Chapter 22
I woke up on Tuesday morning to a request from Gretchen to come into the office immediately. More like a demand. But whatever. I had things to do before I could see her.
I got Mikayla on the bus, then stared at my phone for way too long. Because I had to go into the paper the day before, I didn’t see Landon for lunch. He asked if I was going to meet him today, but I couldn’t.
I was meeting my match for lunch.
I already have lunch plans, but I’ll come see you tomorrow if you’re available.
I’ll be here.
I locked my phone and forced myself to go into the office. All I wanted to do was curl up on the couch, but I couldn’t. I had responsibilities.
Starting with defending my article.
Gretchen was fuming by the time I arrived. She barked at me to come to her office, clearly watching for me before I got there.
Mike flashed me a sympathetic look, and a few others eyed me curiously. I held my head high as I went to face Gretchen.
“What the hell garbage is this?” Gretchen demanded before the door was closed. “Are you trying to put this paper out of business?”
I didn’t want to react, but I blanched at her tone. “I’m trying to write articles I believe the people of MacKellar Cove will enjoy.”
“Not all endings are happy, but this one is. The woman our favorite mayor was seen with two years ago… She’s the woman he loves, the one he’s spending the rest of his life with. And they couldn’t be happier together,” Gretchen read from the article I submitted.
“I take it you don’t like it?”
“No, I don’t like it. I hate it! No one cares. No one wants all the daisies and none of the drama. I’ve given you the rope to create articles that people would read, Casey, and all you’ve done is write fluff that kisses ass. That’s not what we do here.”
I drew a breath and let it out slowly. My blood pressure was high, as it always was when I had to meet with Gretchen. “What is it we do? What are you asking me to do?”
“I’m asking you to write something people want to read. Everyone knows that picture was Natalie. It’s old news now. You said nothing about drama at the wedding, one of them getting cold feet. Anything. We need something better than this.”
“None of that happened. They were excited, happy. Their love is real.”
“Then make it up.” She scoffed. “I don’t know what makes you think we’re here to be friends with everyone, but we’re not.
We’re here to sell newspapers. To showcase the interesting parts of this town.
You’re not giving me anything that fits that.
You’re not going to last long in this industry if you’re not willing to do what it takes to capture attention. ”
I pushed to a stand and shrugged. “Then I guess I won’t last.”
“What are you talking about?” Gretchen demanded.
“I quit, Gretchen. I’m not writing an article about two good people and destroying their reputations. I told you that before, and you don’t seem to be willing to listen. So I quit.” I opened the door to leave her office.
“You can’t quit because I’m firing you.” Gretchen shouted above the noise of the rest of the office.
I turned back to her. “That’s fine with me. Either way, I’m not working for you or any editor who wants to print lies in order to sell papers.”
“Every paper does it. If you think you’re just going to walk away and find someone who’s telling the truth, you’re a fool.”
“Then I’m a fool, too,” Mike said, standing from his desk. “I’m not going to hold back, but you better believe I’m not going to lie and open myself up to a lawsuit because you can’t figure out how to run a successful paper.”
“Oh, please. You don’t care about that. The paper will protect you,” Gretchen said.
“Maybe they will, and maybe they won’t. But I’m not putting my name on something I don’t believe in. I quit, too,” Mike said. He gathered his things and walked to the door.
“I quit,” Stephanie said, following Mike.
“I quit,” Jose said.
“What is wrong with all of you?” Gretchen screeched. “Don’t you want to sell papers?”
“We do,” Jose said, stopping before he left. “But not like this. We love this town. We love the people who live here. We’re not going to be your pawns to ruin lives. Erik did enough of that, and we all agreed we wouldn’t let it happen again.”
“You can’t leave. You’re all fired!” Gretchen shouted after them.
None of them stopped, and I felt a swell of pride and joy. I didn’t want them all to quit, but knowing they had my back, that they agreed with what I was fighting for, was a great feeling.
“You,” Gretchen snarled. “You did this. You put them up to this.”
I shook my head. “I did nothing. You did, Gretchen.”
She growled, but she didn’t argue.
I followed my coworkers out of the office, not wanting to be alone with Gretchen, and found them waiting for me in the parking lot.
“Are you okay?” Mike asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry you all had to quit because of me.”
