Fighting Fate (Granton University #1)(65)

This time, the silence in the room was more stark and echoing.

“You what?” Kevin finally said, his voice halting and disbelieving.

“I…we grew up in the same county,” Logan explained. “Neighboring schools. Biggest rivals. Everything she told you about his death was true. I got into a fight with him, and after I hit him, he fell and hit his head, and he died. Then my lawyer dad got me out of trouble, and I never spent a moment in jail for killing him.”

As he finished, he closed his eyes, braced for the fallout.

Samantha was the first to react. “Well? Keep going.”

“Keep going?” Logan opened his eyes and frowned, confused.

Sam waved out her hand, signaling him to continue. “Yes. Keep talking. I know your story doesn’t end there. What happened after your father cleared your name?”

She didn’t look at all surprised to learn he’d murdered someone. It sent off alarm bells in his head. But everyone else was gaping, clearly not in the know.

Since he still stood in the middle of the circle, the center of attention, he kept going as the leader had instructed him to.

“After…after he cleared my name, my dad told me to leave and never come back.” He looked up, straight into Sam’s sympathetic gaze. “I haven’t seen anyone in my family since then. I moved away and ended up here where no one knew who I was or what I’d done. I just wanted to start fresh with a new life, as a new person.”

Swallowing down the hard lump in his throat, Logan looked down at his hands. “I know I didn’t lose anyone like everyone else here did. I don’t belong in this group. I…I’m sorry for deceiving you and misleading you into thinking I was…grieving.”

Wiping at his dry face, he lowered his head and started for the door.

“Logan, stop,” Sam said.

He paused and glanced back, ready for her to rip him a new one.

“But you did lose someone,” she told him softly. “You lost yourself.”





Chapter Twenty-Five


SAM WENT DIRECTLY TO LOGAN as soon as the meeting let out. Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, she hugged him to her side. “I’m so glad you talked to us. After you left for a couple months in there, I was worried you’d never be able to get this off your chest. I kept waiting for you to return, hoping you’d come back.” Tightening her grip with encouragement, she smiled proudly. “And now look at you. Maybe it’ll be easier for you to share the little things from now on too.”

He blinked, bowled over. “You actually want me to keep coming to the meetings?”

She laughed heartily. “Yes, I most definitely want you to keep coming. And—” she glanced around before leaning in close to whisper “—I have a little confession.”

When she winced, he frowned. “What’s that?”

“The first night Paige showed up to the group, I went looking for you afterward. Took me a while to find you, but when I did, I overheard a little of your conversation with her…in the back hallway.”

“Holy—you mean, you knew about me all along?” he realized with startling clarity. His mouth dropped open. “But why—” He gasped. “Is that why you signed us up for the cancer center’s visit on the same day? To force us together so we’d work out our differences?”

Sam winked. “Guilty.”

He shook his head, rattled by this revelation. “And Jamie?” he asked. Had she convinced Jamie to no-show at the children’s ward and then to tell them they needed to hook up?

Sam snorted and waved a hand. “She forgets to show up for everything she volunteers for. I was just banking on the odds there.”

This was almost more than he could take. Samantha had known about him for months, and she’d forced him and Paige to be together. He wondered how Paige would take such knowledge.

Jumping when Samantha slapped a quick kiss to his cheek, he blinked when she patted his arm and moved off only for Kevin to hedge closer, looking decidedly uneasy.

“Yo, man,” he said, not making eye contact.

“Hey,” Logan said and bit the inside of his cheek. He hadn’t been all that worried how the group would receive him when he’d blurted out his story. He’d been too busy trying to defend Paige and explain why she would never want anything to do with him. But now…now he worried.

“Damn.” Kevin blew out a long breath as he glanced askance to Logan. “And I thought I’d had it bad losing my dad and all, but for your entire family to drop you? That’s harsh.” He clapped Logan on the shoulder in companionship. “I got into a couple fights in my day. I can’t even imagine what it would’ve been like if any of them had ended the way yours had. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

Kevin’s total acceptance of him caught him hard in the chest. For the first time in his life, he wanted to hug another dude.

Resisting, he nodded stiffly. “Thanks.”

Kevin nodded back, his brown eyes full of understanding. “Catch you next week.”

As he wandered off, a couple more people approached. Dumbfounded by all the support, Logan thanked everyone and escaped at his first opportunity. For three years, no one had accepted him, no one had forgiven him. And now, to have an entire group of friends at his back…it was overwhelming.