Chapter 4

Logan’s question immediately set Lauren off.

"What is that supposed to mean? You don't need a husband to have a kid, Logan. Don't be such an old-fashioned boomer!"

"So she’s not married?"

Logan instantly relaxed, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his drink. A tiny smirk played at the corner of his lips.

"Good. What about the father? Have you met him? Who is he?"

Lauren stared at him, her expression turning suspicious.

"Logan, you're looking a little too happy about this. You can't start hating on other people's happiness just because you’ve been single for a century."

Logan raised an eyebrow.

Lauren leaned in. "Look, when Sophia gets back, don't you dare bring up Nina's dad. I'm pretty sure she hasn't dated anyone else because she still can't get over that deadbeat jerk."

Hearing this, Logan's smirk vanished instantly.

By the time I walked back to the table, they had finished their little hushed argument, and I sat back down.

I’d never told Lauren the full story about Nina's dad.

For one, we only met after Nina was already born. Secondly, I figured I’d never see the guy again, so there was no point in digging up the past.

I had only vaguely mentioned that the father was unreachable after I got pregnant.

But Lauren had clearly filled in the blanks herself, assuming he was a classic pump-and-dump scumbag. To spare my feelings, she had never pressed for details.

And now, things were incredibly awkward.

Even though I felt guilty lying to Lauren, I didn't dare drop the truth bomb about Nina’s parentage yet.

I didn't know Logan well enough. If things went south, it would ruin my friendship with Lauren.

Later that evening, Lauren and I had a few drinks, so Logan naturally took the keys to drive us back.

As the car headed north, Lauren pressed her face against the window. "Wait, you're going the wrong way! Sophia’s place isn't over here."

"I’m dropping you off first," Logan said smoothly. "I have some errands to run later, so I'm not heading straight home."

Lauren pouted, grumbling, "If we knew you were busy, we wouldn't have let you drive. Sophia and I could have gone to another bar for round two."

Logan glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "In your condition? I don't think so."

The car pulled up to the Miller estate, and Lauren reluctantly got out.

Feeling the suffocating tension of being alone with Logan, I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt. "Actually, my place is pretty close from here. I can just call an Uber. Since you have errands—"

"It’s no trouble. It’s on my way."

Lauren nodded in agreement through the window. "Yeah, just let him drive you. He doesn't have anything important to do anyway!"

Pushing it any further would make me look guilty, so I had no choice but to accept.

"Where to?"

"Cherry Street Apartments, please."

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Didn't you want a round two? I’m taking you there now."

"No, really, Lauren was just joking," I said politely. "Thank you for today, Logan. Sorry for the trouble."

"Are we really going to pretend we’re strangers, Sophia?"

I hadn't expected him to be so direct. My breath hitched.

Before I could answer, he spoke again, his voice filled with certainty. "You remember."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar," he murmured. "Did Lauren never tell you what my background is? I’m trained to read micro-expressions and emotional shifts."

Panic surged, and I tried to force my face into a blank mask.

Seeing this, Logan let out a soft, genuine laugh. "I was kidding about that part."

"Logan!"

"There you are," he said softly. "You’ve been so incredibly tense around me all day."

Terrified of giving away anything else, I shut my mouth and refused to say another word.