Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2) (28 page)

And I’m grabbing his love with both hands now.

”If she loves you, she will come after you,”
I say, my voice breaking. “And I’m coming after you, Landon. I love you. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone in my whole life. And I’ll be in your life forever if you’ll let me.”

Landon’s face becomes a watery blur in my eyes, but as soon as I’m done speaking, he reaches for me. Landon swiftly shuts the door with one hand, then both hands pull me into his body, and his gaze burns intently into mine as he holds on to me.

“Say it again,” he whispers, his voice choking up with emotion. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you,” I say, my voice strong as I put my shaking hands on his arms. “I love you, I love you,
I love you.
”

As soon as I say those words to him, Landon’s eyes fill with tears.

“I’ve only wanted to hear those words from one woman,” he whispers, his voice thick. “And now I have.”

A sob escapes my throat, and Landon caresses my face with his hands.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he repeats back to me. “You’re the only one I will ever love.”

Then his lips are on mine in an urgent kiss, one that tells me this man is going to kiss me for the rest of my life if I want him to. I surrender to his warm lips and seeking tongue, and I frantically kiss him back as my tears continue to fall. I taste him, I inhale his leather and vanilla scent, and I relish the feel of his skin against mine. This is my life. This is my man. Landon is The One, and I let my kiss tell him so.

Landon breaks the kiss and immediately cradles my head to his chest. I listen to his heart pound through the fabric of his T-shirt, and a powerful feeling of joy crashes over me. I know I’m
home.
I’m in the arms of a man who loves me and who has pledged to love me forever.

Landon’s hands are in my hair, down my back, caressing me softly. His lips brush against the top of my head, and I never want to let him go.

“I’m sorry,” Landon murmurs into my hair. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk this morning.”

I immediately step back from him, my fingers holding on to his tattooed forearms tightly. “No, no, this is my fault. I should have listened to you. I’m so sorry.”

“Sweetheart, I would have done the same thing,” Landon admits, drawing me back to his chest. “Aubrey pointed that out to me.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Aubrey?”

Landon’s face lights up. “I’m the luckiest man alive to get to see that cute crease in your nose for the rest of my life.”

I begin to laugh, and so does Landon. He laces his fingers through mine and leads me over to the sofa. Landon sits down and draws me into his lap, holding me tightly to him.

“After you left,” Landon says quietly, “I was a mess. I was pissed off at you for not believing me. And then Kayla starts talking about how she’s in love with me, that we are destined to be together. You were right about her all along, Livy.”

I stay silent. Kayla finally revealed herself to Landon.

“I was blindsided. I told her we’re friends, I never saw her that way, and even though we just had a fight, I loved you.”

I blink back fresh tears. Even though I had hurt him, Landon never stopped loving me.

“What happened next?” I ask softly.

“She went crazy. Told me you were boring. Too sweet and too pure. That I’d grow tired of this ‘little domestic routine’ we had. That you’d never make me happy like she could.” Landon pauses for a moment. “Then Kayla said she didn’t spend the past year fucking Ben to lose me now.”

I gasp at her bluntness. “Oh, my God. Poor Ben.”

“She’s a horrible, manipulating person,” Landon admits. “Everything you said about her was true. I told Kayla I wanted nothing to do with her ever again, that she could only aspire to be as good of a woman as you are, and threw her out. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, Livy. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I say honestly, stroking his hair. “But don’t let this one experience change your heart, Landon. Because your empathetic heart is beautiful. It’s part of who you are.”

Landon gently brushes his lips against my temple.

“I was wrong, too, Landon. I was so upset that I wouldn’t let you explain. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“I understand,” he says softly. “After I threw Kayla out, Aubrey texted me, saying she couldn’t get a hold of you and asked if you were here. I called her and told her about what happened and how pissed I was. Then Aubrey told me I was being an idiot. She asked me how I would react if the situation was reversed. If I found you were wearing nothing but a T-shirt with a guy wearing pajama bottoms. A guy I had insisted had ulterior motives as far as you were concerned. As soon as I pictured it, I knew I’d be pissed. And I’d want to kill the guy.”

I laugh and he does, too.

