CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE – THE PRESSURE OF FATHERHOOD

Across town, Logan sat in a dimly lit bar, nursing a glass of whiskey. Across from him, his cousin Ethan watched him with concern. "You gonna tell me what's eating you?" Ethan asked. Logan ran a hand through his hair. "I'm screwing it all up, Ethan. I thought I could do this – be a husband, a father. But I'm in way over my head." Ethan leaned forward. "What do you mean?" "I see the way Deonna looks at me sometimes, like she's waiting for me to mess up again. And the baby... God, what if I turn out like my old man?" "Logan, you're not Nolan," Ethan said firmly. "The fact that you're even worried about this proves you're different." Logan downed the rest of his drink. "Different doesn't mean better. What if I'm just not cut out for this?" Ethan was quiet for a moment. "You remember when we were kids, and I fell out of that tree in your backyard?" Logan nodded, unsure where this was going. "You carried me all the way back to the house, even though I was bigger than you. You took