James's P.O.V.
He wasn't looking at me but I could tell how upset he was. He remained looking down at his phone in his hand as I skillfully drove us through town, in the dark. I looked in the rearview mirror at the kids in the back, both asleep. I sighed out and leaned back a little lowering one of my hands from the wheel, resting it on my thigh. I slowed down approaching a red light and turned to Logan, who was now looking out his window, elbow up on the door, bitting at a fingernail. I reached out quick and set a hand on his thigh making him shake his head. "We need to talk. About Emily." I sighed looking ahead at the empty road in front of us and squeezed his thigh. "Juliet and I were talking..."
"Surpise, suprise." He sighed and gently laced his fingers with mine rubbing his thumb over my skin.
"She cleaned Max's room, and found a condom box...of ten, with three missing." I snapped my head to him fast and he nodded squeezing my fingers between his. "You and I know she always sneaks off with him...I guess it's inevitable. They are teenagers. You and I were like that once."
"Yeah...the difference is i was 21 and you were 20. We were living on our own and had the means to support ourselves. She's a kid Logan." He laughed raising my hand and kissed my knuckles. I sighed turning to the front and stepped on the gas going thorugh the green light. "Are we going to say anything to her?" With that question I glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned not seeing her tiny car behind us anymore. "Do you think she took the logn way home?" I nodded to the mirror and Logan turned quick, shaking his head.
"Probably. I've kind of noticed since Saturday the slight attitude she's got towards Juliet." I chuckled and carefully turned down our street yawning. We went quiet as i pulled into the driveway and then into our three car garage. I waited to open my door until the garage door shut and got out quietly. I opened the door right behind me and reached in unbuckling Jessie's seatbelt. I carefully scooped her up, just as Logan was doing the same with Sammy.
We were quick to get thier teeth brushed, changed into PJ's and into bed seeing as it was almost 11 at night. I kissed Jessie's head as she quietly told me she loved me, and she'd see me in the morning. I shut off her light leaving her door open and passed Logan as he walked in her room, and I went in Sammy's. I smirked as I approached him sitting up in his bed. Logan had put a long sleeved PJ shirt with dinosaurs on it, with matching bottoms, but he was scratching his chest and arms. "Too itchy?" He groaned and i laughed sitting on his bed. "You want a differnt shirt?"
"Can I sleep without one? I feel hot daddy." I fornwed but nodded. He pulled the shirt off and threw it to his floor falling back in bed. I stood up fast and put the back of my hand on his forehead and sighed out.
"Do you feel sick buddy?" He nodded snuggling onto his pillow leaving the his blanket, covered in tiny airplanes, off him. "Loges?" I pushed some hair back off his froehead leaning over him noticing he did look a little pale. I opened my mouth again, to yell for Logan but a hand on my lower back made me stand up and look at Logan. "He's got a fever. He's kind of pale." Logan put one knee on Sammy's bed and put a hand on his face. Sammy seemed to push into it and I sat down next to Logan setting a hand on Sammy's leg.
"Let's keep you home from school tomorrow baby. Just get some sleep and we'll check you out tomorrow." Sammy nodded rolling onto his side kind of wrapping around Logan's arm. Logan sighed but bent down kissing into his soft light brown hair. "I love you. Call for me and daddy if you need anything." Sammy nodded and Logan pulled back. I moved in quick kissing his cheek and stood up. I held Logan's hand as he turned off the light by his bed, and we walked out.
I followed Logan donw stairs, both of us noticing our oldest child wasn't home yet, but went in the kitchen not saying a word. I got in front of the sink and turned on the water washing my hands. "You want a drink?" I glanced over my shoulder, and watched as he pulled down a bottle of Jack from the pantry, back to me.
"Sure. It will help ease my nerves about confronting our delinquent daughter." He laughed and I turned drying my hands, watching him. He grabbed a coke can from the fridge and snapped it open, pouring it into two seperate glasses. He then added the Jack, being genrous with it, in both glasses and walked to me, handing me mine. I clinked my glass with his and started to drink it as his arm wrapped around my back and he pushed his body into mine. When I lowered my glass I set it down by my side and let him lay his head on my chest, sighign out quietly. With my free hand, I raised it and ran my fingers through his hair yawning loudly again.
