Page 151 of Running
I guess Rori and I aren’t going to be the ones kicking off the conversation, after all.
Johnson doesn’t hesitate. “What we did—what I did—keeping our relationship from you, I know it was a fucked up thing to do. I’m sorry, man. Truly.”
Landon stares at him, not reacting.
“Grace and I—it’s real. And I was scared we’d never even get a shot if you knew I was interested in her. That it would get shut down before we got our chance.” Johnson grasps my hand, pulling it onto his lap.
Landon tracks every inch of that movement, focused on where our hands meet.
“My sister?” The phrase comes out as a question more than an accusation.
“Yes, your sister is my girl. My girlfriend.” Johnson squeezes my hand, and I think he’s done speaking except?—
“I love her.”
What?A faint “oh” escapes my mouth. I twist towards him, and his eyes are full of emotion.
“I love…I love you too, Johnson,” I whisper. His expression shifts to intense joy, and he brings my hand to his heart, threading his fingers over mine.
“Landon.” Rori’s voice is as soft as I’ve ever heard her speak. “Grace’s so happy. She’s”—Rori gestures to where Johnson and I’s hands are still linked at his heart—“loved. Who better for her to be with than Johnson? Your best friend?”
He tilts his head, his eyes now locked with hers.
“It’s okay to forgive him,” she says quietly.
And it’s like her permission is the key to release his last emotional block. Landon takes a deep breath, and I swear I can see the lingering hurt he was carryingfall off his body.
He turns back to Johnson. It takes several moments for him to speak.
While it’s slow and simple, it’s the breakthrough we all need.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Johnson’s voice carries so much hope, my own ignites. Is this finally happening?
“Yes, okay. But if you hurt her, I will not be held accountable for what I do.” Landon’s voice is gruff, but there’s a hint of a tease too.
Thank god.
Johnson stands up and offers his hand to Landon across the bow. “Not going to happen. Hypothetically though, yes, I agree.”
Landon slowly stands and takes his hand, the ends of his mouth turning up slightly. “You’re lucky that you’re recovering from a concussion, otherwise I would have thrown you over the boat earlier.”
Johnson turns towards me. “See, I told you.”
I giggle, a welcome release from all the tension.
“You can have a rain check on that,” he says back to Landon.
The smile creeping up on Landon’s face is even more noticeable. “Count on it, J.”
Unable to resist, I stand up and throw my arms around Landon. “Thank you for listening.”
He brings his arms up around me. “Love you, Gracie.”
After our hug, Rori claps her hands together. “This cove is undefeated. Good things always happen here.”
It’s very Rori that she would try to lighten the mood now that the main issue is handled—she definitely prefers snappy banter to high drama.
