Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3)(36)

Dash let out a quick sigh. “We haven’t heard back yet. They may end up loving it, or they may end up getting completely pissed, throwing a fit, and dropping us.”

That didn’t sound good. What happened to a band when their label dropped them? Luke threw a stick in the air and then caught it and gave it a practiced twirl. “And if they drop us? We’ll be just fine.”

Jacks nodded. “Yes we will.”

“Us against the world.” Smith winked at Dash.

The bond between these guys was so strong. They were a family, they had been for a long time now. And with every girl, every new kid, their family would grow. The question is, would I end up a part of it?

The door at the top of the stairs opened, and Landry and Dylan came down into the studio. Landry walked right up to me and leaned against my hip. I loved when she did that, it warmed my soul. “Hey, sweet girl, what’s up?”

“Can I go with Dylan and Smith to eat lunch?” She looked at the ground when she asked, still not completely confident in herself or us.

Was I allowed to tell her yes or no? Was that my place? “It’s okay with me, but maybe ask your dad?”

Jacks kneeled down in front of her, dipping to meet her eyes, not making her have to gather courage to look at him. He smiled. “Fine by me, Buttercup. Where are y’all going?”

Dylan crossed her arms over her chest. “That new vegan place down the street.”

Smith wrinkled his nose. “Kids don’t like vegan food.”

Dylan smiled with an eyebrow raised. “Landry wants to try it.”

“I saw a special about it on TV.” Her voice was soft, but at least she’d spoken up.

Smith shot forward and started tickling her as he picked her up over his head. “All right, you little adventurer, let’s go eat some healthy food.” Landry giggled the whole way up the stairs.





Chapter Seventeen


Jacks


The rest of us ate leftovers upstairs in the kitchen. We were all vegged out in front of the TV in the living room napping and watching some pregnancy show on the Discovery Channel, From Conception to Birth or something like that. It was interesting as hell, but when the birth part came? Lexi cried and Dash looked like he was about to puke. Both reactions seemed on point. I was happy to just lie on the couch with B in my arms, since her sister and Smith were still out with Landry. I loved that my friends were taking the time to get to know my daughter. I was just about to fall asleep when the doorbell rang.

Luke hopped up. “I’ll get it. No use in you disgusting couples breaking apart.”

I was more than happy to let him deal with whoever was at the door. I didn’t want to move until I absolutely had to.

“Jacks? Get over here!”

I could hear the panic in Luke’s normally calm and soft voice. I shot up off the couch, a million horrible scenarios running through my head in the fifteen seconds it took me to make it to the front of the house. Luke was standing stiff with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet planted. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

He moved to the side, making room for me. There was a woman standing there; she was thin and she looked vaguely familiar. “Can we help you?” Was she a groupie? A stalker? Had people finally noticed we were in Florida?

“You sure the hell can. Where’s my daughter?”

Landry’s mom. Holy f*cking shit. I could see it now, the slight resemblance was mostly in build and skin tone. I didn’t know what I wanted to scream at her first. “Where the hell do you get off showing up at our door? How did you even find us?!”

She pushed her long hair out of her face. “It’s not hard to find a house full of famous rock stars, Jacks.”

“Why are you here?” I was shaking, seconds away from losing control. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this angry…or scared.

“I wanted to see my daughter.” She looked at the ground. “I missed her.”

“You missed her?! Are you f*cking kidding me?! You abandoned her!” I went to shut the door, but she stopped me.

“Where is she?!”

I swallowed. “She’s safe. Which is something she never was with you.”

She narrowed her hollow eyes. “Like an * like you would know the first thing about how to treat a girl. Let alone a child.”

Her words hit me hard; she’d unknowingly hit me where it hurt. “You need to leave. Now. Before I call the police. If you want to talk to Landry, you need to contact the state. Believe me, they’re just dying to know why you abandoned your child.”

She shifted on her feet, clearly uncomfortable at the mention of social workers and the police. “She’s mine.”

I could feel Bryan walk up behind me. Her hand on my back gave me strength. “No, she’s not. Not anymore. You want her back? Be prepared for the fight of your life.” I slammed the door in her face. I was trembling. I was terrified and pissed off and yet at the same time I felt almost bad for the woman standing on our porch. At one time she had been pretty, but clearly life hadn’t been kind to her. And I couldn’t help but wonder if it all started with me. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I wasn’t ready to look at them yet. I turned and headed into the kitchen, grabbing my cell phone and calling Diane, the social worker. Her voicemail picked up. “Diane, it’s Jacks Cole. Landry’s mom was just here looking for her. I sent her away, so I’m guessing she’ll be contacting you soon. I’m calling my lawyers next.”