Total Knock Out / Book Two

Chapter Five: The Lilac Door

Stanford was pretty proud of himself, and his friends, for pulling off so much work in the short span of two days. Elijah had called his contact at Demon Ink right after Logan and Rori left with Landon, and a group of eight bikers had shown up to his house the next day; tool belts and a door in the bed of a truck that probably didn't get much use. It took them all of twelve hours to knock down a section of the wall connecting Stanford's spare rooms and set the door up, even painting it a bright lilac shade when Stanford mentioned Rori was the reason it was going up in the first place. Despite having the reputation of a blood thirsty, 1% biker gang they proved that they were good men in Stanford's eyes.

Damion had called Logan's landlord and explained what was going on, making a deal with him that Logan wouldn't have to pay rent on her apartment for as long as she was gone but that it would still be available for whenever she came back. Apparently his granddaughter was in Logan's preschool class and he had a soft spot for damsels in distress, especially when one of them was the same age as his grandkid.

Maddox and Stanford had gone with Darcy and Lylah on what they were calling a shopping spree, buying anything they thought Logan and Rori would need. Darcy had slipped into Mom Mode and loaded down two shopping buggies full of toys for Rori while Lylah spent more than three hours picking out clothes and decor to 'spruce up' the rooms they would be staying in.

Charlie and Zoey had stopped by last night, setting up the rooms just so; claiming to know what Logan and Rori would like because they were practically the same. A single mother and her young daughter, a relationship like any other Charlie had said. Stanford had just shaken his head and ordered pizza for them to eat when they were done.

Even Ruby had helped, Parker attached to her hip while she carried in more groceries than he had ever bought before. She had given him her usual affectionate kiss on the cheek and told him that she had made enough dishes to last them the first week, but then he was on his own after that. She wrote down the directions on how to reheat them in the oven and then pinned him with a serious look, making him promise that he would keep Logan and Rori safe.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts and he shook his head to clear it before opening it up to reveal Landon and Jaxon on his front porch, each holding cardboard boxes piled high with stuffed animals.

"We tried telling them that you had everything they needed already here, but Rori insisted that she absolutely needed these or she wasn't going to be able to function as a human," Jaxon chuckled, moving through the doorway and down the hall to the correct room when Stanford moved out of their way. Landon jerked his chin towards the truck sitting in his driveway, grinning at him when realization dawned on Stanford's face that there were at least six more boxes full of toys in the bed of the truck.

"Charlie is bringing Logan and Rori, after we got the truck loaded up there wasn't enough room for them so she offered to drive them," Landon explained, brushing past Stanford and heading down to the room Rori would be using.

Stanford shook his head but headed down to the truck, grabbing two surprisingly light boxes in his arms and making his way back into the house. Jaxon and Landon grabbed the rest of them while Charlie's car pulled into the driveway, Stanford staring at it from his spot on the porch; just outside of the doorway. He had been mentally preparing himself for seeing Logan again, but as soon as she slipped out of the car it was like a solid kick to his chest.

She wore a sundress in the palest green he had ever seen, just a few shades darker than her skin and making her already vibrant red hair look ten times brighter. Thin straps settled on her shoulders and met at the bust, showing the barest hint of cleavage and cupping her small breast lovingly. The waist pulled in just a bit, flaring out into the skirt that ended just above her knees.

She wasn't classically beautiful, her eyes were just a bit too large and her nose a little too small, and her cheekbones looked sharp enough to kill a man. She didn't have the body men sought out either, no dramatic curves like Darcy or Lylah, everything about her was small and delicate. But, God, she glowed and that's what attracted Stanford to her. She embodied hope and love and warmth. She was soft and good to someone who was as hard and dangerous and bad as he was.

He closed his eyes to get himself under some control and felt a tug on his pant leg, resisting the urge to grin when he looked down and saw Rori standing there with her arms up; demanding to be held.

He picked her up and set her gently on his hip, thankful that he has asked Charlie and Zoey to teach him how to pick a child up. Zoey had climbed all over him like a monkey and told him when he was grabbing to hard with his fingers and holding onto more bone than flesh. Charlie had just laughed and showed him how to pick her up and set her on his hip in one smooth motion.

"Mama said I have to help unpack, but I don't want to. So if you keep holding me she won't make me," Rori whispered, tucking her head against his shoulder and petting his chest like it was a small kitten. He bit his lip to keep from laughing when Logan make her way up the front steps and just stared at her daughter.

" Aurora Elizabeth Myers, if you don't get down in the next thirty seconds I'm gonna count to three," Logan warned softly, crossing her arms over her chest when Rori just snuggled further into Stanford's shoulder.

"One." Rori stiffened in his arms but refused to move, clutching the back of his shirt in her hand and sticking her nose right against his neck.

"Two." He felt the hot tears that had escaped Rori's eyes against his neck and tightened his hold on her, remembering the times when his own mother had counted down and left him nearly unconscious at the end of it.

"Counting down to when you're going to hit her isn't exactly the best way to get her to listen," Stanford snapped, feeling only a little guilty when Logan took a step back like he had been the one to hit her. She blinked up at him and shook her head, reaching for Rori when she finally untangled herself from Stanford and reached her arms out to her mom.

She settled Rori gracefully on her hip and helped wipe away the tears on her small cheeks, kissing her nose before setting her down and pointing to the front door. Stanford looked over his shoulder to see Maddox standing there with a stunned expression on his face, but he took Rori's hand when she held it out and guided her into the house.

"You listen to me," Logan hissed, stepping closer to Stanford and jabbing her finger into his chest. "The only time I have ever hit my daughter was when she was two and I spanked her. Getting in trouble doesn't mean I hurt her, it means she sits in time out for an hour doesn't get to pick what we have for dessert. You make her think I'm gonna hurt her, ever, and we're going to have issues. You might be a lot bigger than me, but I promise you that I'm a lot meaner."

He watched her storm into the house and refused to meet Charlie's eyes when she walked onto the porch. She let out a sigh and went through the front door, only stopping for a few seconds to lay her hand on his arm and squeeze.

The broken little boy in him wanted out, wanted to demand that Logan show him what it was like to be loved unconditionally. To be loved without hurting. Because he had never seen someone so offended at the thought of hurting their child, they usually just told him to stop being crazy and moved on past it. Or took one look at his size and refused to answer the question. But this woman, this 5'4 wisp of a woman, had stood up to him and refused to back down until her point was made.

He had to apologize, if for nothing else than to make sure she wasn't so pissed off at him that she made living together living hell. Stanford shook his head and made his way back into his house, closing the door softly behind him. It was definitely going to be an interesting first few days.