Safer Outside (A Mature YA Romance) (The Outside Series) (15 page)

“Don’t sell yourself short, Mom.” Her head bounced up at my words. “You’re good with numbers and super organized. Once you take those classes, I know you’ll find a great job. I’m really proud of you.”

Tears pooled in her eyes but she held them in. It wasn’t often I said encouraging things to her but I resolved to change that. If she could take steps to be a better mother, I could try to be a better daughter.

Before the moment got too awkward, Will jumped in. “Angie, if you’re looking for a job while you’re in school, I might know of one.”

I looked from him to Logan but neither man would meet my eye. I pinched Logan’s arm but he just cracked a smile and pretended to be engrossed in a conversation at the next table.

“Really?”
The way my mom lit up made me forget about being out of the loop with whatever they had planned. I missed seeing excitement on her face.

“It’s not
glamorous but one of my office managers is leaving me in a few weeks so I need someone to run my storage facility. It comes with an apartment but the hours aren’t too bad and you’d have plenty of time to study when it’s not busy.”

“An apartment?”
She was as dumbstruck as I was. “For free?”

“Of course.”
All eyes were on his hand as he placed it over Mom’s and held it there. “There’s a small yard for the children and it’s near a park. The job is yours if you want it.”

She slowly tore her eyes away from his hand and locked them with Will’s. She just nodded, unable to speak t
he words I knew she was feeling. The same words I couldn’t get past the lump in my throat.

The love and compassion I’d experienced since meeting Logan wasn’t something I could express easily. It was something that surrounded me, filled me from the inside out. And it was slowly extending to the people I cared most about.

He made me a better person and gave me a better life. I gave him my body, mind and soul and he gave it back to me tenfold. As long as I had Logan Cooper, I would never be afraid again.

Epilogue

Twenty-four hours left until I’m free. An official high school graduate, ready to embark on my next journey and see where life takes me.

The past three years have been the best of my life.
Seriously, the best. Jesse’s death was the key to opening up options for me and my family. But really it was Logan that changed everything. He gave me a reason to fight back and that’s ultimately what saved us.

Mom is a completely new person. She loves her job and is throwing herself into it. She set up a new billing system that has improved collections by 50%. Will even offered to pay for business-related classes so books and tuition for her bachelor’s degree have been
fully covered. She’s scheduled to take the CPA exam at the end of summer and I think she’s actually gonna pass. By taking care of herself, she’s truly putting the kids first in a way I’ve never seen in her before.

Macy started preschool this year and is a little hellion. Sassy doesn’t even begin to cover her attitude but it’s so funny that we can’t discipline her without laughing. Mom has her work cut out for her. She’s adopted a stray cat that’s about to have a litter of kittens
. I have a feeling this is how the previous manager started her journey into cat-ladydom. It worked out pretty well for her so I’m not too concerned.

Billy’s new school is amazing. He’s in middle school now and joined a baseball team. He ca
n’t stop talking about it. He gives me a rundown of every inning even though I haven’t missed a game yet. I’ve never seen Billy look as proud as he did when he was handed the game ball after his first home run. I don’t know who had messier makeup, me or Mom.

“Honey, are you almost ready.”

“Yes, Mom. I’m coming.” Grabbing my bag off the hook in my room, I run down the stairs to meet up with everyone.

“Can we go now? I’m starving.” Billy is standing in the doorway with his body half outside.

“Let’s go, kid. I’m hungry too.” Will invited us over for a pre-graduation dinner since I’m going straight to the all night party after the ceremony and Logan is taking me to the beach for the weekend.

Logan just finished his second year at Stanford. I was so relieved when he decided to stay close for college. He was accepted to Brown and University of Pennsylvania but claimed he wasn’t ready to leave his dad alone. I, on the other hand, did not get into
Stanford or any other high brow schools but I wasn’t too heartbroken. We couldn’t have afforded those schools even if I did. So, I’m going to Atherton College, a small private school just a few miles past Stanford that offered me a generous scholarship. Mom doesn’t know it yet but Logan and I will be getting an apartment together this summer. I’m waiting for the right time to break it to her.

When we get outside, I walk straight to the silver minivan that Mom bought used a few yea
rs ago. It’s not pretty but it’s practical and she’s cool about letting me drive it. I stood at the passenger door for a good thirty second before realizing no one else is with me. Looking around, I see Mom, Billy and Macy standing in front of a black Honda Accord. It takes my brain a second to translate what they’re doing. As I take a few steps toward them, Billy steps away and reveals a big red bow perched on the hood.

My eyes immediately go to Mom’s and she’s nodding her head.
“Happy graduation, baby. I’m so proud of you.”

She rushes to me and pulls me into her arms. Through the tears blurring my vision, I can see that it’s beautiful. Looks brand new even though I know it must be a few years old. I wipe my eyes and pull back.

“You bought this for me?” It’s such a foreign feeling to be getting something so expensive from anyone, much less my mother.

“Do you like it? I tried to get something safe and reliable but
still cute.” I walk to the driver’s door and open it, peeking my head in to check it out.

“It’s perfect.” I look back at Mom. “I can’t believe you did this. Are you sure you can afford it?” Doing the mental math, I know she must have used most of her savings just for the down payment and the monthly payments wou
ld be crazy high for such a pristine car. I calculate what I’d need to pull out of my savings to cover it if she can’t.

“I’ve been saving, and yes, I can afford it. You just have to pay for gas and insurance but I want you to have something nice for school next year.”

I slide in the black cloth seat and take a deep breath. Although I can’t see anything, the distinctive vanilla scent makes me look around for an air freshener.

