Page 4 of Landon & Shay: Part Two

“Landon’s back in town,” I spat out. Now, trust me, I was never one to cut my grandmother off when she was speaking to me, but I knew those words would make her reconsider.

She got to her feet and arched an eyebrow. “He’s back?”

“Yes. I don’t know for how long, though, and he asked me to meet him.”

“Tell him I said hello,” she replied without a beat of hesitation.

“Will do.” I snatched her keys off the counter and hurried out the door, and when I was halfway down the hallway, Mima called after me.

“Wait, Shay! Wait!” I turned around to see her hurrying toward me with containers in her hands. “Here, give him these leftovers. Then give him my love.”

She leaned in and kissed my cheek as butterflies filled my stomach.

My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as I drove to the two willow trees at Hadley Park. The sun had already fallen asleep as the night’s shadows danced through the trees. I raced through them, my heart pounding so hard I was certain it was seconds away from exploding out of my chest, and when I reached my destination, I slowed my pace.

There he was, standing with his back to me, hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

Even with his face turned away from me, I knew he looked so handsome.

“Hey, Satan,” I softly said, my voice sounding more nervous than I’d anticipated. I was a wreck of emotions, and the moment he rotated his body toward me, and his lips curved up, revealing that dimple of his that sat in his left cheek, all my nerves dissipated. I was left with only happiness.

“Hey, Chick.”

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. “You said you could really use a hug. I know I’m a little late since you said it, but—”

I cut him off because I couldn’t wait any longer. I dived toward him, wrapping my arms around his broad figure and pulled him close to me. He instantly hugged me tighter, nestling his head into my neck, breathing me in as I inhaled his cologne: smoky woods and all man. Gosh, I missed his smells. I missed his hugs. I missed him. Every piece, every inch, every breath.

“I’m so, so sorry, Shay,” he whispered.

My eyes glassed over as I was finally given the chance to fall apart, knowing he would catch me. “She was amazing,” I murmured. “She was one in a million.”

“I bet.”

Giving him a sloppy grin, I pulled back a little and studied him. I stared in wonderment, like a proud parent. I rested my hand against his cheek and couldn’t stop smiling like a fool. I was happy, so, so happy—the kind of happy I figured only happens once in a lifetime.

This reunion meant so much to me, Landon coming to hold me when I needed him so much.

“How’s your heart tonight?” I asked him, brushing my nose against his.

His lips curved up. “Still beating, but mostly, I’m here to hear about your heart. We can go sit in my car,” he offered, nodding his head toward the walkway back to the parking lot. “I just wanted to see the trees up close again. It’s too cold out here for us to just be standing.”

I agreed. Honestly, he could’ve said,Let’s go rob a bank and then get tacos, and I would’ve been down with that idea.

Wherever he led, I was going to follow.

We headed to his rental car and hopped inside. He blasted the heat, and I appreciated the warmth that engulfed me.

“I missed you,” he said, provoking instant fluttering in my stomach.

“I missed you, too. How have things been? How’s California? How are you?” That was the most important question.

He smiled his gentle smile and brushed his finger against the bridge of his nose. “Things have been okay. Busy, but good. I have a lot of appointments with my therapist, to keep me in a routine. We are trialing a few different meds to help keep my mind on track. So far, so good. I just miss you and my friends, but I know it’s the right fit.”

“Good.” I sighed, feeling so much relief at hearing that he was doing okay. He looked okay, too. No, he looked better than okay. He looked damn good. “And your mom?”

His grin deepened. “She’s great. She’s been my rock, and it’s been good having her by my side through all this. I’m glad I’ve been able to be by her side, too, with all the divorce crap my dad’s putting her through. I don’t get it, really—him being so cruel. Mom has always been good to him, and I’m certain there was a time they were in love. I just can’t imagine being so cruel to someone who at one point you thought would be your forever. It’s like the love never really existed in the first place.”

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