"I hear the garage." I nodded raisign my glass again and took another sip. When I lowered it i heard the door leading to the garage open and close softly. I tensed up hearing her walking through the house and looked right at her as she walked into the kitchen. "Get lost?" Emily smriked walking to the fridge and pulled it open, turnign her back on us. "Are you and Max having sex?" I squeezed my eyes shut hard, not wanting to see my daughters face when she answered. I also coudln't believe Logan came right out and said it but said nothing. "Juliet cleaned his room...found some condoms missing from a box. Your dad and I...we don't care, Emily, as long as you're being safe, and smart." I turned my head, opening my eyes and took another gulp of my drink. I heard the fridge shut and breathed out hard after swallowing the cold, refreshign liquid.
"I messed up dad." I turned my head to her quick and felt my stomah fall into my toes. Emily was looking at us, biting her bottom lip hodling a Smart Water bottle. Logan pushed off me setting his half empty glass on the counter by me.
"What do you mean? Have you guys not used protection?" Logan seemed to be rather calm concidering and it worried me.
"No...it's not that. it's not about Max actually. Well...I guess it sort of is." She walked forward, but just a little to set her water down. We locked eyes but she looked down quick. "I...I met someone else." I leaned back alittle and frowned raising my glass to my lips. "I cheated on Max." Her voice came out quiet and shaky kidn of breaking my heart. But I didn't move. Instead, Logan went forward and quickly wiped away the first tear that fell. "A new guy started at school about a month ago. I was the one who walked him around...showed him everything, all hsi classes and we started talking. Max...Max got jealous seeing us together one day, but I calmed him down and reassured him nothing was going on. He was just a friend." Logan nodded putting a hand on her arm and she looked up at him. "One day he asked if I could show him around town and I said yes. Well we ended up at that hill over looking town and..." She blushed looking at me and I quickly looked down shoving my hand in my jeans swishing my drink around in my glass.
"Have you told Max?" Again, Logan sounded calm and composed. I don't know how.
"I was going to...on Saturday actually, but then he literally took a bullet for me and I don't know what to do." I looked up in time to see Logan turning to me giving me pleading eyes. I sighed setting my glass down next to Logan's and walked to them. I gently put a hand on the back of Emily's head and pulled her into my chest. She wrapped around me tight and breathed in hard.
"You need to tell Max." Logan shook hsi head softly rubbing her back and I kissed the top of her head. "I know it sucks baby girl. But you put yourself in this situation. If you loved Max like you always tell your dad and I..." Logan smirked at me and I smirked back. "You need to tell him. You obviously liek this other boy and that' alright. But it's not fair to Max or thsi othe rkid to pull them btoh along. You can't have your cake and eat it to babe." She groaned on my chest and shook her head.
"Juliet already hates me. Her and Kendall are going to hate me. And Max is goign to dump me." I opened my mouth but Logan raised a hand shakign his head.
"We can not help you Emily. You have to tell Max, and either try to work it out with him, or break it off with this other kid." Emily pushed off me and looked up at me with big brown eyes, glistening, just like Logan's. "We will be here for you and never judge you but this is one of those life lessons you need to learn on your own." She pouted looking down at my chest and I smiled kisisng the top of her head. "Why don't you go get some sleep...don't think about any of it right now and just relax, alright?" SHe nodded pulling away from me and turned quick. She grabbed her water and walked off quickly. We both stayed still until we heard her bedroom door shut. Logan turned to me quick and hit my stomach shaking his head. "Are you fucking serious?" I rubbed my stomach watching him grab both our drinks and walk out of hte kitchen. I followed out, frowning, seeing him sitting on the couch sitting down hard. "What the hell happened to our little girl? The one who wanted to be a doctor like her daddies? Or would stay up on Saturday nights and watch hokey with you? She's cheating on Max...having sex...always sneakign out..." He shook hsi head, just as I sat down kicking my shoes off my feet. I leaned back into the corner of the couch and let him curl up into my side turning on the TV. "She's not wrong by the way. Juliet is going to be pissed. And no matter what happens, my daughter is not going to be made to feel bad by her. I know Juliet. She can get nasty."
