from day one. And there was no way he was supporting Reagan when she blamed Toni for her problems. Toni was innocent. “How can I support her? She’s accusing the wrong person.”
“I don’t mean that,” Toni said. “Support her through the impending media shitstorm. You know it’s just started. They won’t leave her alone now that the story is out. All the other stuff they stole from my journal is old news, but Reagan’s relationship is a current event. It’s going to get ugly, Logan.”
Logan scratched his head and scowled. He hadn’t thought about that. Of course Toni, who always empathized with everyone, would think to worry about Reagan’s future struggles.
“So you don’t want to be with me for the rest of the tour?” he asked. He needed to see her. He was glad they were talking like rational adults—who’d have guessed he’d ever be so mature about such a situation—but he needed to see her, to touch her. He needed the physical reassurance that she loved him. To see it in her eyes. Feel it in her touch. Words weren’t enough.
“Of course I want to be with you. But even more than that, I want to confront the bitch who did this and out her for the thieving, back-stabbing, heartless cunt that she is.”
Logan’s jaw dropped. He’d never heard Toni say negative things about anyone before. Apparently her hurt had turned to anger.
“So you know who did it?” Logan asked.
“I’m pretty sure I do. Remember Susan, the editor who works for my mom’s company? The entire meeting in Denver, all she could focus on was the dirt she wanted on you guys. I never saw my journal again after that day. I think she took it when I was with Birdie in the bathroom.”
“You’re going home,” he said, a strange tug pulling at his chest. He rubbed at the spot. He suddenly realized that they hadn’t been apart for more than a few hours since they’d met. If this was what it felt like to be without her—this ache, this yearning—he wasn’t going to last a day on his own.
“For a few days at least. I’m not going to let her get away with this.”
That was too long to be without Toni. But she needed to take care of business, and he had to be supportive, even if it was from a fucking distance.
“I’ll miss you,” she said to fill the silence.
“I already miss you.”
“Be there for Reagan,” she reminded him.
“I’d rather be there for you.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’m stronger than I look.”
That was a fact he couldn’t argue against. “If you need anything, call me. I’ll come running.”
“I love you.”
Those three little words still made his heart fill to bursting. “I love you too. Let me know when you get home so I don’t worry.”
Toni chuckled. “You’ve changed, Logan.”
“Why do you say that?”
“When was the last time you worried about anyone but yourself?”
“Hmm.” He scratched his chin. “I guess never. It’s a damn hindrance, to tell you the truth.”
“Sorry—not sorry—to cramp your style, Mr. Rock Star. I’ll call you.”
He wasn’t ready to hang up when they said their goodbyes, but she had places to be and evidently he needed to support Reagan. He slid the door open, found himself caught in Reagan’s glare of intense loathing, and shut it again. She needed a bit more time to herself, he decided. And he needed to sleep. Alone. He returned the cushions to the sofa and flopped down on his back, staring at the ceiling, already bored out of his mind. With a sigh, he picked up his phone and downloaded a movie to help him pass the time. It had been a while since he’d seen The Princess Bride.
Thirty-Three
Toni rubbed at her eyes with one hand and yawned as she fished around inside the flower pot on the back porch for the spare key. She hadn’t caught much sleep on her red-eye home, and then driving a rental car home through fifty miles of dense fog had drained her remaining energy. She needed to find her bed for a few hours’ sleep before she drove to Nichols Publishing and planted the sole of her boot firmly in Susan Brennan’s conniving face.
It had been after midnight when she’d boarded the plane. She’d been certain the household would already be asleep, so she hadn’t called home to warn anyone of her impending arrival. She’d decided Julian wouldn’t appreciate her calling him at six in the morning for a