by Fox, Cathryn
He laughs and rubs his stomach. “Not too sure about that. I eat enough for an entire team.” That makes Mom laugh. If there’s one thing that gives her pleasure, it’s to show love through food.
“Ella!” Mom pulls me into a hug. “I love what you’ve done with your hair.” Her eyes are warm and welcoming as they go back and forth between Ivy and me. “You two haven’t looked this much alike since you were kids. I hope I don’t mix you two up over the weekend.” She laughs, and I tuck my hair behind my ear.
“You’ll always be able to tell us apart, Mom.”
“I know.” She cups my face. “I’m kidding. Anyone who really knows you can never mistake who you are.”
“We are so happy to have you boys here,” Dad pipes in with a big grin. “How many men get to say their daughters are dating two future NFL players, and they’re here for Thanksgiving?”
“Dad, we’re not—”
“You like football, do you?” Brady says cutting me off before I can correct Dad, and let him know we’re not a couple, because maybe I really shouldn’t go along with this. I just don’t see the point and I’m seriously not into games. I don’t get why Brady wants to play this one, but he seems hell bent on it, and what does it matter really? He’s a man whore, but he’s a really nice guy. During the drive here I learned that he and Landon go way back. He must know about the scars on his best friend’s face, but I didn’t want to ask questions.
“Big fan,” Dad replies, as Mom beams up at Brady. “In fact, every Thanksgiving, all the neighbors get together for a friendly game. I want you both on my team.”
Brady laughs. “Landon will just slow us down. Let the other team have him, then we have a better chance of winning.”
Landon gives Brady a playful punch to the gut, and Brady lets out an exaggerated grunt. I smile, liking their relationship. It’s much like me and Peyton.
Brady glances around the big homestead with the barns, and orchard, tractors and bins of apples. “This place is amazing. Wait, I don’t have to get up and milk a cow at the crack of dawn or anything, do I?” he asks, his body relaxed, his arm still around me as Landon grows tenser. I cast a quick glance at Ivy, and she’s looking at me like I might have an apple tree sprouting out of my head. Something tells me she doesn’t like Brady hogging all the attention.
“There’s a dairy farm down yonder.” Dad points. “I’m sure I can hook you up.”
“I think I’ll pass,” he says with a laugh. “Ella, do you want to show me around?”
“Right,” I say. “Let’s just get this stuff inside first.”
“You can put Brady in Granddad’s old room, and you know where you can put Landon,” Mom says, as Brady and I head inside while Landon collects his bag.
I know where I’d like to put him—between my sheets—but that’s never going to happen again.
“Got it.” I nod and head inside.
Brady glances around after we enter. “I never would have thought Ivy was a farm girl.” In the front entrance, I stop to take a breath as the very scent of home, hearth, and apple pie hits at the same time. “You, though.” He gives my chin a playful nudge. “I can see it.”
“Is it the overalls?” I ask with a laugh, not really needing him to answer that question.
“And the pigtails.” He gives my hair a little tug.
“I like my pigtails.” I head up the steps, and he follows behind me.
He chuckles. “I like them too.” At the top of the stairs, he peeks into one of the bedrooms. “Tell me I don’t have to share with Landon.”
“Nope, you guys each have your own room. He’s in the loft at the end of the hall.” Footsteps pound on the stairs, and Landon and Ivy come up with their bags. Ivy walks into her room and throws herself on her bed. “Landon, get in here,” she says, her voice soft, a purr almost, but I don’t think Mom and Dad will allow them to share a bed. They’ll have to sneak out to one of the many barns if they want to have sex. I just hope I don’t stumble upon them.
“Hey, what was that all about?” Landon asks me in the hall.
“Nothing, just Brady fooling around.”
“Fooling around?” he asks.
