Forever (Always & Forever 2)

“What?” Landon’s tone said he didn’t give a shit if he had come off as a creeper. His only real interest lay in the sandwich he took a big bite from.

“You really paid attention to what you read.”

“I told you I have mad respect for your old man,” Landon said, after swallowing the bite and nodding toward one of the ice-cold water bottles, jarring Robert into action again.

“I know. So do I.” He opened the bottle, placing it within Landon’s reach on the edge of the table then opened a bag of chips, setting them in his lap next to the sandwich.

“I wish he would’ve run for president. He would’ve won,” Landon stated emphatically.

“Hmm, maybe.” His father had given a lot of himself to try and make a difference in the world. Sometimes Robert had sensed his daddy’s loneliness when his husband was on the road campaigning all across the country. Even then, Robert hadn’t paid much attention to everything both his fathers gave for Avery to fulfill his mission of giving back to a country he saw as the greatest in the world.

“What?” Landon asked, making a show of swallowing a big bite down while reaching for the water bottle. Robert made sure he could reach it before opening his vegetable sandwich.

“You’re the first person to make me see my family differently. I’m not sure why,” he explained.

“I told you, because I’m a stalker.” Landon chuckled at the term he’d given himself last night then nodded to the sandwich in Robert’s hand. “If you aren’t gonna eat that…”

“Get your eyes off my food. You still have half of yours left, and besides, it’s all vegetables. Your body wouldn’t understand how to react to such a healthy alternative,” he said playfully, knowing Landon was pushing him to eat, certainly not wanting his food.

“You’re wasting daylight and I got a bad feeling about that House Targaryen prince. That was a shitty place to stop last night.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s your fault. You keep falling asleep on me,” Robert shot back. He took a bite of his sandwich, reaching for the book, loving the freeness of the unguarded conversation. Outside of Autumn, he wasn’t sure he’d ever had this kind of banter with anyone.

“Quit placin’ blame and start reading,” Landon said gruffly. Robert nodded his understanding while taking another bite of his sandwich and opening the book. He was all too happy to oblige.

Out of the corner of his eye, Robert caught Landon’s side grin. He’d already long established the sergeant was a handsome guy. As much as they shared personal information, he’d never heard Landon mention if he had a special someone. Robert took a bite and reached for his water bottle, unscrewing the cap. Of course, Landon would be taken. He was smart, fun to be around, good looking, and in the military. Someone would have reeled him in a long time ago. Maybe he’d found the kind of love like his fathers had. Maybe it was even the reason Landon spoke with such certainty over that kind of a connection. If so, he was happy for him.

Clearing his throat, Robert began to read.

“Your voice is getting raspy,” Landon said, feeling some guilt for keeping the doc outside reading for so long. Dr. Adams lifted his head, closed his eyes, and rolled his shoulders.

“It’s a good book. We’ll be finished soon. I need to find the second in the series,” Dr. Adams said, closing the book, one finger holding his place. “It’s late. I didn’t realize how late. You haven’t had your medication. Are you tired?”

“I’m not ready to go back inside.” Landon laid his head back, staring up at the dark sky, wishing they weren’t sitting in the light so he could see the stars sure to be twinkling. After a minute more of silence, he slightly cocked his head toward the doctor and gave him the side-eye. “Doc, you could just walk away and leave me outside. I won’t tell a soul.” The cool gentle breeze that had blown from the north picked up its gust as if it agreed with Landon’s need to stay there a little longer.

“You might not talk, but I’m sure there are cameras all over the place.” This time, Dr. Adams moved the bookmark to act as placeholder, signaling an end to tonight’s session. Man, he didn’t like that one bit. He had grown to really look forward to their evenings. The doc had made this whole stay bearable, and that was before he had taken their time together to the next level by bringing him outside. “Tomorrow they’re expecting rain.”

“The weather’s bipolar here. More so than any place I’ve been stationed.” Surprisingly, Landon found himself with a hard decision. He could lose himself looking up at the night’s sky, but the man beside him held more of a draw, causing Landon to roll his head in Dr. Adams’s direction and just stare, memorizing the alluring face.