“But I know that was your biggest fear come to life,” Landon says softly.

“No. My biggest fear,” I say firmly, “is losing you. When I thought I did, I reverted to my past. Not of being cheated on, but of not trusting my judgment. But after talking to Nana, I understand that I do have good judgment.” I pause and draw a heart on his chest. “I know this. I know your heart. I have no doubt about my judgment because it led me to you.”

Landon nuzzles against me. “I was afraid to tell you how I felt. That you’d think it was crazy after such a short period of time. That you might not feel the same. I also had my dad’s warning in my head. That somehow I’d mess this up and hurt you because we’re too young.”

“Landon,” I say, “we’re like puzzle pieces. Sometimes you dump out the jigsaw puzzle and it takes you forever to find matching pieces. But sometimes you get lucky and you find your match right away. It doesn’t mean it can’t fit because of when you found it. The pieces are right. You’re my puzzle piece, Landon. Your heart is my missing piece.”

Landon is quiet for a moment as he takes in my words. Then he draws my face to his and kisses me, his warm lips easing mine open in a gentle, loving kiss.

“I love you,” he whispers against my mouth. “And you’re my puzzle piece.”

We kiss again, and I know this is my future. Landon Holder is my everything, and he will be for the rest of my life.

I break the kiss and stroke the side of his face. “Sorry you couldn’t get a hold of me today. I . . . I think my phone is somewhere here in your living room.”

Realization dawns in his blue eyes. “So that’s why you didn’t answer.”

“I bet the mute button was hit when it dropped on the floor,” I say. “It’s probably under a chair or something. But I would have answered the second I heard from you. Because all I’ve wanted from the second you walked away was for you to come back.”

“When I couldn’t get a hold of you, when I thought you weren’t going to talk to me—I’ve never felt so sick. I thought I’d lost you, Livy,” Landon says softly.

I put my fingertips over his lips. “You’re never going to lose me. And I have something to prove it to you.”

I get up off his lap and go to my tote bag. I retrieve the box with the bracelet and walk over to him.

“I made this for you today,” I say, sitting down next to him.

“Today?” Landon says, surprise echoing in his voice.

“It’s important to me that you have this.”

Landon takes off the lid and removes the tissue. He picks up his bracelet and reads the inscription.

“This was my fortune cookie,” I explain. “Except I changed it to say ‘she.’ I want you to know I love you, and I’ll always find my way to you, Landon.”

Landon’s eyes fill with tears. “I know you mean that. And that makes me the happiest man alive.”

I take the bracelet from him and put it on his wrist. Landon slides his hand underneath my hair and draws me to him for a sweet kiss in return. Then he breaks the kiss and gazes seriously at me.

“Livy, I want forever with you,” Landon says. “I want to marry you someday. I want to have children with you. A life with you here and in Vancouver. I want to support you in your career. I want too much kale in my fridge and your Converse shoes on my floor. But I want that now.”

“What?” I say, confused.

“Move in with me,” Landon says. “I don’t want to wait. I know you’re my puzzle piece. When I was asking about a roommate, I didn’t mean Collins. I meant
me.
”

My heart is so full of joy, it’s about to burst. “You’re ready for this?”

“I’m so ready,” Landon declares, grinning at me.

“Will we still play
TriviaPlayOrPass!
?” I ask.

“Yes. I know you’re addicted to trying to improve your record over me,” he teases.

I playfully hit him on the arm. “I’ve beaten you the last few times, Scott921.”

“We’ll see who wins tonight,” Landon says. “But I’ve already won. I have your heart, and that’s all I need.”

I smile happily at him. “Likewise.”

“I want your family to come over here for dinner all the time, too,” Landon says. “They’re great people.”

“They’re more than people,” I say. “They’re your family. And they love you, Landon.”

I see his face light up from my words. “I love them, too.”

GiGi meows loudly and jumps up on the couch. “Do you hear this, GiGi? It’s not just you and me anymore. But it never has been since the day I had that first date with Livy, has it?”

Emotions swell within me. “Did you know that first date?”

Landon smiles sheepishly. “For me to even ask you over here meant you were different. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with you after that.”

“Me neither,” I admit.

