Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
I knew Robert wasn’t thrilled about my reunion with Landon either. He’d never approved of our relationship. “It’s not the age difference,” he’d said gravely. “He just isn’t flexible. You have to be able to bend with a partner, or you’ll break. They say you shouldn’t have to change for someone, but that’s absurd. You have to change, and they have to change or else you won’t be able to fit together. You’ll never be greater than the sum of your parts.”
I’d laughed off his concerns back then and told him it wasn’t that serious. We’d both known I was lying. I was lucky that Robert wasn’t the type to say I told you so. Instead, as always, he was showing up when I needed him without a hint of reprobation or judgment.
I had another message from my mom. She claimed that something had come up unexpectedly–something too important to miss. She was sorry. She’d see me back at the hotel after our meeting. Somehow, with their assets being seized, they were still staying in a bungalow at The Beverly Hills Hotel, the most expensive hotel in the city.
“What’s wrong?” Landon asked, glancing over at me.
He never asked if anything was wrong. He always knew when something was, so there was no point in denying it.
“My mom isn’t meeting us anymore,” I said, putting my phone away. “Robert is coming instead.”
“She didn’t want you to tell me, did she?”
Again, there was no point in denying it. Landon always knew.
“She’s worried,” I deflected.
Landon nodded as though that made sense to him. “But Robert isn’t?”
“Robert is, but he comes through anyway.”
“They haven’t changed then.”
I knew that was a slight against my mom, but I didn’t feel like defending her. She’d done this my entire life in bigger and smaller ways. Something always came up. Robert always stepped in to fill the gap.
It was impossible to stew for long though. Not while I was watching the greatest change I’d ever seen take place in a man. If Robert thought Landon was as inflexible as a steel rod, he’d think differently if he could see him watching his daughter. For once, Landon’s thoughts weren’t hidden behind an inscrutable expression. I saw them all, the approving nod when Emma tried to climb a particularly difficult structure. Concern when she slipped, his muscles tensing as he decided whether or not to intervene; pride when she made it to the top without assistance. Then, tenderness and something like vulnerability when she got tired of playing and came running back toward me. Always so comfortable in his skin and his expensive suits, now he shifted like he wasn’t sure where to put his arms or his hands. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and braided his fingers together.
On impulse, I reached over and squeezed his interlocked fingers. I didn’t have any words of advice to offer, but I wanted to offer something.
Landon’s hands were hard fists beneath mine. I saw him take a deep breath and try to relax. “What do I say to her when she gets here?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure if he was asking me or himself. I answered anyway. “Just…be yourself.”
He shot me a sideways glance. “Myself?” I could hear the irony in the question. Landon knew exactly who he was. Robert wasn’t the only one who would describe him as inflexible. Other adjectives, such as cold and remote had often been applied to him, too. Worse ones, like asshole, were just as common. He knew it, and he liked it that way. It allowed him to keep people at a distance. The way he preferred.
I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Yourself.” I didn’t add that I meant the version he only showed to a few, select people. One of whom I used to be.
“Worst fucking advice ever,” he murmured just as Emma reached us.
“No swearing,” I murmured back just as she threw her warm body into my arms.
“Water!” she demanded.
I pulled out the thermos I always carried and freed the built-in straw. Emma grabbed it and sucked down half the bottle, twisting back and forth, her celery green eyes going from me to Landon with no particular curiosity.
“Hi,” she said to him when she was done.
“Hi,” Landon said, his voice strained.
“Mommy bought new shoes,” Emma said, kicking out a foot to show off her light up Paw Patrol sneakers.
“I have new shoes, too,” Landon said, sliding his foot out to show off his Thom Browne Brogues.
“Mine light up,” Emma said challengingly.
I saw Landon raise his eyebrows, interested. He never could back down from a challenge. “Mine are made in Italy.”
“Mine are made at Norsrum!”
He looked over at me.
“Nordstrom,” I explained. I had no idea where I’d really gotten the shoes from. They weren’t actually new; she was close to growing out of them. But I’d introduced them as new shoes, and the name had stuck.