by Aven Ellis
Because while the sky is gray behind him, and the temperature is beyond frigid at 17°F without the wind, Landon is all kinds of scorching hot standing on my doorstep.
He’s dressed for the elements, wearing jeans and rugged dark brown boots. He has a navy pea coat on, leather gloves, and a navy beanie covering his jet-black locks. A gray scarf is wrapped around his neck, too.
Ohhhh, he’s so handsome. Gorgeous. Luscious.
I don’t have enough words to describe his hotness at the moment.
Landon stares at me, his eyes flickering over me.
“Livy,” he says softly, his breath escaping into the cold air, “you look beautiful.”
The butterflies shift happily in my stomach. “Thank you. Come on in.”
Landon steps past me, and I inhale his delicious leather and vanilla scent. Mmmm, I can’t wait to smell that scent up close on his skin later.
“I like the hat,” Landon says, staring at me.
“Thank you,” I say happily. “And I like yours. I like guys with beanies.”
Landon lifts an eyebrow at me. “Huh. I’ll make a note of that.”
Ooooooohhhh!
“Um, would you like to meet the crazy people from yesterday?” I ask as he tugs off his gloves and shoves them into his pockets.
“Hmmm,” Landon says slowly as he unknots his scarf. “I guess so.”
I panic for a moment. Shit. Shit. I shouldn’t have asked him to do that. He’s used to going out with women whom he picks up at apartments. Not going to a family home to meet the parents, which isn’t something a guy who doesn’t date would do. I’m about to retract it when he leans into me.
“I mean, I can’t be accused of having computer sex now, right?” he whispers sexily in my ear and causing a wicked shiver to rip down my spine as a result. “So yeah, I’d love to meet them.”
I can’t think for a moment, as I’m still relishing his closeness. But Landon stands upright and winks at me, which makes my heart flutter.
“Thank you,” I say, smiling at him. “Come on, they’re in the den.”
I lead Landon down the hallway, past the entry hall table filled with family pictures. He pauses for a moment, studying them.
“Look at all these pictures,” Landon says, a sense of wonder in his voice. “All the places you went together as a family.”
I glance at the pictures with him. There are pictures of us at Christmas. Thanksgiving. By the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. At the University of Washington during a football game. At Northwestern with Jamie. Hiking in Vermont. On the beach in Mexico. Some are even with aunts and uncles and cousins.
Then it hits me. Landon has never had these types of experiences growing up. His father checked out, and his mother was incapacitated by her depression.
And my heart squeezes inside my chest as I think about this.
“Yeah,” I say softly, aching to squeeze his hand in mine, but unsure if I should do so. “We still take a family vacation every summer.”
For a brief moment, I see a flicker of sadness across his face. But as soon as I see it, the expression vanishes.
“I like that,” Landon says, smiling at me.
“I do too,” I admit. “Now, come on. They’re excited to meet you.”
Landon grins. “I’m keeping my shirt on. I don’t trust your Nana.”
“Shut up,” I hiss, which makes Landon crack up.
I lead him further down the hallway and into the den, wondering what he must think of the traditional plaid sofas and floral pillows, the coffee table stacked with newspapers and copies of Good Housekeeping and Taste of Home.
“Landon, I’d like for you to meet my family,” I say, bringing him to the center of the room.
Everyone rises, and my parents are staring at Landon with big eyes. I don’t think they can quite believe that superstar Landon Holder is standing in their living room.
I glance at Nana. Oh dear God, she’s staring at Landon with a smirk on her face.
“Landon, this is my mom, Jennifer,” I say, introducing him.
Landon steps forward and extends his hand. “Hello, Mrs. Adams.”
“Um, hello, so nice to meet you,” she says, smiling at him.
Okay. That’s good. She’s not giving him the Mom ‘you-better-not-playboy-on-my-daughter, mister’ kind of once-over.
“And this is my dad, Dave,” I say.
“Holy Moses, Landy Holder is in my living room,” my father says, gripping Landon’s hand excitedly. “I never thought this would happen in a million years.”
Landon smiles. “Neither did I, sir,” he says. Then he glances at me. “But circumstances change things.”
Ohhhhhhhhh! My heart jumps from his words. That is from the conversation we had the other day.
And am I truly changing things for him? For what Landon wants?
“Hello, Landy, I’m Nana,” my nana says, interrupting my thoughts. “I’m Jennifer’s mother.”
Landon flashes Nana a big grin. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, I think the pleasure is mine, dear,” Nana says. Then she winks at him.
I almost burst out laughing. Landon is smiling brightly at Nana, and I swear he’s met a kindred flirty spirit in her.
“So what are you two doing today?” my mom asks.
“That’s a surprise,” Landon says, reaching for my hand and entwining his fingers around mine. “But it’s going to be fun.”
“Oh, a mystery date,” Mom says excitedly.
“Are you a big coupon clipper?” Landon asks, nodding at the piles on the floor.
“Yes,” my mom says, seeming surprised the infamous Landon Holder was talking to her. “I love a bargain.”
