Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3)(6)
Dash leaned against the counter, running his hands through his hair. “Where is her mother?”
“No one knows. The neighbors called the cops when they noticed that Landry had been alone for over a week.”
Lexi put her hand on her stomach, cradling her baby bump. “Oh my God. How awful! That poor little girl. Was she okay? Was she hurt?”
Maybe Lexi should take her. She was about to have a baby anyways. Insta-family. “No. She was fine. They said she took good care of herself: cooked herself dinner, gave herself a bath, cleaned the house…”
“So she’s used to being alone. How old is she?” Lexi looked like she was going to be sick.
“She’s nine.”
Lexi wiped away a tear. “What now?”
“I told the social worker that she can stay here. That’s okay, right?” Was I supposed to ask if I and my kid could live here? Would they make us leave? Holy crap, was I going to have to get my own house? I needed to call my mom. Wait, they were on a four-week-long cruise through Europe. Shit.
Dash put his hand on my shoulder. “Of course that’s okay, man. If that’s what you want to do, we’ll support you. But…”
I raised an eyebrow. “But what?”
“I love you, man. But are you sure you can handle this? Handle taking care of this little girl for the foreseeable future? You aren’t exactly the most adult person in this house. Landry’s been through the wringer; I can’t even imagine what she’s feeling right now.”
Smith nodded, slowly, in agreement. “I can. And it’s a lot to take on, bro. Maybe she needs to be with some professionals? Some people who know what the hell they are doing.”
Lexi shook her head. “No. What she needs is to be with people who will be nice to her, will provide for her, pay attention to her. What she needs is to feel safe. And being in some group foster home surrounded by other kids with just as many issues? Isn’t going to help.” She rested her hand on my shoulder. “Does she know you’re her dad?”
Smith and Dash were my friends, my family, two of the people closest to me. If they didn’t think I could do this…maybe I couldn’t. “I guess the social worker told her I was her dad…but I mean, chicks are crazy, right? What if some nutjob fan listed me on this kid’s birth certificate?” It could happen.
Smith looked out at the backyard. “She’s your kid.”
I laid my cheek on the cool countertop. “Probably.”
Landry
Diane said that Jacks was listed as my next of kin. She asked me if I knew what that meant on the drive over here. I get it. My mom said he was my dad. But my mom said a lot of things that didn’t end up being true. Like, I’ll be right back for starters. Their house was huge. Like a palace or a castle. Everyone that lived here was nice. They were all really pretty too. Like people on TV. The best part though was this big gray slobbery dog. I loved dogs. I begged my mom for a dog. She always said no. I didn’t blame her, as she could barely take care of herself…let alone me and a dog. My mom wasn’t a bad person. But I was old enough to know she wasn’t a good mom. Not like those moms on TV. The moms who made dinner and sent you to school with a perfectly packed lunch. That wasn’t my mom. And now she was gone. I didn’t know if I missed her or not. I couldn’t tell.
I was glad to be outside with Dylan and Dagger. There were a lot of people who lived here. I didn’t like being around a lot of people. My mom used to have parties with lots of smoke and music and bottles and people. I always just hid in my closet. I had a lantern that one of our neighbors had lent us the last time our electricity was turned off. I would turn it on and pile all my pillows and blankets in that tiny room. It was cozy and safe. The way things were supposed to be at your home. Like on TV.
Dagger raced back toward me, with the green ball in his mouth. I could feel Dylan watching me. She seemed nice enough. I didn’t cry. When my mom didn’t come home, when the social worker came…I never cried. And even though I was scared and I felt lonely and out of place, I still wouldn’t cry. Because tears never really made a difference.
Chapter Two
Bryan
Well, that sucked giant horse balls. Physics was never my strong suit, which was why I put it off until my absolute last semester of school. Everyone else took their science basics first…but at least that was the last final I’d ever have to take. I was officially done with college. Now if I could just figure out what the hell I was going to do with this mass comm degree. The wind whipped my long dark hair all over the place as I walked through campus toward my car. I pulled my phone out, checking my messages. I had three missed calls from Jacks and two from Shepard. I knew why I’d started avoiding Shep; it happened to me all the time. I’d date a guy, things would get physical, it’d be exciting for about two seconds and then I’d get bored as hell. Which sucked, because Shep was handsome, polite, bound to be successful… In short? Perfect long-term partner material. He was nothing like Jacks. Jacks and I met about a month ago in New Orleans; my older sister was dating his bandmate, Smith. I can’t tell you why, but we struck up an instant friendship. We went together like peas and carrots, or ice cream and sprinkles. He was a wicked guitarist with a gaming addiction. He was like an oxymoron. And oddly enough, he’d become one of my best friends. I was glad that I lived in another state. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to Jacks. But with Dylan dating his friend and my “commitment issues” it wasn’t a good idea. Still, we talked on the phone at least once a day, we texted nonstop, and we played video games all the time. No one could make me laugh like Jacks could.