***
Ten minutes later and Landry and I were sitting side by side in the Nordstrom’s salon. I didn’t even know Nordstrom’s had a damn salon. Landry looked a little nervous. “Have you ever had a haircut before?”
She nodded her head. “Sometimes my mom would cut my hair.”
I had a million questions for this kid. I wanted to know about her mom, I wanted to know how she survived an obviously hard childhood. But at the same time, I was afraid to ask. Afraid to know what she’d had to endure. “Well, this will be a lot like that. Only better. They are going to wash our hair, and then cut it, and then blow-dry it. Is that okay?”
She nodded again.
“After we’re done here, we’re going to go pick up a friend of mine from the airport. Her name is Bryan and she is really nice. She’s Dylan’s sister.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“No. She’s just my friend…”
Landry spun her chair around in a circle. “Is she pretty like Dylan?”
I smiled. “She’s pretty like you.” That wasn’t a lie. Bryan and Landry could be related. I loved that she was talking to me right now. I loved the way she was spinning in her chair. Even if it was just this small moment in time, she seemed happy.
Landry looked up at me, humor in her eyes. “You think I’m pretty?”
I nodded. “Yes. I think you are probably the prettiest little girl I’ve ever met.” I leaned forward. “Good genetics.”
“Are you my dad?”
Stomach, meet floor. Apparently she knew what genetics meant… What did I say to that? Probably? “Well, your mom thinks I’m your dad. And you look an awful lot like me. Although you’re smarter and stronger than I am…” I shrugged.
“My mom lies a lot.” She said it without emotion. Like it was just a fact.
Chapter Four
Bryan
I was nervous when I saw Jacks’s car pull up to the curb, my stomach was in knots but I was smiling like a crazy person. I talked to this guy daily, but I hadn’t seen him in weeks. He opened the door and came around the front, throwing his arms around my waist and picking me up. “I am so fucking glad you are here, doll.” He looked good in his jeans and tight vintage Pantera shirt. He looked good period.
His dark brown hair was tickling my neck but I didn’t want to let him go. I just wanted to stay like this, wrapped in his toned arms. “Is it weird to say that I’ve missed you?” My words slipped out before I could stop them.
He pulled me back by the shoulders, grinning. “Hell no. I’ve missed you too.” He hugged me to him one more time, placed sloppy kisses on both my cheeks and then grabbed the bag out of my hand. “Landry fell asleep a few minutes ago.” He loaded my stuff into the trunk of his black Tesla as I climbed into the front seat.
I was careful to shut my door quietly so I didn’t wake her. I turned in my seat to look at her. “Jacks, she’s beautiful.” And she was with her dark hair, olive skin, and tiny features.
“I think so.” He checked his mirrors and then glanced at me. “I think she looks a little like you and Dylan.”
I turned again, studying her sleeping face. “Yeah. I guess she does.” I took my phone out. I had two texts from Shep asking me where I was. I fired off a quick vague explanation and then put my phone away. “What did you do today? With her, I mean.”
“I took her shopping and then we got haircuts and went to lunch.” He lowered his voice. “She doesn’t talk to me all that much.”
I reached out and touched his arm. “She’s got to be terrified right now. You know that, right?”
He nodded. “I know. I am too.”
I couldn’t imagine what either of them was going through. I knew him; Jacks woke up this morning without a care in the world. And now he had a daughter. And Landry? Who knew how many worries and fears this kid lived with daily? “Did she say anything about her mom?”
“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?”