“Did you know Coca-Cola was the first product to have a coupon?” Landon asks.
“That was one of our TriviaPlayOrPass! questions!” I say, remembering it.
Landon flashes me a grin. “We both got that one wrong. I remember that, too.”
The butterflies shift again, knowing that we had this connection before we knew each other.
Landon shifts his attention back to my mom. “Have you ever seen that show, Extreme Couponing? That is crazy how much they get for, like, twenty dollars.”
I stare up at him. “You watch Extreme Couponing?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“I watch all kinds of stuff on YouTube on the road,” Landon explains. “But that show is insane.”
“I love that show!” Mom cries excitedly. “I’m not as good as they are, but I have my coupon pantry downstairs in the basement.”
“We have more 3-for-1 ketchup packages than you could shake a stick at,” Dad laughs.
“Do you want to see it?” Mom asks excitedly.
Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhh no! Landon’s being nice, but he doesn’t need to see my mom’s five-gallon jars of mayo collection.
“Um, we should probably get going,” I say.
“Nah, it’s cool. I’d love to see it,” Landon says, squeezing my hand reassuringly.
“Well, come on,” Mom says excitedly.
Nana sits back down in a wing chair. “I can’t believe you people get so excited about bulk shopping,” she declares, picking up her book.
“A deal is a deal, Nana,” Landon says.
“I’ll be dead before you use all that ketchup,” Nana declares.
“Which isn’t going to happen, Nana, until you are at least 130,” I say, smiling at her.
“You’ll still have unopened boxes of ketchup when I die at 135,” Nana says, flipping open her book.
I smile as my mom leads us to the kitchen and opens the door to the basement. She turns on the light, and we follow her down the creaky steps. When we hit the ground floor,
Mom begins to lead us to her pantry room, but Landon stops.
“Is this your studio?” Landon asks, moving over to my workstation.
“Yes. Very inspiring surroundings, being next to the washer and dryer,” I say dryly.
Landon is studying my space, taking in the rows of plastic shelving units with see-through drawers holding all my beads, to my shipping station where I have boxes, envelopes, tape, labels, and a scale.
He moves further down, to my “office” space, where I have mail trays, trade magazines, and a computer.
“That’s for the office part of the job,” I say, explaining. “I take my pictures of jewelry here, do my social media for my line, and manage my budget, all that kind of stuff.”
“I never thought about all these components of your business,” Landon says, shifting his blue eyes to me. “You’re incredibly organized in addition to being talented.”
“I want to be successful,” I say honestly. “It’s been a slow start, and I have a long road to go, but I feel like I can do this.”
“I have no doubt about that, Livy,” Landon says. “You’ll make a living doing this.”
My mom clears her throat, and we both turn to her.
“Livy, I’ll let you show Landon the pantry,” she says, smiling knowingly at me.
And that smile tells me she likes him already.
“No, wait,” Landon says, stepping toward her. “I should get a selfie with you in your couponing pantry. I aspire to this, you know.”
My mom blushes, and I die a bit inside from Landon’s sweetness.
“Okay,” Mom says.
We follow her into her large, walk-in pantry, filled with multiple quantities of everything a human could ever want. Well, at least what my parents want.
Landon is wide-eyed as he takes in the bulk products and five-gallon size canisters of peanut butter.
“Wow,” he says, “Nana wasn’t exaggerating.”
“Nope,” I say, laughing.
“Yes, this is my thing,” my mom admits, tucking a lock of her platinum hair behind her ear. “I love getting deals. And I’m able to donate a lot of this to the church food pantry, so it’s great.”
“Awesome,” Landon says. Then he zeros in on something and steps closer.
“Zingers!” he says excitedly, grabbing a box.
“Do you like those?” my mom asks, laughing. “That is the one junk food Livy will eat.”
Landon shoots me a private smile. “Really?”
I blush, and his smile broadens.
“Let me take a pic. I’m known as the selfie king of the Buffaloes,” Landon explains. “Get in here with me, Mrs. Adams. And Livy, you’re going to hold the Zingers.”
Mom laughs and gets on one side of Landon, with me on the other. Landon fishes his phone out of his pocket and expertly holds it up to capture my mom’s expansive condiment collection in the background.
“Ready? One, two, three,” Landon says. Then he snaps a pic. “Let’s see how we did.”
Landon shows us the image capture on his iPhone, and once again my heart melts. Here we are, with superstar Landy Holder, snapping a selfie in my mom’s prized pantry.
Except he’s not superstar Landy Holder of the Chicago Buffaloes anymore.
He’s Landon.
“Oh, Livy, get a copy of that and send it to me,” Mom says excitedly. Then she turns to Landon. “Can I put that up on my Connectivity page?”
“Sure,” Landon says easily.
“Thank you,” Mom says. “Well, I’ve got to get back upstairs and finish the grocery list so I can shop. You two have fun today.”
“We will,” I say happily.
“It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Adams,” Landon says. “And I’ll be disappointed if you only fill one cart today.”
