When You're Ready (Ready #1)(55)

“Hey, sweetheart,” Clare’s mom said in reply.

She exchanged similar greetings with her father, the man’s eyes never leaving mine. Clare was kidding about her dad roughing me up, right? Because right now, he looked like he was holding back a right hook.

“Mom, Dad. This is Logan Matthews. Logan, these are my parents. Thomas and Laura Finnegan.”

I offered my hand, but Clare’s mother surprised me and gathered me up in a hug.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Logan,” she said.

She pulled back, and her eyes, the same green eyes I’d become addicted to, were brimming with unshed tears. Panicked for a moment, thinking I had upset her, I searched her face and found her smiling.

Happy tears. She’s happy.

I was speechless.

“Mom, you okay?” Clare asked, wrapping an arm around her mother.

“Oh yes, honey. I’m wonderful.”

Dad, on the other hand, didn’t look quite so approving of me as he turned to Laura and Clare.

“Ladies, do you mind giving Logan and me a minute to get to know each other?”

Clare gave me an encouraging smile before nodding to her father and exiting with her mom.

Fuck. I’m screwed.

“Logan, why don’t you join me for a beer?”

Uh, okay. Not how I expected this to go, but I’d go with it.

“I’d be happy to, Mr. Finnegan,” I said cheerfully.

“Call me Tom, Mr. Finnegan always makes me think my father’s around,” he joked. He was relaxed, but there was still that look in his eye. That appraising, calculating, judging look.

We grabbed two beers and planted ourselves in some nearby chairs, silently watching everyone mill about in the backyard. I watched as Clare greeted several of the guests, hugging various friends of the family. Tom wasn’t what I expected, although my perceived notions of a father figure were slightly skewed. In every single memory of my own father, he wore a suit. I’d never seen him in anything else. He was always straight-laced and rigid, never a hair out of place. Clare’s father was relaxed, wearing shorts and polo. He seemed warm and approachable. Well to everyone else at least.

“So Logan, tell me about yourself, ‘cause I’ve heard and seen plenty,” Tom said, his opinion of me clear in voice.

Well, shit. That explained the look. I didn’t have a chance with this man from the very start. My father’s name and money followed me wherever I go, but it’s my lifestyle, the one I chose to live he was questioning. The women, the alcohol, the endless partying. I always wanted to blame my father for everything, but all those choices were my own. No one to blame but myself.

“Well, if you know everything, there’s not much to say. Do you want me to deny it? Because I’m not. My choices, my mistakes, my past. But that’s exactly what it is, my past. I gave it all up the moment I saw her, because Clare and Maddie, they’re my future.”

Clare’s father didn’t say anything for a long time, just remained quiet, slowly nursing his beer, and thinking. I waited, because I had nothing else to say. I had already laid my cards on the table. All of them. I couldn’t change who I was in the past, but I could change who I was now, and would be for Clare and Maddie.

Finally, he turned to me. “Good. Very good, son. Welcome to the family.”

He stood and pulled me into his arms, hugging me like a father would a son.

Or at least, how I always imagined it would be.

And just like that, I was family.

~Clare~

I watched as my father and Logan embraced and I felt my knees grow weak. Knowing the importance of this moment for both men brought tears to my eyes that I quickly brushed away. My father had lost a son, and Logan had never had a father. It was a beautiful moment.

“Looks like you have your father’s blessing,” my mother said.

I nodded, unable to speak, watching the two men.

My father leaned in and whispered something in Logan’s ear. Logan’s masculine laughter filled the backyard, and he nodded, saying something back to my dad. My father, smiling, gave Logan a swift pat on the back before walking back into the house.

Like gravity, I moved toward him, my hands finding his.

“What was that about?” I asked, wondering what my father and Logan were planning.

“Nothing. Nothing,” he said with a wink.

“Jerk,” I muttered. I hate surprises.

“Everything went well?” I asked, knowing it had but wanting to hear him say it.

“Everything was perfect. Thank you, Clare.”

He didn’t elaborate on what, but he didn’t have to. I know what that moment must have meant to him, and I just nodded. Arm in arm, we walked over to the swings to find Maddie and Leah. I joined Leah at the swings, while Logan began pushing Maddie, making her giggle and scream.

“So, meeting the parents, huh?” Leah asked as I pushed off, swinging my legs back and forth, gaining momentum. The swing felt about ten sizes too small and made my butt feel gigantic, but I loved the feeling of weightlessly soaring through the air. It made me feel like a kid.

“Yep. He was nervous as hell,” I admitted with a slight smirk.

“Ah man, I would have loved to see that,” she said sincerely. She loved seeing people squirm. I think it was such a foreign concept to her that it left her completely fascinated. Nothing made Leah squirm.