Landon's Desire (Book Three of The Pulse Series 3) (37 page)

“Our moms have already made lunch plans,” Landon announced. “And of course Mik and Eden are up to something devious involving them. I heard them talking about decorating something while we’re away on our honeymoon.”

“Speaking of, where are we going?” Carl asked.

“London, Spain, Paris and Italy,”

“That’s a lot of site seeing in such a short time,”

“One month, a week in each country, I’d say that’s plenty of time.”

“A month? How’s Mik going to handle things around here for a month while we’re gone?”

“Actually she doesn’t have a thing to worry about Babes,” Landon said, reaching into his jacket pocket. “You do.”

Landon handed him a thick envelope. On the face it was stamped with a Law Office logo and the words
transfer of ownership
written in fancy script.

“What is this?”

“She’s all yours, lock, stock and beer barrel. It’s my wedding gift to you.”

Quickly Carl tore open the envelope and read fleetingly over the first page.

“
Pulse & Passion
is your baby now, to do with as you please.”

“Oh, holy shit!” Carl yelled throwing his arms around Landon’s neck.

“You must have broken the news,” Mikala said, with Eden, Mason and Chase at her side. “Good luck.”

“Are you sure, Mik?”

She nodded her head without hesitation. “I’ve never been happier and I know it’s what you’ve always wanted. You practically ran the place without me anyway.”

“We’re all going to pitch in and run the place while you guys are on your honeymoon,” Eden said. “I heard you’re going to Paris, the city of love.”

“And Spain, London and Italy,” Landon said, swirling Carl in a circle. “Not that we’ll see much, other than the four walls of our rooms.”

“Ewww…” Mikala whined.

“Someone sounds jealous,” Carl teased.

“Our honeymoon fizzled out once Emma was born,” she pouted.

“I beg your pardon?” Mason said indignantly. “Our sex life is great.”

“I never said anything about sex, did I?” Mikala asked. “The honeymoon, the romance, the endless hot passion, that’s what fizzles. But the sex is out of this world.”

“Jesus Christ, anyone else need a drink?” Mason asked, as a server brought over a silver tray of champagne flutes.

“Join me in a toast,” Chase said, as he held up his glass.

The others followed suit, each taking a glass and turning to the happy couple.

“I propose a toast to Landon and Carl, whose love has brought us together today. May you always know happiness, joy, peace, understanding, respect, devotion, fidelity, faith, goodness, kindness and love. May your days be filled with laughter and may your nights be filled with romance. May every day you spend together be even better than the last.”

“Here, here,” Mason countered. “May every day be
happier
than the last. Let's drink to love, which is nothing -- unless it's divided by two.”

“Listen to the romantics!” Eden laughed, giving Chase a shoulder nudge.

“Thanks guys,” Landon grinned and kissed Carl on the cheek.

“Yeah, this day might have never happened without your love and support.” Carl added. “A toast to friends, may the saddest day of our future be no worse than the happiest day of our past.”

“You know, between the six of us,” Landon chuckled, “We’ve lead some fucked up lives, lived through some fucked up experiences and dealt with some fucked up people. Cheers to us surviving all the bullshit and coming out of it virtually unscathed.”

“Too the six muskateers!” Carl roared. “Cheers!”

EPILOGUE

~Five years later~

“Uncle LaLa!” Emma screamed, running down the front steps, across the lawn.

Landon scooped her into his arms and hugged her tight. “Sweet Pea, how’s my birthday girl?”

“Happy Birtday Uncle LaLa, mommy maked us cake!” the excitement poured from her little heart and Landon beamed with pride.

“She did? Is it chocolate or vanilla?” he asked, knowing full well it was vanilla, her favorite, but he loved hearing her say it.

“Banilla!” she grinned.

Carl stood with a smile on his face watching Landon peppering Emma’s face with kisses as she squirmed and giggled. Carl was holding the biggest pink teddy bear that FAO Schwarz sold. She squirmed out of Landon’s arms and ran to Carl with her hands held out and a bright happy smile spread across her face.

“Oh Uncle Cawl, for me?” she hugged his leg tight.

“Yes it is,” Carl squatted down beside Emma until they were face to face. “Where’s my kiss?”

She gave him a tiny peck and stood with her hand on her hips. Her big green eyes widened and she put her tiny hand on Carl’s shoulder. “Now please?”

