CHAPTER 46
2 MONTHS LATER
CASHTON
The inventor of the sundress sure knew what they were doing. I was counting down the minutes until I could see that pastel yellow sundress thrown to the floor of our bedroom. Scratch that—The sundress would stay on when I fucked Landry’s brains out later.
It should be illegal for anybody to look that beautiful. The radiant smile on her face only added to the effect, everything about her glowing. She was the picture of perfection in every way.
I watched in awe as she devoured her third croissant across from me where we were seated at a little café just down the street from our apartment. The apartment that I had officially bought as of a week ago. Landry didn’t know yet, but I had the perfect plan to surprise her by telling her at dinner tonight .
It had been two months since we had moved to Paris, and two months of me falling head over heels more and more every day for the girl sitting across from me.
We had both continued our Ivybrook classes online, the school happy to make exceptions for us after a rather charitable contribution from our family’s architecture firm.
I still worked for David and the firm from France, while Landry had been offered a remote internship running the blog and website for a national bully breed rescue organization back in the states. She still kept in touch with Debbie, who now had plenty of time on her hands with the number of volunteers she had gained from the open-house adoption event. It turns out that if rich people loved one thing, it was their public image. Either way, the shelter was running beautifully, and that’s all that mattered at the end of the day.
Since we’ve been here, we’ve made the most out of the experience. I surprised Landry with some cooking classes with one of the professional chefs that I knew she watched religiously on social media—Not that her cooking needed any improvement—And they had quickly become close.
Teresa was an American that had moved to Paris to open her very successful chain of restaurants, and we had the honor of enjoying her cooking whenever she and her husband, Paul, joined us for weekly dinners. I always caught Landry sneaking glances at me as I entertained their three-year-old daughter while they experimented in the kitchen. It only made me want to bend her over the counter right then and there and create some babies of our own. But that would have to wait until after we graduated. I deserved a medal for my self-control .
Landry and I constantly FaceTimed my mom, and there were multiple occasions where I had found them calling each other even when I wasn’t around. They bonded over things like trading recipes and scrapbook tips, and even the occasional book recommendation. I knew the types of books that my future fiancé read—having re-enacted multiple scenes with her—and the last thing that I needed was to imagine my mother reading those same things. I wished I could pull out my brain and wash that image out with soap as soon as I found out that piece of information.
But I loved how well they got along. Landry was a daughter that had lost her mother, and my mom was a mother that had lost her daughter. Neither Emory nor Landry’s mom could ever be replaced, but they seemed to find peace within each other. I loved that for both of them.
Olivia and Bexley had come to visit a handful of times, as had TJ, Nate, and Zayn. Kaptan had conveniently been busy on those weekends. We hadn’t spoken since that day that Landry and I were ambushed, and I didn’t plan on changing that any time soon. He had saved our lives, but he had also lied to our faces for who knew how long.
Regardless, I wanted no association with whatever group he was a part of. I had sworn to Landry that I would drop my revenge, and I had done just that. I’d fucked up in so many ways, hurt the woman that I loved more times than I could count. I’d almost lost her the day I let her board that plane without me. But never again would I do anything to jeopardize losing Landry. She wasn’t just a part of my life, she had become my entire life. My person. My everything .
That girl didn’t even realize the control she had over me. Or maybe she did, but I had absolutely no problem admitting that I was absolutely and completely whipped.
“Cash?”
I snapped out of my own thoughts, bringing my attention back to the most beautiful girl in all of Paris that sat directly across from me, still wearing that breathtakingly sexy sundress that caused my thoughts to wander to the highly inappropriate things that I planned on doing to her later.
“Sorry, princess. Yes, I think a paint night is an absolutely wonderful idea. Why don’t we set it up on the patio, and we can paint the Eiffel Tower from our view? The guest bathroom has a blank wall that could sure use some color,” I offered.
We had a tradition to make time to do something as a couple every Sunday evening. From naked cooking—yes, I had finally convinced her to try it out, and full disclosure, not much cooking actually got done—to pottery, trivia, board games, and now painting. Landry was one of the most competitive people I had ever met, and I had zero issues with letting her win. Most of the time, at least. I couldn’t give myself away. But the little triumphant dances around the apartment were my kryptonite, as if I needed any more reasons to completely melt for my princess.
“I love that idea! Oh my gosh, I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“Why don’t we stop by that craft store corner on the way home? You said they have canvasses, right?” I asked.
“Yes! And bonus—There’s a pet store next door. Tomahawk may or may not need more treats. ”
A sly grin crept over her face, her baby blues giving me that mischievous look that told me she wasn’t the least bit sorry for pampering our dog.
“Of course, love,” I winked.
There was nothing that my girl could do wrong in my eyes. I was completely, totally, and madly in love with Landry Andrews. She had fixed me, healed me. And she completed me. And I was a damn lucky bastard that she had even given me a chance after everything. But it was a chance that I would never take for granted.
Somewhere between the time that I had watched her cheeks heat with rage when we had had it out that first day at Olivia’s pool party, and the night that I had found her unmoving on my doorstep, I had fallen for her. It all felt like a lifetime ago. Everything after that had just been about repairing the damage that I had done, and making it my life’s mission to make it up to her, all while falling madly in love with her more each day.
Landry Andrews started as an outlet for my vendetta, but somewhere along the way, she had become my sole focus and the most cherished thing in my life. She had single-handedly up-turned everything I knew.
She is my future wife, and the future mother of my children. She is my home, my comfort, my peace. She is my favorite person, my best friend, and the love of my life. Landry Andrews is my everything.