Page 63 of Consuming Logan

“I was just about to grab a sandwich.”

Granny Lou narrowed her eyes.

Logan cleared his throat. “Ah, no ma’am. Not yet.”

“Ava mentioned assembling the furniture for the babies’ room.”

The little woman had put him on report. Granny Lou adored him, but she’d follow Ava’s dictate.

“Yes, I…I need to get the right tools.” He hadn’t even looked at the instructions.

“While I make us some lunch, you go on in the nursery and start figuring out what equipment you need to get started.”

Now, wait a minute. Never had he been dictated to in his own house. He told Ava the crib would get done. He meant it.

“Go on now. Ava could use a nice surprise when she gets home.”

The thought of Ava smiling at him warmed his insides more than a bourbon shot.

He downed the last of his coffee and tapped the counter. “I’ll do that.”

“Okay, I’ll call you for lunch. After you eat, you can help untangle the yarn in my bag.”

As Logan tidied the couch and picked up the popcorn from the floor, it occurred to him that Granny Lou had schooled him. On the way to the guest room, Ava had designated as the babies’ nursery, Logan grabbed a JB Daniels miniature off the bar. In the back of Logan’s mind, he wasn’t sure he was receptive to the lesson.

Chapter 24

The Saturday before the wedding, Logan and a very round Ava relaxed on the family couch taking in a movie. Logan curled his long body behind and around her expanding frame, his hand lay over her round belly. She used his bicep as a pillow for her head. God, he was so lucky.

Suddenly, Logan felt a wave of movement beneath his palm, and a swell of pride burst within him. His child.

“Do you feel that?” he asked in a rush, amazed at the thrill he experienced at the touch of his child.

“Yeah,” Ava groaned, “I’ve felt it all day.”

Some might have thought her statement a complaint, but Logan heard the awe in her voice. Ava loved being pregnant. He sat up.

“I should grab the camera.” Yes, they were those parents-to-be. Following Janna’s suggestion, they created a weekly chronicle of Ava’s pregnancy. Neither of them had made the leap to posting weekly belly snapshots to Facebook, but they could.

“No, stay. I’m too lazy to move,” she sighed.

He chuckled. “It is nice to have the house to ourselves,” he said relaxed, and pulling her bottom closer.

Granny Lou had decided to stay home, thank the heavens. Logan swore she jumbled her yarn bag on purpose. It seemed every one of her visits, he had to untangle fibers and re-roll each ball. Or, worse, thread tiny pearl beads onto silver-plated wires. The job took three hands and at least an hour. His fingers ached like crazy after completing just one of her many daily chores. Yesterday, she had the audacity to bring her latest sewing project…Logan’s job-threading needles. Supposedly he got the job because he had what Granny Lou called ‘young eyes.’

Angling her face over her shoulder, Ava smiled up at him. “How was it with you and Jonah joining Thady’s Helping Hand group?”

Logan looked down at his woman. She always wanted everyone to be okay, including him. Logan knew she worried, but he was better. His fingers had regained some of their strength. His fine motor coordination had improved.

“To use your military jargon, I like the camaraderie. Thady is gifted and the cockiest kid I’ve ever met. He competes with me. And losing is never an option.” Logan thought of how the kid amazed him with his dexterity. His hand deformity seemed to propel him to try harder, rather than retreat.

Ava twisted around, regarding him. “Yeah?” she prompted.

“It’s just, he challenges himself. He jumps in with all the activities, using his ‘helping hand’ without considering he may fail.”

Ava gave him a curious look, eyes crinkled at the corners in confusion. “Are you scared he’ll fail?”

Logan paused, hearing the double meaning even if it wasn’t Ava’s intention. “I have faith in Thady’s ability to devise a plan that protects him and accomplishes his goal. He’s a marvel.”