Resisting the Current

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I must have still been dreaming. There was no way he’d said what I thought he’d said. “When? Why?”

 “I went early this morning. Why? That’s a little more complicated.”

 “Tell me Landon. Why would you do that? You hate him.”

 “I want to tell you I did it for you Cass but that would not be entirely true. I did it for me. I didn’t want you to leave. If that meant confronting your father so be it. I couldn’t sleep last night knowing you were over here worrying about being taken away. I don’t know what this…what we are, but I know whatever it is…it’s something I don’t want to end. So I went down there.”

 “What happened? What did he say?”

 “He asked what my intentions were. He asked if we’d ever slept together. I told exactly what you said, that I only wanted to keep you safe, and that you always stayed in the guest room. Then he asked me something I didn’t expect.”

 “What?”

 “He asked me if I loved you.”

 “Oh God Landon, I’m so sorry.”

 “No, don’t be.” Landon took my hand into his. “I told him that I did…very much.”

Ok…I was definitely dreaming. There was no way he’d just said that. “You…you love me?”

 “Yes…I’m afraid so.”

He loved me! He’d said he loved me! “Landon…oh my God! What do we do? What did my father say? How did you get out of there alive?”

 “He said what any father would say. He said he didn’t approve. He said it was wrong, that I was your teacher, and that I was robbing you of a future. I told him I agreed with everything he was saying and that I didn’t plan on it happening but it had. He asked more questions about me…about my past. I told him about my wife…how she…how she died. Then he asked what my plans were…what I planned to do about this…about us.”

 “What did you tell him?”

 “I told him I had no intention of doing anything immoral. I told him I was fine just being your teacher, your friend, until you finished school. I told him I did not go out looking for you but I had found you just the same and I had no intention of letting you go.”

I pulled Landon into my arms. I felt the love spill out of him. “I don’t want to wait. I want us to be together now.”

 “I want that too but loving someone means doing what’s right for them. I’m not going to say it will be easy, hell I’m not going to even make any promises, every time I look at you I want to rip your clothes off.”

Had he not told me he’d loved me just moments ago I would have been disappointed. I was so happy. “So my dad? He won’t say anything?”

 “He said he trusted your judgement.”

 “I can’t believe this! I can’t believe you went down there…for me.”

 “He did tell me one more thing.”

 “What did he tell you?”

 “He told me if I ever hurt you he would make sure I ended up dead.”

 “Oh God, what did you say?”

 “I told him if that’s how I was supposed to die that I would live forever.” When I fall in love it’s forever.

My heart melted. I’d never imagined someone would love me like that. It wasn’t just his words, he’d actually gone to the hospital and spoken to my father. Landon was risking everything. My dad could easily have called in the troops and made his life a living hell, but he’d taken that risk…for me.