"No matter what happens, I want you to know that these moments with you are the happiest I've ever been."
I press a kiss to the top of her head, holding her tighter. "Me too, Dani. Me too."
As she drifts off to sleep in my arms, I stare up at the ceiling, thinking about the future. I don't know how I'm going to reconcile my two lives, don't know how I'm going to navigate the impossible situation I've found myself in. But I do know one thing for certain: I'm not giving up the woman in my arms. Whatever it takes, whatever sacrifices I have to make, I'm going to find a way to build a life with her.
Because some things are worth fighting for, and Dani is worth everything. Even if everything is still up in the air, and there isn't a clear-cut answer. This? What we have between us, is worth it all.
Chapter 26
Allison
Things have been slightly tense the last few weeks since Dani told me about Devil and Dime. It's not as if Dime and I have been able to seriously discuss it. I haven't wanted to rock the boat too much with Dime. He's the best man I know, and I don't want to lose him.
But to say it hasn't knocked us all slightly sideways would be a lie too.
Which is why I'm not necessarily paying attention as I'm trying to prepare my room for the next class. It's been a long day, and we're just right after lunch, not close enough to be almost the end of the day. I haven't seen Dime in three days, and I miss him.
"Miss Roberts, can I talk to you?" I close my eyes, before I lift my head. Logan. The kid who has been making me feel so uncomfortable lately. Sighing as quietly as possible, I lift my eyes and smile slightly. "Sure, what's going on?"
That's when I notice he's not looking like he normally does. His skin is clammy, and his hands are shaking.
"You've been ignoring me." He bites the words out.
The accusation hits me like a slap. I set down my lesson plans and really look at him. Logan Matthews has always been one of my more challenging students – not academically, but behaviorally. He's seventeen, a senior who should have graduated last year but got held back. There's something about the way he looks at me sometimes that makes my skin crawl, but I've always told myself I was overreacting.
"Logan, I haven't been ignoring you. I treat all my students equally." I keep my voice calm and professional, but my instincts are screaming that something is very wrong here. His pupils are dilated, and there's a wild energy radiating off him that makes me want to step back.
"That's bullshit!" His voice cracks, and he takes a step closer to my desk. "You used to smile at me. Really smile. Now you barely look at me. You're always helping other kids, always paying attention to everyone else."
I stand up slowly, trying to put more distance between us without being obvious about it. "Logan, I care about all my students. If you're struggling with something in class, we can set up a time to…"
"I don't want to talk about fucking class!" The curse word explodes out of him, and I flinch. He runs his hands through his hair, leaving it sticking up at odd angles. "I saw you, you know. Last weekend. Downtown."
My blood runs cold. Last weekend, Dime took me to dinner at that little Italian place on Main Street. We'd been careful, or so I thought. Small towns have big eyes, and dating a member of the Saint's Outlaws MC wasn't exactly going to win me any points with the school board.
"Logan, what I do in my personal time…"
"With him." His voice drops to a whisper, but it's somehow more terrifying than when he was shouting. "That guy with the motorcycle. The leather jacket. I watched you two for almost an hour."
The bottom drops out of my stomach. "You watched us?"
"You were laughing. Really laughing. The way you used to laugh with me when I'd tell jokes in class. And he was touching you." Logan's face twists with an emotion I can't quite identify, but it makes every alarm bell in my head start ringing. "His hands were all over you. And you liked it."
I need to end this conversation. Now. I take another step back, but my hip hits the corner of my desk. "Logan, I think you should go back to your class. We can discuss this with Principal Harrison if…"
"No!" He lurches forward, and I see his hands are shaking worse now. That's when I notice his eyes, not just dilated, but twitchy. Moving too fast, not focusing on anything for more than a second. "You don't get to dismiss me. Not anymore."
"What did you take?" The question slips out before I can stop it.
His laugh is harsh and bitter. "What didn't I take? Started with some pills I found in my mom's medicine cabinet. But that wasn't enough. Not when I kept thinking about you with him."
My mouth goes dry. This is so much worse than I thought. "Logan, you need help. Let me call someone…"
"I don't need help." His voice rises to a shout again. "I need you to stop pretending like what we have doesn't matter."
"We don't have anything, Logan. I'm your teacher. You're my student. That's it."
The words seem to hit him like a physical blow. He staggers back a step, his face going pale except for two bright red spots on his cheeks. "That's not true. You know it's not true. The way you look at me sometimes…"
