Close to You
“Thanks for the recap, but I was there.” I kiss Landon’s bicep, then walk toward the kitchen.
“You seem pretty chipper for someone whose ex is moving on with someone new.”
“I moved on with someone new.” I shrug and grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Landon, Brian and I have been over for a very long time.”
“Mia mentioned that you used to try to set him up with women.”
“All the time,” I confirm.
“Why?”
This makes me pause and frown at my bottle of water. Landon and I have been together long enough that I can come clean about my relationship with Brian. So I take a deep breath and raise my eyes to his.
“I felt so guilty I thought I’d die with it.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I left.” I shrug and begin pacing the kitchen. I always pace when I think. “Honestly, Brian and I got married because we’d dated in college and it seemed like that was the logical next step. He’s a nice guy, has a decent job, good credit score. On paper, we’re an excellent match.
“But I shouldn’t have married him in the first place. He was madly in love, and I did and still do care for him, but I wasn’t in love with him the way I should have been to get married. And after a few years, it became apparent to me that I never would love him the way a woman should love her husband.”
“Why not?” Landon asks softly, but I just keep talking.
“So I told him that I wanted a divorce, and he acted like it was this big shock, but I don’t see how it could have been. There was no passion, no adventure in our relationship. And at first he was so hurt that he couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as me. But over time, we talked more and we both agreed that ours wasn’t what a marriage should be. And I just couldn’t bear the thought of Brian being alone, so I started trying to set him up, which he hated.”
I laugh and look over at Landon, who’s sitting at the island, watching me pace.
“Why weren’t you in love with him, Cami?”
I shake my head and continue. “But it’s clear that he didn’t need my help at all. Stephanie is great. I like her. She’s pretty, and funny, and honestly, I think she’s someone that I could be friends with. And did you see how he looks at her? He’s so happy. And that just makes me happy.”
Having run out of steam, and things to say, I lean back against the counter and cross my arms.
“Why?” he asks again, holding my gaze.
“You know why,” I whisper, and bite my lip, horrified that I’ll cry.
Landon stands and walks over to me, caging me in the way he did in this very spot weeks ago when he first kissed me.
“Tell me,” he whispers, pushing my hair over my shoulder and cupping my neck in his palm, his thumb grazing over the skin of my chin.
“I’ve always been in love with you, Landon.”
He exhales slowly and leans into me, but rather than kiss me passionately and boost me up on the countertop to fuck me senseless, he brushes his lips gently over my forehead and pulls me into his arms, hugging me softly. “Same here, sweetheart.”
Chapter 14
~Landon~
“So, this is a surprise?” Steven, Cami’s nephew, asks two weeks later. We’re in Cami’s house, upstairs in the storage bedroom that I’m now turning into her closet.
“Yep,” I reply, and spackle where the doorframe was.
“Won’t she see the mess when she gets home from work?” he asks with a smirk.
“She and Kat are in Seattle for a couple of days on a wine-buying trip. So I have today and tomorrow to finish this up.”
“Cool,” Steven says, surveying our work. “She’s gonna go apeshit when she sees it.”
“I hope so.” I grin over at him. “She needs better storage for all of those shoes.”
“Why do girls have to buy so many shoes in the first place?” He frowns, like women are as much a mystery as aliens.
“It’s not our job to understand them,” I reply with a sigh, and clap him on the shoulder. “We just try our best to keep them happy.”
“That’s a mystery too,” he says, shaking his head in disgust. “I’ve been living with this girl, Melissa, since my folks moved up to Seattle. I like her, but damn, she’s a head case.”
“How long have you dated her?”
“A couple years, I guess.” He shrugs. “We get along okay for the most part, but damn, she’s so jealous. I can’t even be polite to a waitress without her losing her shit on me.”
“That sounds exhausting,” I murmur, not envious of his plight in the least. I’ve dated girls like that before. Hell, most of us have. They’re emotionally draining.
“I was so glad you called me to come help with this,” Steven continues. “She was ranting and nagging about something this morning. Wanted me to mow the grass or something, which is fine, but I just mowed it two days ago. Sometimes I think she just needs to nag me about anything to feel good.”
I nod, not sure what to say. I can see that he’s frustrated, but we’re not really close friends. After a pause, he glances at me, and looks like he’s about to say something, but then turns away and begins stirring the paint we’re going to use on two of the walls.
“Go ahead and ask.”
He waits a minute, and then surprises the shit out of me when he asks, “Do you regret doing the Navy thing?”
I blink for a minute, mentally switching gears. “Not at all.”