Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3)(24)

“Oh I watched that too, but no, my obsession was born with the movie.”

I reached out and tapped her shoulder. “You got plans tonight, baby doll?”

She shrugged. “Depends on who’s askin’.”

“I am. I was thinking—” I stopped talking when a black car pulled up to the house. I sat my seat up and watched out the window as Diane got out. My heart jumped into my throat.

Bryan put her hand on my arm. “Who is that?”

“The social worker. She must have the results for the paternity test.” I was suddenly terrified. What if Landry’s mom had lied? What if they tried to take her anyway from me? I couldn’t let that happen. I shouldn’t have requested the stupid test in the first place. I opened my door and got out on shaky legs. “Diane, hi.”

Bryan got out and walked around the car to stand next to me. She held her hand out to Diane. “Hi, I’m Bryan.”

“Nice to meet you, Bryan.” She looked toward the house. “Do you live here too?”

“She’s Dylan’s little sister. I have to work during the day so I asked her to come help me watch Landry.” I don’t know why I jumped in with that. I just felt like I needed to justify bringing one more person into Landry’s life.

Diane nodded. “Well, that is very kind of you, Bryan.” She reached into her bag and handed me a thick manila folder. “I have the results of your paternity test, Jacks.”

I was afraid to touch it. “What does it say?”

She eyed me cautiously. “She’s your daughter.”

I smiled. My first and most honest reaction was to smile. “What does that mean? What if her mom comes back?”

“Well, you’re her biological father, so even if her mom comes back you can fight for custody. As long as you can prove that you can provide a stable home, you stand a good chance at winning too. If that’s what you want.”

“That’s what I want.” I let out a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. I had never been more relieved in my entire life. Even if Landry’s mom showed up, I could still fight for her. I still had a chance at keeping her. Three days. Three days with Landry and she owned my heart and soul. I wrapped an arm around Bryan, pulling her close to me for a second before turning back to Diane. “I want her. I want to keep her. Just tell me what I need to sign, what I need to do, and I’ll do it.”

“Believe me, I wish it was that simple.” Diane smiled. “Landry’s mom has a few days left before her rights are terminated. And in the meantime, I need to come in and observe your home. Observe Landry here. So, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. But by the looks of it, she’s doing well.”

We all turned, Landry was still sound asleep in her seat. Her cheek resting against Ello and her hands clutching a sandy shovel.





Chapter Twelve


Bryan


Landry was so exhausted from her day at the beach that she only woke up long enough to eat some yogurt, take a bath, and then crawl into bed. She was asleep in a matter of minutes. Jacks was downstairs filling the rest of the family in on the results from the paternity test, so I used that time to take a long hot shower. I had sand in places I didn’t remember putting it. When I got out there was a message on the mirror, written in the fog: MY ROOM with an arrow pointing to the door. I got changed and then went into Jacks’s room instead of mine. “You summoned?”

He was lying on the bed wearing nothing but a low-slung pair of shorts. His hair was wet; he must have showered in Luke’s room. “I did.” He patted the bed next to him and waited for me to climb on. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay…”

“The ticket I bought you to fly down here, it’s open-ended and I was thinking—”

My stomach sank. “You’re ready for me to go, aren’t you? I totally understand. You and Landry need some time together, time to get settled.” I was trying to be cool about this, but my heart was hurting. I hadn’t thought about leaving, not once, since I got here.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, baby doll. I’m not ready for you to go. I was actually hoping you’d stay for the rest of the summer.”

“The rest of the summer?” I sure as hell wasn’t ready to leave, but stay the rest of the summer? That was a huge commitment.

“I need to spend some time each day in the studio with the band. I can’t bail on this album. And I don’t want Landry to spend her days alone, or with some stranger. She adores you, and I know you feel the same way about her. I’ll pay you.”

I snorted, slapping his chest. His bare, toned, lickable abs. “You do not need to pay me to watch Landry; that’s ridiculous.”

“I know you usually work during your summers off, plus I’ll be taking time away from you trying to find an actual grown-up job. I already told the social worker you were here to help me take care of Landry.”

“Yeah, why did you do that? Why didn’t you just tell her we were friends?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know the rules here. I thought saying you were here to help me with her, to make sure she was safe when I couldn’t be with her… I thought that sounded good.” He reached out and took my hand in his. “Please, B, you’re the only one I trust with her. I need you.”