A Debt To Pay

58

LOGAN'S POV:

I woke up to the soft sound of crying. Mia was tucked under my arms, her head resting on my bicep, her back to me. I felt her tears drip onto my skin and it physically hurt me. I wanted to rip Archor apart for what he did. I hated him, not just for attacking her and trying to get rid of my children but for breaking her heart.

I lay still for a while. Mia was trying her best to stay quiet, muffling her cries by burying her face in the bed covers. She held the hand that was draped over her waist in one of her own small hands, her fingers threaded through mine.

She went quiet, crying into the covers for a while, her body shaking. I couldn't take it any longer and leant forward, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. She stiffened and sniffed before dropping my hand so she could wipe the tears from her face. "How long have you been awake?"

I took my hand away from her waist and played with her long hair. She smelled like vanilla, sweet and simple and I wanted to bury my face against her soft skin. I couldn't get enough of her and being in close proximity to her turned my mind to mush.

"Not long," I answered her, pulling her backwards a little and wrapping the covers around her.

She didn't answer me and rolled onto her back, pressing her cheek against my chest. Her beautiful eyes were red and swollen from crying and I leant down to gently press again to each eyelid. "Did you sleep?" I asked her.

She'd been through a lot the day before and couldn't stop yawning when we went to bed. I'd wrapped her in my arms and she went quiet pretty quickly but I imagined she hadn't exactly had a peaceful night sleep. "A little," she mumbled.

She stretched out beside me before curling into my side. "Are you okay?" I whispered.

She scoffed. "Physically or emotionally?"

I played with a strand of her hair, twirling it around my fingers. "Let's start with physically," I said and she nodded.

"I'm fine."

"And emotionally?"

She sighed heavily, glancing up at me so I could see the pain in her eyes. "I don't know," she answered, tilting her head back down again. "I'm glad the babies are okay," she said, "but I don't know how to feel. I mean... how could he do that to me?" Her voice cracked and my stomach twisted at the sound.

"I'm so sorry," I told her sincerely. I wished there was a way I could fix what had happened but I knew there wasn't. So, I just held her. For at least an hour, we lay in the same position, me on my side, my arm acting as a pillow for her. Her, staring up at the ceiling, tears in her eyes. She cried on and off but never spoke.

"I thought he loved me," she finally whispered, breaking the silence.

I tightened my grip on her. "He does love you, Mia," I told her, "In his own twisted way, he thought he was protecting you."

She tensed before brushing my hands off her and sitting up. "Why are you defending him?" she suddenly snapped, her tears spilling over her cheeks again.

"I'm not defending him," I told her calmly, sitting up and trying to reach for her.

She shook her head. "He wouldn't have done that to me if he loved me," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "How could he do that to me?" she repeated, "How could he try and take them from me."

I reached for her as the dam broke once again and a string of pained cried left her lips. Her body folded up in my arms and she buried her face in the crook of my neck. I tried to calm her, rubbing her back soothingly and reminding her that she and the babies were safe. "I'm so sorry," I whispered when she went quiet.