Chapter Eight

Back at the office, Logan sat on the edge of Meena's desk, stuffing her face with a large steak and cheese subway.

Liam had been sent off to gather everyone's lunch order and had gotten the order perfect for once. Except that in his eagerness to get Meena and Logan's order correct, he'd forgotten the chicken in his own sub.

Peppers and onions weren't very filling or fulfilling. Liam sighed as he looked at his pathetic offering. "Give me some of that steak, I need the protein. I'm a growing man, after all."

"No." Logan rolled her eyes at the pout her friend sent her. "Fine, growing man indeed."

"Please, you have so much." Logan pleaded.

"Fine," Taking some kitchen roll Logan took some of the delicious steak from her roll and passing it over to Liam. Was it her fault he had swiss cheese for a brain? "You owe me."

"No way, it's just steak!" Liam shrieked.

"Still owe me, I could be eating that delicious steak right now, but I shared it with you," Logan said smugly.

"That's enough, children." Meena interrupted. "Logan, your girlfriend called again this morning."

Liam groaned audibly.

"Again, bloody hell, can't she take the hint?" Logan sighed.

"Maybe she gets confused; she doesn't think ending up being fucked on your desk by you means, hey, I think we should take a permanent break from each other," Liam replied just before he stuffed his baguette into his mouth.

Meena cringed. "Yes, thank you, we don't need the details."

"Yes, Liam." Logan hissed. "She'll get the message, I'm too busy right now."

"With what, our last case ended up with a murder." Liam shrugged.

"And who murdered him, Liam?" Logan asked.

"Oh no, no way Logan, we are not getting involved in this even if you are in love with the detective on the case, she'll never allow it," Liam said sternly.

"In love, what the hell does divorce mean to you, Liam?" Logan sighed; she was tired of this. It wasn't her fault that her path always seemed to cross with Roisin's.

Logan turned around, missing the look Meena and Liam shared.

Liam remembered well the night Logan turned up on his doorstep drunk and crying, that night Roisin had told her their marriage was over. Logan had been devastated primarily as she still hadn't fully comprehended her father's death months before.

Logan had become a different woman ever since, sometimes Liam wondered if she was, maybe she'd been body-snatched by aliens or something equally as dramatic and unbelievable.

She was a far cry from the jubilant woman who had stars in her eyes as she waited at the altar on her wedding day, so impatient was she that Logan ran down the aisle to meet Roisin.

The congregation had laughed that day, Liam had laughed too, his friend had been blissfully happy.

Liam often hoped that Logan would return.

Wedding reception, June 2nd, 2016

"Okay, now I know what you're all thinking." Logan grinned her glass of champagne in one hand as she let her other rest on her wife's shoulders. "How did I get the most beautiful woman in the world to agree to one date, let alone marry me."

The room full of guests laughed loudly, Roisin's cheeks reddening. They'd planned out the wedding for two years ever since gay marriage became legal.

Logan had set about with one purpose plan the most romantic proposal in the history of marriage proposals. So she did, they'd been dating for a year at that point, and Logan knew there was only one person she wanted to spend her life with.

Logan had proposed on Valentine's day in Paris, in The temple of love. Logan had read that by kissing your lover at the center of the folly, then your love strengthened. Logan went that one step further and proposed.

All the planning and stress had been worth it; after a debate about whether the wedding would be held in Roisin's native Dublin, they decided on Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire.

"And I'll tell you one thing I have no idea how I got so lucky, and I am sure as heck not going to question it." Logan grinned at their friends and family before turning affectionately soft eyes towards her new wife. "Wife, you're my wife. I can't believe I went from shy unrequited crush to wife. You truly are the most wonderful woman I have ever known."

Roisin dabbed a handkerchief to her eye to remove the unwanted tears; tears of joy were just as annoying as sad ones.

Logan reached her thumb to wipe away a stray trail of wetness that ran down her wife's cheek. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I will spend my whole life showing you how much I love you."

Logan's jaw had just about fallen off when she had turned around to see Roisin walking down the aisle to meet her. Roisin had kept the dress a carefully hidden secret, and Logan knew why.

She'd never looked more ethereal than she did at that moment. The dress was a light blue, a far cry from the conventional white, but Logan had smirked; her wife was no virgin.

Embroidered long elegant sleeves and a modest front. Luckily, however, Roisin had a beautiful cleavage.

Logan's eyes had spent enough time there over the years to attest to that.

Roisin really did look magical with her long blonde hair pulled up high over her head with trails falling down each side of her face.

"Oh, Log, stop." Roisin laughed, wiping away more wetness from her eyes, thankful she had used waterproof mascara. "It was her aim to make me cry today."

"Story of Logan's life, it wasn't Georgie Porgie who kissed the girls and made them cry." Logan's brother Jackson called out cheerfully. "It was Logan."

"Yes, thank you, idiot," Logan replied sarcastically. "Not only am I acquiring a wife today, but I am selling a brother, so any takers I will give him away for free."

"Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted." Logan smiled back at her wife. "I never knew I could be this happy, I didn't think it was possible, but somehow you see something in me and thank goodness that you do."

The blonde woman reached out to hold Logan's hand. "I wouldn't change you, you're perfect."

A loud chiming broke the intense gaze Logan and Roisin had fallen into. Logan's father was standing, hitting a spoon gently against a crystal glass, careful not to break it.

It looked antique, and that would definitely go on top of their bill, which was already extortion.

Jerome cleared his throat, his big long body towered over everyone, his dark hair set with salt and pepper at the sides was swept back from his face neatly. "I was told I'd have to make a speech as the father of the bride, and after a little while scratching my head working out what that meant, the fear set in."

"Please, no two brides joke, Dad." Logan groaned, leaning into her wife dramatically. "I begged him not to do it, Roisin, I swear I did."

Her father laughed genuinely. "My daughter thinks I'm an embarrassment telling old dad jokes. I remember first hearing my daughter had her sights on Roisin, my initial thoughts were, for goodness sake run Roisin, run very fast now!"

Logan gasped in dramatic outrage. "Dad!"

"But Roisin was too slow, or Logan just has too much of her father's charm because here we are." He smiled proudly at his daughter. "In truth, I'm sure a lot of fathers would have dreaded this moment their daughter marrying another woman. But my daughter told me at fourteen years old she was probably gay, so it wasn't a surprise and Logan, honey, it makes a father happy to see his child so happy, and I have to thank Roisin for that."

"Dad." Logan blushed under her father's proud gaze.

"I remember so well bringing you home from the hospital, I checked the baby car seat fifty times to make sure it was safe and drove home so slowly." Jerome smiled.

"He's not joking, a tortoise passed us." Logan's mother, Naomi, chuckled.

Jerome nodded proudly. "Not even my first child. Jackson had been a monster baby, and Logan was so small and tiny, and I spent all night watching you sleep, and then I blinked. Now we're here, my baby girl is all grown up, and here I am giving a speech at her wedding reception. The time went by so quickly, but what makes me happy is I get to see my baby girl happy and fulfilled, and she found someone who loves her as much as Logan loves her."

Logan smiled, reaching for her wife's hand and kissing her on the cheek, whispering into her ear and making Roisin chuckle at their secret.

Liam sat and watched it all, happy his best friend was happy, nervous about his best man's speech, but if he had survived the rings, he could survive this, and envious because he wanted what Logan and Roisin had.

Liam rubbed at his smooth chin, discontent hit in again. He promised himself he wouldn't do this, not today, but sometimes it was hard to hold at bay. Soon though, he would get to be him he wanted to be.