Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2) (26 page)

I smile at Taylor as we sit in a cozy, eclectic café in downtown Minneapolis. It’s a ridiculous hour on Wednesday morning, right around six, and I’m flying back to Chicago after spending two days working the jewelry show. In fact, I even managed to get on an earlier flight so I could surprise Landon.

“I know, but I promise I’ll be back to visit before you know it,” I reassure her, pausing to take a bite of my sunny-side up eggs over sautéed kale and roasted beets. “Man, this is good. I’m coming back for this café alone!”

Taylor studies my plate, a wicked gleam entering her dark-brown eyes. “Yes. Please come back for the
kale,
” she teases.

I laugh. “You know I miss you like crazy, Taylor. And you’ll
always
be my favorite Taylor.”

Taylor grins. Our long running joke is that she will always trump Taylor Swift in my heart.

Suddenly her expression turns serious. “I really loved having you here, Livy. I mean, it’s exciting to be in a big city. To go somewhere where you don’t know anyone. You have a chance to reinvent yourself. But—”

“But?” I interrupt, as this is the first time all weekend Taylor hasn’t been positive about her Minneapolis experience.

She picks at the blueberry pancakes on her plate. “Sometimes it’s lonely.” Taylor lifts her head. “I didn’t realize how much until you came this week.”

“I think that’s normal,” I say. “It takes time to feel at home in a new city.”

Taylor bites her lip. “I know I had to meet new people in college, but it’s different. You’re surrounded by people all looking to make new friends when you’re in school. It’s not like that in the real world.”

“Adulting,” I emphasize. “Adulting sucks.”

Taylor spears some of her pancakes and takes a bite. “I don’t know,” she says after she swallows. “You’ve done some pretty good adulting with one sexy hockey player.”

I feel my face grow hot, and Taylor laughs.

“Shut up,” I say, taking a sip of coffee. “Besides, are you kidding? I’m the one living at home with Mom and Dad. With no move out date in sight. My adulting skills are
crap.
”

Taylor laughs, and I laugh with her.

“See? We’re both navigating different things,” I reassure her. “We’ll get there. But you’ll eventually get settled and start going to stuff and getting out, and you’ll make loads of friends.”

“And maybe you’ll move in with Landy,” Taylor says easily.

“I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about that,” I admit.

Taylor’s eyes widen. “You have?”

“Yeah,” I admit, taking a bite of my whole grain toast. “If he asked me, I’d say yes. I’m that confident in what we have. In fact, before I left, he gave me a key to his place.”

“He gave you your own
key?
” Taylor asks.

“He did,” I say, my cheeks growing warm.

“I’m so happy for you,” Taylor says, her face lighting up in a bright smile. “You deserve to find a love equal to that huge heart of yours.”

“Thank you,” I say. “And I have. It’s ridiculous how loving Landon is with me. It’s nothing like I had with Troy, nothing at all.”

“Gah, let’s hope not!” Taylor declares. “Troy was a cheating asshole. I swear he cheated the first second he could.”

“Pretty much,” I say, remembering how he cheated the first weekend I went away with Aubrey for a girls’ outing in Las Vegas. “But that’s not Landon. I’m so happy I put aside my initial reservations about him to see the real man underneath it all.”

“You learned not to judge a book by its cover,” Taylor adds. “But trust your heart.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it,” I say happily.

We finish up breakfast, and Taylor drives me to the airport. It’s a beautiful April day in Minneapolis, with blue skies and the air has a crispness to it, one that will burn off as the day grows warmer.

Because I have to lug my show display pieces, Taylor parks the car and keeps me company as we wait in line to check them at the counter. Finally, it’s time to say goodbye.

To my surprise, Taylor gets tearful as we reach the point where I have to go through security.

“I’m going to miss having you around,” Taylor declares.

“Me too,” I say, giving her a huge hug. “But I’ll be back before you know it. And you have to come back and visit your family, right?”

Taylor nods. “Right. Not goodbye. See you later.”

I smile happily. “Totally see you later.”

We hug one more time, and Taylor leaves. I wait to go through security, and then I decide to find a place to pick up a bottle of water before my flight.

I find a nice spot next to the window and drop my carry-on bag and tote into the vacant chair next to me. Wow. I must be early or nobody is flying this April day, as there are only about six people waiting for the eight o’clock flight to Chicago.

I’m so glad I moved my flight up. As great as the trade show has been, and as much as I’ve loved being with Taylor, I’m ready to head back.

And I can’t wait to see the look on Landon’s face when I surprise him by coming home early.

Chapter 31

TriviaPlayOrPass!

DesignerA and Scott921, your game is over.

I carry the cardboard container with two cups of coffee—Landon’s black with a splash of cream and my skinny flat white—along with some muffins and croissants. Indulgent? Yes. But I want to spoil Landon with breakfast in bed this morning.

I grin as I punch the button to Landon’s floor at the Jourdin Chicago. My flight got in early, so I was able to drop my stuff at home and catch the train into the city. One quick cab ride later, and I’m here. Home.

Our home.

I mean, it feels that way since Landon gave me a key before I left. He dropped it into my palm, closed my fingers over it, and wrapped his hand over mine. Landon told me I could use it whenever I wanted. That his home was my home.

And from the tender way he gazed at me when he said it, I know it’s true.

It’s our home now.

Ding!

The elevator chimes, and I step out onto Landon’s—er, our—floor. Happiness zips through me at the thought of the look of surprise on his face when I open the door. I love surprises, and nothing is better than surprising the man I love.

I carefully balance the tray in one hand as I fumble to retrieve the keys in my tote. I feel around and locate them. I quietly turn the key in the lock, trying to sneak in without Landon hearing me.