“Shit, man,” Brady says. “Your grandfather was a cool guy.” Needing to be away from Landon, from the way his heat reaches out to me as he stands too close, I step into Grandad’s old room and find Brady looking at the pictures on the wall. I glance over the pictures. Some are of Granddad and Grandma, and some are just of Granddad from the war, some on his tractor, while others are him with a hammer in his hand, building the very house we’re standing in.
“He built this place, huh?”
“Yup, the farm was actually his father’s, and Granddad built this place on the bare land. I miss him and Grandma.”
Brady smiles at me, and gives me another little fist bump on the chin. “You’re a good one, Ella,” he says. “Is it time to eat yet?”
“Our feast is tomorrow, but if you’re hungry, we can go grab you a snack, or we can go get some fruit from the barns.”
“Lead the way,” he says.
In the hall, I find Landon leaning against the doorjamb as Ivy shows him all her childhood things. “Hey, can I come for the tour?” he asks.
“Sure.” I try not to react as I walk past him, my knuckles brushing his.
“Ivy, you coming?” I ask.
“I’ve seen the farm numerous times.” She snorts, gives a big eye roll and puts her hand on her hip, like she’s impatient with me.
“Just us then,” I say to the guys.
“Hurry back,” Ivy calls out, and tosses herself back onto her bed.
Like kids filing from a classroom during a fire alarm, we form a line as we head downstairs, and the smell of cookies fresh out of the oven reaches our nostrils.
“Can I take a rain check?” Brady rubs his stomach. “I believe your mom might need some help in the kitchen.”
I laugh at that. “Go, I can show you around later if you want.”
“I want,” he says, and winks at me. “Does the barn have a hay loft?”
“Oh, please.” I give him a little shove. We both laugh. Landon, however, does not look impressed at all.
“Did you invite him here because you like him?”
“Sure, I like him,” I say. “And he’s your best friend. I didn’t want to see him alone.”
He gives a small nod as Brady disappears into the kitchen. “That was nice of you.”
“Brady thought so too.”
I push open the screen door and step outside with Landon. The warm air falls over me, and I breathe in the fresh farm scents. “Can you smell the apples?” I ask him. He nods and I head toward the storage barn. Landon follows me, and he looks like he has something on his mind.
“This place is beautiful,” he says. “I can see trees for miles.”
“No apple farms in Texas?” I ask.
“I’m sure there are. I’ve just never been to one.”
“You should always take time to stop and smell the…apples,” I say to him.
“You’re one to talk. I don’t know anyone who works harder than you.”
Excitement bubbles up inside me, and I glance over my shoulder to make sure we’re alone. Call me superstitious, much like Landon with his ladybug keychain, but I’ve been keeping a secret since this morning, and I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m bursting to tell someone. Peyton would be my first choice, but she’s home with her family and I don’t want to bother her.
“Can I tell you something?”
His face goes serious and my heart thumps when he looks at me with such thoughtfulness. “Sure, anything.”
“There were some scouts on campus during the career fair, and I received an email this morning, asking me if I would like to come in for an interview for the summer intern position as production assistant at Paramount.” I wave my hands, unable to contain my excitement, and jump up and down. “Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want anything to ruin this. I just couldn’t
keep it to myself anymore.”
His face lights up as he wraps his arms around me, and jumps up and down with me. “I’m so happy for you, Ella. You’ve worked so hard for this.” He kisses my head, and the giddiness inside me morphs, changes into something I wish it hadn’t. I just can’t seem to keep control of my emotions around Landon. Our jumping slows, and I become acutely aware of our bodies pressed together, his hands on the small of my back, holding me against his hardness.
My lungs suddenly don’t seem to want to work, and I lift my gaze to his, and go weak in the knees when I catch the heat in his eyes as our gazes collide. Without even thinking, I wet my bottom lip, and his eyes darken even more. His head dips, and one small working brain cell kicks in, sending warning alarms flashing through me. There is no denying that there is something between us, that I’m not the only one feeling it here, but he’s with my damn sister, and we are not a package deal.
