“It’s no less than you deserve, Parker.”
I grin. That’s fair. I’ll give him that. “I solemnly swear to stop making inappropriate comments about West.”
Darcy sits back in his chair, eyes softening around the edges. “I’m in love with him.”
“Duh. I could have called that from a mile away. Does he know?”
Darcy nods, an uncharacteristically shy smile on his lips. “Yeah.” I wait to see if he’s gonna say more, and when he doesn’t, I wave my hand through the air. “He told me first,” he adds.
“I’m happy for you, Darce. He seems like a really great guy.”
“He is.” He takes another sip of his tea. “Hey, you all should come over for the Super Bowl in a couple of months.”
I laugh. “I can’t believe you’re a damn football fan now.”
“Ugh. Me neither. It’s the football pants. I’m a convert. What can I say?”
“Never mind that your boyfriend is the quarterback.”
Darcy scoffs. “As if you’re not dating the wide receiverandthe left tackle.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “I’m impressed. You know Landon’s position?”
“I told you I liked football, you dingbat.”
I hold my hands up. “Alright, fair.”
I’ve missed hanging out with Darcy. It’s been hard keeping so much from him. So much of the truth, anyway. Just telling him about Ben and Landon feels like a weight’s been lifted off my chest.
We sit together, catching up and chatting, until he has to go to class, and by the time I leave the coffee shop to head back home, I can’t stop smiling.
Chapter 25
Landon
I’ve just dropped a basket of clean clothes on my bed when my mom’s ringtone blares through the room.
Fuck. I’ve been putting her off for weeks, and apart from sending her texts letting her know that I’m busy with classes and football, she hasn’t gotten much else out of me. She’s expecting me for Thanksgiving, though, and I really need to let her know I won’t be coming this year.
I reach for my phone, swiping to answer, and put it to my ear. “Hey, Mom.”
“Landon, hi. How are you?”
Putting her on speaker, I lay my phone on the mattress. “I’m okay. Just folding some clothes.”
She hums. “I’ve told you before, I don’t mind doing them for you.”
“I know, but it’s almost an hour’s drive. Just easier to do it myself.”
She’s quiet. Too quiet, really. “I have some bad news,” I say, needing to fill the silence. “I won’t be coming home for Thanksgiving this year.”
“Oh.” She swallows hard. “Well, that’s fine. I can just volunteer that day. Spread holiday cheer.”
She took that way better than I thought she would. Maybe I should want to spend time with her, especially since I don’t know how much time I’m going to get. My stomach flips wildly.
“How have you been?” I ask.
“Good, really. I’ve been volunteering at the church a lot. They’re having a toy drive for Christmas. Oh, Landon, we’ve gotten so many donations. It’s been hard to keep up. It makes me really happy, though, you know? Being able to give back that way. That first year I was sick, I didn’t think I’d be able to afford Christmas for you.”
