Lost In You (Swanson Court 3)

To my readers, always.

One night.

One love.

One heart.

One forever.

The concluding part of the Swanson Court Trilogy.

What do you do when you take a leap of faith, and you don’t get what you expected?

You move on.

That is exactly what Rachel plans to do, to put aside her heartbreak, and concentrate on her work and the people she loves.

But Landon is not easy to forget. When he reappears in her life, is he offering the perfect ending she wants more than anything, or just another flirtation with heartbreak, pain, danger, and devastating loss.

I LOVE fall in New York. The crisp air, brilliant colors, clear skies, and beautiful sunsets. But today, as the car from the airport comes to a stop outside my building, I hardly notice those things.

Once again, I’ve walked away from the man I love, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. I still feel a strange kind of certainty from baring my feelings to Landon, but I can’t help wishing that things had turned out differently.

But they hadn’t. Landon reacted to my confession that I was in love with him, not with pity and regret, as I’d feared, or reciprocation as I’d hoped, but with the fear that somehow, he was going to hurt me.

That meant something, at least. It meant that I could hope. That maybe, just maybe, he could conquer whatever fears from his past made him reluctant to commit to me, the way I was committed to him.

Now I only have to wait. Sometimes, holding on is not the answer. Sometimes, you have to let go and let love find a way to work. If Landon’s feelings for me are strong enough for him to want to build something with me, he knows where to find me. If he chooses to let me go, then I’ll have no excuse to keep dwelling on him. I’ll have no choice but to move on.

And I’m strong enough to do that.

With that thought, I start to fish for the keys to my apartment inside my purse. The Swanson Court driver who picked me up at the airport is still standing at the top of the stairs, carrying my luggage. “Thank you,” I tell him with a small smile. “You can leave it here.”

He does as I say, giving me a polite nod before leaving. I let myself into the apartment, pausing at the door when I see Laurie and Brett on the couch. They’re facing each other, their heads close together and their hands clasped.

When they notice me, Brett starts to get up, still holding Laurie’s hands. His eyes are glistening with tears, contrasting with the wide heartfelt smile on his face.

I turn a puzzled glance to Laurie, who’s also standing now, facing me. She has definitely been crying, her cheeks are wet, but like Brett, she’s smiling through the tears.

“Hi Rachel,” she says softly.

Her voice tells me that it’s okay to hope that something has gone right. I look from her face to Brett’s, then back again. “Please tell me you’re not fighting anymore,” I whisper.

Laurie shakes her head. She lets out a happy laugh. “No, we’re not.”

Taking the few steps to where she’s standing, I envelop her in a hug before turning to Brett. “Glad to see you finally got it together,” I tell him, hugging him too.

“Me too, Rach.” He returns my hug and kisses both my cheeks. His eyes are still glistening. “Thank you,” he whispers.