Page 66 of Hot Shot
“And you believed that? Accepted that excuse to hide behind closed doors?” I’d never know Landon to be secretive which makes this whole situation more fucked up. That she had that kind of control over him.
He shrugs. “Wasn’t my finest moment.”
“I get that, but I thought…”
“I know.” His gaze drops to the ice before bouncing back up. “I let us all down, most of all you. I had no idea she was going to do what she did. I should have. The morning I caught her coming out of your room?—”
“What?” His words have me taking a step back. “You saw?”
He gives a quick nod. “She was still doing up her shirt and I could see through the gap in the doorway that you hadn’t bother to get dressed yet. You weren’t even out of bed.”
“I didn’t see you. I told her to get out. Pretty sure I yelled it.”
“I didn’t hear if you did, but the smug look she gave me as we passed”—he shakes his head—“I knew it was my fault, knew she’d hooked up with you to get at me and I should have warned you but by then I’d had enough of her. I just wanted her out of my life. Figured you’d be shot of her soon enough. We all knew you were waiting for Blake.”
“We were waiting for each other.”
“I never understood that.”
I shake my head, a rueful smile curling my lips. “I’m beginning to think I don’t anymore either.”
“You planning to fix that now?”
“We’re working on it.”
“Are you going to sign on with the Rogues?”
“Yeah.”
We’re quiet for a few moments. Both caught up in our own thoughts. Then Landon lets a deep sigh loose, his shoulders lower, and his gaze meets mine.
“The week before you got married, I bumped into her. Celeste. She gloated about the great guy she was seeing and how I’d regret letting her go. I told her the only regret I had was meeting her in the first place and I was glad she was out of my life. Wanna know what she said to that?”
“I’m sure it was a blade to the gut.”
“Might as well have been.”
“What did she say?”
“She said I could go fuck myself and I wouldn’t be rid of her like I thought because her and the guy she was seeing were planning to get married. Have a family.” He looks off to the side. “You know one of the only arguments we had other than about Corbin was the fact she didn’t want a family. Ever. Which now, looking back, seems like a stupid discussion to be having with a woman I’d been with for only a handful of months.”
“She told you she was going to do what you wanted but not with you?”
“Yeah. Then she married you.”
“Only because she was pregnant and asked for money to fix the problem.”
“Fuck!” Landon pulls back his stick and sends a puck at the wall. It’s quickly followed by several more before he launches the stick after them. “She was mine, wasn’t she? That’s why you’re here, why Dad called us home and sent Oakley fucking James’s jet to get us.”
“Yes. But I didn’t know. Not until after Celeste killed herself. After she?—”
“I hate to speak ill of the dead but good fucking riddance.”
“I agree.”
“What the fuck do we do now, Bran? Where the fuck do we go from here? I missed—” he chokes on his final words.
“I’d like to share her with you. Laura. I have pictures. Videos.”
