Love of a Lifetime: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 3)

by Delaney Cameron

  Chapter Five

  Landris was nearing the end of what was a rare thing for him: an entire day to himself. His parents had arrived in town yesterday. This morning they’d taken Olivia to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The free time had allowed him to catch up on paperwork and take care of some errands. His last stop was Faith’s house. His glance went to the envelope on the passenger seat with the childish rendering of her name. Olivia had made him promise to deliver it today even after he pointed out that the recipient wouldn’t be home to read it. As usual, Landris hadn’t been able to refuse.

  He hoped he wasn’t spoiling Olivia. Sometimes it was difficult to separate his compassion for a child who’d been rejected by her mother from his responsibility to her as a father. He’d probably read more parenting books in the last few years than most people read in a lifetime. After a while, he realized that raising a child is more about doing what feels right rather than following a bunch of rules. Each child and situation is unique. He hoped that what he was doing would help Olivia grow up to be a happy, well-adjusted young woman who could take care of herself.

  It hadn’t escaped him that he couldn’t have a better person for Olivia to emulate as a role model than Faith. Not only that, he didn’t know what he would have done without her the last few weeks. She’d turned a situation that had kept him awake at night into something manageable. In the process, she was making herself indispensable. At one time, he would have done anything to prevent that from happening. After his experience with Bristol, he hadn’t wanted to be sucked into the mindset of believing he needed a woman in his life.

  So why had he stood by and allowed it to happen? Because Olivia was happier than she’d been in a long time. And he was discovering that there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to safeguard his child’s happiness. Faith gave his daughter something he couldn’t. She was that elusive missing element.

  When he pulled into Faith’s driveway, he was surprised to see the Jeep sitting outside the garage. She’d told him a few days ago that she decided to spend the 4th of July with her family in Myrtle Beach. He’d even jokingly given her some pointers about avoiding the subject of her recent breakup.

  As he grabbed Olivia’s card off the seat, he felt anticipation building inside him. Why didn’t he just admit that he wanted her to be home? When he reached the front door, he heard music playing inside. Hope mounting, he rang the doorbell and waited. A few seconds later, the door opened and there she stood. The sight of her red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked face wiped the smile from his face.

  “Are you all right? Has something happened?” he asked urgently.

  Her effort to smile failed miserably. “It’s nothing; I’m fine.”

  It was so obviously a lie that he ignored it. “Is there anything I can do?”

  A quivering sigh escaped her lips. “No, there’s nothing anyone can do.”

  He knew she wanted him to leave, but every instinct told him to stay. “Can I come in? I’ve got something for you.”

  Instead of answering, she stepped aside allowing him to enter the living room. He found the source of the music. Faith had been watching a video of her wedding. Now he knew why she was crying. Why hadn’t he just given her the card and left?

  She picked up the remote and the screen went dark. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thank you.” Landris raked his fingers through his hair. “Listen, I’m sorry for barging in on you like this.”

  Her second effort to smile wasn’t much better than the first. “It’s okay.” She stopped for a moment, her lips trembling slightly. “As you can see, I’m not doing too well by myself.”

  Landris put down the card. Three steps brought him to her. He could think of nothing useful to say. This was something outside his experience. In the absence of words, he did the only thing he could: he took her in his arms. At first she stood stiffly, not moving. Then without warning her body slumped against him, one hand clinging to his arm, the other over his heart.

  The sobs wracking her body increased his feeling of helplessness. He slid his hand underneath her hair and gently rubbed her back. He didn’t know if it would help or not, but he couldn’t stand there and do nothing. The depth of her grief humbled him, making him aware of how little he’d valued love and how easily he’d discarded it.

  After a few minutes, Faith stirred and lifted her head. Wanting only to dispel the sadness in her face, he summoned a smile and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Feel better now?” She nodded and moved away from him, her eyes unable to meet his. He didn’t know if it was because she was embarrassed at breaking down in front of him or because she was uncomfortable with him kissing her.

  She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I don’t usually give in to my feelings this way. Ian would be ashamed of me. He viewed self-indulgence as a waste of time.”

  “There’s nothing self-indulgent going on here.”

  “This is the second time I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you.”

  It was all Landris could do not to pull her into his arms again. She looked so lost standing there twisting her hands together. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  That comment drew a very faint smile. “Are you sure about the drink? I wouldn’t mind some coffee myself.”

  “I’ll drink a cup with you.” He followed her into the kitchen, thankful for the errand that had sent him here. She didn’t need to be alone.

  After starting the coffee, she turned to face him. “The last time I watched my wedding, Ian was with me. It was a few days before he left for Iraq. We were joking about how awful his dancing was at the reception. The poor thing never could dance. Not even in high school. That’s where I met him: at a homecoming dance.”

  Landris smiled encouragingly. “Tell me about it.”

  Her eyes, their thick lashes still heavy with tears, softened. Had Bristol ever looked like this when she thought about him? This is what love should be. Why had his experience been so different? He found himself envious of the man who’d earned such devotion.

