He grinned and settled his hands on my hips. The weight of them felt delicious, sending a tingle up my spine.
“I’m listening.”
As if I could put two coherent words together now. Taking my time to get my thoughts back in order, I raised my arms and threaded my fingers together behind his neck. “ ‘The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.’ ”
“John Steinbeck,” his baritone-voice rumbled.
My smile hitched higher. “I love that you know that.” I paused, soaking in the man in front of me. “Our best-laid plans were for Noah and Claire to receive his parents’ blessing on their marriage, and I’m happy to say that we succeeded.”
His grip on my waist tightened for a fraction of a second. “I didn’t ruin it?”
I shook my head. “You didn’t ruin anything. But part of our plan did go awry.”
“Which part?”
“The part where our marriage was supposed to be fake and temporary.” My gaze volleyed between his eyes. “Nothing I feel for you is fake, Landon. The beat of my heart, the desire for a lasting relationship with you…it’s all very much real.”
He tugged me toward him and then enclosed me in a firm embrace. My cheek pressed against his chest, and I reveled in the cadence of his heartbeat. His beard prickled the top of my head as he rested his chin there.
“When I overheard you that first time, I knew what I needed to do. For Emma. For other girls like her. Then I came out here and saw you all adorable in panic mode, and I understood why Mom was always talking about you.” His hold tightened. “You’re simply enchanting.”
I buried my nose in his shirt, thinking intoxicating would be a good word to describe him.
“After a few days, I’d changed my mind. I couldn’t have it out with Ken. No matter how much that narrow-minded, self-righteous man deserved it, I couldn’t do that to Claire. To you. But then he started ranting about the movie, and I knew your history and couldn’t stand to watch you shrink right there before my eyes. Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet telling him off.” His fingers trailed up and down my back. “I really am sorry I lost my cool and just left you there like that.”
I didn’t want to move. I felt drunk on his nearness. But I moved away and looked into his eyes. “He’s not, you know. Ken. We were wrong about him.” Landon didn’t seem to believe me, but as I went on to explain about Emma, Mike the homeless vet he’d helped from the farmer’s market, and Ken’s graciousness in learning about our deception, Landon’s skepticism softened into humility.
“I guess I owe him an apology, too.”
“Something tells me he understands.” My leg bumped the table and a marker rolled off. “So what is all this anyway?”
His cheeks colored. “I thought I’d royally screwed everything up. This was going to be my attempt to get you to forgive me and give me a chance.”
Sweet, wonderful man. I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I don’t need any grand gestures, Landon. I just need you. For keeps.”
He cupped the side of my face in his calloused palm and looked deeply into my eyes. “For keeps,” he repeated before sealing the promise with a kiss I hoped would last a lifetime.
