February, the following year…
The howler monkeys were greeting the day as Sophie came on deck with mugs of coffee for Logan and his crew—Tyrone, Emil, and Lionel, who had all signed on as line handlers, wanting the experience of traversing the Panama Canal before they brought their own vessels through.
They had slept aboard last night, everyone retiring early so they leapt on the coffee due to the dawn start, not because they were nursing hangovers. All three men were known to throw lavish parties on their luxury yachts, but they were keeping it tight, wanting to take good care of Logan’s sailboat.
Two of them were previous clients of Logan, and Lionel was an experienced boater who was in talks with Logan to design something new for his growing family.
Logan was still in the process of rejigging his company to work out of Canada, but aside from a small going-away party with a handful of friends, he didn’t seem to have any strong feelings about leaving Florida for good. Dario, the advisor who would help guide them through the canal, was aboard as well. He accepted a coffee with a happy nod.
“We got a one-day pass,” Logan said, catching her up.
Sophie wasn’t sure if she was happy or disappointed, since it was common to spend the night tied up outside the channel in Lake Gatun.
“We’re going to raft up with that cruiser and—there. That cat.” He pointed to the catamaran that was motoring toward them.
“What’s my job, Logan?” Biyen asked.
“You have three important jobs. The first one is to stay on the bow. Things could get busy and I need to know you’re in a safe spot.”
“You got it.” Biyen gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “What else?”
“Take lots of pictures. We’re all going to be working, so we can’t be looking around at the scenery.”
Sophie had initially planned to be a line handler, but Logan had persuaded her to be a spare in case there were injuries. Things could get hairy if anyone lost their focus and failed to maintain tension or relieve it. Boats could swivel and cause the raft to shift. Hands could get caught. He also wanted her eyes on Biyen and needed her to prepare meals and keep everyone hydrated. It was going to be a long day. “Should I use my iPad or the camera?” Biyen asked.
“Both.”
“Consider it done.”
Tyrone, a linebacker, sent Sophie a perplexed look.
I know, she conveyed with a shrug.
“And the third one?” Biyen asked.
“Keep being awesome,” Logan told him.
“You, too, Logan. That goes for everyone. Let’s have fun today.” Biyen gave a big, straight-armed clap of his hands. “I’m going to put a few things in my backpack so I’m ready for a day in the bow.”
“Sounds good, bud. Put on some sunscreen, too.” Sophie skimmed his hair as he went by. “I’ve got a breakfast casserole thing that’ll be ready in about ten minutes. There’s a vegan one for you and Biyen, Emil.”
“Thanks, Sophie. Am I going to be the first to say it?” Emil scratched his hair and looked around, then directed his thumb at Logan. “I didn’t expect this guy would ever get married, let alone marry this well. You’re great. Your kid is great. He is a very lucky man.”
“He knows,” Logan said dryly, sending her a look that warmed her through.
He didn’t get a chance to say anything else. It was time to tie up to form their raft. Logan’s boat was deemed the most powerful so they were designated as the middle boat. Dario took the helm.
Once the men were fed and the galley tidied, Sophie joined Biyen in the bow.
Initially, Logan had planned to get his boat to Canada by himself, but it had morphed into this family trip. They had planned for it to be a disaster. If Biyen had grown tired of being cooped up on a boat, or Sophie sucked at homeschooling, or Logan got antsy with extra people in his space, they would have booked the necessary flights. Nolan had been prepared to come get Biyen if Sophie wanted to stay with Logan, and Reid and Emma were champing at the bit to keep Biyen in Raven’s Cove if he wanted to be back at school with his friends.
So far, those conversations hadn’t come up once.
They had left right after Christmas and the trip was exceeding all of their expectations. Biyen’s Spanish was already better than Sophie’s. He soaked up new information like a sponge, and he was giving Trystan a run for his money when it came to vlogging about his days.
Trystan, of course, was boosting his profile with shares to his own multimillions of followers, which certainly didn’t hurt.
They were missing everyone and Sophie looked forward to getting home, but it was really nice to have this chance to gel as a family. Logan was in his element, happier on the water than anywhere else. Every night, after they made dinner and cleaned up, he and Biyen plotted their next day’s course while Sophie read a book. Read. A. Book. Sometimes with a glass of wine, if she had her period.
Today, she didn’t have her period. It had been a few days, actually. This morning, when the curiosity had got the better of her, she had used a test she had bought on their last day in Florida.
On the inside, she was freaking out, but she made herself stand at the rail with Biyen as they inched toward the first lock, trying to decide if telling Logan would be a distraction he didn’t need today.
Logan came to stand beside them. “All good?”
“Uh-huh.” Biyen took Logan’s hand and said, “But I think you should know that I love you for bringing me on this trip.”
A sound came out of Logan as though he’d been punched in the gut.
“Buddy,” he breathed.
“Yeah?”
Beneath his smile, Logan was so moved, his eyes misted. He swallowed.
“I love you, too. You and your mom. I love you both the most.” Logan looked up at her and his emotive look faded to alarm.
“Are you crying? What’s wrong?” He reached out to hold her arm, Biyen still between them.