  “I was standing at the refreshment table with one of my girlfriends when Matt Gibson brought Ian to meet me.” A soft smile lifted the corners of Faith’s mouth. “Somewhere between when he stepped on my toes and spilled punch on my dress, I fell in love. I never imagined our time together would be so short.” She stopped long enough to pour the coffee and hand him a cup. “Ian loved the military; he never wanted to do anything else. This morning when I was going through a box in my closet I found the last letter I received from him before his deployment was to have ended. In it, he told me that he’d decided not to reenlist because when we started a family, he didn’t want to have to worry about leaving. I never got the chance to tell him how much that meant to me.”

  “When someone dies suddenly, there are always things you wished you’d said.”

  “Or wished you hadn’t,” she added softly.

  “That, too,” he agreed.

  “Anyway, I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of my meltdown.”

  “I wouldn’t call this a meltdown. Olivia having a temper tantrum in the food court at the mall is a meltdown.”

  “Speaking of Olivia, why isn’t she with you?”

  “My parents took her to the Georgia Aquarium.”

  “How nice! She’ll love getting to see all the marine animals. Didn’t you want to go?”

  “I had some things I needed to do. I didn’t expect you to be home. Did your plans for the 4th change?”

  Faith’s lips tightened. “I found out last night that my brother-in-law invited one of his friends to join us at the beach. Once I heard that, I decided not to go. I know Travis from where I used to work. He asked me out a few times, and I refused, but he didn’t seem to get the message. He’d be waiting at my car when I got done with my classes. He’d bring me coffee in the mornings and use that as an excuse to sit with me in my office. When an opportunity came for me to teach somewhere else, I jumped
on it. I haven’t seen him in over a year which is why I wasn’t in a hurry to renew the acquaintance.”

  “I’ll be back in a minute; I need to get something.” Landris walked into the living room and picked up the card from the table. When he returned, he handed it to Faith. “This is what brought me here today.”

  Her fingers traced the scrawled letters on the envelope, a gentle smile pulling at her lips. “I wondered why Olivia asked me to write my name on a piece of paper.”

  He nodded. “And I couldn’t understand her insistence on lavender stationery until she told me that it’s your favorite color. It’s amazing what goes on in that little head.”

  “She’s an amazing little girl. I’ve really enjoyed spending time with her.”

  “You’ve become very important to her.”

  “She’s become very important to me.”

  He set his cup on the counter. “I was going to eat at The Black Lotus tonight. If you feel like getting out of the house, I’d love some company.”

  * * * * *

  The invitation took Faith by surprise. Had Landris offered to take her to dinner because he felt sorry for her, or because he didn’t like eating alone? She tried to find the answer in his face, but his expression held only polite interest.

  “I’d have to clean up. I’m a mess.”

  “There’s no hurry. Take as long as you need.”

  She left him in the living room watching a baseball game. A glance in the bathroom mirror elicited a horrified groan. She looked awful. Knowing he was waiting, she didn’t linger in the shower. She put on one of her nicer blouses and a pair of jeans. After running a comb through her hair, she slipped her feet into sandals and went to join him.

  The restaurant wasn’t crowded, not surprising given that most people spend the 4th of July weekend doing outdoor activities. They were shown to their table by an attractive waitress named Kirstie who looked to be in her late twenties. The presence of Faith didn’t deter her from attempting to flirt with Landris. For someone who should be used to such behavior, he seemed more embarrassed than flattered. After Kirstie left to get their drinks, Faith sent him a teasing glance as she opened her menu.

  “I was starting to think I’m invisible.”

  He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “That’s the part I don’t get. I’m here with a woman; that’s a decent indication that I’m not interested.”

  “On the other hand, she probably finds that she gets better tips that way.”

  “I don’t know about that. If we were a couple, she’s potentially alienating the person who probably has the most say in what the tip is going to be.”

  “It depends on the woman.” Faith glanced over his shoulder. “Here she comes to take our order. Brace yourself for Round 2.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Kirstie tried again, much to Faith’s amusement and Landris’s obvious annoyance. Watching the woman walk away, she said, “That wasn’t something I had to deal with. Ian didn’t have the type of looks to draw that kind of attention and yet I thought him the most handsome guy in the world.”

  “When you love someone, they are the most handsome or the most beautiful.” He picked up the chopsticks. “It took me forever to master these things. I finally bought some so I could practice at home and stop embarrassing myself.”

  “My mother loves Asian cooking so I grew up using chopsticks.”

  “Do your parents still live here?”

  “No. They moved to Warner Robins a few years ago. My dad got a better position so it made sense for them to leave. Felicity is here so I’m not totally without family. I see her a couple times a month. She’s got two kids who are into everything. She goes from karate lessons to soccer practice to art class.”

  “Olivia wants to take a dance class. I told her I’d think about it.”

  Faith nodded. “She mentioned it to me the other day.”

  Kirstie appeared with their food, her manner a little more formal. After she left and they were alone again, Landris asked, “What made you want to be a professor?”

