Doing It for Love(33)

Jaycee snorts in a high-pitched laughter, a helium balloon pinched closed between her fingers. Theresa lights up two Christmas lights on my side for using the exact quote Landon used in his answer, and Penny downs another glass of champagne.

Feeling high on my horse, I quickly pick a question from "Living with Your Lover."

"If your place caught on fire, what are three things Landon would save?"

My horse lowers on its haunches. I'm stumped silly, but I take a guess. "His laptop." That one has to be on the list. All his footage is on that thing. That and the hard drive. "Oh! His hard drive. And, um … his Beetlejuice cap. It's his favorite."

Theresa smiles and clicks on three lights for Landon.

"I didn't get any?"

"He was actually very romantic for this answer."



       
         
       
        

I snort. Landon is rarely romantic in front of anyone else but me. And even then it's more playful than anything else.

"What were they?"

"You."

"I didn't know that was an option!" I laugh.

"The bowling score sheet from the wall."

I internally sigh. He looks at that thing all the time and says he let me win that night.

Theresa grins at whatever expression is on my face, then says, "And your iPod."

"My iPod? What a liar!" I laugh. "He hates my music."

"He said he could see you outside with the bowling scores in one hand, the iPod in the other, and while the place is up in smoke, you'd turn to him and press play on-"

"You are my fire, the one desire," I sing in a perfect Backstreet Boys impression.

Jaycee puts a hand to her chest and says in her very helium-filled voice, "You two are so adorable … and such losers."

We laugh, and Theresa lights up one of my lights before crossing the room and taking the champagne bottle from Penny, who was about to pour yet another flute. Penny says, "Hey," but doesn't put up too much of a fight.

I go through all the categories, including "Parents, Pets, and Siblings," extremely happy that most of the questions were about Buster. But Landon and I are pretty much tied on the lights, and I'm a bit disappointed because I should've aced this game.

"I can't believe I don't know his shoe size!" I shout as Theresa lights another Landon bulb. "And I think he's totally giving all these loving answers because he's in trouble."

"I asked before he was in trouble, remember?" Theresa plucks the last card from the board. "Maybe he's more romantic than you think."

"Traitor."

She wrinkles her nose at me and reads the last question. "What is the thing Landon is looking forward to most about your wedding day?"

"Sex," I joke, then go to wave my hands at her before she lights Landon up, but she twists one of my bulbs instead.

"You win!"

"He said sex? Really?"

She laughs. "Maybe you'll win that contest, too."

I give a half-chuckle, but my chest feels a little twang in it, because I'm not sure if he was joking or serious. All his other answers seemed heartfelt and cute. I'd nearly forgotten I haven't seen him in three days. Now all I can think is, "Am I just a piece of ass?"

"What?" Penny says, shaking her head at me. "You are way more than a piece of ass."

There I go thinking out loud again. 

Jaycee nods. "Landon is so in love with you. You remember when you visited the set? He had something so far up his rear end that day that Jace and I were ready to walk off, but then you showed up and he was finally tolerable. Couldn't stop smiling. Jace kept asking him if he'd gotten lucky in the prop room and if we needed to sanitize anything."

"Gross," I say, while Penny says, "Stupid Jace."

Theresa kneels in front of me with a giant present. "Landon loves you. Why else would he be taking himself off the market so young?"

I know it's meant to make me feel better, but it doesn't. Theresa's been supportive, my ear, my cheesecake bud, my wedding dress zipper-upper, my party planner, and one kick-ass MOH, and even though I had a feeling she thought Landon and I are young for this, she never once said it until now.

Theresa lifts the gift up, covering her mouth slightly with its bulk. "Open me," she says, shaking the contents. I laugh and rip the side open, trying to ignore the ugly twang in my chest. I wish she hadn't confiscated the alcohol.





Chapter 25


"Argue naked."

Theresa relaxes next to me in the back of the cab on the way home, her curly hair tickling the skin near the neckline of my shirt. I grab the phone in her hand and scroll through the feed. She posted a status earlier of "Advice for our soon-to-be bride!" with a lovely candid photo of me stuffing my face with a Toblerone. So much for walking off those calories.

"Did Jace post that?"

"Of course, but so did Helen and Nicki, which solidifies its validity."

"Big words for you, especially since you're buzzed."

"Just buzzed. I only had the one glass." She takes her phone back. "Do you think Landon will be home?"

"He better be."

She laughs and scrolls to a comment and deletes it.

"What did that one say?"

"Oh, someone's being stupid."

"Was it Jace again?"

She shakes her head. "Someone pulling the 'get out of it while you can' card."

"Cynic?"

"No, more like someone who thinks you should be older to make big decisions like marriage."

I blow out a sigh, waving the hair that's fallen from my ponytail away from my face. "Tell me honestly … is there a bet going on how long we'll last?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"But you think it too, right? That I'm too young to get married."

She shifts in her seat, adjusting the seat belt. "I don't think you're too young, I just think you're young. And before you even give me that look I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I've told you before that I don't ever want to get married, but for you and Landon? I can't picture you without each other." Her nose wrinkles in a mock-disgusted face, which I shove her for. "Why not start as soon as you can, right?"

"Right."

"And it's not like you aren't doing everything that married couples do already."

"What do you mean?"

She brushes her hair from her shoulder. "You live together. You share a bank account. You're not even having sex as much as you used to."

I smack her arm with a laugh. "I cut him off for a reason."

"Yeah … to have crazy, hot sex like you had when you first got together, and not the boring 'we've been together forever' sex you've become accustomed to."

Ouch. I know it's true, but it sounds so much harsher coming from an outside party. Her words slam into my chest so hard she immediately grabs hold of my arm and says, "I'm sorry. It's the champagne, the fact that he's left you high and dry for a few days, and … that I'm going to miss you when you get married."



       
         
       
        

I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, shaking my head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, you are." She toys with the phone case, peeling it from the top then snapping it back on. "It's going to be different. He'll be your best friend. He'll be the one you talk to, spend time with, make decisions with. And you'll grow old together and have babies and move to LA when he gets famous and I'll … "

I loop my arm through hers and rest my head on her shoulder. "I'll always need you. Trust me. Especially when he's being a dumbass."

"Like today."

"And yesterday."

"And if he's a dumbass tonight, I got your back."

I lean up as the cab pulls into our apartment garage. "He's not replacing you. I just have two best friends."

She slides across the seat and hands the driver the fare. We carry our heels when we get to the elevator, both sighing in relief as our feet take a rest.

"Thank you for the distraction," I tell her with a hug outside my door.

"I'm waiting here till I know he's inside."

I laugh and unlock the door. The living room light is on and socks are front and center on the carpet. Suddenly my stomach is filled with those devil butterflies.

"He's here."

She leans past me and yells, "You better have a good excuse, Landon, or I would advise you to wear a cup next time you see me!"

"Shh … " I say through my giggles. "Good night."

"Text me."

I push her out the door and wait till I hear her get inside her place before turning around. Landon's leaning against the wall in the hallway in his plain black baseball cap, loose tie around his neck, blue button-down sleeves pushed up his arms, and black slacks. I almost ask him why he's dressed like that, but I don't want to be the first to say something. After all, I wasn't the one who went poof for three days.

He smiles, and I know the smile. It's his scared smile.

"Hey."





Chapter 26


"Hey," I say back, tossing my pocketbook and bag of presents on the card table.