“That’s a relief,” Amanda said. “I just want to tell you… What you did… Thank you, Lucas. Thank you so much.”
“I was just doing my job.”
“You saved my life. I was so scared, and then there you were. I’ll never be able to properly thank you.”
“I’m glad we both made it out of there.” Lucas snuggled the baby with his good arm. “We’ve got a lot to live for.”
Landon watched as Amanda shuddered from reliving the horror of that night, and decided to change the subject. “Did they say when you can come back to work?”
“Another six weeks at least.” Lucas scowled at his broken arm. “If the fire didn’t kill me, the lying around just might.”
Like Landon, his brother hated to be inactive.
“Heard you guys made a hell of a rescue the night of the storm.”
“Yeah, we found them. Just in time, too. One of them is still in the hospital but expected to make a full recovery, thankfully.”
“Good news all around,” Lucas said. “So what’re you guys up to?”
“Nothing much,” Landon replied. “Just had dinner at the Kingdom.”
When Savvy started fussing, Dani stood to pick her up. “Bedtime for my angel. You want to help, Amanda?”
“Sure, I’d love to.” She got up and hobbled after Dani.
“You look a lot better,” Landon said to his brother when they were alone.
“I feel much better. Go grab us a couple of cold ones.”
“Are you allowed to have beer?”
“Yep. I haven’t taken anything for the pain today.”
Landon got up, went to the kitchen, opened two beers and brought them back, handing one to Lucas.
“Thanks. Before Dani comes back, I need a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Can you run to Montpelier and pick up something for me when you get the chance?”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“The engagement ring I ordered for her.”
“I still can’t believe you’re actually engaged.”
“I know,” Lucas said with a cocky grin. “Just when I thought I’d never find anyone who could stand me, there was Dani and Savvy to change my life forever.”
“I’m happy for you.” Landon put his beer on the table and sat back in the chair, wishing he had the secret recipe for the kind of happiness his brother had found with Dani.
“What’s the matter with you? You’re all spun up over something.”
Landon would ask how Lucas could tell that, but it was a twin thing. They just knew. “It’s just been a very weird night.”
“How so?”
“Things with Amanda have been at a bit of a standstill, until tonight, that is. We had a little breakthrough, you might call it, which was totally effed when we went to Kingdom.”
“What happened?”
“I ran into Chrissy. She practically jumped me, kissed me, etc. right in front of Amanda. Then there was Jessica…”
“Who wasn’t happy to see you there with a date?”
“Yes! And I have no idea what her problem is. We were over a hundred years ago. The last freaking thing I needed was all that happening in front of Amanda when things were starting to move in the right direction—finally.”
“Everyone has a past, Landon. I bet she does, too.”
“Maybe so, but hers isn’t being thrown in my face. After tonight, I’ll be afraid to step foot outside the door around here with her.”
“Does she know you’re into her in a way you haven’t been with the others?”
“I think so. I mean, I guess…”
“This is the time for very clear communication. Put it out there. Tell her how you feel so she can have no doubts.”
“Look at you giving out relationship advice,” Landon said with a grunt of laughter. “Who’d a thunk it?”
“Not me until I met Dani, and everything else ceased to matter. If it’s like that for you with Amanda, make sure she knows it. You can’t help what other people do, but you can certainly make sure she knows your truth.”
“That’s a good point.”
“I know.”
Landon sent him a withering look. “Thanks again for not dying in that fire.”
“I had to stick around to make sure you stay out of trouble and don’t mess it up with Amanda.”
“I don’t want to mess it up with her. I really like her. I have this panicky feeling about her leaving and me missing out on this chance with her.”
“Then don’t let that happen. Don’t hold anything back. All the usual bullshit doesn’t work here. You gotta dig deeper. I promise you, it’s worth the effort. It’s so completely worth it.”
“Did you kids set a date yet?”
“Probably later in the summer. It doesn’t really matter to us when it happens. We already feel married in all the most important ways.”
“I’m happy for you guys.”
“We’re happy for us, too.”
“When you were first with Dani, how did you deal with, you know, your track record, I guess you’d call it?”
Lucas thought about that for a second. “It helped that I met her in Stowe, and we spent some time there before we came back here. But I told her I’d dated a lot, that I’d never really done the serious thing before, but I felt ready for that, which mattered to her because of Savvy. After what she went through losing Savvy’s father when she was pregnant, Dani wasn’t about to bring me into her daughter’s life long-term unless I was serious about both of them. I had to man up or run the risk of blowing it. Since losing them wasn’t an option I wanted to consider, I manned up.”
“What exactly does that entail?” Landon couldn’t believe he was actually asking that question of Lucas, of all people, but since he didn’t want to fuck it up with Amanda, he asked.
“It means taking it seriously. No bullshit. When Dani asked for time to get her life here established, I gave her time, even if it killed me to put things on hold with her for months. But it was what she needed. With Amanda, don’t let her think for a second you want anything—or anyone—other than her. And if you don’t honestly feel that way about her, then don’t pretend you do.”
“I really like her. A lot. Like, more than I’ve liked anyone since… you know.”
Lucas stared at him. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe you should tell her that.”
“I’d have to tell her about… about Naomi…” Saying her name felt like lancing a still-healing wound.
“Would that be so bad?”
Landon shrugged. “I don’t talk about her, except when I see her mom.”
“Maybe you should. It would give Amanda some perspective.”
“I guess.” The thought of resurrecting that old hurt made him queasy and sweaty. “Why does this have to be so hard?”
“Because it matters.”
Landon nodded. That was certainly true. Before he could say anything more, Amanda and Dani returned to the living room.