"Emily made this bed...she has to lie in it. I'm going to stand beside her and not let Juliet or Kendall get too nasty but imagine if the roles were reversed. You'd want to wring Max's neck." I shook my head and watched Logan turn the TV to ESPN, and lay on my lap yawning loudly. I set my free hand on his head and ran my fingers through his hair, knowing damn well I was going to fall asleep quickly.
I fell asleep hard. My Jack and Coke having a lot to do with that. Logan and I wern't big drinkers and I've always sort of been a light weight. But when I woke up, I was almost surprised to see I was still down in the living room, sprawled out on the couch. I raised my head squinting around trying to find my glasses Logan must have taken off my face and stopped. I heard soft talking out in the kitchen and quickly looked at my watch. It was almost 8 in the morning. I pushed myself up off the couch, grabbing my glasses by my empty glass slipping them on, and let my body crack an creak the whole way. i made my way into the kitchen noticing how cold it seemed in the house and looked through some blinds. It was overcast, the wind was picking up and it looked like it was starting to rain. I continued onto the kitchen and felt my heart break seeing Logan standing in front of the island, Sammy in his PJ's sitting on the counter in front of him. He was quietly crying, rubbing one eye with a balled up fist while the other held Logan's hand. Logan's other hand however had a spoonful of red lookign liquid and he was trying to get Sammy to take. "It's gross daddy." I slowly walked to them and put an arm around Logan making Sammy look up and cry out. "I don't want the medicine." I sighed leaning in and kissed Sammy's head.
"You're sick baby. It will make you feel better." Sammy pouted out and looked at the liquid on the spoon. "How about this?" Logan carefully handed me the spoon and pulled away from us walking to the fridge. "You know how much daddy hates this juice right?" Logan opened the silver fridge door and I groaned watching him pull out the bottle of prune juice shaking it up. He quickly walked to the cabinet, grabbing a small glass and walked back to us. I glared at him the whole way and when he finally filled the glass, with a lot more than Sam had I sighed out. I switched the spoon for the glass and forced a smile to Sammy who was wiping his face. "If daddy drinks his juice will you take this?" Sammy nodded and i clenched my body up as I raised my glass to my lips. Logan moved the spoon to his mouth, which was finally open. Sammy let Logan pour the medicine in his mouth, and i quickly swallowed my prune juice squeezing my eyes shut hard. "Look at my handsome guys!" There was a squeeze to my ass as I lowered my glass and swallowed the gross juice. "See not so bad when daddy has to do it oo huh?" I opened my eyes and Sammy nodded drinking from a plastic cup with a closed lid and a straw sticking out. "Okay...why don't you go get snuggled on the couch and we'll put on some cartoons okay?" Sammy nodded, still holding his cup as Logan set him on the ground. Sammy walked out slowly and Logan tried to follow but i wrapped around his body and started to kiss his neck. "Don't be a baby. You need to drink that stuff."
"And you don't?" I bit donw on his ear lobe making him laugh and push me away. "Does he have a fever?" Logan nodded as he opened the fridge and put the juice bottle back in it.
"I checked when I woke up this morning. He was at 101. He must have caught something at school because there was also throw up on his bedroom floor by his bed. I already cleaned it up and gave him a bath." I nodded and opened my mouth to ask if we needed to get him anything from the store just as the front door opened.
"Miss Juliet! Max!" I frowned pushing off the counter and walked out of the kitchen, Logan right behind. I had to smile watching Juliet walk in, arms linked with Max, both of them bundled in sweaters and beanies. And walking in behind them was Kendall, only in a short sleeved white sleeved shirt and a baseball cap on backwards. Sammy was hugging around Max's legs which made Max laugh and ruffle his hair.