I stealthily enter the hallway, very slowly shutting the door behind me. Luckily I have my Converse shoes on so I can tiptoe quietly down the hallway. I figure I’ll find him asleep—he told me last night there’s no practice this morning—with GiGi curled up on his chest.

And I’ll wake him with a kiss when I see him, I think.

But before I can head toward the master bedroom, I hear a woman’s voice.

“There’s no need for you to be concerned. She’ll never know I’m here.”

I stop dead in my tracks. My heart roars in my ears.

I know that voice.

It’s
Kayla’s
voice.

Oh God. Oh God.

I begin to shake, and my brain fights the thoughts creeping to the surface.

I know Landon.

I know his heart.

There has to be an explanation for this.

I make myself move forward. Instead of taking the hallway to the living room, I turn toward the den, my heart pounding furiously with each step I take. Finally, I reach the edge of the room.

And there I find Landon with Kayla.

Landon is dressed like he just rolled out of bed, with sweatpants on and no shirt. But Kayla—oh, she’s in a camisole and pajama bottoms, and it’s obvious she just woke up.

Kayla has her hands on Landon’s arms as she’s speaking to him.

“I won’t say a word about our being together,” she says, gazing up at Landon. “It will be our secret. But we have to talk about what happened. Our time is now, don’t you see? We’re finally free to be together, Baby.”

“Oh my God,” I gasp, dropping the tray of coffee and my tote on the floor. The cups go flying and hot coffee splatters against my jeans, but that pain is nothing compared to what I’m feeling right now. The contents of my tote hit the floor hard, scattering in all different directions across the hardwood floor.

My judgment has been wrong again.

Landon spins around at the sound of my voice. “Livy?”

I see that his glasses are on and his hair is messed up, and it’s obvious he just rolled out of bed, too.

Nausea rises in me. Landon betrayed me.

He slept with Kayla.

“I believed you,” I whisper, taking a step backwards, “I believed you, Landon!”

“Whoa, whoa, what do you
think
is going on here?” Landon asks, his voice incredulous as he moves toward me. “Livy, you don’t seriously think I did something with Kayla, do you?”

Tears pool in my eyes. I bite down hard on my lip to keep from sobbing in front of him. My past has reached up and grabbed me like a vise, and it won’t let go. I was lied to and cheated on before by someone who promised I was different.

My inability to judge a man has led me right back to what happened with Troy.

But this time, it’s happening with the man I love more than anything on this earth.

Kayla takes a moment to pull down her tank top, which has risen up her taut, tanned stomach. The black lace waistband of her panties peeks out from her low-slung pajama pants bottoms.

Did Landon touch her like he touched me? Did he sexily remove those panties and make love in the same way?

I’m going to throw up. I’m going to be sick. All I can see is Landon and Kayla in our bed.

In our bed.

Landon closes the gap between us, putting his hands on my arms and gripping me.

“Livy, you
know
me. This is not what you think,” Landon says urgently, his eyes burning into mine. “Let me explain. Kay—”

“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid,” I sob, shoving him backwards. Tears are streaming down my face, but I do nothing to stop them. I drop to the floor, grabbing my wallet, my keys, and lipsticks and dumping them back in my bag. I stand back up. “I’ve lived through this hell once. But I never dreamed I would live it again with you.” I whisper. “Not with you.”

I turn and flee. I run down the hall, with Landon chasing after me. He catches me and spins me around before I can even reach the elevator.

“Let me go!” I cry, his image blurring in front of me as I try to get out of his grasp.

“No!” Landon shouts. “Livy, you have to calm down. You have to listen to me!”

“No I don’t!” I sob. “The evidence is there. And the first time I’m out of town you screwed around.”

Landon’s eyes flash. “Do you honestly believe that? That I would fuck around on you, after all we’ve meant to each other? After everything I’ve said to you?”

I jerk my arm free. “Don’t you dare,” I say, my voice shaking, “treat me like I’m an idiot. She’s in your condo in
pajamas.
”

“It’s
our
condo,” Landon insists. “Do you think I would give you a key if I wanted to cheat on you?
Do you?
”

For a moment, I wrestle with his words. No, that doesn’t make sense.

“Landy, Baby, are you coming back?” Kayla calls out, leaning against the doorframe.

Landon’s head jerks at the sound of her voice, and I take the opportunity to get out of his grasp. I run to the elevator and punch the down button, but Landon is right back next to me.

“We’re not done,” he says, his voice full of anger.

“You don’t get to decide that!” I shout back. The doors chime open, and I leap inside. But Landon does too and hits the emergency button to stop it from moving.

“So you don’t want the truth?”

“I don’t want to hear anything from you!” I choke out.

“Too bad, you are going to hear me out,” he says, his voice thick with anger. “Kayla just showed up. In her pajamas. She and Ben are over. They broke up. She showed up unannounced, saying she needed a friend. I told her I didn’t feel right about her being in
our
place dressed like that-that’s when you walked in, I bet—and now she’s talking crazy and I need to get to the bottom of that, but I would never, ever, cheat on you, Livy. I don’t want anyone but you, don’t you get that?”

I freeze as Landon’s words hit me in the heart. I search his pained face and suddenly I realize I was wrong.

About everything.

“But that doesn’t matter now, does it?” Landon shouts at me, losing control. “Because no matter how things looked in there, or what Kayla said or was wearing, I would expect you, of all people, to believe in me. To believe in what we’ve been building. To believe that my words and that my intentions are true. But you don’t.”

“Landon, I—” I try to speak, but Landon cuts me off.

“It kills me to think you thought I was capable of fucking around on you,” Landon whispers, his voice thick. “I
loved
you. I wanted forever with you. But I don’t want it with a woman who doesn’t believe in me.”

Then he punches a button on the elevator to open the doors and steps out, leaving me behind.