“Both of us?” I ask, unsure if I heard correctly.
“Both of you.” He nods, taking a step closer to me.
“But why? Why me, Landon?”
“You’re the one that I can’t seem to get out of my head. You’re laid back and cool and not about the bullshit of the fame and fortune that surround my life. You’re a damn good mom, and I just want to see where this goes.” He’s taken a few more steps toward me now.
“And what if this doesn’t work out? What do I tell Carson?” I lean my back against the kitchen counter, facing him.
“You tell him the truth, that I will always be a friend of his, regardless of what happens between you and I.” I look him in the eye. His eyes are focused on my lips and before I can think about my actions or the situation unfolding before us, I reach up on my tiptoes and place my lips against his.
“That won’t work, Landon. He is a little boy that wears his heart on his sleeve. He will get his hopes up and he will attach himself to you. He’s already thrilled to have you around and we haven’t even gone anywhere yet.” I sigh and place my palm against my forehead. “I’m not sure about any of this.”
“That’s okay. We don’t have to rush, we can just get to know each other and let me make it up to you for being a dick when we first met.”
I look him in the eyes, searching for something to tell me not to do this, but I couldn’t find any reasons. The sex that night was amazing, but the caring man standing before me is someone I wasn’t prepared for. And saying no to Landon Prince is just too difficult.
“Fine,” I mutter, a small smile playing at my lips.
Landon steps forward so we are directly in front of each other. His crooked grin causes me to smile bigger. His knuckles run across my cheek as he leans in, gently placing his lips against mine.
“I had fun tonight.” He says, he glances down to his feet, shifting his weight slightly like he’s embarrassed.
“So did I, and I know Carson had the best time.” I smile at him, something shifting inside me when I think of the events of the day.
“I’m just glad we managed to avoid the paparazzi today. It’s usually not so bad, but I just knew that if they got wind of the two of you, the vultures would be out.”
I nod my head. I haven’t really thought about what it will be like for us, if people were to find out. I’m overanalyzing the situation when he presses one more soft kiss to my lips before stepping backwards.
“Don’t overthink it.” He winks, taking a step down. “Goodnight, Kels.”
Chapter Eleven
“So, tell me about your little date you had with Mr. Prince.” I look up from where I’m sitting at my desk in my classroom. My sister walks in and leans against the side of my desk.
“Don’t you have students?” I drop my pen and lean against my comfortable chair and turn slightly.
“Yeah, but they’re with my aide.” I laugh. Chrissy is a preschool teacher so she gets an aide every year to help.
“An aide is not for you to leave alone while you come chit-chat.” I laugh.
“Oh, I know, but I needed the scoop on that little rendezvous since you wouldn’t answer your favorite sister’s messages.” I roll my eyes at her comment. I purposely evaded returning her calls because I’d never be able to get off the phone with her. A text would turn into a call and I’m not sure how I’m truly feeling about all the sudden changes that have taken place.
“One, you are my only sister. And two, it wasn’t a rendezvous. Carson was with us the entire time,” I say.
“Whatever, now tell me.” I roll my eyes at her bossiness and I know I won’t get her out of my room before my students return from music if I don’t just spill the beans.
“We went to play laser tag,” I say, giving up the fight.
“Laser tag?” She stops before her face breaks into a full grin. “That is the sweetest thing. I bet Carson loved that.”
“You know he did.” I laugh. Carson is all boy, anything involving physical activity and pizza is right up his alley.
“So, how are you feeling about all of this?” she asks. I’m really not sure how I feel about any of it. It’s so fast and makes me nervous that not only could I potentially get hurt, but so can my son. Being a parent means making decisions that you hate, but someone has to ensure the safety of us both and that includes our hearts.
“I’m honestly not sure,” I reply. “I’m just paranoid. I think Kyle ruined me.”
Chrissy rolls her eyes, in her overly dramatic way that only she can master.
“Please. That asshole didn’t ruin you, he just put a dent in you. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit, Kelsi. You are a damn good mother and you do it all with minimal help from anyone. Don’t let that dickhead decide your future. He doesn’t deserve it.”
I know she’s right, but it’s so hard to let go of the heartache and pain of something like your child being abandoned by his father.
“I know, I know you’re right, it’s just hard.”
She gives me a quick hug before heading to the door to return to her class.
It’s been three days since I’ve seen Landon. He’s called or texted every day and has kept his promise on taking things slow.
Landon: Good morning, gorgeous.
I stare at the screen of my phone. I get a message like this every morning when I wake up. The message is always from hours before because Landon is up early for practice and Carson doesn’t wake up until six AM normally, but it’s the weekend and he’s still snoozing in the bed next to me. He came in my room around two in the morning saying his throat hurt, with a bad cough and a fever.
Every morning his message makes me smile and I hate how this simple gesture makes me giddy. Kyle never did anything like this, I was always the one who initiated any type of contact during our entire relationship.
Me: Good morning to you. How was practice?
Landon: Rough. I’m ready to get home and jump in the pool.
Me: That sounds nice.
Landon: Why don’t y’all come over and we can throw some burgers on the grill. Carson can swim and we can all hang.
Me: I’d really love too but we can’t today. I’m sorry.
Landon: Am I moving too fast?
Me: Actually, no. It’s Carson. He has been sick all night.
My phone rings shortly after I hit send. I smile when I see Landon’s name pop up.
“Hello,” I whisper, trying not to wake Carson as I slide out of the bed and sneak into the living room.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Landon sounds out of breath.
“I’m not sure, he woke up around two and was coughing really bad then said his throat was hurting him. I can’t get his fever to break. I may have to take him to Urgent Care later.”
“Poor dude, I hope he feels better. I really wanted to spend the weekend in the pool with y’all. I even bought him a few water toys.”
My heart swells at the sweet gesture. “Landon, you don’t have to buy him anything.” He grunts through the phone.
“I know I don’t, but I wanted to. This pool is huge and boring to a kid.”