Finding His Mrs. Right (Mending Hearts Series)

by Harris, Cyndi

  His mother should’ve protected him more. If there was even an inkling of her gut telling her that his dad was nuts, she should have done something about it. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t know the whole story so I couldn’t judge, but one thing was for sure. Landon was broken because of his past.

  “It’s not your fault that your dad—” Saying that his dad was crazy just didn’t sit right with me, so I steered clear of that.

  “Look, you were a kid. Your only job was to be happy and carefree. From what I hear, your childhood was anything but that. To even pick up the pieces after something like that is a miracle in itself.” I pointed out.

  “Don’t you get it? My head isn’t screwed on right anymore, Tessa. I died that night. Literally and figuratively. I drowned, and I was dead for more than fifteen minutes. How they brought me back? I don’t know, but since then, I—I can’t even take a bath without thinking I might die.” Landon snapped, pulling away from me.

  “That’s understandable. But at least you don’t let it run your whole life. No matter what you think, you have overcome a lot, Landon. Look at you. You’ve made sure your family didn’t have to want for anything. You put yourself through college with hard work. You’ve practically raised your sister while your mother has been sick. Shall I go on?” I shrugged and he smiled through the tears.

  “How do you manage to see through my crap and find good things?” he asked.

  “Because you’re a great guy, Landon. The mysterious persona you built up to keep people out, didn’t work on me.” I smiled and he chuckled.

  “Something about you, made me want to let you in.” he replied.

  “It’s because I’m superwoman.” I winked and he giggled as I dried the tears from his face.

  “I don’t think I can debate that.” He replied dipping his head low and kissing me.

  Fifteen

  It had been a week since I’d told Tessa the truth about me. She even knew about my recurring dream, which kept me from sleeping peacefully every night. It was always the same.

  Me drowning.

  It was nice to let someone, other than Tyler, in on my secret. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. One that I never wanted to put back. Having Tessa around made me feel alive again, more alive than I have been in my entire life. Tessa had stayed with me the entire week, and I had finally slept without nightmares. Tessa seemed to ward them off, and I was thankful for it.

  “Morning, Mr. Brooks.” Valerie replied, peeking into my office. I never understood why she liked to do that when we had intercoms.

  “What’s up, Val?” I asked, looking up from my desk full of papers.

  “You have an unexpected visitor.” She frowned, and I didn’t like the frown.

  “Who is it?” I asked concerned.

  “Her name’s Jocelyn and Tyler’s keeping her occupied at the moment, so I could see if it was ok. Shall I send her away?” Valerie asked.

  “No—I’ll come speak with her.” I replied getting up.

  Getting up from my desk, I adjusted my earpiece, before grabbing a few files. I was super busy, and didn't really have time to chat with an old flame, who shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. Good thing I wasn't one to hold a grudge too long because if I were, Jocelyn would've been out on her ass in an instant.

  Leaving my office, I bypassed Val's desk and went to the waiting area. Sure enough, I spotted Tyler and Jocelyn talking. By the looks of things, it wasn't a pretty conversation. Tyler was always trying to protect me, and I loved him for that.

  "Lighten up will you? I told you why I was here." Jocelyn smiled as I walked up behind her.

  "Why are you here?" I asked startling her, before she spun around. She was wearing a tight black dress, which barely covered any part of her. If she was trying to impress me, she had another thing coming. My eyes were now had a sole owner, and her name was Tessa.

  "Landon, I tried to get her to leave, but—"

  "It's fine Tyler, I'm here now. I can handle this." I answered cutting him off.

  "Yeah, so chill out buzz kill." Jocelyn jabbed, and Tyler grew red faced.

  From the moment I began dating Jocelyn, they seemed to hate each other. Tyler had only been looking out for me when he kept saying she wasn't my type. I didn’t understand then when I was fooled by her innocent act, but after she broke my heart, I'd wished I had listened. Knowing how I felt about her, Tyler sucked in his feelings and played nice around her for me, and I had appreciated it. We even did a few double dates. Even when it all ended--badly--he was by my side, and he never threw an "I told ya so" at me.