Mike shook his head. “We quit because of her. I filled them in on what was going on, and we all agreed we weren’t going to let her do what Erik did. It’s not what this town is all about.”
Jose cleared his throat. “None of us are okay with what Gretchen did a few weeks ago. That’s not how this is supposed to be.”
“No, it’s not,” I agreed.
We all nodded, sharing sad smiles. I never expected Gretchen’s arguments to come to this. I thought she’d back off.
I thought I’d get a full-time position working for the paper.
But instead, I was down to two jobs and very little hope I’d be able to pay my bills in the next few months.
I got in my car and lowered my head to the steering wheel. I was supposed to meet my match for lunch, but that wasn’t where I wanted to be.
I parked outside Blossom & Grow and drew a breath. Everything was going to change. Everything already had, but it would change again.
Landon was talking to a customer. His smile was genuine. Just like the man himself.
I slid my hands over my belly. Landon was nothing like Kyle, but it wasn’t any easier to tell Landon he was going to be a father than it was to tell Kyle.
I knew it as soon as I got sick in the grocery store. The last time I threw up was when I was pregnant with Mikayla. I went back to my cart and added a pregnancy test, then raced through self-checkout so I didn’t have to face anyone when I bought it.
It wasn’t a surprise when it was positive, but it wasn’t entirely a good thing either. Landon wanted kids, and he wanted a wife, but I wasn’t sure he wanted any of those things with me. And I refused to marry another man who didn’t really want to marry me.
The big change with this pregnancy was I loved the father of my unborn baby. I’d known it for a while, but I’d been fighting my feelings for him. It was time for me to be honest with him and find out if we had a chance at a future.
I opened the door to Blossom & Grow. The chime above the door told him I was there, and he looked up with a smile.
His face froze when he saw me. He wasn’t happy to see me.
Shit.
He said something to the customer he was talking to, then approached me. “Hey. I thought you had plans.”
I nodded and wrapped my arms around my belly. “I do.” I shook my head. “I did. I wanted to see you.”
“Are you okay?”
“I quit my job,” I blurted.
“You what?” He cupped my elbow and led me through the store. He nodded to a young woman. She smiled at us, then went to help the customer Landon was talking to when I walked in.
He pushed the door to the consultation room closed and pulled me into his arms. “Are you okay? Which job did you quit? Why?”
I shuddered in his arms. “I’ll be fine. My editor wasn’t happy with the article I wrote. She wanted me to make up drama, and I refused.”
“Good for you. That article was amazing.”
I smiled. I sent it to him when I sent it to Natalie, Daisy, and Amelia. “Thanks.”
“I mean it, Casey. You’re a talented writer with a knack for capturing the emotion of a day. You made me feel their love. It was exceptional.”
“Thanks.”
He tilted my head back. “Were those your lunch plans? You had something with work?”
I shook my head. “I… No. I was supposed to meet the guy I matched with.”
“Oh.” He drew a breath, and I hurried to continue.
“We set it up a while ago. Weeks ago. I told you he was the one I was thinking about with flirting lessons, but when we started sleeping together… I haven’t talked to him in a while.
We agreed to meet today, and if either of us didn’t show up, it was fine.
I doubt he’s going to show up because we haven’t talked, but I felt like I should go so I could tell him… ”
“Tell him what?” Landon whispered.
I looked up at him. “Tell him I met someone else. Someone I… Someone I am not ready to end things with yet.”
“He’s a lucky guy,” Landon said.
I snorted. “When I walked out of the paper, the only person I wanted to see was you, Landon. I know you’re working, and I know we agreed to get through the wedding, but I want to keep seeing each other.”
“I want that, too.”
“Good.” I smiled. “Um, there’s something else you need to know, though.”
“There’s something you need to know, too.”
“Oh, um, okay. What is it?”
He took my hands, then let go and paced away from me. With his back to me, he said, “I never meant to lie to you.”
Sadness washed over me. My entire body flashed hot. I was getting ready to tell him I was in love with him, and he was going to tell me everything between us had been a lie.
“I know I should have said something weeks ago, but I didn’t know how to tell you.”
I swallowed. “Just say it, Landon. I can take it.”
He turned to face me, his gaze sliding past mine before he drew a breath and met my eyes. “I’m DirtyLife.”
I tilted my head to the side as I tried to understand what he was telling me. He was… “Wait, you’re what?”