  “I tried teaching high school and hated it. I spent most of my time confiscating cell phones and sending kids to detention. After listening to me complain for a year, Ian suggested I go back and get my master’s degree so I could teach college. Working full time and taking classes at night and on weekends wasn’t fun, but it was worth it. At the time, we were thinking ahead to when we would start a family. Teaching a few classes a week instead of every day would allow me to be home more.”

  “You remind me of Trent. He’s got his whole life planned out. I prefer not to look too far ahead.”

  “Making plans is okay as long as you don’t get so fixated on them that you think you can’t deviate. Ian and I put off starting a family because we thought we had lots of time. We didn’t know he wasn’t going to survive stepping on an IED or that six months after he died, I would require surgery to remove a tumor. I went from mourning my husband to knowing I’d never be able to have children. If nothing else, I’ve learned not to put off things waiting for the ‘perfect’ time.”

  He reached his hand across the table and clasped her fingers, his eyes warm with sympathy. “Knowing how much you love children, I can imagine how hard that must have been for you.”

  She bit her lip and looked away from him. “It was hard. Fortunately, I had the love and support of my family. I also had Ian; not in a physical sense, of course, but I felt him with me. He was a man of intense purpose, discipline, and focus. He wouldn’t have wanted me to sit around feeling sorry for myself. Every time I started down that road, I could hear him talking to me in my head telling me to pick myself up and make a new plan.”

  “The more I hear about Ian, the more I like him.”

  She sent him an apologetic glance. “I’m talking about him too much. As patient as Connor was, it eventually got on his nerves, too.”

  “It’s not getting on my nerves, Faith. You can talk about Ian as much as you want. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

  “Thank you.” The thought crossed her mind that Ian would have liked Landris. She knew that as surely as she knew he wouldn’t have cared for Connor.

  Landris released her hand and pointed to her plate. “Are you going to need a to-go box?”

  “Yes, I will. I’ve got enough here for lunch tomorrow.”

  “Don’t remind me about tomorrow. My mother wants to go to Savannah. There’s some big art festival going on. I can see it all now: fighting for a parking space, walking through swarms of people in the blazing sun, carrying Olivia after the first half hour, listening to my dad grumble about the heat and the crowds, waiting forever to get a table at a restaurant, and eating food that will be cold by the time it reaches the table. The only good thing will be the drive back when everyone’s asleep.”

  Faith laughed. “You forgot to mention the novelty of walking on cobblestone streets, getting to hear some good jazz down by the riverfront, sampling the melt-in-your-mouth fudge at the candy shop, and coming home with a nice tan.”

  “You’re obviously a glass full type of person.” He signaled to the waitress.

  “I think Kirstie deserves a chance to have you to herself. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Thanks a lot. I’ll pay the bill and meet you at the front.”

  Just as she joined Landris, a man entered the restaurant, bringing with him a wave of hot summer air. The dark eyes behind the silver-rimmed glasses moved from Faith to her companion and back to her. What was Connor doing in St. Marys? He didn’t even like Chinese food. She could tell by the sudden compression of his lips that he was remembering their last conversation, the one where she denied there being another man in the picture. At the time, it had been the truth. It still was in every way that counted. Connor had no way of knowing how far from a date this was. Since ignoring him wasn’t an option, she pinned a smile on her face. “Hey, Connor.”

  He nodded. “Faith. Nice to see you.”

  The way he said it s
uggested the opposite. He glanced once more at Landris - who for some reason of his own had closed what little space there was between him and Faith - before turning to speak to the hostess.

  Landris smiled faintly as he held open the door and escorted her to the SUV.

  “That was uncomfortable,” she said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Running into old boyfriends usually is.”

  “It didn’t help that he thinks I lied to him about there being someone else.”

  “It’s been a few weeks since you broke up with him, hasn’t it? That’s plenty of time for you to have met someone.”

  “Is that what you’d think if you were him?”

  He took his eyes off the road long enough to look at her. “Yes, because I know you wouldn’t lie. He’s known you longer than I have. He should know it, too.”

  “Maybe he does. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.”

  “You didn’t imagine his frustration. Even I saw that; but you got the first awkward meeting out of the way. In the long run, it’s not such a bad thing that he thinks you’re dating someone else. It will give him closure and allow him to move on, if he hasn’t already.”

  “Do you counsel couples on the side or something?”

  He laughed at that. “I’m not saying anything you don’t know. Some things just aren’t meant to be. You either accept it, or you make yourself miserable wishing for something you can’t have.”

  Faith hoped the latter wasn’t going to be her fate. She was tired of accepting things. She was ready for a few things to go her way for a change.

  * * * * *

  Landris pulled into Faith’s driveway for the second time in a few hours. He remembered what she’d been doing when he arrived. Maybe his coming had helped in some way. He hoped so. He didn’t want to think about her spending the rest of the night in the state he’d found her in earlier.

  In a way, he wished the evening was just beginning instead of ending. The more time he spent with Faith, the more he liked her. She was someone with whom he could be himself. He could tell her things he wouldn’t dream of telling anyone else. His family was great, but they didn’t always view his situation objectively.