Because he was already in love with her. She was no longer a fantasy; she was his one-time chance at a real-life happy ever after.
Only if he had the guts to go after her, and if he was willing to take the risk and put his heart on the line.
For a brief moment he considered changing. Making himself into the sort of man she’d always wanted. A suit and a tie. A sensible car and a haircut. But he quickly banished the thought. Besides, Abby thought he was perfect, she’d told him so. She might have been drunk at the time, but weren’t people supposed to tell the truth when they were drunk?
Hell, he wasn’t anywhere close to perfect. But maybe they were perfect for each other.
And he knew where he was going to approach her. Right in front of her upstanding friends and colleagues. Time for her to decide what really mattered, and if there was any place for him in her perfect life.
All or nothing.
Abby was working at her desk, willing the time away so her shift would end. She longed to get away from here and be alone while she put herself back together again. While she did her best to forget how good Logan McCabe could make her feel, put him in a box and label it “Jenny’s dad” and somehow convince herself he could never be anything more.
She truly believed that deep down, Logan cared for her, but it wasn’t enough. If it had merely been that he didn’t want to commit because he liked playing the field, she might have tried to persuade him otherwise. But it was much more than that.
Over the long days, she’d relived all their time together, along with what she knew of his past. And she’d finally got it. He was scared. Scared of commitment. Scared of loving someone and having that love thrown back in his face.
And really, it was hardly surprising considering his crappy childhood and his horrible mother. Rory probably hadn’t helped either. She was just glad Logan had opened his heart to Jenny. That must have been an act of courage for him.
Now she was going to make it easier for him and take a step back. Logan was Jenny’s father and that was all. As for her and Logan, she would maintain her distance and ensure they were never alone. Eventually, she would stop hurting.
And she’d make it clear here at work that there was nothing between the two of them except Jenny. She’d be so circumspect they wouldn’t be able to fault her, and the next time a vacancy came up in the detective bureau, she would get the job. That might be some compensation.
Logan had been a glitch in her road to perfection, but if she worked hard enough she could get back on track.
But she didn’t want to be back on track.
And she didn’t want to be perfect.
She wanted Logan. There was a constant ache in her heart because she couldn’t have him. She rested her forehead against the cool metal of the desk and closed her eyes.
A door opened and the sound of raised voices drifted down the corridor. Abby lifted her head, her breath hitched, and a frown formed between her brows.
Was that Logan’s voice? If it was, he didn’t sound happy.
What was here doing here?
Had he been arrested for something?
The thought flickered through her mind, and she tossed it out. No way. Logan was a good man. And besides, he had that whole calm-in-the-face-of-adversity thing.
So if he hadn’t been arrested, what was he doing here?
Without conscious thought, she was on her feet and heading down the corridor. She pushed open the swinging doors leading into the reception area, her gaze locked on Logan’s back, her heart speeding up. She gave herself a little shake, dragged her gaze away, and tried to make sense of the scene in front of her.
The sergeant on duty had a bewildered expression on his face as though not entirely sure what was going on—so she wasn’t alone. Jack stood in front of the desk, facing Logan, and a whole crowd of uniformed and plain clothes police were watching them avidly.
She turned her attention back to Logan, and the ache in her chest eased a little, as though just being in the same room was enough to banish the pain. A smile tugged at her lips, and she forced it away.
Distance.
“Sergeant Parker.” She jumped as someone spoke from behind her. Her boss stood with his eyes narrowed on her, his hairy brows drawn together. “What’s going on?”
“I really don’t know, sir.”
At the sound of her voice, Logan spun around, and for a second she drank him in. Today he was all bad-boy menace in black leather, his hair pulled back, stubble darkening his cheeks, eyes slightly bloodshot and…she looked lower…he had a huge bunch of crimson roses clutched in his hand. A little flicker of hope sparked to life inside her.
Jack edged in her direction, and Logan turned to him with a frown, looming over the other man, a sneer on his face. Oh God, she hoped he wasn’t going to punch him. “You don’t get to have her, Jack. And you know why? Because she’s mine.”
A little thrill of pleasure shot along her nerves.
“I think we’ll let Abby decide that,” Jack said.
“So let her.”