  “But—”

  “It’s fine, go and make sure everything’s running smoothly while I’m away from my desk.” I said politely, with a smile so I wouldn’t come off as a douche.

  “Yes, go away.” Jocelyn shooed, waving her hand at him and I heard him grumble under his voice, before finally walking away.

  “So, what can I do for you?” I asked.

  “Mm, what do you want to do for me?” she smiled brightly and I rolled my eyes.

  “Jocelyn…”

  “Relax, I’m only kidding.” She chuckled. “You do remember how to laugh don’t you? Oh wait—you were always the morbid guy in school.”

  “If you came here for this—”

  “I didn’t. I’m staying here a bit longer than I thought, and I need a good real estate agent. I was hoping you could show me around.” Jocelyn replied.

  “Ok, I can set you up with—”

  “Landon!” she shouted, interrupting me.

  “What?” I asked confused.

  “I don’t want a stranger showing me houses. I want you to; you own the best real estate agency in town, so I know you know a thing or two in the area.” Jocelyn pointed out.

  “So, you’ve been doing your homework on me, huh?” I asked a bit annoyed. I wasn’t stupid, and dealt with her kind before. I just couldn’t believe she was really acting like this.

  “No. Jesus, Landon. What do you think of me?” she asked a bit hurt and I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not here to take you for your money if that’s what you think.”

  “I—”

  “You’re being a jerk.” She pouted, cutting me off. “I’ve just been in town and everyone’s been talking about us and how we used to be—I just miss my friend. I mean we were friends, right?”

  She had me there. I was her friend before I started crushing on her, and even though she was a shitty girlfriend, she was a great friend. We had great times together. So, I nodded.

  “So, will you help a friend out and show me a few apartments?” she asked.

  I looked at my watch and saw that I had a few hours to spare before I had to meet up with Tessa. She was planning a dinner for us, and I couldn’t wait. I just couldn’t get enough of the woman.

  “Fine, you have me for two hours.” I folded. “Let me grab my briefcase, and we can go.”

  After an hour of looking at a few places, I was certain we’d found the right place.

  “I love this one.” Jocelyn replied, staring around the huge living room of the condo I was showing her. Yup, I had a gift at knowing what people wanted.

  “This isn’t an apartment, but you weren’t into any of those. This is more your speed.” I smiled.

  “You know me so well!” she shouted. “But, is this in my price range?”

  “Not, exactly.” I said truthfully.

  “Then why’d you bring me here?” she frowned.

  “Hello, I own this. I can shave the price down for you—if you want it.” I insisted and she immediately squealed before running over and hugging me tightly.

  “I’ll take it! Now let’s go out to celebrate.” She replied letting me go. Looking at my watch, I saw that I was cutting it a little too close. I needed to start heading home if I was going to make it to dinner with Tessa.

  “I can’t.” I replied.

  “Do you hate me that much?” Jocelyn pouted.

  “I
don’t hate you—I wouldn’t have taken you out to look at properties if I did. I just—”

  “Prove it. Come have a quick drink with me.” She insisted, cutting my off. Sighing, I looked at my watch before looking back up to her.

  “What do you say?” she asked.

  Sitting at the dining room table, I sighed. Landon was late and I was worried. He hadn’t answered any of my texts, and that wasn’t like him. So, after waiting for a while, I and his mother ate, and he still hadn’t showed. Even though he had to go into the office today, he promised he’d be here for dinner. For Christ’s sakes, I had dressed up and everything. The past week with him had been nothing but wonderful, but there was one thing nagging at me in the back of my head.

  The front door opened, and I waited as I heard his footsteps hurry to where I was. Landon walked into the room, his tie was loosened, and he looked apologetic.

  “I’m so sorry.” He replied rushing over to me. Pulling me out of my seat, he pulled me into his arms. I frowned before pushing him off of me.

  “You smell like perfume.” I pointed out angrily.

  “Do I?” he asked trying to smell himself.

