A Gift of Love for Christmas

Finally Free

Lyra’s POV

I drove home with mixed feelings. I was worried about what Logan would possibly do because I was returning home quite late. On the other hand, I couldn't shake off the feelings I was having from seeing the much older and more mature form of River.

I had wanted to leave Pittsburgh earlier but River insisted that I stayed for lunch. According to him, I was not supposed to come to Pittsburgh and just leave. I ought to see one or two things about the city. Knowing that it was just an hour and some minutes flight back, I had acceded to it and we had returned to his office at three thirty pm.

River had then said he had invited a lawyer over who would handle my case. I had told him that I expected him to handle it.

‘I no longer practise. I just own chambers,’ River had simply said.

In the middle of my discussion with the lawyer, River had stepped outside, and my thought was that he had gone to take a call, but he didn't return. After the lawyer left, I sat down in his office alone, waiting for him.

Hours later, a young man with a tattoo on his neck came to tell me that my flight was ready. I asked him about River and he had simply said, ‘Boss is taking care of something.’

I didn't see River again. I went to the airport thinking he would be there but there was no sign of him anywhere. The thought that he probably left me there alone to take care of some legal deal angered me.

By the time my flight landed in Philadelphia, it was getting dark. I took a cab in a hurry to Angel's house to pick up Charlie. I had parked my car there for easy access.

My heartbeat picked up as I drove to the house to see that Logan's car was parked outside. When I got closer, I almost passed out when I realized that Logan was resting on the bonnet of the car. His head was bowed and he didn't look up as my car approached.

I parked the car, then got out carefully before opening the back seat to get Charlie out of his car seat before walking towards Logan.

‘Where are you coming from?’ Logan asked without lifting his head.

‘I am coming from Angel's house. I told you yesterday that we were going there. She is sick and needs to be cared for,’ I was blabbing, and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself.

‘You were at Angel's house till this time. Are you even listening to yourself?’ Logan asked looking up with anger dancing in his eyes.

‘You can call Angel and ask her. I was at her place,’ I insisted.

‘Of course, you were at Angel's place probably to drop Charlie there and then go frolic around town and then back to Angel's house to pick Charlie up,’ Logan said, gritting his teeth.

‘You are the one who sleeps around Logan, not me,’ I said under my breath.

‘Can you please repeat that?’ Logan said, standing straight, which made me step back to avoid the slap he was likely to send my way.

‘I wasn't talking to you,’ I said turning my face away from him.

‘You wouldn't dare. Let's take this discussion inside,’ he said to me, then turned on his charming smile for Charlie, saying, ‘Charlie boy, come to daddy.’

Charlie was reluctant at first but I nudged him forward with my hand on his shoulder. I knew that if Charlie refused to go to him he would blame it on me.

He carried Charlie and then glared at me before he walked to the door. I followed him leaving several steps behind him. I knew the conversation was far from over and I needed all the patience in me to get through without saying anything that would provoke him. I had promised the lawyer I spoke to in Pittsburgh that I wasn't going to do anything that would provoke Logan into hitting me.

Before I could stop my mind from doing it, I started comparing River to Logan. The physical look and the way they talked. River had this charming way of talking without necessarily opening his mouth all the way. To my young mind, it had always been fascinating. I shook my head to dispel my mind of the thought but rather concentrated on how to get through the night.

Logan opened the door and took several angry steps into the house and I followed still not too closely. He went to switch on the light and we both froze at the sight before us.

River was sitting on the sofa with a cup of wine in his hands while three bodyguards stood at his back. They had abs as big as that of River and they were naked from the torso up with tattoos lining their body.

The man River had introduced to me as his assistant, Kobe, was also sitting down opposite him with the wine bottle in front of him. Keeping his gaze on Logan, Kobe drank directly from the bottle.

‘Who the hell are you people and what exactly are you doing here?’ Logan fumed before turning to hand over Charlie to me.

‘Angel, please take the boy inside and start packing,’ Kobe said.

What? Did he say, Angel? I was more surprised to see Angel walk out of the kitchen. I just left Angel at her house. She kissed Charlie goodnight and also told me to drive carefully. How the hell did she get to my house before I did?

