Those 365 Letters

by Ford, Mia

  Chapter 29

  Cora

  I knew this was going to be so awkward. By the time we arrived at my parents’ house I was so nervous I was sweating through my bra and my blouse. This was a mistake, plain and simple. I hadn’t slept a wink the night before, spending most of the night tossing and turning before finally accepting my fate and going downstairs to watch television and eat some snacks. When I’m really stressed, I tend to eat a bit. I followed this up with a big pot of coffee, which somehow helped to calm me down a bit.

  I’d tried to get into the groove of the day and keep myself busy getting acquainted with everyone at the new office I was going to be working out of. It was kind of exciting going in to work with Landon, but at the same time it was pretty strange the way everyone else was looking at me, as if I’d just won the lottery and they were all jealous as hell. They could think whatever they wanted to. I was going to prove to them all that I deserved to be there.

  Landon showed me around the building and I was struck by how much it resembled a top hotel resort with some offices crammed into the middle of it. There was a gym, a pool, a theater, and even a few bars spread throughout with a cafeteria on the first floor that more closely resembled a tavern. And the offices were immaculate. Everything was neat and tidy, so orderly. It was like something I’d never seen in real life. Where I’d worked before, the cleanliness of an office or a cubicle really varied from person to person.

  I met a few members of the staff including Landon’s secretary who gave me the most vicious looking cat eyes when I met her. It was almost amusing. I could see the way she looked at Landon and I loved the way he totally ignored it. I could imagine he was used to all types of women throwing themselves at him because of his looks and his money. It was nice to see he was immune to the charms. How could I ever have thought he’d really cheat on me?

  We finished the tour and then Landon showed me my office. It was huge. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to be sitting in there, day after day. There was a huge mahogany desk in the back of the room with two large, plush looking chairs in front of it. My office chair looked like a recliner/office chair all rolled into one. I was sure I’d have trouble staying awake in that level of comfort. It was perfect.

  My computer was brand new with two large monitors on one side of the L shaped desk. And in the other corner of the room was a large drafting table with all of the tools I would need. Plus, a plush looking sofa and hanging on the wall was a fifty-inch plasma television.

  “So, what do you think? Will you be ok in here?” Landon asked.

  I hugged him tightly and kissed him. “Wow, this is the most amazing office I’ve ever seen.”

  “That’s not true; you’ve seen mine,” Landon teased.

  “True, but this is almost as awesome. I feel a bit weird. Do I deserve all this?”

  “Of course,” Landon said. “You have a very important job to do. The company is all about expansion and a big part of that is going to fall on your shoulders. Are you sure you are up for it? If it ever gets too much, we can get some more people in here and get you all the help you need.”

  “No. It’s fine. I won’t need help,” I said.

  I wanted to do it all on my own. It was important to me. Having someone else in there trying to do things and put their ideas in with mine—it just sounded like a recipe for disaster.

  Afterwards we had lunch and I spent the majority of the afternoon trying to get settled into my new office and learning more about what I was going to be doing. Then I spent a little time coming up with some ideas.

  And now it was time to get this meeting with my parents over with. I felt like vomiting. I knew I was going to blow up at them. My anger was still seething at what they’d done. And then they’d tried to lie about it until they realized that it was futile to continue doing so.

  “Are you sure you’re ready?” Landon asked.

  I took a deep breath and gave him my best smile. “Sure. Let’s do it.”

  Landon smiled and rang the doorbell. I was so proud that he was willing to do this, willing to face my parents. They’d done him very dirty in this whole deal, just as bad as what they’d done to me. I couldn’t understand how he had been so cool with it all. I had a feeling he was burning up inside just like I was, but he was keeping a cool head. I admired this man so much. He was going to be the strength I might need to rely on in life. That made me feel so safe.

  My mother answered the door in her typical cheery fashion.

  “Hello! It’s so great to see you!”

  She stepped back from the door. “Please come in.”

  We entered the house and my mother closed the door behind us. My father entered the front room and held out his hand to Landon.

  “Hello, Landon Glatt, nice to meet you,” He said.

  “I’m Landon Glatt,” Landon said shaking my father’s hand. “Now, do you prefer Nathan, or Doctor?”

  My father lightened up and I felt a bit of the tension in the room ease out. Maybe things were going to be ok. Landon was so good at putting everyone at ease.

  “Whichever you prefer,” my father said. “Doctor Nathan is even appropriate. That’s what the kids call me.”

  “Alright then, Nathan,” Landon replied. “Since I am going to be family soon, I think first names will do.”

  “I agree,” dad said.

  “I’m April,” my mother said shaking Landon’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Likewise,” Landon said.

  “Well, let’s go and have a seat. Dinner is almost done. It just has a few moments, but I do have some appetizers and we can have a few drinks. Landon what would you like?”

  “Oh, a beer would be fine, if you have it.”

  “Coming right up,” mom said.

  “I’ll have a beer as well,” I said.