  “Yeah.” I snapped folding my arms over my chest. “Where were you??”

  “After my meeting, Jocelyn popped by.” He answered.

  “Jocelyn? As in your ex-girlfriend, Jocelyn?” I snapped and Landon nodded.

  “It’s not what you think. She needed a place to stay, so I showed her a few properties that my company owns.” He tried to explain.

  “So you’re a real estate agent now?” I asked.

  “Tessa—”

  “So you missed dinner with me to be with her?” I asked, narrowing my glare at him.

  “Sort of, but it’s not what you think. I’m sorry, kitten.” He said grabbing me by the waist.

  “Did you eat yet?” I asked, looking up to him.

  “That’s it? You’re not pissed at me?” he asked curiously and I shook my head.

  “You told me truth. How can I be mad at that?” I asked.

  I was a bit disappointed, yeah, but Landon was still learning how to be open with a woman. The fact that he didn’t lie to me scored him a bunch of points. Crucifying him would only hinder his progress at this point.

  “You really are perfect.” He said kissing me, and I smelt the liquor on his breath.

  “So you two shared a few drinks?” I asked as a bit of jealousy spiked over me.

  “Yeah, just to celebrate her finding a place. I didn’t eat I swear. I was waiting to have your cooking.” He said kissing my cheek.

  “Go clean up and I’ll reheat your food.” I offered.

  “You got it.” Landon replied before disappearing.

  Sixteen

  After Landon ate, we cuddled up in his large bed. Flipping through the TV, he stopped on the news. Landon felt good against me, and I was enjoying this more than I intended, too. Falling in love was scary, but Landon was making it hard not to.

  “I want to take you somewhere tomorrow.” Landon replied, stroking his hand softly through my hair.

  “Where?” I asked smiling.

  “It’s a surprise.” he said, kissing me.

  I moaned as he ran his hand up my belly and caressed me. I loved his touch, and craved more. We were getting too involved, and I needed to tell him what was floating around in my head.

  “I need to tell you something.” I moaned between kisses.

  “Like?” he asked kissing me again, this time slipping his tongue into my mouth, and my mind turned to mush.

  Zachary Ryan is in town for the next week…

  The woman on TV replied, and my heart immediately stopped as I froze. Landon tore himself away from me and glared at the TV. His expression turned dark as I looked from him to the TV. It was like he knew what I was thinking. Zach had offered me twenty million dollars to not only find him love, but to move my business to LA and let him invest in it. The offer was something I knew I couldn’t turn down. It was something I’d been waiting for since I’d started my business from the ground up.

  That was the nagging thing I had yet to tell Landon. Because if I accepted it, that meant I would be definitely leaving. Which meant our “relationship” would implode.

  “I really hate that guy.” Landon mumbled.

  “Hate? Why?” I asked, nervously.

  “We went to high school together and he was a pompous asshole.” Landon grumbled.

  “How so?” I asked curiously.

  “Nothing I want to talk about.” He said, kissing me. “What did you want to tell me?”

  Stopping, he looked down at me and I shrugged.

  “Nothing, it wasn’t important.” I lied. This just wasn’t the right time to tell him. So instead, I kissed.

  That next morning Landon woke me up and begged me to get ready. After breakfast, I called Gwen before we left his house. I needed her to find out why Zachary Ryan had come to town. I just hoped it wasn’t to try and persuade me anymore.

  Sitting in the car, Landon squeezed my hand, and interrupted my thoughts. After breakfast, he had surprised me with a horse and carriage ride through the park. Afterwards, he had blindfolded me, and sat me in his car before taking off.

  “Where are we going?” I asked with a smile.

  “We’re almost there.” I heard his husky voice reply as I felt a kiss on my fingertips. My whole body tingled and I smiled even brighter as I felt him turn off the car.

  I felt him let my hand go before I heard his car door closed. I had no doubt that he was shuffling around to my side to let me out. A few moments later, my car door opened and the cold air from outside had wrapped around me, giving me a chill. I felt Landon’s strong hands grab mines as he helped me out.

