A/N: I thought I would address some people's concerns that I have gotten in some of the reviews. People have been telling me that Logan would never take Maddy away from Max, and I completly agree. *Max* thinks this, but Logan has never said or acted like that in anyway. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Chapter Six
When Max walked into the kitchen a few minuets later, drying her face with her sleeve, the phone was ringing. She grabbed the cordless as she went to check on Maddy, who Caroline had left playing in her room. "Hello?" She asked, trying to control her shaking voice.
"Boo? It's Original Cindy."
"Oh, hey." Max said, smiling softly.
"Look, I wanted to warn you in advance, Logan saw the letter you sent me, but he didn't see pictures of mini-boo. Anyways, he knows where you are. I tried calling him and I only got his machine, so I assume he must be coming out there."
Max laughed softly as she climbed the steps. "It's a bit late for that."
"What? He's there?"
"Yeah, showed up this afternoon right after I got home from work."
"Shit. Was Maddy there?"
"Caro brought her home while I was trying to shove him out the front door."
"How'd he take it?" Max didn't answer Cindy's inquiry as she got to the top of the stairs and found Logan standing outside of Madelyn's door, watching her as she stacked wooded blocks on top of each other, chattering to herself. "Cindy, I'll call you back tomorrow." She murmured as she clicked off the phone.
She studied Logan a moment, the way he stared at Madelyn, shock in his gaze, but at the same time, looking mesmerized by the site of the child he didn't know till less than an hour ago, he didn't know he had.
Max stepped up to him and tapped his shoulder with the antenna of the phone. She gestured him over a few steps away from the doorway. "Listen, I am trying to be reasonable about this, but please, she doesn't know who you are, and if you stand there staring at her, you're going to freak her out."
"I'm not leaving Max. Don't even try and make me." Logan said in an undertone.
Sighing, Max glanced over Logan's shoulder at Maddy. "Where are you going to sleep, since you aren't leaving?"
"Your bed." Logan said simply.
"Excuse me?" Max said, raising a brow.
"First off, you don't sleep. Second, you cheated me out of four years of my daughter's life. You don't want to mess with me here." Logan said in a no-nonsense tone that Max didn't have a sarcastic reply for. Muttering under her breath, she stalked past Logan and into Maddy's room. Logan followed her to stare at them from the doorway again.
"Come on, baby doll, time for bed."
Maddy looked up, blinking owlishly. "Mommy, I am almost done building my castle."
"Your castle, huh? Well, Princess Madelyn Elizabeth, your imperial palace will still be here in the morning, and you can finish it then."
"Mommy." Maddy said, crossing her arms. "Princess Madelyn is not ready for bed."
"This is the last time I am letting you talk to Aunt Cindy. I swear, she is making you talk in the third person too!"
"Mommy, please, five more minuets."
"Well, you know, I was thinking." Max said, sitting down on the floor next to Maddy. "Since tomorrow is Saturday…"
"Cascade Lake! Are we going to the lake?" Maddy screeched.
"Only if some little princess goes to bed." Max replied easily, brushing a stray curl off of Maddy's face. "Go brush your teeth." Maddy jumped up and ran out of the room, and past Logan.
"Is she always this…energetic?" Logan asked while Max began to replace various stuffed animals and toys back to their places.
"Only way to get her to go to bed is bribery." Max said softly, not meeting Logan's eye as she walked over to Maddy's bed and pulled back the bright blue blanket. Before they could speak further, Maddy jumped, literally, back into the room wearing an oversized tee shirt in lieu of a nightgown.
When Maddy climbed into bed, Max sat next to the bed and talked to her for a few minutes.
"Ok, good night Princess Madelyn. I love you." Max said as she tucked the blankets around Maddy.
"Goodnight Princess Mommy. I love you too." Maddy said as she squirmed around to un-tuck all the blankets, as was tradition.
"Stay in bed too, you scared me to death last night when I went to check on you and you weren't in bed.
Maddy giggled the evil laugh of a child. Max leaned down and kissed her forehead before she walked over to the door where Logan still stood. Giving him an evil look, she flipped off the light switch. "Night Maddy."
When the door clicked firmly shut, Max walked across the hallway, without giving Logan a second glance. Shutting the door, she leaned against the wall to try and catch her breath. This was all too much to handle.
Walking over to a bureau, she pulled out a few articles of clothing and then grabbed a spare blanket and pillow off her bed. She stepped out of the room a few minuets later to see Logan in the same position she'd left him in a few minuets earlier, leaning against the wall much like she had been. "All yours. Don't do anything weird in my bed." She said before brushing past him to walk downstairs.
