When was the last time I talked to her?
I could call her now, but my phone had died somewhere between LAX and PDX. Besides, if she hadn’t heard the doorbell, she likely wouldn’t hear her phone, either.
If she can even move.
What if she had a stroke?
Do I break down the door?
No. Remembering the broken lock on my bedroom window and filled with determination to be the goddamn hero Mom needed for once, I rounded the house and found my window. Prying off the screen would have been easier with my fucking knife, but I made do with my fingers and set it aside. Hands braced on the window, I jiggled it until it made the familiar hitch of a latch popping free. It slid open with the slightest squeak, and I raised my leg.
I underestimated the position of the window, nearly getting my foot stuck.
Wait. Why am I going in legs first?
The window was high, and my head was so much closer.
I jumped, bracing my elbows in the window and leaning my torso in. Turned out I’d grown since last doing this, and folding myself in half over a windowsill after I drank my breakfast wasn’t my brightest fucking idea. My stomach lurched into my throat, but I’d already committed, and the only way through was in. Swallowing back bile, I flailed my feet, trying to climb up the siding so I could right myself.
“Landon?”
Mom’s voice caught me unawares at the same time my feet slipped on the wet siding. I went ass over teakettle as I popped out of the window like a champagne cork, slamming my back against the muddy ground, and once again found myself staring at the sky.
Footfalls pounded against the walkway moments before Mom said, “Are you okay?”
For the second time, I thrust my thumb into the air. It was massive. “Fuckin’ peachy.”
“There’s been a misunderstanding,” Mom said.
I wanted to turn my head to see who she was talking to, but that seemed like a bad idea.
Do I smell copper? Is anything broken?
I couldn’t tell.
“Thank you for coming, but this is my son. Landon. The one in the Army.”
I would have winced, but I didn’t even want to move that much because my stomach started grumbling in a way I knew I wasn’t going to fuckin’ like.
The click-click of high heels drew my attention. Someone else was here. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched one black high heel step toward me. Then another. Shapely legs led to a knee-length cream-colored trench coat that outlined a curvy figure and fully covered what the stranger wore beneath. Her long, honey-colored hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing high cheekbones, plump lips, and intense blue eyes.
She was a fucking vision.
“Do you need an ambulance?” she asked, staring down at me.
My gaze instantly shot back to the hem of her trench coat. “No, babe. But you can play doctor on me anytime.”
Then I rolled over and puked.
3
Landon
A LOUD NOISE startled me awake.
Face down, I pushed myself up, and spikes of pain pierced my skull, sending me back to the mattress. It took one bleary moment to realize I was sprawled across the twin bed I’d grown up in. The familiar smell of frying bacon made my mouth water and my stomach growl.
When did I last eat?