“Logan put it under the seat,” Billy says as he climbs across the back seat.

“What?”

“The little tree.
He put it under the seat so it wouldn’t be ugly.”

“Logan knows about this?” I look
at Mom in the rearview mirror as she buckles Macy into the seat behind me.

“He helped me pick it out. He wanted to make sure it was in good shape.” Mom
chuckles to herself. “That guy is pretty anal about cars.”

That was the understatement of the year. He was shockingly meticulous about most things despite his generally laid-back attitude.

~**~

When I pull up in front of Logan’s house, he’s already waiting for us outside. As I
open the car door, he pulls me into his arms. Instinctively, I melt into him. I feel like I’m not entirely whole unless he’s wrapped around me. His nose burrows into my neck as he inhales my scent.

“
Mmm, you smell delicious.” He gently nips at my earlobe. “I could eat you up.”

“
Don’t be a tease,” I whine. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too, love. Two days is too long to not see you.”

“You’ve got me all weekend.”

“Do you like it?” He lifts his head and nods toward my new car.

“I love it. I can’t believe you knew about it and didn’t tell me.”

“
Ang wanted it to be a surprise.” His lips brush against mine lightly. My lips chase his as he pulls back. “Ah ah ah. We’ve got to get inside. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Can’t we just ditch them and go christen my new car?” My hand slides down to cup his ass and I give a little squeeze.

A low growl vibrates through his chest as he pulls me against it. “Now who’s the tease?” He sucks my lower lip into his mouth and tugs, conveying with his dark eyes that he means it. “Inside. Now.”

With a whimper, I take a deep breath to collect myself.
“Fine. But I’m not done with you, mister.”

I straighten my shirt and stomp to the front door. Logan is mumbling something about my hair when I open the front door and walk in like I own the place. Just as I’m about to head toward the dining room, c
ameras flash and people appear from every direction. If Logan didn’t grab my shoulders as I jumped back, I would have landed on my butt.

Mom is in th
e center of the room with all my friends and most of my family, taking pictures and screaming, “Congratulations.”

I look around the room and see so many loving faces, it’s overwhelming. When my eyes lock on Will’s, I can see the pride and love he has for Logan and I as he watches from the corner. He’s been like the father I never had during the time that I’ve known him. I give him a big smile before turning back to Logan.

“Seriously? A surprise party?” I try to act mad but I’m just too damn happy to pull it off.

“Would you have agreed to a
graduation party if we asked for permission?” He nudges me toward my mom as he waits for my answer.

“Uh, no.
Never.”

“That’s why we didn’t ask.” With a quick peck to my temple, he steps away so my grandma and aunts can pass me around for hugs.

I never imagined being as happy as I am now. We danced and laughed and had cake and it was one of the best times I’ve ever spent with my family.

Using
the excuse of needing some air, I sneak out to the balcony and look back at all the people that truly love me and are rooting for me to succeed. I don’t want to get teary but I can’t help it.

I’m excited to leave for college but a part of me wants this for a little while longer. I want more time with a happy mom. I want to see the joy in her eyes when she’s able to give me something special or see me reach a milestone. I want to be at all of Billy’s games and pick up Macy from school and take her for ice cream. I won’t be far but it won’t be the same. What seemed like freedom only a few hours ago now seems like I’m bein
g pushed out of the nest and I have mixed feelings about it.

“What are you thinking about, beautiful?” Logan scoots against the railing and tucks me into his side, rubbing his palm over the goose bumps on my arms from the cool breeze.

“I can’t believe I’m leaving home soon. I’m gonna miss them.”

“You won’t be far.” He turns so he’s standing in front of me, blocking me from everyone inside. “And you’ll always have me.”

“Always?” I ask, smiling. I’m not being insecure. I just like to hear him say it.

“Forever.”
He pulls another one of those blue boxes out from behind his back. Over the years, there have been several. Sometimes earrings or a bracelet. A few necklaces. But never a ring. That first ring is still my most prized possession and has never come off my finger so when he places the box in my right hand and holds my left hand against his heart, I feel faint.

“You’ve worn my ring for almost three years and I never wanted
you to take it off.” He lowers my hand and slowly slips the ring to the tip of my finger. “But I think it’s time for an upgrade.”

My breath hitches as Logan pulls
the silver band free and slips it into his shirt pocket then drops to one knee. Still standing with the new box in my hand, I can’t say a word as he lifts the hinged lid and removes the biggest diamond ring I’ve ever seen. “Elizabeth Charlotte Martin, will you make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my wife?”

I drop
to my knees in front of him and attack his mouth with mine, nodding my head furiously while stealing the breath from his lungs. The sound of cheers and ‘aww’ from the other side of the glass wall finally forces me to pull away.

“So…is that a
yes?” Logan’s gorgeous smirk makes me want to climb right back inside of him.

“That’s a yes
. Forever.”

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I have to thank Charlotte Abel for letting me ride her coattails into the amazing
world of publishing. I would’ve never considered editing, much less writing, if it wasn’t for her constant support and encouragement. You’ve changed my life in so many ways!!!!

Another instrumental partner in getting this book completed is E.L. Todd. She not only helped me through some plot holes but she edited this and countless other books so I could keep writing.

Obviously this book was inspired by many friends and family members. You know who you are...and if you aren’t sure, just ask. This wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without the real life memories to embellish.

And speaking of, I have to thank my husband and sons for putting up with me toting my laptop to every beach, scout meeting and family vacation we’ve gone on for the past few...years.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t admit Stephenie Meyer was a huge part of the reason I rekindled my love of books. I’ll forever cherish the ways that Twilight changed my life and brought so many lifelong friendships to me.