Chapter 53

Has she lost her mind?
What the hell?
“That sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon, but it’s a no for me,” I say, trying to contain my sarcasm. “However, you’re right about one thing. It’ll be great for Az and Logan to hang out together.”
“Mom, please. Can’t you come with us?” Az asks with hope filled in his eyes. I glance at Chelsea and she’s scowling at me, daring me to go with the two of them.
“I can’t, bud. But you two go. I bet it’ll be fun!”
“Is it because you’re going to have fun with Ethan?” Az asks, grimacing up at him.
“Az!” I answer with a more stern tone in my voice.
“Oh, so that is your name!” Chelsea changes her demeanor, looking again at Ethan with a smirk. “That suits you. Ethan.” She repeats his name as though she’s ripping off his clothes.
Good Lord, her husband-to-be is right here. Can’t Logan see that?
“We can still hang out. I’m sure you must be exhausted from doing so many favors for Allie here,” she goes on. My face flushes because he has indeed done a lot of favors for me since I met him. I shyly glance at Ethan, and he has a small smirk on his face. The bastard must be thinking the same thing I am. “Oh my goodness! Judging by your face, I must be right!” Chelsea winks at him. And his little smirk is all Chelsea needs to keep her eyes glued on Ethan. Damn it.
That is why I don’t want him walking through their entrance with us. It isn’t just because of Logan. It’s because of Chelsea, too. Ethan is far too handsome. I glance again at Ethan, and his eyes are on Chelsea. It has absolutely nothing to do with me not liking him showing other women attention. Nothing. Because that would suggest that I want Ethan’s attention. And I most certainly do not...
Ethan glances at Logan before lazily looking back at Chelsea. “Maybe next time.”
Chelsea opens her smile so wide that I can hear her jaw crack. I curl my hands into fists.
“Az, go put your stuff inside so we can go,” Logan says to Az. My son nods and walks into the house with his hands on the strap of his backpack.
“How long will he be staying here?” Chelsea asks as Az disappears to Logan.
Logan shifts to me, waiting for an answer. “Uh, maybe the whole weekend...” I say, feeling my chest tighten. “He misses you so much.” I look away.
“Of course he does. I’m his dad!” Logan says. “But seriously. The whole weekend?”
I almost shake my head. He does not understand the meaning of being a father.
“I don’t know, Logan,” I answer him. “You should spend more time with your son. Perhaps, then, you would not ask me this.” 
“Allie, this is so petty,” Chelsea says. “Lolo is trying to help you as he always does.” 
Help me with *his* son?
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Logan asks me through clenched teeth.
Oh shit! *That face*. I instinctively take a small step back. “Hmm, sure.”
Logan walks into his house without uttering a word, a silent command for me to trail behind him. 
I look back. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Ethan. Then I remember that he’ll be alone with Chelsea. Oh, shit! “Uh, if you want... you can wait for me in the car.” I shrug like I don’t care. “I’ll be right back.” 
Ethan gives me a short smirk in that way that makes my knees weak, seeming to realize my motives behind the suggestion. Am I that easy to read? 
As I make my way through Logan and Chelsea’s house, I hear two sounds. The first one is the sound of the door closing behind me. Chelsea is probably making sure to have Ethan all to herself. And the second one is the low song that’s playing when I get to the living room. The same one that was playing when I caught Logan cheating on me with Chelsea in her bedroom. The song ‘Beautiful Liar’ by Beyoncé and Shakira hits my ears and makes me remember all my feelings from that day. And judging by the look on Logan’s face as he leans against the square dining table, it doesn’t seem like the song brings back bad memories of that day for him like it does for me. Well, if I think carefully about it, my life has changed a lot since that day. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but weeks later, I saw that, yes, it could and had. A lot worse. But Logan’s life appears to have only gotten better.
“So you’re still living at his house,” Logan asks with a small jerk of the tip of his chin in Ethan’s direction. “Why do you have to come with him, Allie?” Logan asks. “I told you I don’t like him. You’re not sleeping with him, are you?”
“Logan.” I take a deep breath. “I told you I am not, and it’s none of your business.”
“My son is sleeping in the same house as that brute, Allie. I think it’s my business!” Logan says, pushing himself off the dining table and walking towards me.
I’m not that far away from him, so I take a few steps back and stop when my back hits the wall behind me. “What do you want, Logan?” I get straight to the point.
“I couldn’t log into the bank account. Did you change the password?” he asks, narrowing his eyes down at me.
“It wasn’t because I wanted to. It was a security measure from the bank itself,” I tell him the truth.
“If that was the case, then why didn’t you send me the new updated password right away?”
“Logan, I—”
“Don’t bother. Send it to me. Don’t make me repeat myself, Allie. Also, don’t make me wait for what you should have transferred yesterday.”
“Okay. I’ll send it, I was really busy this week so I didn’t have time to do it,” I say, biting the inside of my cheek.
“I believe in you, Allie,” Logan tells me with a smirk, touching my hair. Ever since he last saw me with this new hair color, he’s been looking at me differently. I don’t like it. He goes on, “Trust me, I believe in you.”
“What about your job search? Have you found any good leads?” I ask when I notice he’s calmer now that he knows I’m going to transfer him more money than before.
“Always this same talk, huh, Allie?” Logan says, turning his back to me and heading towards the kitchen. “Why do you put so much pressure on me? I’m doing the best I can!” he yells.
I follow behind him because I know better than to ignore his rants. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I was never enough for you, Allie.” Logan grabs a glass from the green cupboard and fills it with water from the fridge. “Do you know how hard it is to listen to all your nagging ‘when are you going to find a job?’” he mimics my voice in an annoying way. “I’m doing the best I can!” he says exasperatedly.
“Mom?”
I turn around and Az is looking at me with sad eyes. “Az, it’s not what you think. And you shouldn’t be listening to this,” I say immediately.
“Why are you being so hard on Dad?” Az says, his every word showing his disappointment in me as his shoulders drop.
“Don’t worry, son. You know your dad is used to this by now. Come on, I’ll take you somewhere really fun!” Logan says, throwing away the water without even drinking it first.
“Az, you misunderstood, bud. Besides, you shouldn’t listen to other people’s conversations,” I say, sighing. 
“Let’s go, Dad.” Az grabs Logan’s hand, and they start walking towards the door.
Logan turns back and shakes his phone with a wink. His way of reminding me again to send him money.
I lower my head and pinch the bridge of my nose. I’m ready for this weekend to be over.
They open the door to leave, and I force my body to move and follow them.
When I get outside, Chelsea isn't anywhere to be seen, much less her car. Logan closes the house door behind me as I look at Ethan’s car, he’s inside alone. I give him a small smile.
I walk over to Logan’s car to help Az get in, but he opens the door before me and slams it shut. “Bye, honey,” I say from outside, waving my hand.
He puts on his seatbelt and crosses his arms in front of him.
Logan gives me a tight smile that says ‘you’ve done such a disservice to your relationship with our son that this time even I feel sorry for you’ before starting the car and driving off.
I take a deep breath before heading over to Ethan’s car. 
“Hey,” I say, opening the car door.
He doesn’t respond or acknowledge my presence, he continues to focus on his phone.
I sit down and take advantage of Ethan being busy to transfer money to Logan’s account before he calls me to remind me to do it.
Just as I’m about to transfer everything in my account except $20, I hear a growl, and then my phone is abruptly snatched from my hand with sudden force.
“Are you going to give that fucker your money?” Ethan asks, rage filling his black eyes.