Chapter 74: Chapter 74

So no, she couldn't be dead. Otherwise, he would spend the rest of his days a lost man, consumed by the emptiness that was expanding inside his chest at that very moment. Otherwise, he had lost, ignoring her, all the precious time he could have had with her.

- No, no... - he choked, feeling tears start to burn his eyes, while Lucy, Angela and Simon were completely unaware of his reaction, still focused on trying to get in touch with Missy - No, it can't be true. We have to go to the crash site. We have to call the hospital. We have to get some information. We have to know where she is and if she's okay, we have to... - He ran his hands, which seemed to be spasming so much they were trembling, through his hair, despairing more and more with each word, asking himself what he would do if he really had lost Missy forever...

- Missy! - Simon's exclamation knocked all the air out of his lungs, but nothing could be compared with the crippling sense of relief he felt when he turned his face towards the elevator and saw Missy coming out of there, completely soaked and with several cardboard boxes in the hands. And, while he was struggling not to fall to his knees because of the intensity of emotion he felt at seeing that she was okay, everyone ran towards Missy, relieved – Are you okay? We were so worried...

- I'm sorry, guys. – she apologized sadly, putting the boxes on the floor so she could hug her friends – My car got stuck at the beginning of the traffic jam due to the accident and I had to walk here, so I couldn't answer the phone because of the boxes and.. .

For a long time, Logan stood where he was by the window, listening to Missy talk, completely oblivious to him, not really understanding what she was saying. The only thing that really mattered was the sound of her voice: proof that she was really there, alive and well and healthy. He could see her, hear her, smell her and admire her smile. If he reached out and touched her hand, he could feel the flushed heat of her skin. If he kissed her, he might finally find out if she tasted like honey, as he'd dreamed she would since the day he'd seen her lapping up the sweet liquid in his mother's kitchen.

If he approached her right now and told her he loved her, they could live a lifetime together.

And, for a few seconds, all that wasn't taken away from him. Missy had been there, on that slippery road, in the pouring rain, one step away from death. A moment longer and she could have been in that other woman's shoes, bloodied on the asphalt. No voice, no smell, no soul... No life.

And he would have lost her forever.

Missy and her friends were still talking when he forced himself to crawl back to her office, feeling as if his bones were passing, but still as if the whole weight of the world was on her shoulders. And, indeed, he was. The weight of the epiphany he had was almost unbearable. It was thick, suffocating, and bewildering. Why it finally dawned on him: he was being a complete asshole. A blind, ignorant asshole who, by refusing to accept that maybe something he'd always feared could bring him happiness, had wasted precious time with the most perfect woman in existence. And, if he didn't stop that stupid behavior, he would end up wasting a lifetime. Out of sheer stubbornness.

At the time, he remembered seeing that epiphany as a “surrender” to the legacy. Now, however, he realized that it was nothing more than the moment he had come to his senses and come to his senses. When he'd admitted that he'd fallen in love with Missy because of who she was, and not simply because of a legendary old witch's spell. He loved the woman who, even from a distance, had enchanted him more every day during every moment of that year they had known each other. And he wanted to be happy with her, just as his father was happy with his mother and his brothers with their brothers-in-law. He wanted to see her smile when she saw him, just as he automatically smiled when she was around. He wanted to know that he brought her happiness, just as she brought him. He wanted to see her moaning with pleasure in her bed. He wanted to say out loud that he loved her, for everyone to hear, including Missy herself. He wanted to hold her, give her gifts and share with her the things she loved... He wanted to kiss her and put his mother's ring on her finger...

He wanted her to love him too.

And so it happened. Love had finally flooded him completely and, for all eternity, he had become hers, right here in this moment, alone in her office, her heart swelling inside her chest almost as if it wanted to explode from the inside out. Heavens, he had even gone as far as the door of her office and spent more than half an hour there, completely still, having to contain himself every second so as not to burst into that room and declare himself right there, to release the months at once. of desire, passion and pure love accumulated in your body and in your heart. However, For the first time in months, his self-control had served him well: luckily, he'd managed to reason enough to know that having a deranged man burst into his office and declare his undying love for her would likely only drive Missy further away from him. So he just went back to his office and stood like a stature at his desk, waiting for night to fall until he was finally sure Missy was gone – far enough away that he didn't give in to the urge to run after her. like a madman in love.

Had it really been years, not days, since that sleepless night, finally letting his dreams and fantasies turn into plans, while he thought about how he could get closer to Missy? With complete clarity, he could recall every memory he had reviewed in his mind, remembering what Missy liked and what she didn't, plotting down to the millimeter which flowers he would buy to please her, which words he would use to try to get her to forgive him. , how exactly would he invite her to dinner... And, mostly, he planned how he could do all that without giving in to the desire to take her in his arms and simply tell her how much he loved her. Which he certainly couldn't do, obviously. Everything had to be absolutely perfect, as Missy deserved.

