Landon & Shay: Part Two (L&S Duet #2)(16)

I bit my bottom lip. “Can I meet Sarah Sims if I come visit you on set?”

He laughed. “Oh God no. You’ll leave me for her in a heartbeat, and I cannot take that type of rejection.”

“Hmph. You’re probably right. Plus, I bet Sarah has magical butterflying skills.”

“I’m going to nail that butterfly position before I leave, dammit, and you’re going to forget Sarah Sims even exists.”

I snickered. “Very unlikely about me forgetting she exists, but I encourage you to keep trying the butterfly.”

“I’m not one to give up easily, fret not.”

“I’m so happy,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “I’m so happy you’re here, and I’m so happy you’re achieving your dreams.” I beamed ear to ear and sighed. “I’m just so happy, Landon.”

“Someday soon, I’ll be acting in one of your creations,” he said, placing his lips against mine. It was as if he saw the insecurities I had of my own dreams not coming to fruition and kissed them to sleep. “You’re next, Shay. You’re up next, and the world will be better because of your words.”

He brushed his nose against mine, giving me Eskimo kisses before placing a kiss on my forehead.

“You know what I want to do right now?” he whispered. His hot breaths rolled against the nape of my neck.

“What’s that?”

“I want to butterfly you again.”

The rest of the night was filled with making love, making jokes, and having fun.

It was so easy to smile whenever Landon was around me, and that night, he was in such a good frame of mind. I loved watching him be happy, be healthy, be with me.

We laughed so hard that tears formed in our eyes and rolled down our cheeks from the ridiculous adventures of Shay, Landon, and the Kama Sutra. I loved how safe I felt with him and how he held my body as if he was worshiping gold. Never in my life had I known just being in someone’s arms could make you feel so much like you’re at home. His skin against my skin, and my head resting against his chest…home. This was home to me.

Our breaths weaved in and out in harmony as we closed our eyes that night. One breath in, one breath out. Calm breaths that felt so at peace, so in harmony, so extremely right. It was hard being away from Landon for such long periods of time, but the reunion was always worth it. This thing we had was real, and it was ours.

Feeling his chest rise and fall was one of my favorite sensations. I’d never felt so close to a human in all my life.

One breath in, one breath out…

I closed my eyes to fall into slumber, knowing that when I dreamed of home that night, I’d dream of his heartbeats.





On our last night together, I woke up in the middle of the night due to movements against the comforter. Rubbing the tiredness from my eyes, I rose up on my elbows to find Landon sitting up on the edge of the bed with his phone in his hands. His head was down and staring at a message.

“You okay?” I asked, yawning. He didn’t reply. The sky was still pitch black. The only light that shone in my room was the light from the cell phone. How long had he been sitting there, staring at the glow?

I moved over to him and placed my hand against his stiff back. “Lan, what is it?”

“My, um…” He sniffled and brushed his hand beneath his nose. “It’s my dad. He had a heart attack.”

“Oh my gosh.” I sat up straighter. “I’m so sorry. Is he okay?”

“I don’t know. I woke up to go to the bathroom and saw a message on my phone from his assistant, April. It was sent over four hours ago. He’s at St. Luke’s Hospital.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

He grimaced. “No. You don’t have to come with me. It’s late, and you should rest. I should get over there, though, to see how he’s doing.”

“Landon, don’t be ridiculous. Come on, get dressed. I’ll drive.”

He did as I told him, and we hopped into the car. The whole ride there was silent, and Landon sat with his hand wrapped around the heart necklace I’d given him as he stared out the passenger window. I didn’t want to give him any words of encouragement because I knew anything would probably seem bleak to him. I could tell his mind was spinning. I’d spent enough time with Landon to know when his head was messing with him, based on his facial expressions. His brows were low and hard, and his left foot tapped repeatedly against the floor mat of the car. His jawline was clenched, too.

Every now and then, I’d reach over and give his knee a comforting squeeze, a simple reminder that he wasn’t alone. I knew how sometimes his mind could make him feel that way, so it was my job to slip in little reminders that it wasn’t the truth.

The sun was just beginning to rise when we pulled into the hospital. We hurried inside, and the moment we turned the corner to the waiting room, someone called out to Landon. We turned around to find a woman standing there in a peacoat and high heels. She had a small frame and looked a bit older than us, perhaps in her thirties or so.

“April, what’s going on?” Landon asked.

April—his father’s assistant.

She appeared flustered and nervous, but I supposed hospitals had a way of making people feel those things.

“He’s in recovery. It seemed to be a bad one this time, worse than the last. That was why I called you.”