Chapter 12
My head was pounding as I rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. When I was done, I headed downstairs and paused at the smell of food. Curious, I entered my kitchen to find Landry there at the stove. He was shirtless as he fixed breakfast.
My gaze slid to the right and my jaw dropped. The entire counter was filled with daisies. I turned more and noticed they continued into the hall leading toward the living room.
“Landry?”
He looked at me and grinned. “Morning, sleepyhead.”
“What are you doing?”
“Fixing you breakfast.”
I pointed to the flowers. “What’s all this?”
“Flowers, Mer. Geesh, I’d have thought you’d have known that.”
Floored, I stepped into the hall again, following the trail of daisies. When I entered the living room, I jerked to a stop. It was so full of them that I lost sight of my furniture. My stereo system kicked on, scaring me. I spun and Landry was there with the remote in his hand. The song that came on talked about a girl who was crazy but loved for it.
I turned in a slow circle, my throat constricting. “W-why are you doing this to me?”
“I thought you’d like it,” he said, turning the volume down. “Mer, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this, Landry. I don’t have it in me. Please. You should go.”
He set the remote down and came for me, taking my hand in his, ignoring me. “Breakfast is done.”
He led me to the table and pulled my chair out for me. I sat and he waited on me hand and foot. I waited for him to say something that would indicate this was all a ruse and that he regretted it all.
He nudged my plate. “Eat.”
I did, but continued to watch him, waiting for him to sprout a third eye or something.
He sipped his coffee and his brow rose. “What’s wrong?”
“Where is my Landry? The indecisive one who likes to tease me and then toss in my face how off women he is? Where is the guy who looked sick to his stomach at the idea of having just been with me?”
“He had the night to think hard on the way he was behaving. Turns out, he didn’t like what he saw.”
I nodded. “So he left you in his place?”
“Yep,” he said. “You’re stuck with me.”
“Landry, I’m sorry, but no. I can’t do this yo-yo thing with you anymore. I very much want to stay friends with you, but I don’t want anything more than that.”
He was quiet for a minute and then proceeded to eat. I just stared at him. When he was done, he cleared his plate and put it in the dishwasher. He did mine as well. I thought he’d leave. He came to me, yanked me up from the chair and kissed me to the point I was dizzy. He lifted me, walking with me toward the living room. Midway there, he bent, taking me to the floor, still kissing me. We ended up lying on daisies, our tongues tangling with passion.
Reason entered my mind and the knowledge that in the end, Landry would do what he always did—pull away—sobered me. I bucked at him and pushed on his chest. He stopped the kiss and stared down at me.
I looked away, ashamed of the tears that came quickly.
A slow, low breath came from him. “Tell me what I can do to fix this, Mer,” he said. “What can I do to get you to trust that I’m not going to hurt you?”
Hot tears continued to streak down my temples as I lay on crushed daisies.
“Talk to me, hon. Tell me what I can do.”
“Honestly,” I whispered. “Nothing. Damage is already done, Landry. I don’t have it in me to put effort into another man who will second guess his every move. Sorry. But I’m tired and don’t want to do it. I’d rather be alone.”
“I don’t accept that answer,” he replied. “I think you feel the same for me as I do for you. I also think you know this is intense. It’s more than I’ve ever experienced before and it takes some adjusting, that’s all. Let me make this right between us. Tell me what you need from me.”
“Time.”
He kissed the tip of my nose and nodded.