Not Quite Married Read Free Page B

not via this cowardly bullshit he was pulling. Logan knew Julia was an amazing mother. From what he’d seen, he figured Kevin wasn’t a bad man, but that didn’t mean he had to like him.
    Logan didn’t like cheaters, and the fact was that Kevin had made Julia feel like a fool and had hurt her so badly. There were deep scars inside of her, and Logan could still see how she struggled each day to trust. After losing her father, a soldier, to suicide, relationships meant a lot of challenges for Julia to overcome. Oh, he knew she tried to pretend she was okay, but she had major trust issues, and even though she wanted a relationship with Logan, wanted to get married, he could see the shadow of doubt that had been put there by another man.
    He glanced at the papers again and thought of his little brother Samuel, who was finishing up law school and still had to take the bar exam. He needed some advice, and although he’d always watched over his brothers, he realized that with something like this, he wanted family—his family—to help him find the answers. He didn’t think of the time as he dialed the phone and listened to a sleepy Samuel answer.
    “Samuel, it’s your brother,” he said. “Did I wake you?” He could hear rustling in the background over the line.
    “What’s wrong?” Samuel replied, instantly awake.
    “I’m getting married,” Logan said. He wondered how lame that sounded, since he hadn’t told anyone in his family—well, except his brother Ben, the oil executive who’d used his company chopper to help search for Trinity when she went missing. Had Ben told anyone? It was hit and miss as to what he’d say and what he wouldn’t, but Logan was betting he hadn’t said a word.
    “No shit,” Samuel said. “Seriously? Didn’t know you were seeing anyone. Tell me about the woman who managed to snag my big brother! Hopefully she’ll be able to keep your nose out of our lives.”
    “Ha ha, aren’t you the comedian?”
    Samuel laughed on the other end. “Really, I want to know about this woman. I was starting to wonder if you’d ever meet anyone.”
    “Julia, well…she’s amazing, beautiful—and she’s the reason I’m calling,” Logan said, pacing the kitchen and then glancing down the hall to make sure no one was stirring. He moved deeper into the kitchen and lowered his voice. “We have a legal problem, or rather she does, with her ex.”
    “What kind of problem?” Samuel said, and Logan didn’t miss the caution in his voice.
    “She has twin girls, Trinity and Dawn,” he explained. “Her ex, who lives in California, just served her with papers last night for full custody. She’s had the girls alone since they were small, and he only sees them a couple times a year.”
    “Well, family law really isn’t my area of expertise, but I do know Julia should have an advantage here. I’ve got to ask, though: Are you sure getting involved with a woman with this kind of baggage is what’s best for you?” Samuel said. “I have to tell you, things like this can get really ugly, and everyone gets dragged into the middle of it.”
    This was exactly what Logan didn’t want to hear. He squeezed the phone, wanting to shake his brother. “You know what, Samuel? Julia is decent and honest, and you’re not exactly one to be giving advice on women,” Logan snapped, remembering the family drama that had ensued when Samuel, nervous because his girlfriend was getting too serious, had hit on another woman in front of her at a bar. Jill had dumped him and left the bar with their youngest brother, Jake, and as far as Logan knew, Jake and Samuel still weren’t on speaking terms. He moved the receiver away, staring at the phone, then pressed it back to his ear. “Look, if this is going to make you start badmouthing Julia—”
    “Point taken,” Samuel snapped. “You don’t need to be an asshole about it, Logan.”
    Logan took a minute and just waited while Samuel let out a hard breath. Logan had