Veronica took a long sip from her water bottle, her eyes skimming down the soccer field in search of at least one of the twins. She just got off the phone with Lianne and during the course of the conversation, she had lost the kids in the melee of identical players on the field. Her mother was excited to hear that they would be coming out to visit on Monday and they began making plans for to spend some time with her and Hunter.
The ref blew his whistle, and the players stopped, allowing Veronica to catch a glimpse of Lexie walking up to Linc. She punched her twin in the shoulder and he punched her back, causing Veronica to let out a loud sigh. Being an only child, Veronica was unprepared for the instant comradery - combined with a big dose of rivalry - that the twins felt for each other.
"Mommy!" Jack came from out of nowhere, jumping onto Veronica's lap with a squeal. He was still in his t-ball uniform, but mercifully, had taken off his cleats.
"Hey buddy! How was the game?" Veronica gave him a hug and shuffled a bit to make room for him on her lap away from her protruding belly.
"He did really well today," Logan said, coming up behind her and giving Veronica a kiss on the top of her head. "Jack hit a grounder off the tee and made it to third base."
"Good job Jack!" Veronica leaned over to kiss Jack on the side of the head before glancing up at Logan towering next to her. His baseball cap shaded his face, but she could see his teeth as he grinned down at her. His black and white baseball shirt accentuated his muscles and Veronica thought briefly about the time they made love while she was wearing it.
"Picked up the apples," he said, breaking through Veronica's thoughts as he raised two bags in the air to show her. "Want me to give them to Nadine?"
"Yes please. Thanks for picking some up - I can't believe I forgot the bags I bought on the counter at home." Veronica smiled back up at him. "My mind is all over the place this morning."
"When do we leave to see Hunter?" Jack asked, reaching for her water bottle and taking and fiddling with the lid.
"Tomorrow afternoon. I just talked to Grandma Lianne and she's excited; but like I said this morning, that means you have to be really helpful with packing when we get home this afternoon." Veronica took the bottle from Jack and opened the lid for him before handing it back.
"I got an email confirming the reservations I made last night but I couldn't answer it because I was coaching," Logan replied, his focus wandering to the soccer field. "After I drop off the apples, we can go through our plans again to make sure everything is covered."
"Okay. I think Nadine is over by the stands. Bet you five-dollars she touches your arms again." Veronica teased, taking the water from Jack and placing the lid back on.
Logan chuckled. "I'll try not to look so good."
"If you could, that would be great. I hear 'dad bod' is in now."
"What's 'dad bod'?" Jack asked from her lap.
"He's all yours." Logan laughed, turning away from Veronica to walk towards the metal stands near one side of the field.
Veronica kept her eyes on Logan as he walked. "Never mind, Jack. Mommy was just teasing Daddy about something silly."
"Oh, like Lexie and Linc tease me?" Jack said happily, rocking back and forth in her lap.
A little ways away, Logan caught up with Nadine. The tall brunette mom turned from her conversation with a group of other moms and they all smiled their biggest, dazzling smiles at Logan. Veronica watched as he offered the bags of apples to Nadine and she placed her hand on his bicep, holding it for a moment before taking the soccer snack from him. Veronica glanced at the other moms as their eyes darted over Logan's body and Veronica snickered. She was secure enough in their relationship to admit to herself that Logan's physique always brought the other moms to their yard.
"Yes sweetheart; exactly like Lexie and Linc," she replied.
Veronica's eyes skimmed the crowd, checking out the other parents. After a few years of soccer, they all knew each other, but just like in high school, everyone had formed their own little social circles. Logan and Veronica mainly kept to themselves, usually relishing the time to just sit in the sun together and unwind while the kids were on the field.
Her eyes stopped on the white and green tunic of a player from their team, sticking out from beside a large tree. Something struck her as being off, and she let her gaze stay for a moment to see what was happening. The boy wearing the shirt stepped back from the tree, a large envelope in his hand and Veronica followed him as he made his way back to the bench. He tapped the coach on the shoulder and showed it to him. The coach paused to read whatever was written on the front before lifting his hand and pointing over to Logan. Veronica's heart stopped, the blood draining from her face. Everything seemed to move in slow motions as she watched the boy jog over to Logan, still standing and talking with the group of mom. He tapped Logan on the arm before handing him the envelope and running back to the bench.
Veronica's hand wrapped around Jack's wrist and her eyes darted across the field to zero in on her other two children, her heart now pounding in her chest. She spotted them quickly, keeping their movements in her sight as they zigzagged after the ball.
A shadow fell across her and she glanced up at Logan, his brow furrowed, his jaw set tightly. He turned the envelope - the name "LOGAN ECHOLLS" was printed in block letters on the front – and opened the top flap, reaching inside. Pulling the contents out slightly, his face fell ashen, his eyes narrowing in anger.
"What is it?" Veronica's voice shook slightly as she spoke. "What's wrong?"
Handing the envelope to Veronica, Logan stood silent beside her for a moment, his fists clenching at his sides. Veronica peered into the envelope carefully, trying to hide the contents from Jack.
