“Do you mind getting me a change of clothes, too?” he dug into his pocket, pulling out his key ring. “I feel disgusting.”
“Of course. I’ll find something for you.”
“Thanks.” He kissed my temple, and I started to pull away, but he held me against him, as if he didn’t want me to go.
“Move in with me,” he said.
I stilled, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
“Are you—“
“Sure?” he stepped back, so that he could convince me with his eyes. “Yes. I’m happiest when we’re together. I want you at my house when I eventually come home. When I come home every night.”
Warmth spiraled through me, blooming into something beautiful. “Then of course I will.”
“The key with the green cover is the house key. Have a copy made while you’re out.”
And then he kissed me, fierce and soft all at once, as if to seal our agreement before returning to his mom’s room.
I glanced back as I walked away, taking in the image of him settling back into that chair by the window.
No one could ever doubt Landon’s loyalty.
And now, I didn’t either.
I walked into my house, my steps light on the floor, and stopped halfway to my room. My dad and brother were sitting at the dining room table, playing a game of cards.
It was… an odd picture. They didn’t spend much time together, unless it was in front of the TV. And there was a weird mood in the room—somber and quiet. Their expressions were serious, but not angry.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my eyes darting between them.
“Poker,” my dad replied, setting his cards down face up. As if that was the answer I was looking for.
Matt glanced up at me, and I knew I was right—something was up. There was a wariness there, a tired honesty.
“Not the cards,” I said, lingering in the entry to the kitchen. “Or… it’s sort of the cards. You guys don’t hang out like this. What’s up?”
“I told Dad,” Matt said, simply.
“You told him--”
“That I want a puppy,” Matt snapped, rolling his eyes. “What do you think I told him?”
The cancer. My dad knew about Matt’s cancer.
I had trouble doing more than just staring at them, trying to gauge the temperature. Trying to figure out how my dad could’ve reacted to this news by… playing cards.
Dad met my eyes. There was understanding there, and also compassion, like he knew exactly how I’d felt when I heard the news. “I talked to his doctor,” Dad said. “And it’s not like what happened with Mom.”
And somehow, even though I knew this, even though I had heard from my brother that his prognosis was good, hearing the same words from my dad’s lips made me want to collapse in relief.
“I know,” I said, because I finally did. I could finally untwine my brother’s future with my mother’s past.
It was something I’d had to learn a lot about over the last few weeks—the ability to focus on the future, to quit dwelling on all my past heartaches.
“Five dollar buy-in if you wanna play,” my brother said, tossing down a few chips into the center of the table.
It made me laugh. To go from cancer to cards seemed ridiculous and somehow reassuring, like the world was going to just march right along whether I was ready for it or not.
“It’s okay,” I said, shifting my weight. “Actually, I need to pack, and then get back to the hospital.”
“What’s at the hospital?” My dad asked, glancing up.
“Landon’s mom. She had a stroke.”
Matt raised a brow, surprise etched on his features. For the first time---ever--- I’d known something about Landon before him.
“She going to be alright?” My dad asked, taking a sip of Coke and pretending to stare at his cards.
“Yeah, hopefully she makes a full recovery, but it’s still tough. I’m going back tonight.”
“And what are you packing for?” Matt asked. Of course he hadn’t let that bit side past him unnoticed.
I hesitated, half-tempted to lie. I didn’t want yet another lecture. But there was no point in prolonging the investable. He’d find out sooner or later. “Landon’s house.”
This made Matt still. He stared at me, his eyes boring into me, as if to uncover some alternate meaning for what I’d just said.
“I’m moving in with him,” I admitted.
My dad sat back, the old—repaired—kitchen chair creaking under him. “How do you go from an internship in Dallas to moving in with Landon?”
“I’m done with the internship. It wasn’t the right fit. And so I came back here, and Landon asked me to move in.”
“Landon’s married,” Matt said, speaking the word like it had four letters.
I stared at him, defiant. “The divorce was finalized.”
He didn’t change his sour expression.
“And you’re absolutely sure this is the right move for you?” My father asked, setting his cards down on the table.
“Yes,” I said, resolute. “I know it is. I’m in love with him, and he’s asked me to move in, and I said yes.”