Logan had the time of his life that summer. He knew before they left that we would love being with Veronica, but he had no idea how amazing it would be to just be one on one the majority of the time. Sure, she had the internship, and she was away from him the during daytime hours. But what mattered is they were together. She was with him. Every. Single. Night. He honestly didn't know how he'd let her live separately from him after the summer was over. He suddenly wished he hadn't agreed that Veronica would go back to live with Keith…but also knew Keith never would have allowed them this summer-long opportunity without concessions.
Logan slept so well when she was by his side. Even when they weren't wrapped in each other's arms at night (which didn't seem to happen often) he could reach over and put his hand on her hip, or trail his fingers down her bare back. It was comforting. He loved having her scent wrapped around him, too. He wasn't kidding when he'd said she smelled like marshmallows and promises. Now, the promises they were making to each other were endless. Lately, one of his favorite things was getting up early to make her breakfast, and watching her come into the kitchen wearing his shirt. He loved that she would climb out of bed and grab a fresh shirt of his. The second she took that shirt off, it was the shirt he put on for the day. God, he loved her.
It was a bonus they were in Virginia. When Veronica was at her internship, Logan explored the Virginia coast. He was able to try beaches he hadn't yet seen, and surf in waters entirely different from the ones he was used to on the opposite coast. He'd invited Dick for a week to try out Virginia surfing, but every day he'd promptly kicked him out of the apartment he was sharing with Veronica once Veronica got home. She'd just laughed at him, and told Dick to stay for dinner. Logan was in awe of her. That she was willing to put up with Dick was a testament to how much she loved him.
"Warts and all, baby," Veronica had said, jokingly. "Dick is definitely one of the warts," she'd winked at him while he laughed.
"You know you love me, Ronnie!" Dick had shouted.
"Actually, I love LOGAN, and LOGAN loves you," Veronica responded. Logan didn't think it could sound sweeter when she said she loved him, but when she said it to Dick without hesitation or any second-guessing, Logan realized he was wrong. This. Felt. Amazing. "I, however, TOLERATE you."
She laughed when Dick had picked her up bridal-style. Logan went to rescue the love of his life, had taken her from Dick's arms into his own, and the thought of carrying her just like this over the threshold someday, made his heartrate increase. He kissed her soundly, mumbling "I love you so much," against her lips while Dick laughed in the background.
Then, the group of three had amazing Thai take-out, and he'd looked at Veronica, then Dick, and realized how incredibly lucky he was that the woman of his dreams was willing to put up with HIM, let alone his best friend.
He'd had the opportunity to prove what a cool boyfriend HE was when Mac and Wallace had made an appearance for a weekend. The group of four had explored some of the coast, and Logan showed them the spots he'd found on various beaches that he'd grown to love. He actually had a really great time with them. Mac and Wallace were really supportive of Veronica and Logan's relationship. It was nice to be around people that just wanted Veronica to be happy, because that's exactly what he wanted.
He'd legitimately never been so happy. He and Veronica finally realized they were stronger when they were together, they always had been. They worked better, all the way around, when they were a pair. He was a reformed bad-boy when he was with Veronica, and not the extreme bad-boy with a death wish he tended to become when he had a broken heart. His decision-making skills were significantly better, but he had just enough bad-boy left to keep them both entertained. He'd won her over being a bad boy, it was core to his personality, and Veronica loved exactly who he was. But, he was thankful he had someone there to encourage him to make good decisions. He wouldn't change who he was, he just wanted to be the best version of himself.
They had talked about everything under the sun, every possible issue that was lingering. Madison, Cassidy, his dad, Lilly. The subject didn't seem to matter, they discussed everything in detail. And he felt more at-ease in their relationship than he'd felt in any relationship ever; romantic or otherwise.
