“So, I called to ask you a question,” he said, his deep voice cutting through her thoughts.
She let out a lungful of air and let the smile return to her lips. “Okay. Shoot.”
“What are you doing on Christmas Eve?”
“Um, nothing really. I go to church on Christmas Day so I’m usually in bed by ten the night before. Why do you ask?”
“My family are all getting together at my brother’s place. Everybody will be there. I thought it might be a good time for you to meet them all. Only if you want to, of course. No pressure.”
“Are you sure they want me there? I’m not really family.”
“Of course you are.” His voice was firm. “You’re having my baby. That makes us family. And I want you there.”
The familiar warmth washed over her. “Then I’d like to come. Which brother’s house?”
“Gray. He has the biggest house, though Tanner’s is pretty huge, too.”
“And will Cam be there?” She felt strange at the thought of meeting him. From the photographs Logan had shown her, the two of them were virtually doubles, though you could tell them apart from their hairstyles and the clothes they wore. Logan was always slick and sophisticated, where Cam was casual.
But it wasn’t the similarity that made her hesitate. It was the fact they were so close. For a while, they’d both had the same dream of playing in the NFL. And even now they lived in the same city.
Cam was important to Logan. All his family were. And that made their opinions matter. Would they think less of her for getting pregnant?
“Maddie specifically asked me to invite you,” Logan said, as though he could read her thoughts. “She’s looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Did she tell you we bumped into each other? She’s so sweet. She messaged me to suggest we go shopping after Christmas and start up a registry for the baby.” She smiled at the thought. “I guess we’ll need to get two of everything, since you’ll have him or her some nights.”
“Yeah, I guess.” His voice sounded a little strange. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“We have plenty of time.” Was it weird she wanted to reassure him. He was so naturally confident and calm that she didn’t like hearing the hesitation in his voice.
“We do. And I’ll be able to concentrate on things more once the new restaurant opens.”
“When are you planning on opening it?” she asked him.
“It’s due to be ready late January, if all goes to plan.”
“Not long then.” No wonder he sounded so harassed. “How many restaurants will you have?”
“This is our fourth. The plan was always to have five in the city and surrounding areas, then look at expanding in the east. New York, Washington D.C., possibly further south.”
She tried to imagine him running this empire he was creating with a baby in his arms, but it was impossible. She’d already begun to think about how she would juggle working on the farm and taking care of their child. It wouldn’t be easy, but compared to his life it was a piece of cake.
“Sounds demanding.”
He chuckled. “You could say that.” She could hear the murmur of another voice. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll pick you up at seven on Christmas Eve if that works?”
“Sounds perfect, thank you.”
“Everything else okay?” he asked, as though he wasn’t quite ready to hang up.
“Everything’s fine,” she said, her voice teasing. “Now go and sort out your restaurants.”
“I’ll talk to you soon. Take care.”
He ended the call and she put the phone back on the counter, running her finger along her bottom lip. Why was it that everything seemed so easy when it was just the two of them?
And why was it that everything else – his work, her in-laws, the distance between them – seemed so damn complicated?