Landon & Shay: Part Two (L&S Duet #2)(3)

It’s not fair that God gets the good ones when we weren’t finished loving them yet.

No highlights today. Only shadows.

I wish I could hug you. I know that’s selfish and silly, but gosh, I miss your hugs.

I could really use a hug right now.

Today is hard.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.



-Chick





2





Shay





When Mom and I landed back in Illinois, it wasn’t easy. There was an emptiness in my chest from having to say goodbye to Aunt Paige. When we got back to Mima’s apartment, it was pretty somber all across the board. There wasn’t really much that could be said to make things feel less heavy. Still, Mima made us dinner, and we all ate together before heading off to our own spaces.

I sat in my bedroom, and my phone dinged.

Landon: Did you make it back to town safely?

Shay: Yes, back home.

Landon: How’s your heart?

I closed my eyes as I read his words.

Shay: Struggling.

Landon: I’m sorry, Chick.

A few seconds passed and another message came through.

Landon: Meet me by the willows?

Shay: LOL I wish.

Landon: No, really. I’m in town. Meet me at the willows.

That was all he said, and it was enough for me. Five words was all it took for me to have my world rocked upside down.

“Mima!” I hollered, dashing out of my bedroom as I scrambled to put on my sneakers. “Can I borrow your car?”

She sat in the living room, doing yoga moves on her mat, being more flexible than anyone her age should’ve been. “No. It’s late, and I’m sure you’re exhausted after your travels.”

“But—”

“No buts. There isn’t a good enough excuse for you to go out at this—”

“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.