  My mother gave me a look. She still hated it when I drank any alcohol, even though I was twenty-two years old. It was like she kept forgetting that I was an adult and I was of legal drinking age. It was funny.

  We moved farther into the living room where Landon and I sat down on the sofa. My father plopped himself down in his favorite easy chair recliner without reclining the stool, and my mother would sit on the small love seat beside him.

  “So, Landon, tell me a bit about your business. I understand you are into so many different things. I don’t know how you keep track of it all.”

  Landon smiled and began to tell my father a bit about the company his father had built, the history of it, and where he hoped to take it moving forward as the new CEO.

  My mother returned a moment later with our drinks and some deviled eggs.

  “Thank you,” Landon said as he took his beer and a deviled egg. I did the same and then my mother sat the tray down on the coffee table before relaxing into chair.

  “That all sounds fascinating,” my father said. It almost sounded sincere. “So, growing up privileged, what was that like? Does it really alter your perception of the value of things?”

  I rolled my eyes. Here we go. My father could hardly go five minutes before starting to attack what he hated about the wealthy.

  Landon took a sip of his beer. “Actually, I think you appreciate the value of things even more.”

  “Really? How so?”

  “Well, you see that everything has a history behind it. Every single thing that we consume has work that it took to produce it, to grow it, to bring it to the people, etc. And you see that the more value you provide for someone else, the more money it is worth. So, you learn quickly from the ground up how it all works. A lot of people only see what something takes from them, what it removes from their pocket. But they don’t see the inherent value it brought to their life. This is overlooked. People take things for granted that way.”

  My father nodded as he was following along. I could tell he did not agree at all, but at least he was pretending.

  I wasn’t sure why we were wasting so much time with this conversation, but
I knew that it was probably going to lead to the point where I wanted to tell my parents to go to hell and that what they did was horrible and they should feel forever ashamed of themselves. They should consider themselves so lucky that I didn’t completely shut them out of my life forever. I bit my tongue and tried to hold on. I knew it was the wrong way to approach this. I would regret all of that later if I allowed myself to give in to my feelings.

  But I had to say something.

  “We are getting married,” I said. The words just blurted out of me. The silence in the room was stunned; it was almost funny, especially when paired with the shocked expressions on my parents’ faces. It was priceless. I loved it. I really did. I wanted to laugh at them.

  Instead I glanced over at Landon. He was calm, but his eyes looked a bit surprised. He didn’t expect me to just blurt this out that quickly either.

  But it was ok. I actually felt good about it. I felt great. It was out in the open. I couldn’t wait to see how the rest of the evening unfolded.

  I grabbed another deviled egg and swallowed it whole. My mother always made the best ones. And it paired well with beer. Who would have thought?

  “You are doing what?” My father asked.

  “We are getting married,” I replied. “That’s right.”

  “When?” He asked.

  “Well, we were going to elope, but then we decided we would just wait and have a real wedding in June. We have it reserved for the 25th. So, mark your calendars. You are both invited.”

  My parents looked at each other for a moment. I could see a million thoughts running through their heads, but neither one of them was talking right then. I wanted to know what they were thinking. I wanted them to speak. I couldn’t wait to hear exactly what they had to say about this.

  Landon sighed and leaned forward. He reached his hand out and grabbed mine gently. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort me or himself. But either way, we looked like a unified front together in front of my parents.

  My mother spoke first. “I see…”

  “Is that all you can say?” I asked. My tone was sarcastic and biting. I couldn’t help it.

  “Easy, honey,” Landon whispered.

  I was trying. I really was. But I was so fuming mad. Just being in the same room with them was pushing me past the boiling point.

  “We are happy for you both,” my father said. “We do think this is a bit soon, a bit rushed, but it’s your decision and if that is what you want then you have our blessings.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. What was the angle, the game? They had to be up to something, right? How had they just changed their minds overnight like that?

  “Thank you,” Landon said. “We hope you will both be there.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” mom said with a big smile. “We are very happy for you.”

  I couldn’t do this anymore. It was driving me nuts.

  “Really? You couldn’t be happier? Is that why you broke us up?” I demanded.

  My parents recoiled slightly as if I’d threatened to slap them.

  “Honey—" my father started.

  “No. This has to be said. What you did is unforgivable. You lied to both of us, hired some girl to pretend to be cheating with Landon, convinced me to cut him out of my life, and then threw away all the letters he sent to me. You did this deception for years. What do you have to say for yourselves? I haven’t heard one apology from you. I want to hear it.”

  I was proud of myself. I had not raised my voice. I was not shouting. I was not pacing and storming around the room. I was not doing all of the things I felt like doing right then. No, instead, I was actually being calm and almost rational. I think Landon was impressed, too.

  My father sighed. “You are right.” He held up his hands and shrugged. “There are no two ways about it; you are right. We did something unconscionable. And we are both sorry.”

  “Yes, dear,” my mother said. “We have talked it over, how foolish we’ve been. We were in the wrong. We allowed our love for you and our desire to protect you turn us into monsters. We are sorry. We want to apologize to you and to Landon. We never meant to hurt anyone. In our hearts, it honestly felt like we were doing the right thing.”

