Robert exhaled in a rush and struggled to hold Landon’s gaze as he said, “I can’t take on anything more that draws me away from you. I need you, Landon. It’s the same need that drew me to you from the beginning.”
Landon’s perfectly executed you’re stupid expression remained trained on him as he spoke. “We spend as much time together now as we always did. It’s just by video. I’ll be there with you the whole way through. Anyway, we’ve only got a little over seven and a half months until I retire.”
Robert nodded, knowing Landon spoke the truth. They had really committed to putting their relationship first and they had. They woke up together, fell asleep together, and talked as much as they possibly could. So, where did this insecurity come from?
“Besides, you’re hot. The chicks and gay guys are gonna love you.” Landon stood, resigned to what he felt was obvious. His guy kissed him again and slapped his ass as he started back to the table. “I should be the insecure one. I’ve gotta up my game to keep my man.”
Since Robert couldn’t seem to breathe without Landon with him, Landon should have no fear of any attention he garnered. “A million dollars, and she wants to shop it for more.”
“Chump change for you, but for me, Daddy’s gonna buy me something stupid expensive,” Landon teased. Robert burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of those words. Nothing had changed between them regarding finances. Landon still lived off his income, even buying commercial flights himself to offset what he considered as Robert’s waste. His husband was never going to allow Robert to buy him anything. “Listen to me, Daddy Warbucks. It feels like all this heartache of being apart has helped achieve a bigger goal. You’ve built something substantial, Robert. I’m proud of you.”
“We built it—you and me. You pushed me and gave me the courage and confidence to try. You supported every inch of progress. You have such a way of knowing what works and what doesn’t. We’re a good team. I’m proud of us too.”
Landon let him say the words without an exaggerated eye roll or some self-deprecating reply. Shocking.
The hush of the chaos in Landon’s head allowed him to just enjoy the accomplishment. He didn’t see how Robert kept giving him credit for anything, but he did love his life as much as he loved his man. So, he took his role in all this while thinking about the viewership of the web series. His handsome husband would have people tuning in just to watch him in action. Robert’s easygoing attitude and the fun-loving way Robert had of laughing at his own mistakes mixed with all those engrained manners—yeah, grade A great video material, for sure.
Landon could see for himself that Robert had truly made his own name in the culinary world. Maybe his father had given Robert a leg up, but Robert had brought all media, from social to print, into La Bella Luna. Reservations were full months in advance. Celebrities stopped in to see what all the fuss was about then posted their praise online. Their upstairs dining/event room had parties reserving the space as far as a year out. Robert had created something special, and thanks to such a connected world, everyone got to see its success firsthand.
Landon just wished he’d thought of the idea.
“What about Autumn?” Landon asked, seeing the wheels in Robert’s head still at work. Not sure if Robert plotted against or for the web series.
“Damn, I forgot to check again. I’m a horrible brother.” Now that he wasn’t. Landon fought the smile as he sat down to check QuickBooks. Robert came toward him, taking the seat next to his—they did that, stayed glued to one another for the first twenty-four or so hours they were back together. He didn’t know if Robert even noticed, but Landon had.
“Ask about Kylie coming over.”
Their niece was three and a half years old and the light of Robert’s world. When Robert and Kylie were in Minnesota together, at least once a week she had a sleepover. Sometimes those nights included him. Robert treated every interaction with Kylie as something special. They built castles in the living room, played games, and had tea parties with princesses and unicorns. Whatever Kylie wanted, they did, including ice cream sundaes for breakfast and a loop of the Disney movie Frozen playing constantly in the background as they covered their art in glitter.
“She’ll spend a couple of nights here with us when Autumn goes into labor,” Robert said, putting the phone on speaker mode. It didn’t even ring before Autumn answered.
“I’m going in for a vote. What’s up?” Autumn’s harried tone had Robert shaking his head.
“We’re checking on you,” Robert answered quickly.
“Hi, Autumn,” Landon added.
“As of this morning, I’m dilated to three. I’ve got to get these things done. Stay by your phone.” Autumn disconnected the line.