Landon & Shay: Part Two (L&S Duet #2)(21)

“I knew it,” Lori murmured, her nostrils flaring.

A sinister smile curved April’s lips as if she felt victorious in finally voicing the truth of her affair with Ralph, but I didn’t understand why she’d feel good about that. How could someone feel good about being so evil?

“You’re disgusting,” Lori spat out.

“Yes, well, at least I’m not you,” April replied.

Landon stepped forward a fire burning in the back of his gaze. “Say one more nasty word toward my mother, and I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

“Landon,” Lori said, her voice controlled as she put a hand in front of her son. “No.”

He growled slightly but took a step back at his mother’s request.

“I will leave, but at least let Landon pay his respects to his father,” Lori requested, keeping her calm a lot better than I would’ve if I were in her situation.

“Like I said before, no. Neither of you are welcome here. It’s Landon’s fault his father passed away anyway. He was the last one to speak to him and upset him to such an extreme.”

“Don’t ever put that kind of bullshit on my son. He was not the cause of what happened,” Lori barked, raising her voice to a level that made everyone around us look our way. It was now time for her eyes to blaze with anger. “I will rip your poor excuse for extensions out of your head if you ever say such a thing again.”

“It’s true.” April pursed her lips. “Like Ralph always said, you two are toxic, and he wouldn’t want you anywhere near him today. So, leave.”

There were a few seconds of pause as Lori and April stood nose to nose, breathing heavily. Landon finally reached for his mother’s arm and gently tugged. “It’s fine, Mom. Let’s go. She’s right—he wouldn’t want me here. To be honest, I don’t want to be here either.”

My chest ached for Landon because I knew that wasn’t true. I knew how much he cared for the man who hadn’t loved him back the way he deserved. I knew how much he was hurting after his father’s passing, especially since their last conversation hadn’t been a good one. I was sure he wanted a chance to say better words to his father, a chance to give his truths, but he wasn’t going to be able to do so.

Life wasn’t fair for a lot of people in this world, but I was certain it was even less fair for Landon Harrison.

He had been doing so good, talking about a future—a future with me, a future for us—but I saw the heaviness in his eyes over the passing days. I saw the way he was holding so much inside and not saying a word. I saw his hurts even though he didn’t unleash them. He kept them locked up tight.

He hasn’t even cried, I thought to myself as we walked back to the car to leave.

That was the scariest part to me—the fact that Landon hadn’t shown any kind of emotion about his father’s death. He hadn’t fallen apart. He hadn’t let any feelings out, and that terrified me. If he wasn’t letting it out, he was keeping it all in.

And no good ever came from Landon and his heavy, heavy thoughts.





“I’m going to stay at the hotel with my mom tonight,” Landon told me after we grabbed dinner together that night. He hardly ate any of his food, the same way he’d barely touched his meals on the previous days. I worried about him not eating enough, but there wasn’t much I could do. Mima had even brought a few dishes for him to dig into, but he hadn’t touched those either.

That was a clear sign that things were off. Landon passed up a meal from Mima.

His statement was so straightforward and cold.

“Oh? It’s your last night, right? You fly out early?” I asked, trying not to sound too heartbroken about it all.

“Yup.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay longer? I can take care of you. Just imagine…” I smiled, walking over to him and placing my hands on his shoulders. “Breakfast in bed, massages, cuddles whenever you need them, and even when you don’t.”

I worked my fingers into his shoulder blades, and he gave me a tired, forced smile. “I wish, but I have to get back to work. My manager is already chewing my ass out for a few last-minute changes we had to make.”

Disappointment swirled inside me, but I tried my best not to express it. He was going through a lot. He didn’t need to feel guilty about me missing him.

“Okay, that’s fine.”

He gave me another smile, this one with a dash of a little more heart. “I wish I could stay tonight, but after today, I think my mom could really use me.”

“I get it, I do. She needs you, and you need her. Go ahead.”

He pulled me in for an embrace, and I held on to him so tight. “Thank you for everything, Shay. You always go above and beyond.”

I rested my head against his chest. “How’s your heart?”

He didn’t reply, just leaned in and kissed me on my forehead. “I should really get going. Don’t worry about me, though.”

“You know I will.”

“Try not to.” He pulled back and leaned down, kissing my lips ever so gently. “I love you times two.”

“I love you times two,” I echoed, my lips lingering against his. “Hey?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let your mind wander too far from me. I’m here when you need me. Always.”