Landon smiles at me. “So we’re going to be busy this week. As soon as my season wraps up, you’re moving in.”

I know I’m beaming from his words.

“Yes.” I nod excitedly.

“And we’re looking for your phone immediately,” Landon says. “Because I never want to go through that again, of not being able to talk to you. But first I’m going to make love to you,” Landon declares, easing me back onto the sofa as his eyes flicker sexily at me. “I love you, Kale Chip.”

I grin up at him. “I love you too, my precious Zinger,” I say.

And as Landon lowers his mouth to mine, I know I’m home.

Forever.

With my puzzle piece.

Epilogue

The following September

Morning View Elementary School After-Care Program

“Finally, we get to work together with the kids,” I say, squeezing Landon’s hand in mine. “I’ve missed that.”

Landon doesn’t say anything as he parks his Range Rover in a spot in the school parking lot. School started the first week of September, but Landon has missed the past two Wednesdays with advertising shoots. And he leaves for training camp in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday so I’m glad he’ll be able to see the kids once before the season ramps up.

“Landon?” I say, noticing he seems distant. “You okay?”

Landon turns toward me. “Yeah. Just thinking. This is where we started, you know,” he says, lifting my hand and pressing it to his lips. “With a Presidents’ Day art project.”

I smile. “The day that changed everything.”

Gratitude sweeps over me when I think of how my life has changed since that snowy February day. I found The One. Landon and I overcame our fears to be together. I moved into his condo in April and have been there ever since. We are happy, in love, and our future is bright. Our lives have changed for the better now that we found each other.

So much has changed around us, too. When the Buffaloes season ended, Ben abruptly quit the team and moved back to Canada. Landon keeps in touch with him, and Ben bought a small place in the woods, near a lake, and spends his time fishing. Ben also met a woman—a Canadian park warden, as a matter of fact—and things are getting serious between them. Landon says he’s never seen him happier, and that makes me happy. Ben gave up the dream—to be an NHL player—and lived his own dream. I admire him for that.

Kayla, or as Nana says, “the tart,” pretty much went underground when everything backfired in her face. Simona says she heard she’s moved to Dallas and wants to be a Demons ice girl. No doubt to try and catch one of the eligible players, like JP Rochat. I need to tell Landon to warn him if that happens.

Aubrey and Beckett are engaged. Collins has recovered from her break up with Gabe and is still party planning for Suzanne’s Soirees. Taylor has moved up the career ladder in Minneapolis at the posh department store she works for, now serving as a personal shopper in the menswear department. But she’s not entirely happy there, and I don’t know if that is her future forever.

Nana is still Nana, and we see her—along with my parents and Jamie—every Sunday for dinner. Sometimes it’s at their house, sometimes ours, or a restaurant. But we are always together, and Landon loves it. I know it’s the family life he always wanted, and now finally has, which makes me happy.

I met his parents in Vancouver, and his sister Emily. I truly adore Emily, and we talk quite a bit now via Connectivity video chat. His mom, Grace, is painfully shy. It’s been harder for me to get to know her, but I know that will be a process over time. Landon’s dad, Craig, is very handsome and charismatic, and I see where Landon got those qualities from.

My jewelry business has continued to grow—slowly, but it’s growing. I’m continuing to reinvest my profits in the line and my newly launched fall collection has been doing well.

“Livy?” Landon asks, interrupting my thoughts.

I blink. “Sorry. Now I was thinking.”

“About what?” Landon asks, all serious.

“About how much has changed and how far we’ve come,” I say truthfully. “But enough about that. Let’s go greet the kids. They are going to be so excited you’re back.”

Landon sits still. His hand is still on the steering wheel, and the engine is running. His focus is straight ahead, and then he draws a big breath of air.

“Landon, what is wrong with you?” I ask. “You’ve been acting weird all day.”

Landon quickly shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. Great. Let’s go.”

Before I can grill him, he turns off the engine and slips out of the car.

I’m still staring at him, my nose wrinkled.

“I know you have that crease in your nose,” Landon says as he opens the back door to retrieve his jersey.

I laugh. “I do.”

