Brooklyn wasn’t speaking to me. I could be a father. Brooklyn was unemployed and in California, possibly because of me. Could my day get any shittier?

Just then my call waiting beeped and I checked the screen. “Gotta go. I’ll call you back.” I hung up on Trevor before he could even get a word out. Then I clicked over to the incoming call.

“Elizabeth?” I could hear the near panic in my voice. I had no idea how this conversation would turn out.

“Hey, L.” She didn’t sound nearly as giddy as the last time we spoke.

“Hi.” I spotted an open spot on the street and pulled over. This was not a conversation I wanted to have while driving.

“How are things?” she asked.

“They’re complicated.” I put the SUV in park and leaned back into my seat. My heart was nearly beating out of my chest. In a few short minutes, my entire life could be changed. I knew that I wanted to get married and have kids, but I also knew that I wasn’t ready to bring a child into this world. Not right now—and sure as hell not under
these
circumstances. Elizabeth was a decent girl, but she certainly wasn’t wife or mom material, in my opinion anyway. Most importantly, she wasn’t Brooklyn. And I didn’t want to be held hostage to an irresponsible decision.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I’m just going to be upfront. I called you because there’s a rumor going around that you’re pregnant. Is that true?”

Please say no, please say no.

There was silence for a few seconds. “Yes.”
Yes?
I clutched the steering wheel, forcing myself to concentrate on breathing. I was officially scared shitless. What would I do or say if she said the baby was mine?

“How did you find out?” she asked.

“From my girlfriend’s best friend.”

“Well that’s weird. I haven’t told anyone except my parents, and Samantha and Morgan.”

It all made sense now. Samantha and Morgan were at the event last weekend. “I guess that’s how she found out, since they were at the L.L.A.P. event.”

“So you called just to confirm the rumor?” I could hear the skepticism in her voice.

“No. I called to see if the other part of the rumor was true.”

“What other part?”

“Is the baby mine?” I was now holding the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were turning white. This was the moment that could alter my existence forever.

Elizabeth’s response was so low that I had to ask her to repeat it.

“What did you say?”

“The baby isn’t yours.”

I exhaled slowly. “Did you ever think it might be mine?” Because given the timeline, I sure as hell didn’t. But I had to be sure.

She didn’t answer immediately. “Yes.”

My heart nearly stopped.

She continued. “I mean, no. More than anything I wanted it to be yours, I even told Sam and Morgan that, but after my last doctor’s visit yesterday, the timeline didn’t add up.”

“How come you didn’t tell me when I saw you in Seattle? If you were saying it might be mine, that’s something you should have mentioned.”

“Well, when I asked how your girlfriend was and you didn’t say you were broken up, you looked so happy. Content. I didn’t want to taint that with my news.”

I let her admission marinate. I wondered if she would’ve tried to pull the wool over my eyes had I not been the one to call her out. “So you know who the father
is
now though, right?”

“Yes. I’m sorry if I caused any issue with you and your girlfriend.” Yeah, it was a little too late for that.

“Who is the father, if you don’t mind me asking?” I felt like I had a right to know in case later on she decided to no longer do the right thing and act like we never had this conversation. Or worse, try to claim the baby was mine.

“Jace Patrick” she murmured. I could hear the resentment in her voice.

“Oh.” That explained a lot about her reaction. From what the media showed on the internet and news, Jace Patrick seemed like a complete loser. He was always doing stupid shit and getting arrested for public intoxication and drunk driving. How the hell Elizabeth let him get into her pants was beyond me. I almost felt a little bad for her, but then I remembered that this was great news for me. One of my huge problems was solved and now I just had to figure out how to tell Brooklyn and hopefully get her to listen.

“Now you can see why I wish you were the father.” She let out a heavy sigh. “But I would
never
lie about something like that.”

“How far along are you?” I asked, trying to make small talk. She seemed a little down about things. I didn’t want to just rush her off the phone…although that’s what I really wanted to do.

“Five months. I’m due in late November, that’s what the doctor is guessing anyway.” She exhaled loudly. “I better go. I need to read over my lines before my audition tomorrow.”

“Take care of yourself.”

“I will. You, too.” She hung up and I felt the weight lift from my tense shoulders.

“That was close,” I said out loud. Relief washed over me, as I hit send on the call that I hoped would bring me closer to getting this shit storm resolved. I dialed Alex’s cell.

“Hel—“

“It’s not my baby,” I blurted out in one big whoosh. It felt so good to say that out loud. I could appreciate the situation Elizabeth was in. But damn. I was glad I didn’t have to go through that one with her.

“Come again?”

“It’s not my baby. Elizabeth is pregnant by someone else.” I waited for this information to sink into her brain. I hoped that now that she knew I wasn’t the asshole that hurt her best friend, she’d help me with my next plan.