I swallow, and shift back a bit, putting much needed inches between us. His chest rises and falls as he breathes, his eyes never leaving mine. I turn from him to break the moment, and walk up to one of the big apple bins. I briefly pinch my eyes shut, and dig my nails into my leg to pull myself together, and try for normalcy.
“Your folks weren’t upset that you weren’t going home for the holiday?”
“Yeah, they wanted me there. I wanted to be here, though. I needed to be here.”
Yeah, for my sister, I get it.
I nod and grab a Jonagold. “These come from a tree that’s been here since the 1800’s. Try one.”
I hand him the apple, and he takes it, but instead of biting into it, his gaze moves over my face once again, and I feel his assessment all the way to my soul. “How are you, Ella?”
I let loose a slow breath and get the sense he’s talking about the incident with Cameron, and not our near kiss. “I’m fine, Landon. It’s over. Wait, is that why you needed to be here? To make sure I was okay?”
“It was all my fault. If anything ever happened to you.” The sheer worry and agony in his voice cuts through me, makes me wish he was here with me, not Ivy, so I could hold him to me again, longer this time.
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
He steps up behind me, and his heat and energy sizzles through my body and I bite my lip to stop myself from moaning or physically reacting. “What if I want to worry about you?” he asks, his mouth near my ear, his breath hot on my neck. His fingers find my arm, and he lightly runs the backs of them up and down my bicep.
My entire body burns hot, the blood in my veins sizzle and pools between my legs. “I heard Brady went after Cameron.”
“There was no stopping him, and let’s just say Cameron won’t be bothering you again. I’m not sure why he thought he could in the first place. I guess he figured messing with you to get to me was worth the beatdown. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
I just shake my head and catching the narrowing of his eyes, the heat lingering there. “I just want to put it behind me.” I want to put my feelings for Landon behind me too. I can’t continue to torture myself like this. He opens his mouth like he wants to say more, and I point to the bins. “Okay, these apples are Honey Crisp,” I explain and tell him how the Honey Crisps changed the apple industry and brought it back to success.
He backs up, and his voice is tight when he says, “I didn’t know that.”
“Here, try one,” I say and our hands touch, linger as I pass it over. I take a fast breath as his head dips, his body hovering over mine. Jesus, we can’t keep doing this. I’m either going to spontaneously combust or melt into a puddle at his feet.
“Ella,” he begins. His throat works as he swallows, and he takes a step closer, his scent overwhelming me. I breathe him in deep, my heart pounding against his chest as our bodies touch. “You and Brady, you really were just kidding, right?” he asks, setting one apple down, to entwine his fingers with mine.
I try to sound unaffected when I answer. “I don’t know why he wanted to do that.”
“I do,” he says his voice deep and rough, his breathing shallow. His head dips even more, and his sweet breath washes over my face, reminding me of his tender kisses, the gentle way he took my body.
“Landon,” I whisper, wanting his mouth on me again, wanting his arms around me, his cock inside me. I want him. I want him so much it hurts. From the way he’s acting, it’s clear he wants me too. Landon wants me too. But this is wrong. It’s so damn wrong, even though everything about it feels right.
“Thanks for telling me about the interview. I like when you share private things like that.” He touches my cheek, runs calloused fingers over my jaw. “I want you to take my good luck ladybug when you go.”
My heart misses a beat at his thoughtfulness. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to touch it,” I say, wishing my voice wasn’t quite so shaky.
“You can touch anything of mine you want.” His voice is soft and easy, sliding over my skin and settling deep between my legs as he cups my face.
“Thank you.” My voice is low and quiet, even to my own ears. “That’s really nice of you.”
“Maybe I’m a nice guy, Ella.”
Just then his cell phone pings, and it shocks some sense back into me.
“That’s probably Ivy.” I step back.
Tortured eyes move over my face, and my throat squeezes so tight it’s almost impossible to breathe. “Ella…”
“I’m okay, Landon. If you’re worried about me, you don’t have to be. Ivy is the one you should be worried about. She’s the one you’re with, right?”
