“My contacts were bothering me. You saw no such thing.”
I laughed at his narrowed eyes.
“Do you want to go somewhere after this?” I flicked my watch to check the time. “It’s too late for a show, but we could walk around. I hear the botanical gardens in the lobby are nice.”
“That sounds good to me. My flight isn’t that early tomorrow.” He curled his arm around my waist and drew me into his side. “As long as you feel up to it.”
“Don’t do that.”
His brows drew together after I stiffened and pulled away.
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t treat me like your sick friend. I know you mean well and you’re worried about me, but for the rest of tonight, can I just be Julie to you? Your best friend who wants to get as much time as she can with you before you’re a face on a video screen for the next few months.”
His face fell before he pulled me flush to his body, bending to bury his head into the crook of my shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me.
“You’re always Julie to me,” he whispered into the top of my head. “We’ll do whatever and go wherever you want. I’m not in a rush to miss you either.”
“So then—” I pushed him back, flashing him a smile so he would relax “—you can take me to the gardens and buy me some gelato since the cake slices were so paper-thin. I promise I won’t push it, and I’ll call it a night if I get tired. But until then, maybe we can just pretend I won’t have to.” I shrugged.
Landon nodded, shutting his eyes for a moment.
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Sorry about that—is everything okay?” Dean asked with a concerned frown pulling at his mouth.
“Oh, fine,” I said, inhaling a quick breath through my nostrils as I straightened. “This one is just a big softy at weddings.”
Dean’s brow pinched as he looked between us, nodding slowly as if he wasn’t sure what he’d seen but didn’t quite believe what I’d said.
“The coordinator said it’s time for everyone to get out, so looks like you’re the last ones to go.” He smiled and wrapped us both in a hug. “Thank you. Let’s not go so long without seeing each other again.”
“You have my word that we won’t,” Landon said. “Especially if I end up back north.”
“Back north?” Dean snickered. “I’ll seey’allsoon.” Dean shot me a smirk. “I’ll go get the missus and head up to the honeymoon suite. Wait here. You can walk out with us.”
“Are you going to tell them?” Landon whispered as Dean jogged over to Maria.
I nodded at Landon without turning my head.
“I’ll tell them the next time we’re all together. I just didn’t want to do it now. This is a happy weekend for them, and I didn’t want to put a damper on it. And—” I shrugged and exhaled a long sigh “—it was nice to be around people who don’t know yet. Once they do, things change.”
“Nothingchanged with us after you told me.” He stepped closer, leveling me with a glare, his dark eyes almost disappearing as they narrowed to slits. “Besides me still being a little mad at you for not telling me much sooner. And that I’m probably going to annoy you a lot more often once we’re both home. Soyoudon’t do that.”
“Yes, sir.” A smile ripped across my mouth as Landon darted his eyes away, agitation radiating from his shoulders.
Since Landon had twirled me around in the lobby yesterday, I’d been more myself than I had been in months. I’d try to take that home with me and accept that while I was different because of my illness, I didn’t have to become it.
Maybe the only one who was letting it define me was me.
7
LANDON
“Last chance to join us,” Dean’s grandmother said as she hobbled over to me outside the chapel on her son’s arm as I waited for Julie to come out of the restrooms.
“I appreciate the invite, but craps tables aren’t my thing,” I teased and kissed her cheek. “Win big, Nana.”
