All In (Keep Breathing Book 2), стр. 84

"I’m not trying to be funny, Holly, it was me. I was the Thor at the bar. I used my brother's name so it couldn’t come back to me."

"You're lying." This has to be some sick joke to get at his brother. It has to be.

"You had wine when I first sat down. Then after your friend stood you up, you ordered tequila with a lime. I fed you the lime. I also thought your name was pretty Jolly, if I remember right. Is it coming back to you now?”

A cold sweat prickles on my forehead and I stumble back. I find the couch and grip the back of it to hold me up. It is him. I’m seconds away from losing my breakfast. It’s all so clear. The reason Liam didn’t remember a lick of anything wasn’t because he was high or drunk or the fact it wasn’t memorable—he wasn’t there. A deep cry leaves my throat and my heart twists.

This can't be happening. 

“It’s one of those nights I’ll always remember, but also one I always wanted to forget.”

“How nice,” I mutter as I grip the edge of the couch harder, digging my nails in the designer fabric trying to recover my equilibrium.

“Sorry.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, but I knock him off. I don’t want him touching me.

"Holly, what is taking you so long out here?” Terry marches into the room, Matty holding her hand, now dressed completely in his pirate costume. “You left me to walk the plank on my own.” She stops, spotting Landon behind me and chuckles. “Oh, I see, Liam is here. Did I break something up?" Her eyes drift over to me and her smile falls. “What’s wrong?”

“I'm actually Landon. It’s nice to meet you." Landon goes to shake her hand, but Terry crosses her arms over her chest.

“What are you doing here?” Terry says sharply, eyeing him up and down.

“We’re talking.” Landon smiles despite her brisk attitude and bends down to Matty’s level. Terry mouths to me if I’m alright. I mouth back to her I’m okay, though I know she knows I’m lying.

"Hey, remember me, little buddy?" Landon bends down to Matty's level. Matty's head twists up to Terry and then to me before he steps back. "Still shy I see," Landon grumbles and stands back up, wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Funny how he can tell his dad and uncle apart,” Terry muses. My heart drops to my feet while at the same time I want to laugh feeling like I’m living out some twisted dream.

"Terry, can you take Matty to your place for a little bit?"

"I can, but are you okay? You're shaking like a leaf."

"I'm fine. I just need to have a conversation with Landon and Matty doesn't need to be around for it."

"Allllright," she says skeptically. "You sure?"

"Yeah. It won't be long. I swear."

“Come on, Matty, we can go have a dance party at my place.”

"I need to sit down," I mumble after the door clicks shut. It took a long time for me to convince Matty to go with Terry without me. I think it all had to do with Landon’s looming presence. Once I made a promise we could play pirates later with Daddy, he went. I also couldn’t help notice the way Landon’s eyes twitched at the word Daddy. I fall to the couch and grab a throw pillow, clutching it tightly to my chest.

"I know this is a lot to throw at you," Landon says, propping himself on the edge of my coffee table.

"You think? Is this why you were acting so odd yesterday at dinner?"

"It's part of it. I didn't think I'd ever tell you. It's just these last few weeks has put everything in perspective for me. Hell, maybe the last month. I've been letting myself and my wife miss out on this."

The last month?

"Wait. How long have you known about Matty?"

"Since you told Liam,” he mumbles brushing his fingers under his nose.

"You mean you've known the whole time and you're just telling me now?"

"It's complicated." He shrugs.

"Uncomplicate it," I hiss.

"Besides you, the only other woman I have been with is my wife. When we met, Maria and I had broken up for a bit. I was a mess, and I was also about to move to California.” For a second, I see the conflict in his eyes. The conflict I saw that night. The conflict I thought was in Liam’s eyes, but was is in fact in Landon’s eyes. It matches, and my heart sinks further to my feet. But the look is washed away as he talks again. “When I met you, I thought, maybe I could move on, but when you asked for my name, I froze, so I said Liam's name. Also, maybe for one night, I wanted to be like him. The king of one-night stands. No worries. I didn't think I’d ever see you again and I never told Maria." He sighs and brushes his hands down his legs. "When I found out you had a kid, I panicked. I didn't want Maria to know I had a kid with someone else. It didn't seem fair. Not after everything we’ve been through."

"So you decided to let your brother take on the responsibility for you?"

"I hadn’t planned on it. I had hoped he wouldn’t get the DNA test, and I did what I could to make him walk away.”

“Oh, that’s real charming of you.”

“I told you I didn’t want a kid if it wasn’t with Maria. It didn’t feel fair after all her miscarriages. When the DNA test came back, I let it be. You see since we’re identical twins…”

I hold up my hand to stop him. "I've seen