He stands there for a second, hurt, and something else, something that looks a lot like regret crosses his gaze. There might be something between us, but he can’t have both me and my sister, and it’s clear he’s made his choice.
“Yeah,” he agrees, he looks down, like he’s remembering something deep and dark, something that weighs heavy on his shoulders—something that makes me think he knew it was me in his bed that night.
“She doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” I say.
“That’s right, I don’t,” Ivy agrees from behind and then runs into the barn and jumps on Landon’s back, staking her claim.
It’s okay, sis, I get it. You want him and you always get what you want, no matter what.
18
Landon
I glance at my best friend as we walk the length of the orchard, until we come to a clearing where neighbors have already gathered for their annual Thanksgiving Day game of football. After Ivy found me with Ella last night, she clung to me like dryer lint and I called it an early night just to get away from her. I’ve not slept with her since the night in my bed, and well, what happened between us in the theater, and I really don’t plan to ever again.
This morning after breakfast, she said she had some errand in town, and didn’t get home until a couple of hours ago. Ella spent the day in the kitchen helping with dinner. Brady and I offered to help, but were chased out of the kitchen, so we’ve been lounging around with Ella’s dad, sipping beer and watching football. It was nice to relax, although I’ve done anything but. No, I’m too wound up, trying to figure out a way to be with the girl I want without hurting anyone in the process.
“I need to tell her,” I say to Brady. “Actually, I need to tell both sisters how I feel and I need to do it now. This has to stop.”
“Ivy’s going to neuter you,” he tells me, and I believe it. It’s a chance I’ll have to take.
“I know, but I can’t go on like this. I agreed to come here this weekend to try to figure things out, and to make sure Ella is okay.” I lower my voice and glance at him. “It had to have been Ella in my bed, Brady.” Something niggles in the back of my mind, I search for it, and pull it to the forefront. “Who did you sleep with that night of the party?”
“Believe it or not, I didn’t. Got a call from my father, congratulating me on the game, and then he gave me a lecture. I crashed after that.”
I gl
ance at the crowd and find Ella sitting off to the side, fiddling with her camera. She didn’t want me to replace the one she broke over Cameron’s head, but I did it anyway. “Someone came into my room that night. I figured it was someone you slept with and they were looking for the bathroom.” I struggle to remember that morning getting dressed. Was Ella’s phone on the nightstand? Jesus fuck, had Ella come back into the room to get her phone, only to find me in bed with her sister. “Holy shit.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“I think Ella might have come back to the room, and saw Ivy in my bed.”
“When you fuck something up, you really fuck it up, don’t you?”
David waves to us, and he throws the ball my way. I catch it, and roll it around in my hand. “Not helpful.”
“How do you plan to get out of this mess?”
“I just have to ask Ella straight up, then tell her Ivy was a mistake.”
“Was the theater a mistake too?” he asks.
“Yeah, big fucking mistake, one that I can’t take back.” I toss the ball back and David runs for it. He catches it and does some funny victory dance that gets the others laughing. Many heads are turned our way, no doubt wanting to meet us and I shouldn’t be standing back bitching to my best friend.
“Sure you can. Sounds to me like she forced the situation.”
I scoff. “Yeah, I can see the headline now. Girl forces guy to let her blow him.” I put my hand on Brady’s shoulder. “Even I’m not buying it.”
“I like Ella, Landon.”
My gaze flies to his as my stomach clenches. “Yeah?”
He chuckles. “Not like that, but I like her. She’s different, and I think you guys could be really good together.”
“That’s why you were all over her? To get me to finally make a move?”
“Thought you needed a glimpse of what’s slipping from your hands.”
“She’s not going to want anything to do with me if she saw me in bed with Ivy.”
He catches the ball when David throws it back. “Why don’t you leave that up to her.”