Mom laughs and shakes her head. Then she heads back upstairs, leaving us alone.
“You’re a good sport,” I say, smiling up at him.
“There’s no good sport about this,” Landon says, reaching for me and drawing me to him. “I’m fascinated by bulk ketchup deals. And you,” he says, dropping a kiss on my lips.
Happiness fills me the second his lips meet mine. It’s a gentle, simple kiss, and Landon lifts his head and brushes his fingertips against my cheekbone.
“So are you ready?” he asks.
I stare up at him, this gorgeous hockey player who just kissed me so sweetly. The one who was so interested in my family, the one who, despite his fears, is willing to take a tentative step with me.
And I know I’m ready to see where this will go.
Not only on this Sunday afternoon, but beyond, too.
“I am,” I say, linking my hand with his.
And as he takes me back upstairs, I can’t wait to see what he has in store for me for our first date today.
Chapter 15
TriviaPlayOrPass!
The first aquarium was opened in 1853 in what city? A) London B) Paris C) Chicago D) Rome
“Landon, this is the coolest date,” I say excitedly, watching in awe as a huge shark swims past us. I turn and gaze up at him. “What made you think of this?”
We’re at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, taking in all the wonders of the ocean together in one of America’s best aquariums. We’ve held hands. Peered at fish and read all about them. Taken tons of pictures, and Landon still stopped and took pics with fans, too.
Landon keeps his eyes fixed out at the Wild Reef Exhibit, where the sharks and rays are swimming around us. There are fish in practically every color of the rainbow, and the iridescent coral is absolutely stunning. In fact, I have a whole palette of colors from this exhibit coming together in my head for a reef-inspired jewelry line for my inspired by nature collection. I’ve taken tons of pictures of the coral, and after we watch the sharks I want to go into the aquarium’s Coral Lab, where they actually grow all the coral for the exhibits.
“I thought it would be fun to do this with someone,” Landon says, breaking through my thoughts. “Look at that one,” he says, shifting gears as a shark with a saw-like nose swims past us. “That is crazy.”
He gazes down at me. “I’ve gone here alone before. It’s a nice spot to put your place in the world in perspective.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, curious.
Landon shifts his attention back to a stingray who moves past our spot in front of the glass.
“That the world is incredibly huge. I’m a small fraction of it,” he says. “There’s a whole life going on down below that we aren’t a part of, you know?” Then he pauses and turns back to me. “Too deep?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow.
My heart flutters. “Not at all. But maybe I’ll take a selfie to commemorate your deep thought of the day.”
Landon laughs. We both turn around, and I hold up my phone to take the pic, but Landon stops me.
“Here, I’ll take it for you, I’m the expert,” he declares. “And let’s wait for a cool shark to get in the background.”
“I giggle. “What if one doesn’t come by?”
“Then it’s a good excuse for me to hold you close while we wait for one to swim past,” Landon says, slipping his arm around my waist.
Heat sears through me the second his fingertips dance around the curve in my waist, gently stroking it as we stand in front of the glass.
I really hope the sharks get my mental signal to stay far away from this side of the tank.
“There’s one!” Landon says excitedly.
I blink. Damn sharks.
“Okay, one, two, three,” he says, snapping a few pics. We stop to look at them, and we’re smiling while a bonnethead shark swims over our heads.
“We got it,” Landon says as I show him the pics.
“We did,
” I say, smiling. “You can cross that item off your bucket list now.”
“Along with a real first date,” he says, staring at me.
Ooooooooooooooooh!
Before I can reply, Landon clears his throat. “Come on, let’s move so someone else can take a turn.”
We leave to give someone else a chance to see the exhibit, and I spot a little girl, no more than five, standing alone in the exhibit area. Her eyes are glossy and wide, and she’s looking all around. I see nothing but fear etched on her face.
“Hold on,” I say, releasing Landon’s hand. I quickly move over to the child as the crowd moves around her.
I drop down on my knee so I’m eye level.
“Are you lost, sweetie?” I ask in a calm voice.
Her lower lip trembles. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
“That’s good. You’re right. But I can tell you need help right now. And I’ll do that without moving you or touching you. We’ll stay right here, okay?”
By this point, Landon bends down so he’s with us.
“This is Landon,” I say gently. “I’m Livy. I’m going to send Landon to find your Mommy or Daddy.”
The little girl bursts into tears. “I w-w-w-ant my mommy!”
“I’ll find her for you,” Landon says gently. “It’s going to be okay. She’s here, sweetheart. And I bet she’s looking for you.”
“I wanted to see sharks,” she sniffles. “Mommy said to wait but I didn’t. Now I’m l-lost!”
She begins crying harder now. I open my purse and fish out a tissue, handing it to her. I instinctively know not to touch this little girl, but instead I try to convey gentleness with my voice and expressions.
“I promise we will find your mommy,” I say, nodding.
“Sweetie, can you point which direction you came from?” Landon asks. “Or can you tell me what the last fish you saw were?”
