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

She just stared at me. I sat down on the bar stool next to her and banged my head on the granite countertop. When I turned to the side to look at her, she was smiling. Not a big smile, more like a smirk. Like me at a loss for words was humorous. Well, that’s a start. I smiled back.

“Good morning, famil—”

I raised my head when Dash walked in, with a sleepy pregnant Lexi trailing behind him. Our lead singer and his girlfriend stopped in their tracks when they saw Landry sitting beside me. No one moved, no one talked. Dagger, Lexi’s giant gray pit bull, came bounding down the hall and into the kitchen. He came right to me and licked my hand, looking for food. Then he moved on to Landry. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Dagger put his paws on the counter and pulled himself up until they were face to face. Should I make him get down? Did she like dogs? Was she scared of dogs? Man, I would make a crappy dad.

Landry laughed. She had this adorable tinkling little laugh, like a pixie. She speared a soggy bite of pancake with her fork and fed it to Dagger. He ate it and then licked her face. She laughed again. So she liked dogs. Okay, I’d buy her a puppy.

“Uh, Jacks?” Dash’s voice sounded shaky.

Oh yeah. “Landry, that’s Dagger. And then those two people over there are Dash and Lexi. They all live here too.” I turned to my friends, my chosen family. “Guys, this is Landry.”

Lexi came into the room and held her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Landry. I was going to let Dagger run around and play in the backyard for a little bit. Would you like to take him? He seems to really like you, Dylan will go too.”

Landry looked from Lexi to me. “If you want to talk without me in here, it’s okay.” She hopped down off the stool and followed Dylan and Dagger out the back door. Dylan sent me a reassuring smile on her way out.

I took a deep breath and turned toward my people. “A social worker showed up here this morning with Landry. Said she’s my kid.”

Dash ran his hands through his hair, “Holy shit, Jacks. Are you serious? Who’s her mom?”

I shrugged, “Apparently some chick named Amelia I banged somewhere in Louisiana.” I let out a humorless laugh, “Really narrows it down, huh?”

“Where in Louisiana?” Smith went to the fridge and grabbed a beer. I didn’t blame him. I wanted one too. Beer and pancakes, the breakfast of champions.

I grabbed Landry’s fork, the one she’d fed Dagger with, and took a bite of her leftovers. “Didn’t say.”

“They sure she’s yours?” Smith took a pull off his beer. Then Lexi grabbed it and poured it out in the sink, giving him her I-dare-you-to-cross-me look.

Dash pointed to the backyard. “Are you kidding, she looks just like him!”

“I did this cheek swab thing, for a paternity test…but you’re right. She’s like my mini me.” I looked out the window. Landry was throwing Dagger his ball. She was quiet around us, but damn she liked that dog. “Although she kind of looks a little like Bryan too.”

Smith crossed his arms over his chest. “Bryan? Dylan’s sister?”

“Uh, yeah, uh, you know she has that dark hair and light eyes thing going on. She looks like the Lawsons.” Dylan and Bryan looked just alike. I’d never met their other sister, Mikah, but I was guessing she was another carbon copy.

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.

I clicked play on the voicemail from Jacks as I climbed inside my car. “B. It’s me. You have GOT to call me back. The craziest shit happened this morning. Call me.”

I shook my head, hitting redial. The crazy shit was probably something stupid. Like
Dagger ate my new controller
or
I walked in on Smith nailing your sister
. His phone rang twice before he picked up.

“B! Holy shit.”

“Why are you whispering? Are you hiding in the closet again? You know Dash is never scared when you jump out at him like that. You only piss him off.” I checked my mirrors and backed out of my parking spot.

“No. I’m not in the closet.” I heard some rustling around and then a door closed. “A social worker came to the house this morning—”

“A social worker? Why? Ooooo, does Smith have some Cajun love child? Was Dylan pissed?” I was mostly kidding.

“No. I do.”

I pulled to the shoulder, slamming on my brakes. I ignored the cars behind me as they honked on their way past. “What?!”

“Yeah. This really nice lady brought this tiny little girl to our house. And she said that this little girl, Landry, her name is Landry. Anyway, she said that Landry’s mom put my name on her birth certificate as her father.”

“Holy. Shit.” I turned the AC down. I was suddenly sweating. “Do you remember her mom?”

“Really? Of course not. I’m a horrible slut of a man.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I’d heard stories from Dylan, as well as read plenty in the gossip mags. Didn’t make me adore him any less though, nothing could.

“I did a paternity test. We won’t have the results for a couple of days. But she’s here.”

I rested my forehead against my steering wheel. “The mom?”

“No. Landry. She’s staying here, with us.”

I was silent. I didn’t know what to say to that. I was proud of him for stepping up and taking her in. But I had no words of wisdom, no advice I could dole out.

“B? You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I just… I mean… I have no idea what to say, Jacks.” Was it odd that part of me was jealous? Jealous of this chick who had his baby? Not that I wanted to have Jacks’s baby or anything. We were friends. Just flirty friends.

“Say you’ll come see me. Please, doll, I need you.”

His words tugged at my heart, but seeing him again in person sounded like a recipe for disaster. He had enough going on at home, and our being around each other would only complicate things. There was attraction under our friendship, no doubt about it. “Jacks…”

“You are my best friend, B. Please.”

I banged my head on the steering wheel. To top it off, Dylan had no idea I’d been talking to Jacks. “No one even knows we’re friends. My sister is going to flip shit.”

“Please, baby doll.”

Yep, I was a typical girl, pet names were my undoing. “Fine.” I put my car in drive and pulled back out onto the main road. “But you’re buying my ticket.”

“Of course! Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are going to love Landry.”

I’d literally just finished my college career an hour ago. And all of a sudden I was getting booked on a flight to Florida? This was why my friends called me flighty. This was quite possibly going to end up being a huge mistake. Jacks was charismatic and adorable and so damn attractive. I was already in lust with his personality. What was going to happen when I was staying under the same roof? I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. I would just have to stay strong, and stay focused on helping him through this. He didn’t need added stress or distractions. And I refused to lose him as a friend because we ruined it with sex. AKA, he became clingy and I got irritated.

***

Three hours later and I was at the airport, with my carry-on stowed safely in the overhead bin and my phone in my hands. I fired off a quick text to Jacks, letting him know that I had boarded, before turning it off and dropping it into my purse. This was an odd situation. Dylan had no idea that Jacks and I had become friends… I wasn’t sure how she would take it. I knew Jacks’s reputation, I knew the life he led. No one would understand our friendship; they wouldn’t think he was capable of having a girl as a friend. Which meant everyone was going to assume we were boning (his choice of words, not mine). Although my sister had hooked up with a man-whoring rock star…so it wouldn’t be fair if she got pissed about that. The problem was, Dylan had a hair-trigger temper when it came to lies and secrets. And what about this little girl? Her life had just been turned upside down. Did she really need one more person in the mix? I leaned my head back and took a deep breath. If it was anyone else asking this of me, I’d say no.

“Where you headed, gorgeous?”

I looked to my left at the man sitting next to me. He was handsome enough, in that older distinguished sort of way. He was wearing a black suit with a blood-red tie. And sporting a hefty wedding ring tan. “Florida. Just like you. Because, we’re on the same flight.”

The man’s smile never faltered. “You have beautiful eyes.”

“Yes, I know. Thank you.” I wasn’t vain, but I heard that all the time and this guy was irritating me. My best friend just found out he was a dad, I was going to have to deal with my sister’s bitch fit, and Casanova over here wanted to join the mile-high club.