“You need any help, Max?” Landon asked.
“Nope, we’re good. See you guys in the morning.”
“Night.”
Landon and Amanda were next door and Lucas, Dani and Savannah on the other side of them.
“Night,” Lucas said as he walked by with Dani.
“Don’t let me hear any noises coming from over there,” Landon said.
“Ditto,” Lucas said, smirking.
“Might be a good night for ear plugs,” Landon said.
Amanda smacked his shoulder. “Shut up.”
“He’s all yours,” Lucas said, rolling his eyes.
Landon opened the door, ushered Amanda in ahead of him and let the door close behind them. “Wait.”
She turned to him, and he could tell he took her by surprise when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with hours’ worth of pent-up desire pouring forth in a kiss that went on for what felt like forever.
“Whoa,” she said. “What brought that on?”
“Hours and hours and hours surrounded by my family. That’s what.”
“Aw, did you have to be on your best behavior?”
He cupped her ass and tugged her in tight against his erection. “I did, and it was painful.”
“How painful?”
“Excruciating. I had to keep my hands and lips and every other part of me to myself.”
“I thought I took care of all that this morning.”
“That was a hundred years ago, and besides, it’s your own fault for being so damned sexy in that dress.” When he’d seen her in the red dress she’d worn in deference to the Sox, he’d nearly drooled all over himself. He helped her remove the cute little denim jacket she’d paired with the dress and then ran his hands over her luscious curves. “I can’t help myself. You just do it for me.”
“Likewise.”
“Nice how that works out, huh?”
“Nicest thing ever.”
“Is it? Really?”
“Of course it is, Landon. Between everything that’s happened with you and having Stella back in my life, not to mention your amazing family, who I already love so much… Sometimes I just want to pinch myself that it’s all real.”
“It’s so real.” He kissed her some more and then wrapped his arms around her, needing to have her close to him. “I saw you on your phone earlier. Were you still talking to Stella?”
She nodded. “We were texting all night—because it’s easier now that I’m out of the mountains. She was having a rough night.”
“Because of her mom?”
Amanda nodded. “Kelly has been feeling really lousy since yesterday, so Stella stayed home from a slumber party she was looking forward to because she didn’t want her mom to be home alone.”
“Ah, the poor kid. That’s a lot for her to deal with. Isn’t there anyone else who can help them?”
“They moved to the town where they live now a few months before Kelly was diagnosed. She was transferred with her job, and they didn’t get the chance to meet very many people before she got sick. Kelly’s friends live mostly out of state.”
“The thought of Stella and Kelly dealing with an illness of that magnitude alone is a bit overwhelming.”
“I agree. I was thinking I might go there at some point. They need help, and I can do that for them. Maybe I could work on the catalog remotely for a while.”
Landon’s heart sank at the thought of her being hours away from him, possibly for months or even longer. But he knew it was the right thing to do. “I’m sure you could.”
“Would you visit me on your days off?”
“Of course I would.”
She looked up at him, her expression madly vulnerable. “It’s a lot to ask of you.”
“It’s not a lot. It’s what you do for the people you love. You show up and support them no matter what they’re going through. You’re there for good times and bad times.”
She clung to him. “I feel so very lucky to be loved by you.”
“I feel just as lucky to be loved by you. And I want you to do whatever you have to do for Stella and Kelly and not worry about me.”
“Thank you for understanding.” She drew him into another kiss, and after that, there were no more words, only desperate kisses and soft moans and searing pleasure. They pulled at clothes and fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, her softness welcoming him as he landed on top of her, being mindful of her injured ankle.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he said.
“Same. Being with you this way has become my favorite thing ever.”
“This day seemed to crawl. I was having fun and enjoying my family and the game, but all I could think about was how much longer until I could be alone with you.”
“That’s very sweet.”
He scowled. “It’s not sweet. It’s depraved.”
“I like you that way.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then you won’t care if we skip the preliminaries and race straight to the main event?”
“I won’t care at all.”
He pushed into her, muffling her loud gasp with a kiss. “Shhhh. We’re surrounded on all sides.”
She bit her lip and gave him a wide-eyed look that made him laugh.
“You can do it.”
“Not sure I can.”
Landon took hold of her hands, lifted them over her head and kissed her to keep her quiet as he moved in her. If there was anything that felt better than being with her this way, he hadn’t found it yet, and he was done looking. This was all he needed to be happy. She was all he needed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I was made and meant to look for you and wait
for you and become yours forever.”
―Robert Browning
Mia was awake an hour before her alarm was set to go off. She turned on her side to watch her gorgeous husband sleep, which was one of her favorite things to do. For so long, she’d dreamed about him and the life they had now. When she’d been trapped in hell with her ex, thoughts of Wade Abbott had kept her sane.
And when the shit with Brody had hit the fan, she’d run to Wade. It had been a huge risk because she hadn’t seen him in more than a year by then and had no idea whether the feelings she’d had for him had ever been reciprocated.
They’d been platonic friends. Nothing more. But she’d wanted so much more with him, and when she’d asked him to marry her so Brody couldn’t force her to marry him to keep her from testifying against him, Wade hadn’t hesitated.
He’d shown her his heart that first day and every day since then. Back in the days when she’d been locked in a nightmare, it had never occurred to her that the kind of happiness she’d found with Wade even existed. Now she knew better.
They’d been married for months already, but after she found her long-lost father, he’d insisted on throwing them the big wedding that would take place today. Mia would’ve said they didn’t need the over-the-top wedding, but she’d loved every minute of planning it with her dad, who was so thrilled to have her back in his life.