Page 86 of Broken Prince
Sure, she might like me for my looks, but I know it’s not the only thing. She loves my son. She doesn’t see him as a burden or something that gets in the way.
I know I said all we could ever be is friends, but I want more, so much more with her. What the fuck was I thinking?
As if I can ever get her out of my mind, my body, my fucking soul.
“You okay?” her sweet voice flutters through the air as I sway to the side.
“I'm good. S-so damn g-g-good,” I stumble over my words. “Numb. It’s nice.”
I swing my blurry gaze to find her soft, kind, worried eyes. “I think you’ve had enough.”
I’m about to protest when I feel a wave of nausea hit me. “Fucking hell,” I grumble. “Can’t even enjoy a few drinks.”
“Few?” she laughs. “Logan, you’ve had ten.”
“Need ten more,” I groan, putting my head on the bartop to make the world stop spinning.
“What I think you need is some sleep. You're going to be miserable tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I was going to hang out with Benny for a bit before he went back to his mom’s. Now, I won’t see him for God knows how long.
Tears sting my eyes as I roll my head towards Laney.
“If I knew,” I say slowly. “If I knew I wouldn’t get to see him again, I’d have spent more time with him.”
Her face softens, a sad look in her eyes I don’t like seeing. “You're going to see him again, Logan. She won’t keep him from you.”
“You don’t know that!” I whine. “She’s evil, Laney. So damn evil. If you cut her open, she would bleed poison.”
“I know.” Laney puts her hand on my back. She starts to rub, and fuck, it feels nice.
“I’ve been a bad dad,” I whisper, eyes still closed.
“What? How could you say that?” Laney asks. “No, you are far from a bad dad, Logan. You’ve been an amazing dad–you're the best dad.”
“No,” I groan, shaking my head, regretting it immediately. “I’m always so busy. Too busy. Never enough time.”
“You're going to school, getting an education, bettering your life so Benny can have everything he needs in his.”
“I’m rich,” I snort. “I don’t need school or ball. I could be at home all the time with him.”
“Logan,” she warns. “That might be fine now, but what happens when he gets older and is in school. You can’t stop living your life, you don’t need to. You can find a balance. It might seem harder now, but you're done with school after this year. Then you’re staying close by for the UFL team. You're already putting off your NFL dream so that you’re here for Benny when he needs you. You don’t have to put your whole life on standstill.”
“Without Benny, I have no life. I don’t want to live if he’s not with me,” I mumble, feeling the heaviness of sleep take over.
I hear Laney say something, but I can’t make it out.
“Hey, man,” a familiar voice rouses me. I groan as I feel my body being pulled upright. “Let’s get you back to your room.”
“Leave me alone to die,” I moan as I feel my legs moving without my knowledge.
“Not today, man. Not for a long time.” I blink my bleary eyes up to find Justin holding me.
“Hey, man.” I sigh. “You're the best friend I could ever ask for, you know that?”
“Same goes for you.”
“She took him.” Anger fills me. “She took my baby.”