Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3)(10)

“Other than the fact that her mom lies a lot? Not really.”

“Do you think she lied about…?” I let my words trail off. I didn’t want to voice it out loud, afraid that Landry wasn’t actually sleeping.

Jacks shook his head. “No? I don’t know.” He adjusted his rearview mirror so he could see her. “She looks like me. And, I know it sounds weird, but sometimes I just get this feeling when I’m looking at her…this feeling in my chest.”

His words made me smile; he was so sweet. And he didn’t even realize it, no one did. “What now?”

He let out a small chuckle. “I have no idea, baby doll.” He reached for my hand. “But now that you’re here, I feel like I’ll be able to figure it out.”

We were both silent for a while after that, letting those words settle between us. Was that why he wanted me here? He wanted me to help him figure it out? Jacks and I had become so close over the past few weeks. I would skip out on parties and blow off dates with Shep just to talk to him. He made me laugh; he made me…happy. I loved being his friend, but I didn’t know the first thing about being a parent. Jacks lived a crazy indulgent life. He partied and drank and stayed out all night. He cussed and talked about f*cking like it was nothing. I started to laugh, and once I started I couldn’t seem to stop. It was one of those manic inappropriate laughing episodes.

Jacks flicked his gaze to me. “What?”

I shook my head, waving his question off with my hand. I snorted.

He started to chuckle. “What is so damn funny?”

“You have a daughter. And she’s beautiful.” I snorted again, pointing at him. “You are such a bad, bad boy and you treat women terribly. And now you have a little girl.”

He let go of my hand and grabbed my thigh, tickling me. “You are the worst best friend in the history of best friends. I asked you here to help me, not point out the fu…fudging obvious.”

“I know what fudging really means.”

I smiled at the sweet sound of Landry’s small voice and turned in my seat. “Jacks has a horrible potty mouth.” I held out my hand, “My name is Bryan.”

She sat forward and put her tiny hand in mine. “I’m Landry.”

“Nice to meet you, Landry.”

She sat back, her head cocked and her eyes on mine. She looked like a tiny fierce little kitten. Landry was one tough cookie, or at least that’s how she came across. “You’re Jacks’s best friend.”

I glanced at Jacks to see him smiling. I nodded. “I am.”

Landry nodded, mimicking me. “Jacks thinks you’re pretty.”

“I do.” Jacks lifted his head, looking at her in the rearview mirror. “And I think you are pretty too. I am the luckiest guy in the world, to have two such pretty girls.”

Jacks’s sweet words made my heart do this weird flutter and Landry smiled so big, her whole face lit up. But as quickly as it appeared, the light left. Had this little girl ever been told she was pretty before? Did she not believe him? Or was she afraid to? Afraid to believe anything good or positive from a grown-up.

A few minutes later Jacks pulled the car into the driveway. The house was large and powder blue with lots of white trim work and shutters. The front yard was full of flower beds, surrounded by pine needle mulch. The tiny white picket fence capped off the beachy Leave It to Beaver vibe perfectly. Now my heart was pounding, not fluttering. Jacks reached over and grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb over the frantic pulse in my wrist. He whispered, “Everything is going to be fine. We don’t need their permission to be friends, B.”

I nodded and got out of the car. I opened Landry’s door and helped her out while Jacks unloaded my suitcase, plus several large shopping bags. “Miss Landry, did you go shopping today?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Jacks let me spend his black card money.”

I put my hands on my hips and leaned toward her. “Lucky! Next time you go spend Jacks’s money, can I come?”

Landry giggled. “Sure. Garrett can get you clothes too.”

Jacks came around to our side of the car so we could walk to the house together. “Garrett is Landry’s personal shopper.”

I tapped the end of Landry’s nose. “That settles it, next time I’m coming too.” I smiled even though my stomach was, once again, in knots. This man was going to give me an ulcer. Every step up to the house made the knot grow bigger until it was like a giant ball of rusted barbed wire. I wasn’t scared of my sister, but she hated secrets. She and I were close, we talked a few times a week. And even though I hadn’t flat out lied to her about Jacks and I, I’d withheld information. Dylan was a hard ass.

“Hey, Buttercup, can you get the door?” Jacks was balancing all the bags and I was behind him like a coward refusing to enter first.

Landry went up to the door and opened it slowly, then she stepped back making Jacks walk in front of her. I wasn’t the only nervous girl here.





Chapter Five


Jacks


I sat all of Landry’s shopping bags and Bryan’s suitcase on the floor in the massive tiled entryway. The girls were still behind me, both timid for two entirely different reasons. Dagger came bounding down the hall and went straight to Landry, licking her face and making her laugh. Usually I was Dagger’s number one stop, but apparently I’d been replaced.