I turned and strode away from him, feeling unbelievably empowered. Even though I could hear the words bitch and led me on being muttered under his breath. It might have been nice to flirt with him, but that didn’t guarantee that I had to go home with him. And it most certainly didn’t mean that he could push me around because of something I’d felt as a teenager.
Meredith announced from the front of the room that it was time for the bar to close and that everyone should head out now. A few people mentioned an after-party to the reunion, and groups started arranging to go to someone’s house to keep hanging out. I had no intention of doing that at all. I’d promised I’d get Landon home, and that was it.
When I found Landon, he was drinking straight out of a pitcher of beer someone had purchased for a game of beer pong on the patio attached to the side of the building. My eyes were round with concern at his level of inebriation. His eyes were glassy, and he was sloshing beer everywhere.
“Landon, I told Jensen I’d get you into a cab at bar close. It’s two. Time to go back to Austin’s and sleep this off.”
“Heidi, Heidi, Heidi,” he crowed, his words slurred. He slung an arm around my waist, ignoring the looks from the remaining football players in his crowd. “Don’t listen to Jensen. He doesn’t know shit.”
I easily slipped out of his grip. “Time to go, Landon.”
He placed the pitcher down on the table and stood up to look at me. But his balance was total shit. He stumbled forward into me, and I had to lean him up against the booth for him to stand straight.
“God, you’re fucked up.”
“Heidi,” he said again.
“What?”
“You heading out with McCain?”
I gritted my teeth. “What if I am?”
“Have at it, Martin,” Landon said, swinging his arm. “He only fucks anything that walks. Go for it, if you’re into that.”
“Even if I were into that,” I said in irritation, “it would be none of your goddamn business.”
“None of my business?” he said with a sharp laugh. “Right.”
His buddies patted him on the back and nudged his shoulder as they passed.
“See you at the after-party, Landon!” one guy called.
Landon yelled and held his hands up, “Yeah, man!”
The other guys cheered him on and then disappeared out of the now-empty room.
There was no way I was going to let him go to some party; that was for damn sure. He was too drunk to go anywhere.
“Landon, you’re drunk. Can you let me get you home, so I can fulfill my promise to Jensen?”
“Fuck Jensen!” Landon announced.
“I think Em has that covered,” I growled in frustration.
“Awesome. Another thing we have in common. Shitty wives, a penchant for whiskey, and my ex.”
“Would you cut it out?”
“I’d normally say blondes, too,” Landon said. He ran his hand through my long blonde locks and grinned at me.
I slapped his hand away from me and tried to remain calm. “Time to go. Let’s go. Right now.”
“Fine,” he grumbled as I shoved him toward the door.
We made it halfway across the room, veering awkwardly in his drunken stupor, before Peter came over to help me walk him outside. Only one more cab was waiting, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could get him home. Then, this crazy night would be over.
Peter and I finally maneuvered Landon into the back of the cab.
“Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it.”
“Be careful, Heidi,” he said with a knowing look. “Wrights aren’t always right.” Then, he winked at me.
I felt my face flame at his words. From anyone else, I probably would have blown it off, but Peter didn’t say much. He watched and observed. If he had noticed something, then it was because it was blatantly obvious with just a look.
“Thanks for the advice, but you don’t have to worry about me.”
“I know,” he said with a nod. “You’re a fighter, just like your old man.”
I winced slightly at the comment. Perhaps that was supposed to be a compliment, but about my father…I could hardly take it as one.
“Thanks,” I muttered, trying for a smile. “You’re the best.”
I hopped into the cab behind Landon and coaxed Austin’s address out of him for the driver. I nearly kicked him when I found out it was only three blocks away. Not that I could have walked him down those three blocks, but I felt ridiculous, having a cab take him a walkable distance.
Getting him out of the cab was about as difficult as getting him into it, and I got the cab driver’s number, so I could call him when I needed a ride home. I didn’t think getting him inside was going to be any easier.
Eventually, we made it into Austin’s home and to the first-floor bedroom. I thanked the Lord that he wasn’t on the second floor. I wasn’t sure what I would have done about getting him up the stairs. I probably would have had to leave him on the couch.
I pushed him down onto the bed, and he tumbled backward.
“God, I’m drunk,” he muttered.
“Welcome to my world.”
“I never expected that you’d be the one taking the initiative,” he slurred. “You like it on top?”
“Don’t mess with me right now, Landon.”
“Hey, you pushed me back onto the bed.”
“Because you’re wasted, and I wanted to get you somewhere safe. Now, I’m going to go home, so I can get some sleep.”
He sloppily reached out for my hand. “Stay with me.”
I slipped my hand out of his with a shake of my head. “Not happening.”
Then, I went about finding water, Tylenol, and a small trash can to put beside the bed. He might get sick, and I didn’t want him to throw up all over Austin’s room.
“Guess we’re skipping that talk,” I muttered when I walked back in with my supplies to find Landon passed out.
I placed the water and Tylenol on the nightstand and proceeded to take off Landon’s shoes. He could sleep in the rest of his clothes for all I cared. I patted down his pockets to remove his wallet and cell phone. I dropped the wallet next to the provisions and plugged in his phone to the charger curled around the lamp.
The screen lit up, and for one nosy second, my eyes dropped down onto the screen.
I cringed when I saw the entire screen was full of messages from Miranda.
I pulled my eyes away. Here I was, taking care of someone else’s husband when his wife had been messaging him nonstop. No matter what he had been going on between us—the feelings we’d been harboring for too damn long—I knew we were in the wrong.
We were so in the wrong.
My eyes landed on the lit screen one more time, and I guiltily read a few of the messages. I knew I shouldn’t, but if I saw what she was saying to him, then maybe it would give me the push to put this whole thing behind me for good.
Landon, I love you so much. Please, answer your phone.
I’ll always love you. I know we have a future together. We can’t be separated. Think about all we’ve been through.
We can make this work, Landon. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t in my right mind. I can’t imagine my life without you. Please, please, my love, please let’s work this out.
I jerked away from his phone, as if I’d put my hand into a bed of red-hot coals.
Holy fuck!
Miranda is a wreck!
She was a total wreck. And she had no idea that I had contributed to this in some way. She had no idea that her husband had come here and promptly kissed another woman. And that was all I was—the other woman.