Play Fair(24)

Jacks shook his head. “No. That’s not…” He pursed his lips and looked over at his bandmates. “I’m going to skip out today if that’s okay with y’all.” He smiled. “I’m going to take my girls to the beach.”





Chapter Eleven


Jacks

Bryan and I were sitting on a blanket; all the fear and nervousness I’d felt last night had been gone when I woke up. Like I’d worked out all my fears and worries in my sleep. Plus, seeing her comfort Landry in the middle of the night? Was everything. I guess what they say is true, things always look better in the morning. For once, I wasn’t scared of a relationship. I wasn’t running or avoiding commitment. B was perfect, and I was going to take things one day at a time. And today? We were watching Landry build a castle in the sand. Bryan had thought of everything. She was the one that slathered Landry in sunscreen, she was the one who stopped off and bought Landry this floaty ring noodle thing and a bunch of shovels and buckets… I’d have been lost without her. Landry and I spent an hour playing in the waves while Bryan laid out on the beach with a book in her hand. Her body was toned and tanned; she wore her long dark hair piled on her head. The way the sun kissed her skin, the way she looked in her aviators, everything about her was sexy as fuck. The only thing capable of distracting me from Bryan was Landry. She had so much fun jumping the waves and watching for dolphins.

Seeing the world through Landry’s eyes, like it was brand new, it was almost like reliving the best parts of being a kid all over again. I bumped my shoulder against Bryan’s. “Thanks for today, for suggesting this.”

She bumped me back. “Thanks for letting me be part of it. I’m sorry I didn’t think to check with you before telling her we could come.”

How did I tell her what I really wanted to say? That there was nothing she could do wrong in my eyes. “You don’t need to check with me, doll. Whatever you think for Landry is the right call.”

“You’re her dad or whatever…and I almost brought her to see the ocean for the first time without you. That’s not okay. You need to be there for her firsts, you need to be the one making these memories with her.”

I sat up and grabbed her by the nape of her neck, bringing her forehead against mine. “You’re her family too. Because you’re my family.” Because I think I’m falling in love with you. I sat back and took a long pull off my bottle of water, yet another thing that Bryan thought of. Kids needed hydration when they played in the sun, who knew?

Landry came over and sat down in front of us. “I love it here, thank you for bringing me.”

I reached out and tapped the end of her nose. Between Bryan and me, that gesture was becoming a habit. Neither one of us could help touching her tiny button nose. “You’re welcome, Buttercup.”

She smiled. “Can we come back again someday?”

“We can come back every day if you want to, I mean as long as we live here.”

Her smile fell and she looked down at the ground. “Oh, okay. I understand.”

It took me a few seconds to realize what I’d said and how she’d taken it. “Hey, hey, come here.” I reached for her hand and pulled her against my side. “I think you misunderstood what I meant.” I kissed the top of her head and blinked back my tears. The thought that I could have made this sweet girl feel sad or alone, even for a second, tore my heart to pieces. “You and me? We’re together, from now on. When I said as long as we live here? I meant both of us. Because one day we’re going to move to Texas. That’s where our forever home is. This house? The big one with tons of people in it? We’re just staying here until Lexi has the baby.”

She looked up at me, her big blue eyes searching. “What if my mom lied?”

What if she did? Would I ever be able to send Landry away? I was just a dude in a band, my life was chaos and irresponsibility. There were definitely people out there better suited to raise a little girl. But then I’d never know if she was safe; I’d never know if she was happy or had clothes that fit and shoes she could walk in. I wouldn’t be able to live like that. The second Landry walked into the house, she’d walked into my heart. I took a deep breath. “Doesn’t matter. You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go. No matter what.”

“You promise?”

I nodded. “With all my heart.” Landry smiled, got up, and went back to building her sand castle. B and I watched her in silence while she decorated it with tiny seashells. I couldn’t look at Bryan, I couldn’t see the emotion I was sure was in her eyes. If I did? I’d start to cry and never stop.