A few more days passed.
Landon:Shay, if we can’t be in love, we might as well be fuck acquaintances again. No strings attached—unless you want me to tie you up.
Clearly, Landon had lost his freaking mind.
I did my best to ignore his messages, but every time one came through, I wanted to throw my phone across the room.
When Christmas morning came around, I tried my best to put my best foot forward. I feared I’d be crossing paths with Landon, and I definitely wasn’t looking forward to it after his messages.
I pulled myself up that morning and headed over to Eleanor and Greyson’s for brunch. It was so odd to say that—Eleanor and Greyson’s, as if they were one unit. Eleanor had moved in with him and his two girls not that long ago.
Within the past few months, Greyson and Eleanor had finally made their love story official, and I was invited to their place Christmas morning to celebrate the holiday with them. I showed up early to help Eleanor cook and clean.
Everything was fine and dandy up until I heard the front door open, and Greyson’s youngest daughter, Lorelai, who was about seven years old, squealed in delight, “Uncle Landon!”
I glanced over my shoulder toward the living room, where Landon had just entered the space with gifts galore in his hands. Every single part of me froze as I saw him standing only a room distance apart from me.
Part of me wanted to crash into him and fall back together. I wanted to wrap him into my embrace and pretend our breakup never even happened.
Instead, I stood still.
“Happy holidays!” He balanced the gifts in one hand and hugged Lorelai with the other. She was an adorable little girl,bubbly and full of life. If you ever wanted to hear the most epic stories ever, you had Lorelai tell them to you—she’d never skip a detail. I swore a story about a simple trip to the supermarket could last for over an hour, and the way Lorelai told it, there were probably aliens and unicorns dancing down aisle nine next to the peanut butter and jams. Greyson had a household of creative minds on his hands.
I scrubbed a dish as I studied Landon’s interaction with his niece by love, not genetics. Lorelai quickly began digging at the pockets of Landon’s slacks, looking for something quite intently. Landon laughed, and the sound sent chills up and down my spine. He looked so good, and healthy, too. Almost as if he wasn’t as heartbroken as I was. Maybe he wasn’t. Perhaps I felt more for him than he’d felt for me. I wanted to be petty and hate on his happiness, but truthfully, all I ever wanted was for that man to find himself a happily ever after, even during the times I thought I wished him ill.
“OK, OK, OK, let me put these down,” he insisted, moving toward the Christmas tree as he set down the stack of gifts in his hands. He stood back up straight, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of candy to hand to his niece.
A banana Laffy Taffy.
I tried to ignore the storm of butterflies that attacked my stomach as I witnessed the exchange.
“If you stare any harder, you might lose your eyesight,” a voice said from over my shoulder, making me almost drop the plate in my hands.
“What? I wasn’t staring,” I lied as I turned toward Eleanor. “I was seeing who was here, that’s all.”
She gave me a knowing smile but didn’t dig deeper into the subject.
I placed the plate down and went back to the rest of thedishes in front of me, trying to shake the butterflies provoked by seeing Landon working as the candy man.
After I finished up the last of the dishes, I walked through the house to get to the bathroom. On my way, I passed Karla’s room.
I noticed Landon standing in her bedroom, holding her in a tight embrace. He was whispering things into her ear, and whatever he was saying seemed to be exactly what Karla needed to hear. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but a smile sat against her lips as she kept nodding to his words.
“OK,” she whispered, “I know, Uncle Landon.”
When he finished speaking to her, he pulled back and gave her the most genuine, heartwarming smile in the universe. I wished I hadn’t seen it—the way he gave such a broken girl so much comfort. It made me want to find comfort in his embrace, too, for my broken pieces.
Landon took his thumbs to her face and wiped away her falling tears. “I love you, Karla, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
I didn’t know if he meant here at Christmas or here as in alive, but either way, that heart of mine?Pitter-patter, patter pit.
“I love you too, Uncle Landon, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
Every time the girls called him Uncle Landon, I thought my heart was going to explode from warmth. The way he loved those girls and the way they smiled when he came into a room? It was enough to heat the iciest parts of my heart.
Landon’s eyes looked up toward the door, catching me eavesdropping on his sweet moment with Karla. At first he looked surprised. Then his lips curved up into the sexiest smile, and he nodded once, parted his lips, and mouthed, “Hi, Chick.”
I shot away toward the bathroom, feeling embarrassed for intruding on their intimate moment. The second I reached the bathroom, I shut the door, hurried over to the sink, and splashed water against my face. My whole body felt off, and I wasn’tsure how to handle the flurry of emotions rushing through me. Landon looked so good, healthy, and happy. I couldn’t stop thinking about walking over to him and taking him into my arms for a small embrace. What was wrong with me?