And that's how, in search of total perfection, he spent the entire weekend reviewing every step he would take, every syllable he would say, every impulse he would control... Until finally a new morning of work arrived and he found himself with a bouquet of peonies, which he'd discovered to be her favorites during her brothers' wedding, waiting for her in the slow-moving hallway where her office was... Until he watched her arrive in the distance, standing where he wasn't. visible, on the other side of that corridor...

Making out with Liam Newton.

That's when he discovered a new form of torture, which was no longer sweet.

And he'd discovered that maybe fate wasn't going to let him get away with defying him.

Lost in his reverie and his memories, Logan only woke up when he realized that the boys were now looking at each other in a confused way, certainly not able to understand the kind of depth he had been talking about; clearing his throat, he smiled at his boys, putting aside his memories and returning to lighten that conversation.

- But you don't have to worry about that for a long time. After all, the legacy never reached anyone under the age of 20.

- All of that? – Jonathan's eyes widened, shocked – And if I've already met my soulmate before that?

- So, as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the day of the 20th anniversary of the two of you, then you will know immediately. – good-naturedly, he tapped his son's nose with the tip of his finger, making him smile – Any more questions?

- We'll think of more! Tristan promised excitedly.

- Of course, as you always do. – Logan laughed, getting up with them in his arms, in order to put them on their feet too – Now, I think we better hurry. Or your mom's meeting will be over before we even get a chance to go down to the pool. - Excited, the boys ran to where Gwyneth was still creating figures with the floats, which led her to give them an adorably irritated scolding, when the twins disrupted their work.

With three kids excited to be going swimming and a tiny baby angel in his arms, Logan resigned himself to just grabbing Hope's purse nearby and calling the front desk to ask them to send a member of staff to pick up the rest of the toys they had left. children wanted to take, before finally going down with their children to the huge swimming pool where the house they lived in could easily fit. As expected of one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, everything around it was impeccably decorated and exorbitantly expensive, perhaps even more so than he remembered the place being from the few times he'd stayed here on business when he was still a model. And he can't help his chest swell with pride at the thought that even one of the biggest tech companies in the world knew that Missy deserved all the best, ensuring that she and her family could have all their expenses paid for in that hotel. for two weeks just so she could spend a single day speaking at a meeting and then attending a party.

Sitting on the edge of the sparkling pool, which was more like a river than anything else, Logan cradled a newly awakened Hope in his arms as he watched his older children jump and play along the shallow end where they were, making the baby giggle with every drop of water they ended up throwing over them. Smiling, Logan lifted his beautiful little girl to his face, tickling her chubby cheeks with kisses and delighting in her laughter of her and her brothers around him, until a voice behind him – a voice he thought he would never hear again – cut him off.

- Delivery from your room, sir. - With a mixture of shock and fury, he craned his neck to face Liam Newton, whose face, thinner and haggard than he remembered, seemed to drain every drop of blood as he recognized him too.

- Newton? – Logan grunted, immediately feeling the same hatred that he had felt for that man 6 years ago, when he dared to break his Missy's heart – Do you work here?!

- Hmmm... - he saw a mixture of humiliation, fury and fear flash quickly in Newton's eyes, before he sighed, defeated - Yes, sir. And I really need this job, okay? My mother has become even more insufferable since she became persona non grata in high society thanks to you, and she thinks that me having a job in such a fancy place might give her another chance. Which means she'll kill me if I get fired, so...

- I don't want to hear your sad story, Newton. – Logan rolled his eyes, annoyed – I just don't want to see you anywhere near me or my family again, understand? - The growl in his voice got even wilder when he saw Newton quickly divert his eyes towards the children, who were still playing nearby, completely oblivious to their conversation.

- Of course, sir. – even obviously irritated by having to obey him, there was also great relief in Liam's trembling voice, who practically ran out of there right after.

Watching him walk away like the coward he obviously still was, Logan tried to contain the rage that coursed through his body like an electric current, struggling to calm himself. However, the only thing that really got to her temper was when Hope started babbling, looking sad that he kept glaring at the horizon instead of going back to playing with her. Staring into those sweet blue eyes, exactly like Daniel's, Logan took a moment just to admire that little face that, despite having his father's eyes and his black hair, was a perfect copy of Missy's, with the cute little nose. , the full lips and the adorable expression. So even though the memories of all the times that man had disrespected and humiliated the woman he loved were still making a part of him boil with rage inside, Logan managed to calm down enough to go back to rocking his baby, reassuring him. up. After all, Newton would be far away and none of them would be forced to put up with his detestable presence around...

- Has anyone ever told you that the dad facade makes you even sexier?

For a minute, Logan wondered if he was in one big nightmare, built from the memories he'd reawakened that morning. It was the only explanation for why he was hearing that voice right after seeing Newton. So he blinked a few times, expecting to wake up at any moment. However, everything around him remained the same: the crystalline water of the pool, the sound of his children playing around him, the little face of his precious daughter before him... And the strident sound of the feminine giggle that approached behind him. more and more...

Until Suzan Foster appeared before him.