I’d known growing up. The Landon who sprang into action when someone needed him, who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed one.
Yes, wild and crazy, but somehow still as dependable as the tides.
“How do you feel?” he asked, his voice soft.
She said something, but it was lost in a garble, which then turned into a cough.
Landon didn’t move, but he didn’t have to. I could sense the hope fizzle out, the tension returning to his shoulders, along with the rigidity in his spine. He was on edge, looking for any sign that his mother’s health would tip one way or the other.
I stepped up beside him, resting a hand on his back.
She laid back against the pillow, closing her eyes again.
He stood there, a statue, until her breathing evened out and she fell back asleep. I could sense his disappointment, sense that he had hoped this would be the moment they could speak, the moment he could make amends for the funeral and everything else between them.
But that moment would have to wait. Instead, Landon and I left her to sleep, stepping out into the hallway so we could talk. He pulled me against him, squeezing my shoulders.
“She’ll be okay,” I said, even though I couldn’t be certain.
“I know,” he said. “The doctors said her stroke was minor, that it would take a few days, maybe a few weeks, for her to get her bearings again.”
The way he was holding me up against him, I could hear his voice, deep and rumbly, in his chest. He didn’t seem to want to let me go, so I just rested my cheek against him, willing to stand like this forever if he found comfort in it.
“But it doesn’t make it any easier,” I said, finishing his thought.
“Exactly.” He kissed the top of my head, reluctantly releasing me.
“Do you want to go out to lunch?” I asked, stepping back and glancing into the room again. “Looks like she’ll be sleeping for a while.”
He was shaking his head before I even finished asking. “I don’t want her to wake up alone.”
“Well, I’m not letting you eat disgusting hospital food,” I said, trying to smile. “I’ll bring something back for you.”
“Do you mind getting me a change of clothes, too?” he dug into his pocket, pulling out his key ring. “I feel disgusting.”
“Of course. I’ll find something for you.”
“Thanks.” He kissed my temple, and I started to pull away, but he held me against him, as if he didn’t want me to go.
“Move in with me,” he said.
I stilled, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
“Are you—“
“Sure?” he stepped back, so that he could convince me with his eyes. “Yes. I’m happiest when we’re together. I want you at my house when I eventually come home. When I come home every night.”
Warmth spiraled through me, blooming into something beautiful. “Then of course I will.”
“The key with the green cover is the house key. Have a copy made while you’re out.”
And then he kissed me, fierce and soft all at once, as if to seal our agreement before returning to his mom’s room.
I glanced back as I walked away, taking in the image of him settling back into that chair by the window.
No one could ever doubt Landon’s loyalty.
And now, I didn’t either.
I walked into my house, my steps light on the floor, and stopped halfway to my room. My dad and brother were sitting at the dining room table, playing a game of cards.
It was… an odd picture. They didn’t spend much time together, unless it was in front of the TV. And there was a weird mood in the room—somber and quiet. Their expressions were serious, but not angry.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my eyes darting between them.
“Poker,” my dad replied, setting his cards down face up. As if that was the answer I was looking for.
Matt glanced up at me, and I knew I was right—something was up. There was a wariness there, a tired honesty.
“Not the cards,” I said, lingering in the entry to the kitchen. “Or… it’s sort of the cards. You guys don’t hang out like this. What’s up?”
“I told Dad,” Matt said, simply.
“You told him--”
“That I want a puppy,” Matt snapped, rolling his eyes. “What do you think I told him?”
The cancer. My dad knew about Matt’s cancer.
I had trouble doing more than just staring at them, trying to gauge the temperature. Trying to figure out how my dad could’ve reacted to this news