“You have me and Charlie.”

“I know. It’s nice. I hate the idea of being all alone. It scares me.”

“Yeah, sometimes I wonder if that’s how I’ll end up too. Charlie won’t live with me forever. She’s got her own life, and pretty soon I can see her finding someone she’d rather share a house with. I’m not exactly her kind of people. She prefers a busy lifestyle. I know my work is tedious and unpredictable, but when I come home I want to relax. She’d rather run around town at all hours of the night. I’m not complaining. She’s a great tenant and friend. I’m glad we’re friends.”

“She’s been really nice to me, especially that first night. I was in a terrible way and she sat up with me for a while. I would have probably gone crazy without her to settle me. It didn’t help how I was cuffed to a table.”

“I did that for your own good,” he reminded me.

“Yeah, I know that now. I’m sure I wasn’t easy to deal with. How you were ever nice to me is beyond me. I snapped at you so many times.”

“I knew it wasn’t the real you talking. It’s water under the bridge anyway. We’re friends now, right?”

“I’d like it if we were. I don’t have many.”

“Then it’s settled. From now on I’m not an FBI agent keeping you safe. I’m just Logan, someone you met along the way.”

“I know it’s hard for you to talk about, but you must have had the best upbringing. You’re too good to be true sometimes. I always stereotyped authority figures as being cocky and hard to deal with. Now that I’ve come to know you, I feel like you’re the kindest man I’ve ever met. It’s funny. I used to feel that way about my dad, before I started to date and want my own life.”

“Aren’t all fathers supposed to be overprotective?”

“He took it to the extreme. When I left home I didn’t struggle that much with the thought of walking away from him. It was saying goodbye to my mother that hurt the most. I haven’t talked to my brother and sister in months, and the one that visited me has no idea where I am or what’s gone on since I saw her last. I feel like such a shitty person.”

“You’re entitled to have a little break from reality for a while, Cassie. I’m sure if you contacted them they’d be happy to hear from you.”

“I told you before, it’s not going to happen. I need to be settled into a stable life before I can let them know what I’ve gone through to get there. I can’t face them knowing I have nothing to show for it. Everything they said was spot on. I feel like such a jerk for not seeing it before.”

“Love is blind. It makes us do crazy things. It’s not until time slips away from us that we realize what we’ve lost while on the journey.”

“Are you a poet in your spare time as well? Did you fall from the sky?” I teased.

“Hey, save those lines for the men. Don’t take away all my moves.” This time I was the one cracking up. “Seriously though. It’s true. I’ve been in love before. I thought she would be my wife. We were too different. It never would have worked, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t try.”

“I bet she’s sorry she walked away from you now. I’m sure you have a sort of appeal to every woman who meets you.”

He glanced at me for a quick second. A half-smile formed in the corner of his lips. “I can be a dick, Cassie. Trust me, I’ve got an ugly side, just like everyone else. I’ve just learned to manage my stress better than others.”

“You should teach me how to do that. I’d like to let things go instead of having them eat me up inside.”

“I’d be glad to help. We’ve got nothing but time for the next few days.”

“You still haven’t told me where we’re headed.”

“East coast,” he replied.

My stomach knotted up. “Really? What state?” I only asked because I wondered if it was one I’d been to. “I need to make a stop in Kentucky and then Virginia. Why? Do you know any good places to stay or eat?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

I wasn’t ready to call home, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t see Christian and Addison. Maybe we could have dinner and get a hotel close to where they lived. I was sure they’d come to the city to visit with me.

This trip was going to be good, I could feel it. Logan was going to help me deal with my issues, and I’d be able to possibly see some of the family I missed with all of my heart.

My new friend was making it happen, and I started to wonder if he’d ever see me as more than just the junkie he rescued.

Chapter 24

Logan

I drove through the night, stopping once to fill up the gas tank. Cassie stayed up for as long as she was able before succumbing to sleep. She was cute when her head fell to the side and she snored lightly to herself. Her dark hair kept falling in her face, making me want to push it to the side to watch how peaceful she seemed to be.

While driving in silence, I started to wonder if this trip was a terrible idea. Maybe she wasn’t ready to face her family; not the way I was forcing her to. I kept trying to play out her reaction when she found out what I’d been up to. Our friendship would sever, it was the only thing I was sure of.

For some reason it bothered me more than it should. I’d come to enjoy her being around, not just because she kept the house spotless and sometimes fed me real home cooked meals. The more I got to know her, I genuinely liked the person she was turning out to be. Cassie was young. She had potential. She was smart, spunky, and a homegrown southern girl. She’d be a good mother, even if it was all just a fantasy in her head.

A part of me envied her ability to dream so vividly. As much as I read and had experienced, I was unable to envision such a detailed future. What she explained, I could picture in my head. It was a beautiful dream, better than any cabin on a mountaintop without electricity.

I kept thinking about it up until my eyes were getting to feel too heavy to continue driving. I stopped in the next town we came to and located a hotel we could get some much needed rest at. I almost hated having to wake her up to offer her a more comfortable bed. She seemed so peaceful.

I reached over and ran my hand over her smooth cheek. In this form she was innocent of all her crimes. Though they haunted her, I knew it was something she could easily bury. She deserved a good life, free of criminals and bad relationships. “Cassie, I’m going to get us a room for the night. Will you come inside with me?”

She nodded and started to sit up, looking around to see where we were. “What state are we in?”

“We’re at the Utah, Colorado line. I need to get some sleep or else I’ll be shit tomorrow.”

She followed me inside and waited while I checked us in. I didn’t even consider she’d want her own room. We’d been living under the same roof for long enough where I assumed she’d be comfortable, as long as there were two beds.

We rode the elevator up to the fourth floor and walked to the room we were given. Once inside, Cassie took the first bed. She plopped down on it face first. “I’m exhausted.”

“I’m going to change before I get in bed. I can’t sleep in jeans.”

She sat up and turned in my direction, putting her finger in the air as she spoke. “That is a good idea. I think I’ll change too.”

“Go ahead in the bathroom. I’ll take my pants off out here.”

“Are you sure?” She asked.

I nodded and watched her rummage through her bag until she found a pair of pajamas to put on. She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving me to hurry up and get out of my pants. I dropped my jeans after removing my shoes, tossing them over a chair next to the bed. Cassie came out as I was lifting my shirt over my head. I heard her gasp, but didn’t feel like I was out of line. We were both adults. She’d seen me walking around the house in a pair of shorts before. Boxers were basically the same thing.