Carl shook his head and laughed. “You are just like your mommy, you become more like her everyday.”

She grinned with her head held high, “Daddy says so too.”

“Go put your new bear in your room, honey,” Mikala told her, “and be careful on the stairs.”

Emma dragged the bear, which was as tall, if not taller than she was, by the head through the grass and heaved it up the stairs.

“She needed another pink teddy bear?” Mikala asked.

“Every year for as long as I live, Emma will get a pink teddy bear from her Uncle Carl.”

Mikala held up her hands. “I get it, but could they start getting a bit smaller, we’re going to have to buy a bigger house to accommodate the suckers.”

Emma came barreling out the front door and down the stairs, she lost her footing and toppled head over heels landing face down in the grass. Landon moved like lightning to her side expecting the floodgates to burst open, but instead she looked up at his face and burst into laughter.

“You have to learn to slow down missy,” Mason scolded.

Landon helped her to her feet and spotted the skinned knee and dark grass stain on her pretty party dress. Seeing what he saw, her lip started to quiver and her eyes welled up with tears.

“Hey, no tears, Uncle Landon to the rescue,” he thumbed over his shoulder. “Climb aboard little lady.”

The pout disappeared as she quickly jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his forehead and digging her heels into his side. “Giddy up LaLa.”

“LaLa should have worn a kidney belt, take it easy kid,” Landon joked, running up the front steps.

There was no other little girl’s room quite like Emma’s. Pink, pink and pink, like the bubblegum fairy had exploded in there and anything that had been missed had been heavily coated with a layer of Pepto Bismal. Landon understood what Mikala meant about the bears. With the latest addition there was no more room on her bed, he wondered where she would sleep and laughed to himself.

“Let’s get you out of this dress and soak it in the sink before that stain sets in.”

Landon opened her closet, his eyes widened when he saw the assortment of dresses and shoes. “Do you honestly wear all these?”

Emma looked at him with a puzzled tilt of her head.

“Would you like to wear this one?” he asked, taking the oddball powder blue sundress from its hanger and directing Emma into the washroom.

Emma shrugged, “Okay.”

Landon lifted her onto the counter and wet a face cloth. Ever so gently he cleaned her knee, searching in the medicine chest for a bandage and antibiotic ointment and applied them.

“Uncle LaLa?”

“Yes?”

“Can I live wif you?” she asked, with an ever present serious expression.

Landon smiled, “Why Sweat Pea?”

She pouted and looked away. “I not think mommy and daddy like me no more.”

“Hey!” Landon dropped to his knees and lifted her chin until her sad eyes met his. “Mommy and daddy love you more than anything, why do you think they don’t like you?”

“I’n not loud to say, it’s a stupid secwet,” she snorted.

“Oh,” said Landon.

As tears trickled down her cheeks, Landon’s heart tugged, he took the corner of the towel and wiped her eyes, only for new tears to spill from her eyes. It was a battle he would not win unless he helped her deal with her dreaded problem.

“You can tell me Sweat Pea, Uncle Landon promises not to tell anyone,” he offered to listen, and watched as she struggled with what to do.

“Not Uncle Cawl needer, okay?”

“Cross my heart,” he said, crossing his fingers over his chest.

She leaned into him and cupped her tiny hand at his ear and whispered, “Mommy gots a new baby in her tummy.”

Her head dropped to his shoulder and she sobbed her little heart out. “Mommy and daddy not want me no more.”

Landon held her tight, allowing her her moment of heart broken princess drama.

“You done yet?” he asked, moving her back and brushing her hair from her face. “Let’s get you cleaned up, we can’t have your party guests seeing you teary eyed with snot running from your nose.”

She giggled and patted Landon’s cheeks, as if he needed soothing.

He washed her face and patted it dry, helped her into her dress and searched in the drawer for her hair brush. Once he located a suitable hairband, he brushed her hair into a ponytail and secured it. Lifting her into his arms, he took her to the rocking chair in the corner of her room and sat with her on his knee. It took him back to all the times he spent rocking her to sleep, feeding her and watching her grow into the little lady whose heart was breaking in his arms at this very minute. She was the closest thing to a daughter he had or ever would have and he loved her dearly.