I climb out of the car and move to the trunk to retrieve my art supplies. Landon tugs his navy and gold Buffaloes jersey over his head and helps me carry in the plastic tubs of molding clay, colored chalks, and paint.

We head up to the school and ring the back doorbell. Normally I can see the children having snacks in the cafeteria but today it’s empty.

That’s weird,
I think.

Darcy, who is still the lead coordinator, comes into view. As soon as she sees us a big smile lights up her face.

She opens the door and allows us to enter. “We are so excited you’re here.”

I smile. I know it’s because Landon has finally returned to the program.

“Where are all the kids?” I ask, setting my bag down on a vacant cafeteria table.

“They are eagerly waiting for you,” Darcy says excitedly. “They’ve been working on a surprise for you, Livy.”

“What?” I ask. “For me?”

“Yes,” Darcy takes a few steps forward, toward the stage. “Curtains and action!” she calls out.

I glance at Landon, who is gazing straight ahead. I turn my attention to the stage and all the children are there, but some are dressed in costumes from
Alice in Wonderland,
my favorite book. I notice they are all holding cards, too.

A little girl dressed like Alice heads up to the microphone. “Miss Livy, we’re going to read some of your favorite quotes from your most favorite book in the whole world!”

I step forward, stunned. How did they know this? How—

I turn around. Landon smiles at me. He moves behind me and puts his arms around me.

“Just watch,” he murmurs in my ear.

My heart is racing. Something is up. Landon obviously orchestrated this for me as a surprise.

My favorite quotes are read by Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts. The music teacher, Mrs. Pope, plays music in between each reading.

When they are finished, Darcy regroups the children on the stage.

“Now, we have a very important question to ask on behalf of Landy,” Darcy says happily. “Children, it’s time to flip your cards!”

I watch as the children laugh and giggle and flip over their cards. My eyes quickly read what they spell out:

DesignerA, will you marry me? Scott921.

“Oh my God,” I gasp, shaking. “Oh my God.”

Landon drops down on one knee in front of me. I’m trembling like a leaf. He takes my hand in his, and I’m shocked to discover his hand is shaking a bit, too.

“Livy, this is where our journey started. I never dreamed that being here would lead me to you. When I discovered your true identity, that you were DesignerA, I knew something greater was at work. I was meant to be with you. I was meant to love you. And nothing would make me happier than to have that honor for the rest of my life if you will let me.”

Landon releases my hand and opens a black velvet box in front of me. “Livy Adams, will you marry me?”

I stare down at the ring in shock. It’s a huge round diamond, circled by a row of small pink and white bead-set diamonds, set in a diamond band. It’s a breathtaking design by Tiffany, one I had mentioned I had loved to him a long time ago.

“Landon,” I whisper, tears filling my eyes. “Yes. Yes.” I begin frantically nodding. “Yes, I’ll marry you!” I yell with happiness.

The children begin cheering. Landon grins and slides the ring onto my finger, and I’m overwhelmed with joy. Landon stands up and kisses me.

“You said yes,” Landon whispers.

“I said yes,” I giggle.

“SHE SAID YES!” he yells excitedly.

All the children begin cheering again, and Landon draws me into his arms, hugging me tightly.

“Let’s celebrate with a snack, children,” Darcy says happily. “Mr. Landy has brought Zingers for everyone!”

The children cheer again in celebration, and I can’t help but laugh.

Darcy quickly turns and smiles at us. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” we both say.

As the children scramble off the stage and excited chatter fills the room, I turn and face my fiancé.

“There’s no going back now,” I tease Landon. “You gave me the perfect proposal. And a ring. And I said yes.”

Landon cups my face in his hands. “I’m all in, Kale Chip. For the rest of my life.”

“For the rest of my life, too, my precious Zinger,” I repeat as his lips find mine.

I’m going to be Mrs. Landon Holder,
I think in amazement.

As I kiss him, I see a future of love, friendship, and family with this amazing man. I never dreamed this playboy, tattooed, hockey player would be the love of my life.

I break the kiss and gaze up at him, overwhelmed with love. You never know when you’ll find your missing puzzle piece. But when you do, there’s no doubt about it. It just fits.

Forever.