  I felt a huge pressure being lifted off my chest. I could actually breathe a little easier. It was going well. All of the fear I’d let manifest inside of me, the nervous tension, the insomnia, and the anxiety was slowly releasing from my body. And now I was starting to feel drained and exhausted. It was all over. Landon was right; everything was actually going to be alright.

  “Thank you so much,” Landon said. He rubbed my hand gently. “That takes a lot of guts to apologize for and I appreciate it.”

  “You’re very welcome,” My father said. “We just thought that you would be one of those playboy types will all the money in the world at your disposal and a different woman in your bed every night. We didn’t want our daughter to be hurt in any way. And we can see now how wrong we were about you.”

  “Yes,” mom added. “As I read your letters I started to get a sense of that, but by then it was too late. We were afraid to admit what we did, but we could have. We could have fixed it all, but we were afraid that Cora would hate us forever. We are so sorry.”

  My mother was in tears now. I walked over and gave her a hug. She was bawling now, trembling in my arms. I could see that she was being completely truthful and she was terrified that she was going to lose me. I never wanted that to happen. I loved my parents. They’d both made a horrible mistake, but they were still good people. And they were going to be in our lives for the long haul. I wanted my father to walk me down the aisle. I wanted them to meet their grandkids.

  I felt the tears welling up in me also. I tried to fight them, but it wasn’t working. My emotions were toppling over me. I broke down and the tears began to fall. I clutched at my mother as I held her. And then my father joined us. My family was complete again. I was so relieved. I’d been afraid of what might happen if we couldn’t get past this. Was this going to be strong enough to tear our family apart? It couldn’t end for us like this. It just couldn’t…

  Looking over at Landon, I saw he had a large smile on his face. I couldn’t thank him enough for his support. If he’d been against this in any way, or if he had said how he really felt if he was against it, then I might not have had the guts to go through with it. We made such an impressive team.

  “OK,” my mother finally said. “Enough of this gushy stuff and let’s eat.”

  I burst out laughing. Sometimes my mother could be such a ham. We went into the kitchen and had a wonderful dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, salad, and French Silk pie for dessert. My mother had really outdone herself. She loved throwing dinner parties, and even though they didn’t do it much anymore, she could still throw the best. And my mother’s cooking was to die for. I had never seen Landon eat so much, and he had a big appetite.

  “Wow, I feel ten pounds heavier,” Landon said as he slid into the driver’s seat of his SUV as we left my parents’ house.

  “Well, you ate like three helpings of everything,” I said. “Are you going to get pudgy on me? That would be awesome, actually.”

  “What? I thought you loved my abs and my rock hard physique?”

  I reached over and put my hand in his crotch. I found my mark and massaged it deeply over his pants. “Oh, I do.”

  “Wow, that is more like it,” Landon said. “I guess we can continue this when we get home.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  We barely made it home and up the driveway. Landon made sweet love to me in the backseat, which made it all the more taboo and sexy.

  When we finished I felt like I’d been reborn in every possible way.

  Chapter 30

  Landon

  “Are you sure about this one?” I asked.

  I stood there in front of the mirror and did my best pose, turning sideways left and sideways right, before flipping all the way a
round and checking out my backside. I still wasn’t sure.

  “Dude, I told you already—that is the one. Go for it.”

  I nodded and high fived my buddy Keith Mapes. He and Toby Dryer had agreed to accompany me to the Tuxedo Palace to pick out the perfect tux for me to get married in. I would have it tailored of course, but I still enjoyed checking out the different styles, fits, and designs to see what worked the best.

  “It’s not bad,” I said. “But I don’t know if it is working for me in the shoulders.”

  Keith laughed and shook his head. “Dude, I don’t know who is more excited about looking great at the wedding—you or Cora.”

  “What? I can’t be expected to look nice? It’s my wedding. Of course I want to be the best looking guy in the room.”

  Toby laughed. “Man, you are the best looking guy in most rooms. You know that. But the wedding is always all about the bride. I think you are taking this tuxedo thing way too seriously. Why didn’t you just order one from your tailor like always? He knows what looks good on you.”

  I nodded. “Because, I decided to take a look at a wider array of options. I brought you guys here to help me out, not criticize me.”

  Keith shook his head. “Wow, this marriage thing is making you so sensitive.”

  I smirked. “I’m still the same guy, and yes I can be a little sensitive. It is allowed.”

  “So, how do you know that she is absolutely the one?” Keith asked. “I’ve had many women I cared deeply about, and some I thought I loved, but I was never ready for that type of commitment. How do you know?”

  I took a step back from the mirror and enjoyed the way the tuxedo felt against my form. This one almost didn’t need many alterations to get the tailored fit. I was tempted to buy it just off the rack.

  Keith’s question was one that I had never really thought of, not since I’d met Cora. I had just known that she was the one I wanted. She was everything to me. I couldn’t imagine living without her.