“Sweet Pea you listen to me, okay?” he said, as she nodded and snuggled into his chest, her tiny fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. “Mommy and daddy love you to the moon and back and just because mommy’s going to have a new baby doesn’t mean for a minute that they don’t want you. They have enough love for you and a new baby too. Don’t you want a little brother or sister?”

“No,” she sounded adamant and Landon laughed.

“You know what happens when a new baby comes?” he asked.

“No.”

“You get to spend more time with me and Uncle Carl,” he announced.

Emma sat straight up with a huge grin. “Yeah?”

“And,” Landon continued as her eyes brightened, “we can go to the park and the zoo and watch
Frozen
and eat popcorn and drink Kool-Aid.”

“Gween?”

Landon laughed, “Yes baby, green.”

“Can we go to Chucky Cheese?”

Emma laughed at the sour face look Landon used. “Chucky Cheese, do we have to?”

“Please, Uncle LaLa?”

“How can I resist that face?” he asked, and looked to the doorway when a throat cleared.

“Emma Elisabeth Grace,” Mikala said, with her arms crossed over her chest. “Have you been telling secrets?”

Her bright green eyes widened into that attempt at innocence she managed so well with Landon, and she looked to Landon to save her.

“We’ll be right with you mommy,” Landon said and shifted Emma on his knee and reached into his pocket bringing out a tiny pink box. “I haven’t given Emma her birthday present yet.”

He winked and Emma smiled.

Opening the box for her, Landon held it in her sight and watched as her mouth opened into an O and her tiny fingers lifted out a silver charm bracelet. A single heart shaped charm was inscribed with an E. Landon fiddled until he had it on her and she held it up and jiggled it.

“Wow!” she cried.

“What do you say?” Mikala prompted her.

“I love you Uncle LaLa,” Emma said, climbing up his chest and smothering his face with tiny kisses until she was breathless.

“Thanks, that’s not exactly what I meant,” Mikala said with a laugh.

“This will do,” Landon said. “I love you too baby girl.”

“Emma, you’re missing your party, off you go,” Mikala helped her off of Landon’s knee. “Mommy wants to talk to Uncle Landon.”

Emma yanked on Landon’s sleeve and he leaned forward, she put her tiny hand to his ear and whispered, “Secwet?”

“Secret,” he winked, and she left satisfied with his answer.

“What was that all about?” Mikala asked.

“Duh! It’s a secret,” Landon scoffed.

Mikala moved Landon’s arm and sat on his lap, taking his arms and wrapping them around her hips.

“Speaking of secrets,” Landon hugged her. “Do you have something to tell me Princess?”

“I know a little girl with a very big mouth,” she scowled.

“Don’t be mad at Emma,” Landon warned. “She’s worried you don’t want her anymore, she thinks your replacing her with a new baby.”

He raised a brow and waited and when nothing more came from Mikala he continued. It was funny how speaking to a five year old was less difficult than a grown woman.

“She asked me if she can come live with me and Carl.”

“Well my little button looked happy enough just now, what did you tell her Lando? What words of wisdom did you share with my little girl?” she glared.

“Take it easy,” Landon said. “All I told her was that you guys love her and if a new baby came along one day, she could spend more time with us, that we’ll do lots of fun stuff while you’re busy…Just make sure you let her know she’s not being replaced.”

“Of course she’s not,” Mikala huffed. “By the way, we’re pregnant.”

“Really?” Landon exaggerated surprise, which earned his a chest slap. “Ouch!”

“When are you due?” Landon asked.

“October,” she said, and held his face in her hands. “It’s a boy.”

“A boy,” Landon recited.

“We want to name him Marco Steven,” she eyed him. “Would you be okay with that?”

Landon sat quiet for a long moment. He was not surprised that they chose Steven, he was at one time someone special in all their lives, but Marco was a surprise.

“Marco was my father’s name,” Landon pointed out a bit melancholy. “It’s very Italian, something you’re not.”

“I know,” she said. “Mason said your father was a great man.”

“He was,” Landon conferred.

“Then it couldn’t be a better choice of name, I want him to have a strong powerful name.” she said. “So is that a yes?”

“Yes,” Landon hugged her and then leaned her back. “So little man, this is your Uncle Landon, you’ll get to know me real fast cause I’m going to talk to you every day and drive mommy crazy…by the way, you have the coolest big sister in town, she’s gonna help me teach you the ropes.”