“I called Brooklyn to give her the run down, but she hasn’t answered.”

“She hasn’t even returned my calls. I think she just wants some space” Alex said.

“That’s something I am not willing to give her.” I tapped the steering wheel as a MACK truck blew past my SUV and made it shake. “Look, I know you want to protect her from me, but I think right now I want to save her from herself. She’s upset because she thinks I lied and got another woman pregnant. All I’m asking you to do is help me out. If she slams the door in my face when I get there, so be it.” I’d be utterly crushed if that happened, so I held onto the smallest amount of faith that she’d let me back in. “Alex, I’m not willing to walk away, not like this.”

“Alright, stop begging! I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Alex. I owe you one.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said and then she was gone.

After hanging up, I turned the key in the ignition and headed home. The sooner I heard back from Alex, the sooner I’d be one step closer to Brooklyn.

Logan

Still no word from Brooklyn—which was
unacceptable. She could run, she could hide, but I was determined to find her and give her the news.

By the time I got home Tuesday night, Alex had texted me with Danielle’s number. As soon as I made it through the back door into the kitchen, I sat down and typed out a quick message to—hopefully—my newest ally in this whole mess.

Hi Danielle. This is Logan. We need to talk.

Not even seconds later I got a message back from her.
Yeah, we do. When can you be here?

Tomorrow.

As soon as I typed out that one word, I opened my contacts and called Jen.

“Hello?”

“Jen, it’s Logan. I need a flight to Los Angeles as soon as possible.” I stood from the kitchen table and headed towards the stairs. I needed to talk to Brooklyn face to face. We needed to hash out all this bullshit as soon as possible, because the reality was that I didn’t want us to end with her thinking that I had fathered Elizabeth’s child or betrayed her. We needed to settle this shit once and for all.

I heard Jen typing in the background, already jumping all over my request. “Okay, I can check into that and get back to you shortly. I’ll give you a call back once I have more details.”

“Great, thank you.” I climbed up the staircase, taking them two at a time. When I reached my room, I paused long enough to scroll through the pictures on my phone. I ran across the photo I’d taken of Brooklyn outside the aquarium in Atlanta. That was a good day. A day that had made me forget about all the bullshit that normally surrounded my life. Brooklyn looked so happy in the picture. I’d taken great pride in knowing that I was the one that put that smile on her face. I didn’t want to be the one that caused her pain or distress. Although, I wasn’t really to blame for the whole Elizabeth fiasco. She
should
have talked to me before she jumped off the ledge and believed Sam and Morgan. Hopefully once we’ve talked face to face, she’d learn that she could always come to me first with her issues. Even if the issue was me.

I leaned back into the leather passenger seat. It was Wednesday evening and Jen was able to work her magic and get me on a chartered flight that left at 4:00 pm. Last night I’d had a chance to talk to Danielle over the phone and convince her that the best thing for me to do at this point was to fly to LA to try to talk some sense into her sister.  She was surprised by how serious I was, since she had only been joking by asking how soon I could be there. I pulled my headphones out of my bag and plugged them into my iPhone. Then I slid my bag underneath the chair and settled in for the five hour flight to California.

Brooklyn

“Morning, Mom” I said, passing her in the kitchen on the way into the living room. It was Thursday morning and I’d already been back at my parents for almost two days. Things were already starting to feel like a routine.

“Morning, honey. Glad you’re finally up and at 'em. We’ve got things to do today.”

“We do?” I asked, sittin
g in my dad’s favorite recliner.

“Yeah, you know, buying decorations… all that fun stuff.” I held back a groan.

“Mom, you said it was going to be ‘a simple affair’. Remember that?”

“It is. I only invited seventy five people and the caterer is handling everything else.”
Ugh.
All I wanted to do was lounge outside by my parents’ pool and surf the web for photograph inspirations, but apparently my day had already been planned for me. I couldn’t say I was surprised.

“Okay, Mom. But just remember what happened last time you decided to throw a party in the backyard. The power went out and everyone was starving.”

“Oh, hush! It wasn’t my fault that a storm blew in at the end of August. The weather was supposed to be great that weekend. I’ve thrown plenty of great events since, so don’t you worry. This is going to be fun. All about living, laughing, and loving.”
Oh, brother.
I could deal with the living and laughing, but the loving was another story.

“What are you making for breakfast?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Grits and bacon” she said, coming around the corner into the living room where I was sitting. “It’s actually ready if you want to serve yourself.” My mom’s cooking was always a major perk of coming home to visit.

I stood and headed to the kitchen. “Great.” I reached for a bowl and started spooning my breakfast into it.

“Let me know when you’re finished and ready to head out. We have a lot of work to do before this weekend. Our first stop is the flower mart.”

This time I didn’t hold back. My groan practically echoed around the room. “Can’t we just go to Costco or something? I hate going to downtown LA. There’s never anywhere to park.”

