saying a word. An uncomfortable silence filled the room and hung between us like a cloud of thick, unmoving smog.
“Did you call the police?” he asked hoarsely, after a good two minutes of silence had passed.
Shaking my head, I fiddled with a string hanging from the end of my sleeve. “My mom decided that we needed to keep it a secret. She said I shouldn’t ruin Cameron’s life because of one drunken mistake.”
When Landon’s head jerked back, I saw that his eyes were moist. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were.” I watched as a vein in his neck started to bulge. “It’s not really my mom’s fault. She was raped when she was a young woman. And my grandma told her to keep it to herself. It was just natural for her to brush it under the rug.” Warm tears slid down my cheeks, and I sniffled. “I’ve never been the same. That night…it ruined me. It changed me forever.”
“It made you the person you are now,” Landon said softly. “And I love the person you are.”
“I wanted you to know what kind of woman you are with,” I said weakly.
He held me tightly. “What kind of woman is that?”
I buried my face in his chest. “A woman who’s seen some pretty ugly shit.”
His voice was thick. “A woman who fought and who survived.”
The knot in my stomach loosened, and for the first time since he’d arrived, I was able to breathe without shuddering. In the last hour, I’d managed to tell three people my secret. For the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel dirty and shameful. I felt…strong.
When I lifted my head to look him in the eye, I saw the face of someone who loved me. Someone who adored me despite how much baggage I came with. And it was a lot of baggage. His brown eyes gazed down at me with sympathy and sadness but also something else I hadn’t expected—admiration. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever had someone feel that way toward me, and the magnitude was heavy on my shoulders. Loving Landon and being loved in return was like being wrapped in a warm blanket, fresh out of the dryer.
“I haven’t scared you off yet?” I whispered.
He shook his head. “I love you, Violet. No horrible secret is going to change that.” He pressed a kiss on the top of my head.
I looked up at him and smiled for the first time in what seemed like days. So this was what love was like. My heart started to thrum, and my head swam. “I love you, too.” My arms wound around his neck, and I brushed my lips against his lightly. “Thank you.”
He cupped my face and our noses brushed together. “For what?”
I pulled back and gazed into his eyes. “For being you.”
After I stared at him for a minute, Landon’s face split into one of his telltale grins. “I have an idea. But it’s crazy.”
I crawled up onto his lap and nuzzled his neck. Landon’s arms around me felt so good. So safe. It’d been a long time since I’d felt safe. “I think I could use some crazy. We’ve been entirely too serious tonight.”
“Let’s pack for our trip,” he announced, his fingers tracing lazy circles on my back.
I raised my head and looked at him. “That’s your crazy idea?”
He nodded, his eyes wide. “Uh-huh.”
“Well, okay. I was thinking of tattoos and maybe a night ride on your bike, but—”
Landon’s eyes were wild, and it made me laugh nervously. “No. Let’s pack for Las Vegas.”
My mouth dropped. “I…uh…what about Victoria?”
His mouth twitched. “Screw Victoria. Let’s go to Vegas. We’ve both got the weekend off—let’s just do it.”
My pulse felt like a hummingbird. “For…some slots…and blackjack?”
Landon shook his head slowly, a grin teasing at his lips.
I gulped. This couldn’t really be happening. “For a Wayne Newton show and some buffets?”
Again he shook his head. “Violet, I love you.”
Oh, holy hell, it really was happening. “And I love you,” I replied carefully.
“Let’s throw caution to the wind.” He finally gave in to the urge and grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Let’s get married.”
All of the air in my lungs escaped, and I was suddenly aware of every sound in the room. The muffled sound of Betsy and Kim laughing in their bedroom. The television playing in the apartment downstairs. The tail on my Felix the Cat clock ticking back and forth.
“What?” I croaked.
Landon wriggled out from under me and slid off the couch. Before I could