Chapter Seven
Logan awoke the next morning, groggy and disoriented, as he stared at the ceiling and for a moment, not remembering where he was. Then it all came rushing back to him in a flood of images.
Yesterday at this time, he'd been in Seattle, a single, unattached man of thirty-five with a handful of close friends being his only tie.
Now today, twenty four hours later, he was in a tiny town in Maryland, sleeping in the bed of someone he hadn't seen in well over four years, a father of a four year old girl that before last night he'd never even known about, not less seen.
Its funny how some things turn out.
Logan didn't even know why he'd come out here to begin with. He'd moved on, past Max, a long time ago, but yet the simple mention of her name, and he'd jumped on a plane. And it was because of that simple action, he now had a daughter.
Logan had no idea how to feel about this. He had a daughter. He. Had. A. Daughter. Max had kept even the knowledge of his daughter from him, and that simple fact alone, that Max had run from him, was so overwhelming that his mind went blank whenever he tried to think of what possible reason Max felt she had to run.
And to be honest, Logan doubted what kind of mother a genetically enhanced killing machine was capable of being.
It was then that Logan rolled over to check the clock on the nightstand when he saw the picture inside a heavy copper frame. It was Madelyn sitting in a sea of wrapping paper, obviously taken last Christmas. She had her arms thrown up over her head as she threw balls of paper up, her mouth wide open as she grinned like a loon.
Logan's chest constricted as he studied the picture. Max had cheated him out of seeing his child's first birthday, her first Christmas, her first words, her first steps. He hadn't gotten to watch her grow up, and that could never be made up for.
Logan rolled out of Max's bed and walked to the door, pulling it open, then jumping back as he found himself almost walking into Maddy as she stepped out of her room.
Logan had the sudden urge to shut the door and not face Maddy, but it was to late as she turned to blink her eyes at him, staring at him silently.
"Uh," Logan managed. "Hi."
"Hello." Maddy replied, and then added curiously. "What's your name again?"
"Umm, I am Logan." He replies, uncomfortable as all of hell.
Maddy reached one of her small hands up as if to shake Logan's hand. "I'm Madelyn. You can call me Maddy if you want." Logan shook Maddy's hand.
"Ok, Maddy." Logan said, saying his daughter's name out loud for the first time. "Well, what are you up too?"
"I'm going to go find my Mom and talk her into making me breakfast."
"Talk her into it? She doesn't like to make you breakfast?" Logan asked, trying to find fault with Max's ability to raise their child. Their child, Logan thought as a shiver ran down his spine.
"No, it is like a game."
"What do you mean, a game?"
"Like Candy Land." Maddy said matter-of-factly as if that explained everything as she turned and walked to the top of the stairs and grabbing the railing, stomped her way down, one step at a time.
Logan followed her downstairs and into the living room, where he was quite surprised to find Max dead asleep on the couch, curled up under a blanket.
Maddy walked back over to Logan in an exaggerated tiptoe. "Shhhhh!" She said holding a finger to her lips and talking in a loud stage whisper. "Mommy's sleeping." Then hopped past Logan into the kitchen.
"Do you want me to make you breakfast?" Logan offered as Maddy drug a chair across the room to climb up on the counter.
"No thank you, Mr. Logan." Maddy said in a singsong voice.
"Uh, you can just call me Logan, you know."
"Ok, Mr. Logan." She repeated as she reached up into the cupboard for something.
"What are you trying to get, Maddy?" Logan asked as Maddy knocked some stuff around and out of the cupboard, making a mess.
Suddenly, Maddy pulled a bright red box out and dropped it onto the counter as she clambered down onto the floor. "Lucky Charms!!" She screeched as she opened the dishwasher and pulled out a bowl. "Do you want some, Mr. Logan?"
Logan scratched his head baffled as Maddy skillfully pulled out two bowls and dumped cereal into them, actually getting about three fourths of it in the bowl. "Uh, ok."
When Maddy struggled dragging a gallon of milk out of the fridge, Logan bolted over. "How about I do that." He said, narrowly missing disaster.
Maddy made a clicking sound with her tongue as she hopped down off the counter and skipped merrily over to the table to sit on her booster chair. Logan carried the two bowls of cereal over, sitting one in front of Madelyn as she spun her spoon around on the table. "Here you go."
Maddy cocked her head to the side in a way that had Logan thinking of candlelight dinners with Max in his penthouse. Maddy dropped her spoon into her cereal as she reached up and petted Logan's stubble. "Your fuzzy." She said simply before turning back to her cereal.
Logan laughed, genuinely amused by Maddy. It was in that few minuets that he listened to her talk to her marshmallows that her realized, that seeing his child was all it took for him to absolutely adore her.