He released a shaky breath. “I’m your match, Casey. My screen name is DirtyLife. You’re TooBusy, aren’t you?”
“Holy shit. Are you serious?”
He nodded. “I should have told you as soon as I figured it out. Andre told me to. I was scared. I thought you’d stop talking to me and that I’d lose you.
I wanted to get to know you. I was falling for you.
I did fall for you. And I know starting a relationship with a lie between us isn’t a good idea, but I thought it would be okay.
I was going to meet you for lunch today and tell you, but—”
“You’re DirtyLife. You’re my match. I asked you for flirting lessons so I could… flirt with you.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I… I didn’t know right away.”
“When did you figure it out?”
“When you asked me out. The other me.”
My eyebrows shot up. “That was weeks ago.”
He nodded.
“Did you… All those conversations. I feel like I should have seen it.”
“No,” he said. “I… When we started talking, I had no idea who you were. We hadn’t met, and I didn’t know.
When you showed up here, that first time, I thought you were beautiful.
And then when you asked me to help you learn to flirt, I wanted to spend time with you.
I didn’t know we were talking until you asked me to meet.
I couldn’t. I knew if I did, you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.
On the app, you were different. I wanted to get to know you.
And there, you were a different version of you.
More relaxed. I didn’t want to lose the chance to get to know that woman. ”
“Were you laughing at me the whole time?”
“Never. Not once. I wanted to get to know you.”
“I… Were you going to meet me for lunch today?”
“Yes. I was going to tell you everything. I wanted to get through the wedding. And then we started to get closer, and I didn’t want to ruin things.
I… I love you, Casey. I know it’s fast. I know it seems crazy, but I do.
I fell in love with you, and I didn’t want to lose you.
But I know I will if I don’t tell you the truth. ”
“Is that really the truth?”
“Why… What? Is that I love you the truth?”
“Yes. Or did someone see me yesterday and you know?”
“Know what? What happened yesterday?”
I stared at him. I had to know. Maybe it wasn’t fair to him, but I had to know if he was convinced he loved me because I was carrying his baby or if he really meant it.
“What happened? Are you hurt? Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “I… I’m pregnant.”
“You’re… Are you kidding?”
I shook my head again, the emotions rising up. I swallowed them back. I had to stay rational and reasonable. I couldn’t let my hormones rule me. I had to be smarter than that this time.
His hand covered his mouth, hiding his emotions from me. “Are you okay? I know that’s not what you wanted.”
I exhaled a laugh. “I don’t know how I am yet.”
“What…” He exhaled slowly. “What do you want to do, Casey?”
“You’re not… You don’t have an opinion?”
“I have a lot of them. Five minutes ago, I thought you were going to run out of here angry at me. Ten minutes ago, I was terrified to tell you I love you. Thirty minutes ago, I was looking at engagement rings and wondering if I’d ever be able to convince you to marry me.
All of that has changed now. All that matters is what you want. ”
“You wanted to marry me?”
He nodded. “I did, and I still do. We didn’t go into this with that plan, but I want that more than anything else. I want you in my life for good. But only if you want that, too. I don’t want you to feel trapped.”
My hands shook as I brought them to my face. “Landon.”
“Casey.”
“Say it again.”
“Say what?”
“Say you love me,” I whispered.
“I love you, Casey White. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. And if you’ll have me, I want to build a life with you. With Mikayla and our baby.”
“A dirty life?” I asked.
A laugh popped out of him. “Very dirty.”
“Are you going to stay over there or are you going to kiss me?”
He stalked across the room and wrapped me up in his arms, but he kept his lips off mine.
“I love you, Casey. Not because of the baby. Because of you. I will always be here for you, but I never want you to feel like you have to marry me. I know you’re not in the same place as me, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to show you what it’s like to be loved. ”
I laughed. “You silly man. I am so in love with you.”
“You are?” he blurted, truly surprised.
I nodded. “I am. I love you, Landon Boyd.”
“Well, damn. I didn’t see that coming.”
“I never saw you coming, but I’m so happy you’re here.”
“I love you, Casey.”
“I love you.”
He kissed me hard, spinning me around and setting me on the edge of the table. He kneeled in front of me and kissed my belly. “Hi, baby.”
My emotions swelled and overflowed.
He was going to be the best father ever.
And he was all mine.