  “You still can’t see right, Tessa?” he asked.

  “No.” I smiled as he grabbed my waist.

  “Good.” I heard his voice reply as he closed his car door.

  I let him lead me wherever he was taking me, and I was surprised how much I trusted him. For all I knew he could’ve been trying to kill me and dispose of my body. That was something Gwen would’ve said if she were her. The thought made me chuckle a bit.

  “Ok, we’re here.” He replied stopping me. I felt him untie my blindfold, and it fell from my eyes with ease to reveal a huge living room. The home was almost as big as Landon’s, but not quite. The place was gorgeous; I mean beyond belief, it was hands down perfect.

  “Is this the house Jocelyn picked?” I frowned confused.

  “No,” he said, standing behind me in my grabbing my waist. “This is yours.” He whispered in my ear.

  “Mines?” I asked speechless, and overwhelmed. My heart raced as I stood there taking everything in.

  “You said I only had you for four weeks, and those four weeks are almost up, Tessa.” He said letting me go and walking to stand right in front of me.

  Looking down at me, he smiled, but I couldn’t seem to smile back. This was too much and definitely too fast. I couldn’t accept this. There was no way I could. Not when my heart was in two different places.

  “I don’t want you to go. Tessa, you blew into my life like a storm, and rearranged everything perfectly. You made me see what I was missing.” Landon smiled.

  “Landon—”

  “Before you saying anything, Tessa, I want you to know something. You give me a feeling that I’ve never felt before, and I like it. I want you—I want you and only you, to be mines. Now and forever. This is exactly how it should be when two people are meant for each other. And if it was anything I’ve learned from my mother’s disease, it’s to not waste time. You don’t know how much of it you have left. I think I’m falling in love with you.” He replied trying to kiss me, but I pulled away.

  My life wasn’t supposed to be this way. I was supposed to be planning my wedding with Dean, not here looking at a new home with another guy. I wanted to hyperventilate, and scream. I knew Landon’s words were true, but I was afraid to feel them. I was afraid
of betraying what I had with Dean. Moving on meant forgetting him, and I wasn’t ready to do that.

  “I can’t—I can’t stay here, and I can’t accept this house!” I screamed running out of the house.

  After waiting outside by the car, Landon emerged outside.

  “Take me back to my hotel room please.” I ordered, wasting no time and Landon remained quiet.

  Unlocking the doors, he got in and I followed. The ride back to the hotel was awkward, and silent. I was glad to be out of the car when we arrived. Landon didn’t wait, he drove off quickly. Hustling up to my room, I opened the door and saw Gwen lying on the bed watching TV. Walking into the room, I closed the door and burst into tears.

  “What’s wrong?!” She shouted, getting up hustling to me.

  “Me, I screwed everything up.” I cried as she pulled me into her arms.

  “What happened?” she asked, walking me to the bed.

  I sat down and my tears refused to stop. All I could think about was the look on Landon’s face. I had done to him, what he had done to me. I had snapped at him for no reason at all, when all he was trying to do was be nice. Why was being with someone so complicated?

  “I freaked out on him.” I sniffled as she handed me a box of tissues from the table near the bed.

  “Why?” Gwen frowned.

  “He brought me a house—a house Gwen!” I shouted.

  “Oh my, God—he really likes you.” She said speechless, and it made me cry even more.

  “He said he was falling in love with me.” I whispered.

  “Whoa, that’s big.” Gwen responded and I nodded. “Then what’s the problem??”

  “Uh, hello, I’m not ready for love!” I shouted.

  “Look, I’m going to tell you something that you already know, but won’t admit.” Gwen said, seriously. “You are falling in love with Landon Brooks.”

  “Gwen—” I tried to protest, but she cut me off.

  “No, you’re going to listen to me. The moment you slept with Landon, you knew that you had some kind of feelings for him. You’re not the type of girl to give yourself away to just anyone. Hell, this is the first time you’ve dated since, Dean. Frankly I’m tired of having this conversation.” She snapped.