Logan awoke the next morning, groggy and disoriented, as he stared at the ceiling and for a moment, not remembering where he was. Then it all came rushing back to him in a flood of images.
Yesterday at this time, he'd been in Seattle, a single, unattached man of thirty-five with a handful of close friends being his only tie.
Now today, twenty four hours later, he was in a tiny town in Maryland, sleeping in the bed of someone he hadn't seen in well over four years, a father of a four year old girl that before last night he'd never even known about, not less seen.
Its funny how some things turn out.
Logan didn't even know why he'd come out here to begin with. He'd moved on, past Max, a long time ago, but yet the simple mention of her name, and he'd jumped on a plane. And it was because of that simple action, he now had a daughter.
Logan had no idea how to feel about this. He had a daughter. He. Had. A. Daughter. Max had kept even the knowledge of his daughter from him, and that simple fact alone, that Max had run from him, was so overwhelming that his mind went blank whenever he tried to think of what possible reason Max felt she had to run.
And to be honest, Logan doubted what kind of mother a genetically enhanced killing machine was capable of being.
It was then that Logan rolled over to check the clock on the nightstand when he saw the picture inside a heavy copper frame. It was Madelyn sitting in a sea of wrapping paper, obviously taken last Christmas. She had her arms thrown up over her head as she threw balls of paper up, her mouth wide open as she grinned like a loon.
Logan's chest constricted as he studied the picture. Max had cheated him out of seeing his child's first birthday, her first Christmas, her first words, her first steps. He hadn't gotten to watch her grow up, and that could never be made up for.
Logan rolled out of Max's bed and walked to the door, pulling it open, then jumping back as he found himself almost walking into Maddy as she stepped out of her room.
Logan had the sudden urge to shut the door and not face Maddy, but it was to late as she turned to blink her eyes at him, staring at him silently.
"Uh," Logan managed. "Hi."
"Hello." Maddy replied, and then added curiously. "What's your name again?"
"Umm, I am Logan." He replies, uncomfortable as all of hell.
Maddy reached one of her small hands up as if to shake Logan's hand. "I'm Madelyn. You can call me Maddy if you want." Logan shook Maddy's hand.
"Ok, Maddy." Logan said, saying his daughter's name out loud for the first time. "Well, what are you up too?"
"I'm going to go find my Mom and talk her into making me breakfast."
"Talk her into it? She doesn't like to make you breakfast?" Logan asked, trying to find fault with Max's ability to raise their child. Their child, Logan thought as a shiver ran down his spine.
"No, it is like a game."
"What do you mean, a game?"
"Like Candy Land." Maddy said matter-of-factly as if that explained everything as she turned and walked to the top of the stairs and grabbing the railing, stomped her way down, one step at a time.
Logan followed her downstairs and into the living room, where he was quite surprised to find Max dead asleep on the couch, curled up under a blanket.
Maddy walked back over to Logan in an exaggerated tiptoe. "Shhhhh!" She said holding a finger to her lips and talking in a loud stage whisper. "Mommy's sleeping." Then hopped past Logan into the kitchen.
"Do you want me to make you breakfast?" Logan offered as Maddy drug a chair across the room to climb up on the counter.
"No thank you, Mr. Logan." Maddy said in a singsong voice.
"Uh, you can just call me Logan, you know."
"Ok, Mr. Logan." She repeated as she reached up into the cupboard for something.
"What are you trying to get, Maddy?" Logan asked as Maddy knocked some stuff around and out of the cupboard, making a mess.
Suddenly, Maddy pulled a bright red box out and dropped it onto the counter as she clambered down onto the floor. "Lucky Charms!!" She screeched as she opened the dishwasher and pulled out a bowl. "Do you want some, Mr. Logan?"
Logan scratched his head baffled as Maddy skillfully pulled out two bowls and dumped cereal into them, actually getting about three fourths of it in the bowl. "Uh, ok."
When Maddy struggled dragging a gallon of milk out of the fridge, Logan bolted over. "How about I do that." He said, narrowly missing disaster.
Maddy made a clicking sound with her tongue as she hopped down off the counter and skipped merrily over to the table to sit on her booster chair. Logan carried the two bowls of cereal over, sitting one in front of Madelyn as she spun her spoon around on the table. "Here you go."
Maddy cocked her head to the side in a way that had Logan thinking of candlelight dinners with Max in his penthouse. Maddy dropped her spoon into her cereal as she reached up and petted Logan's stubble. "Your fuzzy." She said simply before turning back to her cereal.
Logan laughed, genuinely amused by Maddy. It was in that few minuets that he listened to her talk to her marshmallows that her realized, that seeing his child was all it took for him to absolutely adore her.