“No. Briana has a cousin who can get me a good deal on floral arrangements for the tables.” And those were her famous last words. Every time my mom thought she was going to get a great deal, it usually ended up being some type of sham. Then she’d be upset because she thought the price should’ve been much cheaper than what she paid.

“Fine. I’ll come get you when I’m ready to go. I hope you know what you’re getting into.”

“This is not my first trip to the rodeo, sweetheart. I’ve got this handled.” My mom walked out of the kitchen, leaving me alone to eat.

Today was going to be a long day...and it was only Thursday.

Logan

I could already feel the jet lag setting in the following morning. It didn’t help that for the last two nights the accident plagued my dreams. I wished I could erase the images of the paramedics trying to pull my grandparents out of the crushed metal car.

I flung back the comforter and tossed my legs over the side of the bed. Small beads of sweat dripped down my neck onto my back. I sat on the bed in my boxers and stared out over the water. That was one luxury I did like about LA. I could always find a nice hotel near the beach.

The view was nothing to complain about.

I stood from the bed and walked over to the window, trying to collect my thoughts. I’d flown all the way to LA with one mission to accomplish. But I hadn’t really thought out what I was going to do when I got here. Now I was standing with the ocean laid out before me, and it seemed I needed to come up with a plan that wouldn’t make me look like a desperate idiot.

I stepped away from the window and walked into the bathroom. I hit the faucet in the shower and leaned against the marble counter. As I stood there, I couldn’t help but fixate my eyes on the scar near my shoulder. No matter how much it faded, I could always spot it—the jagged line where a piece of glass got lodged the day of the accident.

I pulled my eyes away from the scar and headed into the shower. I had a long and busy day ahead of me. In an hour, I was supposed to meet Danielle downstairs in the hotel restaurant. I needed to pull it together before then.

I stepped out the shower and grabbed my towel, walking over to my suitcase and pulling out a pair of jeans and a shirt. I slid the t-shirt over my wet hair and down my chest.

An hour later, I sat down inside the small restaurant on the downstairs level of the hotel. On a morning like this, I’d usually send Brooklyn a message letting her know that she was on my mind. But I knew any attempt to call or text right now would be useless. I hoped Danielle would be a little more level headed and at least hear me out. Just then my phone, which was on the table, began to ring. It was Danielle.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Logan? It’s Dani. I’m downstairs.” It was insane how similar she and Brooklyn sounded.

“Hi, I am already in the restaurant. Tell the concierge you’re here to see me and he’ll bring you back.”

“Okay, cool. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” The line went dead and then I was left with my thoughts and nerves. I took a sip of my OJ as I looked out over the water.

“Mr. Colton, you have a visitor.”

I placed my glass on the table and turned to see a slightly older version of Brooklyn staring back at me. Danielle’s tone was a little deeper than Brooklyn’s and she wore her hair straight. She turned to take a seat across from me. I was surprised to see she had one of the sleekest looking dragon tattoos down the right side of her back. The sundress she wore displayed the artwork perfectly.

“Nice tat,” I said, smiling. Brooklyn didn’t have one tattoo on her body, but her sister seemed to have a different type of swag to her. Daring, but classy.

“Thanks! Got it when I was young—er, and had a higher threshold for pain. After having a kid, your tolerance for pain plummets and then you realize you never want to knowingly put yourself through unnecessary agony again.” We both laughed. I could tell I was already going to like her. She was to the point like Brooklyn, but she seemed a little more boisterous than her sister.

I smiled at the fact that we had something in common already. I had no plans of getting another tattoo in the near future, though.

“When did you land?” she asked, scooting her chair closer to the table.

“Last night around nine.” I took a sip of my orange juice. “Thanks for meeting with me. I know it must seem weird.”

“Umm…yes and no,” she said, placing her bag on the back of her chair. She turned to face me again. “It’s weird that I’m sitting here instead of her, but then Brooklyn wouldn’t be Brooklyn if there wasn’t some level of drama in the situation.”

Didn’t I know it!

She looked at me pointedly. ”But I guess that brings me back to what you are doing here, and what you want, or think I can help you with. One thing that I know about my sister, if you cross her she’ll hate you for life. I mean like
really
hate you. She doesn’t forgive easily, but if you’re on her good side, you’re there to stay.”

“Truth is I can’t really say what side I’m on with her right now. If I had to guess, I’d say I have one foot in the shallow grave that she likely wants to toss my body into.” Even though I laughed at my own comment, there was a part of me that hoped that Danielle was wrong and Brooklyn still cared enough to hear me out. If she felt like I did right now, it wouldn’t be easy for her to turn off her feelings.

“You’re probably right, because the fact that she is holed up at my parents right now probably isn’t the best sign that she wants anything to do with you.”

“Seems that way.”