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August- Present Day

Kate

I grab the last of my packed-up duffels and sling it over my shoulder as I grab the handle of my rolling suitcase. Turning, I look back at the room one last time and my eyes linger on the window. I smile at all the memories flooding my mind. Landon won’t have to “sneak” in through it ever again. Not like he ever “needed” to. I hope he does though. At least a few more times. Mom will still remind him that he can just use the front door, but he never will. I giggle to myself even while butterflies flutter away in my stomach.

“ Kate! Landon’s here!” Mom hollers up the steps.

I check my face in the mirror, kiss my thumb and press it to Dad’s picture. “Love you, Daddy.” I hope he’s proud of me. I close my door and make my way down the hall before I hear Landon’s voice.

“ Gee, Mrs. Morgan, you didn’t have to make this WHOLE tin of cookies for me, but I sure do love them. Thanks a lot.” That “lot” sounds muffled, like he just inhaled one in his piehole.

“ Oh crap, Kate! I mean shoot...Let me get that for you.” Landon blushes sheepishly in front of my mom for his crass manner and takes the stairs two at a time to reach me as I begin my descent with the bags. Promptly taking the roller from my grasp, he mutters under his breath, hoping he’s out of her earshot.

"She made me a TON of cookies, Kate...Like five dozen or more. How am I going to eat all of those before they go stale?”

I snort obnoxiously and roll my eyes. “I am pretty sure they’ll be gone in a few days. She was in the kitchen until midnight baking those for you. It’s just her way of dealing.”

“ Right.” Landon sets to work down the stairs to load up his truck with the last of my things. Mom and I dropped off my car last weekend when we all met there to sign the lease papers and get an idea of what all we’ll need.

“ Sweetie, is there anything else you can think of that you don’t want to leave behind?” Mom says, her choked tone contradicting her brave face. She acts excited, but I heard her crying last night in her bedroom when I got up for a glass of water.

“ Just you.” I reach out to pull her in for a tight squeeze, feeling my eyes mist over and knowing hers are doing the same. “I love you, Momma.”

“ I love you back, hun.” She pulls back, puts her hands on my cheeks and kisses my forehead the way only mothers do. My heart lurches in my chest at the thought of leaving her.

“ Thanks for the cookies. They mean more to him than you know.” I hitch my chin toward Landon who is now leaning against the side of his truck, scrolling at something on his phone while giving us space to say goodbye.

“ I love that boy, you know. Make sure to tell him that so I don’t make him blush. Maybe someday he’ll get to come home with you and call this his home too.” She winks and I roll my eyes. Deep down, I know she’s not teasing.

“ Remember, I’m only an hour away if you need me to come home!” I holler as I skip off to the truck, open my door, and haul my ass up.

“ I got this! You two drive safe!” she yells back through two hands over the sound of Landon’s truck roaring to life.

“Love you!” I wave, leaning out the window and Landon honks with a wave and a goofy grin.

The ride is quiet except for some country music drifting from the radio. It’s not a weird silence. We’re comfortable enough to just let each other exist with our own thoughts for a while. I keep replaying Mom’s words in my head. I know she’s hoped for years now for things to change between Landon and I. Dad mentioned it a few times too before he passed two winters ago. He always looked at Landon like his own.

? In a way, he was. Dad taught Landon how to fish and took him hunting. All the things Landon’s father was never around to do. He was a decent father; he was just never around. While always working put food on the table, he missed all the moments. He lost out on all the memories and connecting when it mattered.

Landon rests his elbow on the door, his forefinger absentmindedly rubbing his lips. He sort of looks worried. I almost tell him that the crease between his eyebrows is going to get stuck if he keeps that up much longer, but I think better of it.

“You think she’ll be okay?” he wonders aloud about thirty minutes into our drive. I know he’s talking about Mom, and his concern makes my heart flip-flop.

“I think so. I know it’ll be hard for awhile, but I think she’ll find her way. Maybe she will start up a new hobby or pick up her crochet again. Maybe she’ll even join a book club.” I chuckle to relieve some of the nerves I’ve been battling.

“Mmm...maybe.” He glances to his side, flipping the signal so he can switch lanes.

Mom hasn’t quite come out of her shell since Dad passed. She still takes her Xanax to sleep at night because she has a hard time relaxing. I sure hope she finds some joy in something again soon. I know Dad would want her to find a little happiness, even if that means finding love again.

We get there with no issues and manage to get all the boxes inside in record time. We were lucky to find a mostly furnished apartment, so there’s not a ton we have to still get or unpack. I took care of my necessities while Landon did whatever he was up to and headed to the kitchen for some water.

“Home Sweet Home,” Landon calls out as he man-flops onto the couch, slinging his arms over the back and kicking a foot up on the coffee table. “Pizza’s on the way. Wanna take a break? Netflix and chill with me? Wi-Fi is already set up.”

I flop down next to him, laying my head back against his arm and we sigh together contentedly.

“Sounds good. Pick a funny one,” I say between yawns.

A couple of beers and a few slices of pepperoni pizza later, we are laughing our butts off to Ace licking paste off a guano plate and falling out of a rhino’s ass in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls . This movie never gets old. Landon doesn’t flinch when I pull my toes up under me and rest my head on his shoulder. If anything, he pulls me closer and rests his head atop mine. Sigh ...It’s been a good ending to a long day.