Chapter Six
When Max walked into the kitchen a few minuets later, drying her face with her sleeve, the phone was ringing. She grabbed the cordless as she went to check on Maddy, who Caroline had left playing in her room. "Hello?" She asked, trying to control her shaking voice.
"Boo? It's Original Cindy."
"Oh, hey." Max said, smiling softly.
"Look, I wanted to warn you in advance, Logan saw the letter you sent me, but he didn't see pictures of mini-boo. Anyways, he knows where you are. I tried calling him and I only got his machine, so I assume he must be coming out there."
Max laughed softly as she climbed the steps. "It's a bit late for that."
"What? He's there?"
"Yeah, showed up this afternoon right after I got home from work."
"Shit. Was Maddy there?"
"Caro brought her home while I was trying to shove him out the front door."
"How'd he take it?" Max didn't answer Cindy's inquiry as she got to the top of the stairs and found Logan standing outside of Madelyn's door, watching her as she stacked wooded blocks on top of each other, chattering to herself. "Cindy, I'll call you back tomorrow." She murmured as she clicked off the phone.
She studied Logan a moment, the way he stared at Madelyn, shock in his gaze, but at the same time, looking mesmerized by the site of the child he didn't know till less than an hour ago, he didn't know he had.
Max stepped up to him and tapped his shoulder with the antenna of the phone. She gestured him over a few steps away from the doorway. "Listen, I am trying to be reasonable about this, but please, she doesn't know who you are, and if you stand there staring at her, you're going to freak her out."
"I'm not leaving Max. Don't even try and make me." Logan said in an undertone.
Sighing, Max glanced over Logan's shoulder at Maddy. "Where are you going to sleep, since you aren't leaving?"
"Your bed." Logan said simply.
"Excuse me?" Max said, raising a brow.
"First off, you don't sleep. Second, you cheated me out of four years of my daughter's life. You don't want to mess with me here." Logan said in a no-nonsense tone that Max didn't have a sarcastic reply for. Muttering under her breath, she stalked past Logan and into Maddy's room. Logan followed her to stare at them from the doorway again.
"Come on, baby doll, time for bed."
Maddy looked up, blinking owlishly. "Mommy, I am almost done building my castle."
"Your castle, huh? Well, Princess Madelyn Elizabeth, your imperial palace will still be here in the morning, and you can finish it then."
"Mommy." Maddy said, crossing her arms. "Princess Madelyn is not ready for bed."
"This is the last time I am letting you talk to Aunt Cindy. I swear, she is making you talk in the third person too!"
"Mommy, please, five more minuets."
"Well, you know, I was thinking." Max said, sitting down on the floor next to Maddy. "Since tomorrow is Saturday…"
"Cascade Lake! Are we going to the lake?" Maddy screeched.
"Only if some little princess goes to bed." Max replied easily, brushing a stray curl off of Maddy's face. "Go brush your teeth." Maddy jumped up and ran out of the room, and past Logan.
"Is she always this…energetic?" Logan asked while Max began to replace various stuffed animals and toys back to their places.
"Only way to get her to go to bed is bribery." Max said softly, not meeting Logan's eye as she walked over to Maddy's bed and pulled back the bright blue blanket. Before they could speak further, Maddy jumped, literally, back into the room wearing an oversized tee shirt in lieu of a nightgown.
When Maddy climbed into bed, Max sat next to the bed and talked to her for a few minutes.
"Ok, good night Princess Madelyn. I love you." Max said as she tucked the blankets around Maddy.
"Goodnight Princess Mommy. I love you too." Maddy said as she squirmed around to un-tuck all the blankets, as was tradition.
"Stay in bed too, you scared me to death last night when I went to check on you and you weren't in bed.
Maddy giggled the evil laugh of a child. Max leaned down and kissed her forehead before she walked over to the door where Logan still stood. Giving him an evil look, she flipped off the light switch. "Night Maddy."
When the door clicked firmly shut, Max walked across the hallway, without giving Logan a second glance. Shutting the door, she leaned against the wall to try and catch her breath. This was all too much to handle.
Walking over to a bureau, she pulled out a few articles of clothing and then grabbed a spare blanket and pillow off her bed. She stepped out of the room a few minuets later to see Logan in the same position she'd left him in a few minuets earlier, leaning against the wall much like she had been. "All yours. Don't do anything weird in my bed." She said before brushing past him to walk downstairs.