I’m aware of Landon’s presence all through, and it takes all my self-control not to go over to him, or at least retrieve my phone from my purse and talk to him, tell him how relieved I am that he came, how sorry I am for the things I said.
The ceremony is short and beautiful. Both Laurie and Brett cry when they say their vows, and I do too, though not as much as Aunt Jacie, who’s practically bawling by the time they’re pronounced husband and wife. Afterward, we take pictures, before everyone has to move toward the tables laid out in a large cabana.
Landon joins me then, while guests are congratulating Laurie, Brett, and their parents. He walks up to me and I sniff, blinking rapidly as it hits me all at once how much I’ve missed him. I’m going to have his child. Somehow, well I know exactly how, we created someone who would have something of both of us.
I should tell him, I know. I have no excuse for keeping it to myself especially now that he’s here. And I will, I tell myself, once we’re alone.
“Hey,” he murmurs, when he’s standing in front of me.
I smile. “Hey you too.”
“You look lovely.”
I sigh. “So do you.”
An eyebrow goes up. “But I don’t have flowers in my hair.”
I reach for one of the flowers and stick it in his hair. It should make him look ridiculous, but it only makes him sexier. He grins, then his eyes lock on mine and turn serious. “I’m sorry…” he starts.
“No…” I interrupt him. “I’m sorry. I said a lot of things I didn’t mean.”
He takes my hand. “We shouldn’t do this here,” he says, looking toward the party. The children are laughing and chasing each other between the tables, and wine and food is being served. “It was a beautiful ceremony,” he says. There is some wistfulness in his eyes.
“Yes, it was.” We stand there looking at each other. “When did you arrive?” I ask finally.
“Last night. Much too late to do anything after the manager told me you weren’t in your room. I had breakfast with the men in your family this morning.”
“Oh!” That must have been after my mom came over to Nana’s. She must not have known that Landon was around, or she would have told me. “I’m glad you came,” I whisper softly.
He raises a hand to touch my cheek, gently stroking it. “I wouldn’t dream of missing something so important to you.”
The party progresses nicely after that. The best man gives a hilarious toast that makes Brett squirm in embarrassment throughout, and afterward there’s dancing. I dance with my brother, my dad, Uncle Taylor, and a couple of other people that I don’t know. Before Landon takes over and doesn’t release me to anyone else.
The DJ switches to dancehall beats and Landon shows a surprising willingness to shake it to the dance tracks, as well as amazing skill. It’s easy to forget everything and just have fun, to eat so much cake it’s almost indecent, to laugh as Nana winks at me when I finally introduce Landon to her, and dance in a circle when Berry and Tamia’s children insist on dancing with Landon and me.
Finally, Laurie and Brett leave. They’re spending the night at another hotel, far away from family. From there they’re flying to Venice. We remain at the beach for a while after they leave, waiting till the sun starts to set before we all say our goodbyes.
Landon follows me to the suite I shared with Laurie. He took a suite for himself when he arrived, but he shows no desire to leave me. I wonder if we’re going to talk about our fight now. It was so great to see him enjoying himself that I don’t want to spoil it by remembering anything else.
“I have sand everywhere,” I tell him, once we’re inside the room. I’m smiling, trying to keep things light.
“Yes, I probably need a shower too.” He starts to take off his shirt. “My clothes are in my suite.”
I raise my brows. “Do you think you’ll need them?”
He grins. “Come on,” he says, pulling me into the bathroom, where we shed the sandy clothes before getting in the shower. Landon kisses me under the warm spray and spends the next few minutes soaping my body so thoroughly that when I emerge, I’m not only clean, I’m also nearly incapacitated with arousal.
When we’re both back in the room, wrapped in robes, Landon sits beside me on the bed. He has called the manager and arranged for his things to be sent down first thing in the morning, so he won’t be doing a walk of shame in the bathrobe, an image that makes my lips quirk in amusement.
“About Thursday night…” he says, looking at me.
I breathe, my smile disappearing. I search his face, trying to be secure in the knowledge that he loves me, that he’ll never do anything to hurt me.
“I love you,” he says, his voice so soft and tender that immediately my eyes start to tear up. “I need you to know that. I need you to know that I’ll never do anything consciously, deliberately to hurt you. There is nothing as important to me as you are.”
I nod, tears in my eyes.
“I should have told you I was going to see Ava, and I should have told you why. I was hoping that I’d have been able to resolve the whole situation with Evans before coming here, and you’d never need to know that he was missing.” He sighs. “Of course that was wrong as well.”