‘Give Charlie to me Lyra. I will explain everything to you later,’ Angel said when she saw my reluctance to hand the boy to her. I nodded and handed the child over to her.

‘Good! Now that there is no baby around to watch me drill a hole into your head, I am ready to talk,’ River said, turning to us with a grin. ‘Hello, baby sister?’ He said to me then winked. I didn't know how to respond, so I just let my face retain the look of surprise.

‘You haven't answered my question. I said who the hell are you people?’ Logan asked looking very angry.

‘You know that for a lawyer you seem very daft. You heard me call her baby sis. What does that tell you that I am to her?’ River asked raising his brow. I would have smiled under different circumstances because I knew how much Logan hated when people questioned his intelligence

‘You are not her brother. I know her older brother Phil. And he is in the army,’ Logan answered glaring at River.

‘Oh! I see. Since you know Phil, then you must have heard about his best friend River,' River said, and his dangerous smile widened as Logan's eyes bulged in realization.

‘The Mafia Boss?’ Logan was dazed.

‘Wow! My reputation proceeds me, Kobe. That means what I have to do here will be fast,’ River said then got up. Looking from one to the other, Logan might be handsome but he stood no chance with River, at least in my mind.

‘What do you want from me?’ Logan asked, swallowing constantly, which made his throat make funny sounds.

‘What I want from you is very simple Barrister. All I want you to do is sign the divorce papers and the custody of Charlie to his mother. Simple.’ River said.

‘I have to get the papers prepared,’ Logan said, and I wondered if he was carving in so easily or if he was just stalling for time.

River signaled to Kobe, who got up and brought papers out of a brown envelope and handed them over to River.

‘I have got you covered. The papers are already prepared according to the guiding laws in Philadelphia all you have to do is sign,’ River said to Logan.

‘You have no right to walk into my house and ask me to sign a paper I am not prepared for,’ Logan said stepping away from River. I was sure that he felt intimidated by River's bigger body.

‘Maybe this will help you sign,’ River said, then extended his hand to Kobe, and he handed another set of paper to River, who in return gave them to Logan.

Logan took the papers this time, but in the blink of an eye, his hands started shaking, and his lips went white.

‘Where did you get this from?’ Logan asked with a shaky voice.

I looked at River, wondering what he had just given to Logan, but he only smiled at me and then winked, making me blush furiously.

‘That is none of your business. Are you going to sign the divorce and custody papers or not?’ River asked Logan, taking his eyes off me to focus on him.

Logan snatched the divorce papers out of River's hands and quickly got his pen and signed. River motioned for me to do the same, and Kobe gave me a pen since I had none on me. I sighed so loud after I signed the papers that River and Kobe chuckled while Logan glared at me.

‘Go and join Angel to do the packing, Lyra. We will wait here for you guys,’ River said and I nodded and quickly disappeared into the room where Angel was struggling with one of my bags.

‘Start talking Angel. How did you get here before me? I just left you in your house?’ I said the moment I entered the room.

‘I was picked up the very moment you left. While you were talking to Logan outside I was brought in through the back door,’ Angel explained.

We settled into packing after that and I left things that I knew weren't necessary. We later joined River and the others in the sitting room. I couldn't see Logan anywhere.

I was surprised to see cars outside when we got outside. The bodyguards loaded my things into a van and we set off. I didn't look back at the house. I didn't need to. It was good riddance to rubbish.

The cars came to a stop at Angel's house, and the hefty-looking bodyguards helped offload the bags while Angel showed them exactly where to drop them.

‘What is your plan now, Lyra?’ River asked when he was about to leave.

‘I am going back home,’ I answered.

‘Logsville?’

‘Yes.’

‘For Christmas?’ He asked.

‘I don't know. For Christmas, then maybe forever,’ I said, and he nodded in understanding before stepping closer to speak in my ears.

‘Maybe I will see you during Christmas and maybe who knows what happens during Christmas. It is always full of surprises you know?’ River said then stepped back and winked at me before he left.

Does that mean River would also be in Logsville for Christmas? How the hell was I to resist him in such a small town? Would I carve in? Oh!