The first photo she saw was of Linc and Lexie, standing on the porch, waiting for the bus while Veronica locked the front door, Jack at her side. There was a full stack of photos on letter-sized printer paper, but Veronica didn't bother to look at them, knowing they were probably more of the same. Whoever did this wanted them to know – they were watching their family. Her hands shook as she closed the envelope, fighting to keep her bearings.
"Mommy?" Jack whispered. "Are you okay?"
Logan swept past them, barrelling towards the player's bench. Veronica grabbed Jack off her lap and his legs wrapping around her tightly as she moved.
"Everything will be fine," she murmured, following after Logan, the words said out loud for herself as much as Jack.
The coach called over the boy who handed the envelope to Logan and by the time Veronica reached them, Logan was kneeling in front of him.
"What did they look like?" Logan interrogated the youth.
"I dunno, he had black hair. Or dark brown." The boy stammered. "Kinda tall and he had a beard."
"Which was it?" Logan demanded his voice dropping to a low growl. "Black or brown hair? What was he wearing? Did you see his car?"
Veronica placed her hand on Logan's shoulder, swallowing hard to clear her throat. "Logan, leave him. We need to go."
Ignoring her, Logan grabbed the boy by the shoulders, his demeanor beginning to crack. "Did he say anything to you? What did he sound like?"
Terror crossed the youth's face and the coach grabbed Logan's wrist. "Mr. Echolls, let go of him! You're scaring the boy!"
Logan dropped his hands, his body shaking for a second, his eyes cast down to the ground. "I'm sorry – I just..."
"Coach Taylor, can you please call Linc and Lexie off the field. We need to leave. Now." Veronica stated, her voice struggling to keep calm.
Resting a hand on Logan's shoulder, she looked down at her partner, bent on one knee, his hands covering his face. She knelt next to him, her lips close to his ear. "Please take Jack to the 'Rover. I'll get the twins."
When Logan's eyes connected with hers, they were the cold military numb she remembered from all those years ago. He had his orders now, and he would execute them no matter what. With a small nod, he reached out and took Jack from her, transferring her weight to him. The boy immediately wrapped his body around Logan's, staying quiet as Logan stood, turning on his heels to walk towards the parking lot.
"Mom! What's wrong?" Linc came up next to Veronica, panting from running off the field. Lexie was close behind and Veronica hesitated a second to let her catch up to them.
"Nothing," Veronica said, trying to keep her voice steady in her lie. "I just talked to Grandma Lianne and your dad and I decided to leave for Arizona sooner, so we have to go home and pack. That's all."
A round of groans echoed from the kids and Veronica gestured for them to follow her. "But Mom, the tournament is all day! We're going to miss most of the games!" Lexie whined as they walked.
"Look, I'm sorry." Veronica shoved the envelope into her bag, tossing odds and ends of stray clothing on top of it before throwing it over her shoulder. "But your dad and I made a decision and that's it. It was a mistake to stay as long as we have –"
"Why? What's going on?" Linc asked, his voice rising slightly. Veronica glanced over her shoulder to see him moving anxiously from foot to foot.
She took a deep breath, her hand resting on her belly as she turned to face the kids. "Okay. I'm going to level with you both – Dad and I had a case that didn't go the way we had planned – so now we need to go and just lay low for a week until things blow over. We aren't in danger, but it would be best if we just weren't around; the police are on it and we just need to get out of their way so they can do their job and catch this person. Okay?"
Part truth, part lie; she was hoping her children would be satisfied with the explanation.
Lexie crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as if she was debating whether she would believe Veronica or not, her jaw clenched. She didn't seem afraid – if anything, she looked like she was gearing up for a fight.
"Does Jack know?"
Veronica shook her head. "No. But he knows something is up. So we just need to try and keep him from getting worried."
The twins exchanged a glance and Veronica thought for a second that they were communicating by telepathy.
"Okay." Linc nodded, walking up to Veronica and kneeling, grabbing the blanket from the ground and giving it a shake.
Lexie nodded and came closer, grabbing the water bottles that were around their area. Veronica nodded her thanks and folded the lawn chair as they quietly got everything together and made their way to the parking lot.
Approaching the Range Rover, they spotted Logan, leaning against the side, his phone to his ear. When he saw his family, he disconnected the call and popped the hatch; Veronica could see Jack already in his car-seat, playing with his iPad.
"I can't get a hold of your dad," Logan stated, walking towards them and taking the things from the kids' hands. "I was going to grab Pony and drop her off with him, but he's not answering his home phone or his cell."
The kids quietly made their way to their seats in the vehicle, Lexie throwing a last glance at Veronica before shutting the door. Veronica dropped everything in the back and closed the hatch before speaking.
"I'll take the kids home and they can start packing – you can grab Dad's spare key from the house and I'll grab Pony's food, bed, and dishes and you can deliver it all to him." Veronica let out a deep breath and a little flutter rippled through her stomach. "He probably went out for groceries and forgot his cell in the car again."
Logan stepped closer to her, opening his arms, and for a moment she let herself sink into him. He kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes.
"It'll be okay." Logan murmured into her hair.
Veronica wrapped her arms around him, grasping the fabric of his shirt, holding him tight.
"It has to be," she replied quietly.