“Nope. My friend is bringing the rest.” And right then, the doorbell rang. Sam pointed to the air. “That’d be her, right on time.”

We heard the door open, then shut, and rustling bags approached from the hallway. A moment later, a girl appeared with three grocery bags filled. She lifted them up, a bag strapped on her back. She grunted. “I’ve got the chips here, and the rest of the booze is in the bag.” She gestured behind her. “Back there.”

Sam took the bags while the girl took her backpack off, placing it on the table. She turned, saw me, and her eyebrows lifted up. “Well. So this is her.”

The girl was stunning, whoever she was. Dark blonde hair. A sexy and toned body, and as she raked me up and down, I could tell she was familiar with Logan. The way she said ‘her’ had me narrowing my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

“This is Taylor, yes.” Sam moved to stand next to me. Her eyes narrowed. “Chill, Heather. She’s family now.”

At the word ‘family’, the girl’s entire demeanor changed. The frosty reception melted, and she beamed brightly at me, throwing her arms in the air. “Well, hell then. How are you? I’m Heather.” She jerked a thumb toward Sam’s direction. “We’re besties.”

I started to nod, saying that I got that when she advanced and I was pulled in for a hug instead. I could feel her smiling as she whispered in my ear, “Sam says you love the kid so if you hurt him, I will hurt you tenfold.” She pulled back, still beaming, and clapped me on the shoulders. “Got it?”

Sam started laughing, overhearing. She shook her head, but picked up the bag of booze and moved further into the kitchen. “It’s not going to work. Taylor’s the one who put me in my place.”

Heather’s eyebrows shot back up. “Really?”

“Really.”

Heather looked at me. “Really?”

I shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

Sam laughed, starting to unpack the bag. “Right. She doesn’t remember.” She winked at me. “We’re going with that story, huh?” She said something to Heather then, who moved closer to her and the two started talking about a bar, but I held back.

Heather knew Logan. She cared about him. He told me about her, and about their time together. I heard the fondness in his voice when he did, so this girl wasn’t just important to Sam, she was important to Logan, too.

I cleared my throat, feeling like I needed to say something.

Heather was in the middle of saying something, but quieted. Both turned to me once more.

I gave them a small smile. “Logan cares about you.” I held her gaze. I didn’t want her to question if I knew or not. I just wanted her to know. “You’re different than the others.”

“The others?”

I nodded. I saw the knowing look in her eye. She was strong. She came in here and let me know how much she cared for him. She wanted to protect him. I respected that, and I wanted her to know that too. “Logan’s slept with a lot of girls. I’m not stupid. I’m aware. Trust me, I heard all the stories from on campus and I know that was only the time he was at college, but he told me about you.”

She’d been leaning against a counter and her arms had folded up over her chest, but they fell down slowly back to her side. She straightened, her head righting itself. “Yeah?” Her eyebrows pinched together. “What’d he say?”

What he said didn’t matter. It was how he said it. “I heard how much he cares about you. It was in his voice, and meeting you today, I can tell you care about him too.” That was it. There was really nothing more to say, except, “Thank you for caring about him and wanting to protect him. I love Logan, and that means a lot to me.”

I felt a little bit like a blubbering idiot, but I felt it was necessary to say something, and I meant what I said. I respected her. This was the rare incidence where it wasn’t earned. I gave it freely. I wanted her to see that too so I let it show. I let her see it, and it was that moment when the door opened and male voices were heard. The guys were back. They were coming toward us, and then they quieted.

Logan stepped next to me. “Taylor?”

I ignored him. This wasn’t for him to be a participant. I raised my chin up, my eyes still locked with Heather’s, and I gave her a small nod.

She continued to study me, looking me up and down. Then a slight grin lifted the side of her mouth up. “I think I just got a new girl crush. Kade, if I turn lesbian, you need to worry.”

Logan laughed, throwing his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me against him, nodding toward Sam. “I thought you’d hit on Strattan first.”

“No way.”

“Hey!”

Heather added, “Sam’s too skinny. Plus, who wants to deal with Analise now that she’s back? I’ll take my chances with Taylor.”

Another “Hey!” came from Sam, but she didn’t mean it. She was grinning from ear to ear. “Well, whatever. Nate and Logan have their bromance. I think I might compete with you for a womance with Taylor, too. Her dad will get us good tickets for the Cain U football games long after Mason graduates.”

“Hey.” Mason’s eyebrows bunched together, standing behind Logan. He came forward, holding a bag of liquor. “Should I be pissed about that?”

“No way, big bro.” Logan’s hand fell to my waist as he moved around me, hopping onto the table, and pulled me back so I stood between his legs. His other hand fell to my left hip, and I leaned back, feeling his arms slide over, anchoring me more firmly in front of him. His chin rested on my shoulder. “Sam’s right. We need to start thinking long-term about tickets once you’re gone. You only have one more year. And we can’t always depend on Nate. His parents might be famous in the movie biz, but he’s not always on good terms with them.”