"Is someone sick?" I nodded to Juliet who quickly scooped Sam up and kissed his cheek. "Poor guy. You're burning up hunny." Logan pushed past me and walked to the couch with Juliet and Sam. Sam curled up on Juliet's lap and Logan rubbed his back. "Well we came by because these two want to go to the batting cages. Figured you might want to go with them?" I raised my eyebrows and looked to Kendall who was smirking but I ignored him and looked to Max.
"You aren't supposed to do anything." Max rolled his eyes and put his hands in the front pockets of his sweater.
"He's not going to do anything." Kendal gripped the back of his neck and nudged into him. "But i want to go and he doesn't want to sit at home or go grocery shopping with his mother so..." I nodded and looked down to Logan who was staring up at me still rubbing Sammy's back. I sort of stuck out my bottom lip making him laugh.
"Watch him. Seriously if he hurts himself even more..."
"Loges i'm his surgeon. I got this. We'll duct tape him to the bench if we have to." Logan rolled his eyes and I smirked turning to Kendall. "Let me change real quick. I'll be right back." Kendalll nodded walking to Juliet as I went to the stairs. I heard Juliet quietly tell Kendall to watch thier son and Kendall promised he would.
By the time i changed my jeans, which I relaized I slept in, and my shirt, I washed my face, brushed my hair and brushed my teeth, and made it down stairs, Sammy was passed out on Juliet's lap snoring already. She didn't seem to mind as she rubbed his back and talked quietly with Logan, both with cups of coffee in thier hands. Kendall and Max wern't inside anymore and I quickly pulled on a black hoodie. "You need me to go to the store before i come home?" I walked to Logan putting one hand on the back of the couch, the other on his leg, kissing his neck. His free hand quickly ran up throuh my hair and pulled gently.
"No. Jules and I are going to go grocery shopping here soon. Were gonna have to take Sammy but I think he'll be okay." I nodded raising up a little and locked eyes with him. "Text me when you think you'll be home. Emily is picking Jessie up from school for us again." I nodded again and stood up straight quickly walking to Sammy passed out on Juliet. I kissed his head pushing his hair back on his head and locked eyes with Juliet who was smiling at me.
"Please don't let Kendall do to much. His shoulder is still pretty messed up." I nodded and stood up. "And I'm sorry for the attitue Max has." I luaghed and shurgged kissing the top of her head before walking away to the door.
"Love you handsome." I turned around before walking out and smiled big at Logan.
"Love you too nerd." I shut the door quickly before he could yell at me and walked out to the car parked on the side of the road, bass booming loudly from inside. I peered in seeing the passenger seat was vacant and I jumped in quick, getting out of the rain. As soon as I sat down, Kendall turned down the stereo and lit a cigarette lowering his window halfway. I glanced at him as I slipped on my seatbelt and he pulled away from the curb. "So what's this really about?" Kendall laughed and exhaled smoke blowing it out the window. "I thouhgt you quit."
"So does Juliet so keep that quiet. That goes for you too." I smirked looking back at Max who was smiling sitting in the middle seat looking at his phone. "We are going to the batting cages but Juliet won't let me talk about the case at home anymore. We had a screaming match when you guys left because she thinks it's going to fuck with Max's head seeing all of it, but..."
"What are you trying to prove?" Kendall turned to me one hand on the wheel and I sat back sighing out softly. "I know you Kendall. You want to solve all this because in your mind, you think it will make everything better. But Max was shot. You can't change that. If the FBI are taking care of it, let them."
"Do you and Juliet share the same brain or something?" I smirked hearing Max laugh and watched him lean forward, just as a rather offensive rap song came on and he coughed out a little. "I don't care what you guys say. Carlos is meeting us here and were going to go over what he managed to swipe form the station. If you want to help fine. If you want to show off your batting skills be my guest. Just don't tell Juliet." I looked out to the front and shook my head.
"Just tell me...did you guys figure out where the next attack was going to be? Or when?" Kendall chuckled and revved the engine as he climbed onto a on ramp onto the freeway.
"Yeah we did." He looked over his shoulder merging into a lane before he sighed out and sat back. "We don't know where. But we know when." He turned to me very serious and I felt my stomach flip. "Today."