He had a year and a half before retirement. By then, La Bella Luna would be running smoother, and he and Robert could begin their life and their family.
Stick with those good thoughts.
“Air Force, right?”
Landon tuned back into Sebie and nodded, adding an absent, “Yup.” He’d felt this internal shift for a while now. The last two weeks firming up all this change inside him. The Air Force had been such a source of pride for Landon. Now, he hated to admit that it had all fizzled out. He was counting the days to retirement. Everything he cherished stood just feet away from him. But more than that, even Autumn, Cam, and Kylie had become his family. He loved spending their free time with them, even babysitting Kylie on occasion.
As if on some cosmic cue, Landon turned back to Robert who stopped chopping and stared at him. He experienced a rush of sadness, not just his own.
“He’ll be back in twelve days for two nights. We’ll save all the heavy lifting until then,” Robert said to Sebie, giving Landon a wink before turning back to his workstation.
“Guess that answered that,” Sebie said with a knowing chuckle and left Landon to finish the dishes. Seconds later, Robert’s hard body pressed against his, pushing him into the metal wash tub. His husband buried his handsome face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling the skin there.
“We’ve been so busy, I’m not sure I properly showed you how happy I am to be right here with you. Now you’re leaving.” Robert’s warm breath tickled against his skin. Landon angled his head, giving Robert access to his neck, releasing the dish in his hand, letting it slide back into the hot water.
“You show me every day. Do I show you?” he whispered.
Robert pressed his lips against the sensitive skin underneath his ear as he spoke. “Every minute of every day.”
“Good. You remember it while I’m gone.” Regret clogged Landon’s throat, and he looked down, working hard to swallow the sudden lump.
“I’ll remember it forever. No need to worry about that.” Robert locked his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Landon loved these unexpected, intimate moments. Closing his eyes, he was back to memorizing the feel of Robert’s body pressed exactly like this against his body, holding on to the image to pull up during the lonely nights headed his way.
“Robert, the florist’s on the phone. They’re running late and won’t be here until after eleven. They want to know if you still want them to come.” The spell broke. Robert turned away, and Landon felt the instant disconnect of his body. It hurt to think about not waking up to this man every morning. This was going to be so much harder than he’d ever imagined.
“There’s a big difference in flying private,” Robert said, following Landon up the steps to board the small private jet he had rented for Landon’s flight home this morning. Robert ducked his head, stepping inside. The pilot sat in the cockpit, preparing for the flight. He and Landon turned the opposite direction, heading into the main cabin.
“It’s nice, but I should’ve flown commercial—”
Robert lifted a hand to Landon’s lips, stopping him from saying the same words he’d already uttered several times over the last twelve hours when he had learned what Robert had done.
“I told you, if we’re going to live separately, our travel must be done efficiently. This is an expense we’ll have to budget for.”
Landon tossed his bag on a leather chair and did a full turn, taking in everything about the cabin before twisting to stand face to face with Robert. Robert reached out, taking Landon’s hands in his. He couldn’t believe how badly his heart already ached. It made him vulnerable, and he blurted, “Maybe we should’ve bought the restaurant and held on to it until you retired.”
“No second-guessing.” Landon stepped into Robert, brushing against his chest. “I’m gonna harp on this, so listen to me. You’re not sleeping enough. I watched your diet. You’re not near as strict as you used to be, and you’re not exercising regularly. You have to do better. Your health’s too important. You’re living in a constant state of exhaustion.” The words warmed Robert’s heart, and he fought the smile but lost as it broke across his face, stopping Landon from saying more.
“You love me.”
Landon’s brow dropped into a hard V. He could see Landon trying to understand where Robert had misinterpreted his words. “I do and I want you to stick around. We’re not getting any younger and heart disease runs in your family…” The look and tone told Robert more than the words. His mister wasn’t playing, and this wasn’t open for anything more than Robert’s complete agreement.
“I know. When you get home, set me a schedule, and I’ll follow it,” he promised and released Landon’s hands to cup his face with his palms. He softly caressed the skin under Landon’s eyes with his thumb as he met the dark stare.