Page 35 of Twisted Fate

“I don’t think it’s as easy as it looks.” Rosa contradicted her. “I think people just hide how hard they work at it. Or hide the fact that one is giving up more than the other. It’s supposed to be a two-way street, this relationship stuff, but it’s still hard to navigate.”

“Especially when there’s three streets, I guess?” Keily broached the subject Rosa seemed most intent on avoiding.

“Grrr,” Rosa growled at her, but gave in. “It’s just a bump in the road, to continue the traffic euphemisms. As I said earlier, they want Mexico, I don’t. There’s also the fact that they don’t seem to get that my family is from there and why I’m here, why I was born here. Why my family left Mexico to begin with.”

“Oh, there’s a whole lot more there than you were letting on?” Keily said with a lifted eyebrow. “Are you saying they don’t respect who you are?”

“Kind of.” Rose cringed and then frowned. “Not really, but sometimes, I think they forget I’m different to them.”

“I see.” Keily knew she was probably guilty of the same thing but had to use what she knew to help Rosa. “Maybe you need to tell them that? Not bite their heads off or anything, but maybe just kind of be yourself and tell them that shit’s not cool?”

“Maybe.” She looked doubtful. “You’re probably right.”

“I probably am. I’m not saying they’re right, but maybe give them the benefit of the doubt?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. And don’t think I didn’t notice how you changed the subject this time.” Rosa tsked at her friend and got up. “I have to go, my couple are both off this weekend and I need to get ready for a grownup talk, don’t I?”

“Or you could stay and tell me more of your exploits?” Keily stood, a hopeful look plastered on her face, but Rosa shook her head.

“No more stories for you until you’ve got new stories of your own, woman.” Rosa bared her straight teeth at her friend then smiled. “Good luck with whatever you decide.”

“Thanks, I think I’ll need it.” Keily shrugged and followed her friend to the door. “See you next time.”

“Probably tomorrow, but maybe later tomorrow?” Rosa made it a question, in case Keily had plans.

“I’ll be here. I’m always here. At least until the girls get big enough to go outside when it’s warmer.”

“Good grief, if it gets any warmer, they’ll bake out there.”

“I’ll have Logan hook up an air conditioner out there for us.” Keily laughed but the smile faded as Rosa left with a wave.

She’d tried to get Logan to come back to her bed not long ago, had made it obvious what she’d wanted, but Zinnia had a fever that worried Avery and the nanny interrupted her attempt at seduction. Keily was up most of the night checking on all the babies after that and she’d sent Logan to bed, alone.

Sex was all but a distant memory for her but now that her body was healed from the pregnancy, birth, and emergency surgery, she was coming back to life. Even the sex dreams had started back up and those didn’t help when she lived with the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. A man that slept feet away from her, only a few torturous feet away. So close, she could touch him, if she was brave enough. It was hard to be brave after what they’d been through.

After all, he’d walked out on her for a reason. Had he really forgiven her, or would that crop up again later, when she least expected it? After she’d put her heart and soul into a relationship he’d just walk away from it again?

Hours later her phone buzzed, breaking her train of thought. It was Logan’s PA. Why was she calling?

“Hi, Keily? I’m sorry to disturb you. I know the hospital probably won’t call you, so I am.” The woman said, immediately causing Keily’s stomach and heart to lurch into hard knots.

“Excuse me? What’s going on?” Keily forced out from taut vocal cords.

“There’s been an accident.”

Keily’s fingers went slack and the phone fell to the floor.

17

Logan

Logan didn’t usually spend his Saturdays at the office, but he needed to be there to accept a package that should have come the day before, when his PA could have taken control of it. He got some work done until the package came. He decided to go and inspect the factory in the building next door before he left since it had been a while since he’d walked through there.

He noted a few safety hazards that he’d leave a note about and saw the weekend crew were having problems with one of the machines. He called in the repair crew and spent the rest of the day helping to get the machine up and running again. He wasn’t above getting dirty with his employees and it felt good to do something with his hands again.

It was getting late, well after 7 pm, when Logan found himself deep in the guts of a machine that made the plastic parts for a small, but very useful, taser disguised as a phone case. The material they used in the injection molding machine was stuck in a roller that had malfunctioned and Logan was trying to lift one of the rollers with a crowbar while one of his employees fished around to retrieve the material. He’d learned long ago that the unbelievable happened when it came to large-scale production and today was one of those days.

His arms were straining as the load of the huge roller pulled at his muscles, and Logan wanted to tell Will, his employee, to get a move on, but he knew this had to be done right or they’d have to do it all again when they started the machine back up. Logan moved as the load became heavier, his grip on the crowbar slipping when his hands started to sweat and burn against the crowbar’s pull on his skin.