They had both continued to talk to her dad throughout the summer. Logan had decided that if he were going to be a permanent fixture in the Mars' lives, it couldn't hurt to make a legitimate effort. He planned to be in Veronica's life as long as he could. Forever if possible. Logan wanted to be Veronica's family, and she and Keith were a package deal. Toward the end of the summer, Logan had called Keith and invited him to stay with them for a visit, and Keith had accepted.
Keith had teased them about the trip at first. "I'm not getting on that plane if you're surprising me with a wedding. I'm not going to do it. If a wedding is why you want me to come visit, you can forget it right now," he'd said jokingly. "I am not getting on that plane unless I have some assurances," they'd laughed, and Logan was incredibly grateful their relationship had graduated to joking with each other. It was a hell of an improvement considering where they'd come from.
Logan teased back, "Don't worry, we'll save the wedding for when we come back home."
Logan had hoped the trip would allow Keith to see how much Logan and Veronica had grown up. Considering Logan was raised in a family full of secrets and lies, he was pretty thrilled to be in a relationship where he and Veronica could be honest without land mines. He'd never had a close relationship with anyone. Lilly didn't count because they were young and had no fucking clue how to have a healthy relationship.
Veronica was busy with her internship from about 8am to 6pm, which allowed Keith and Logan plenty of time to get used to and get to know each other. It had been surprisingly comfortable. Much less awkward than any of them expected.
While Veronica was playing errand girl, Logan was spending quality time with her dad. The more they'd talked the more Logan liked Keith. Throughout the summer they had joked with each other on the phone, and Logan realized just how much Veronica took after her father. He loved Veronica, so Keith's personality was something he'd adapted to almost immediately. Logan truly and desperately wanted to be part of their family.
Logan had always known how close Keith and Veronica were. Once, a couple breakups ago, he'd told Veronica, "You know that thing you have with your dad? I've never had that." He had never had an open, honest, or loving family. He'd loved his mom, but it was difficult not to find fault in someone who allowed his dad to beat him. His family had always kept up appearances, but there was absolutely nothing comforting about them. His dad was an abusive, perverted monster. His mother was checked out from the day Aaron had given him his first bloody nose. His sister was so absent from his life, she was hardly worth mentioning.
"I know, given my past, it's hard to accept me in Veronica's life," Logan started, the first morning he and Keith were alone together. They had decided to go have breakfast at a café Veronica and Logan had found their first day in Virginia. Logan thought it would help Keith understand him to know about his past, so he decided to come clean. Logan told Keith about his childhood, and the abuse. He told him about the ways he'd messed up after Aaron had been arrested and he and Veronica had broken up the first (and second) time. He told him about how he'd treated Veronica after Lilly had been killed. It was particularly difficult to look Keith in the eye when he owned up to the things he did, but he forced himself not to look away. He knew he needed to face this, and face Keith.
Keith was surprisingly encouraging during Logan's explanation. He'd let Logan lead the conversation, hadn't interrupted, and had put a supportive had on Logan's shoulder occasionally. Honestly, Keith had probably known all about the things he'd done and the issues he had, but Logan needed to tell him to his face. He'd been such a dumb kid, and he wanted Keith to know he would be constantly trying to improve himself for the rest of his life. He wanted Veronica to be proud she chose him, and he wanted Keith to be proud she chose him, too.
"I want you to know, even though my actions haven't always shown it, all I really want to do is protect her. I had a rough few years, and I lashed out in unacceptable ways. But that's over. I'm here for good if she will have me."
"Are you asking me for permission to marry Veronica, Logan?"
"No! No, of course not. Not right now. But you should know that I see us going all the way. Marriage, kids, if she wants those things. With me. For me, this is permanent."
"Do you support her?"
"In everything. I don't want to change her, I've never wanted to change her. I love Veronica. I just want to keep her happy, and safe."
Logan knew Keith understood. Keith had spent many years trying to support and encourage Veronica to be exactly who she is while also desperately wanting to keep her safe in a world that was anything but. Even if they had absolutely nothing else in the world, Logan knew without a doubt that they could bond over loving Veronica.