“Nope. All done.” I gestured to the living room. “You can grab Landry and let everyone know it’s ready though.”
Once again we were all gathered around the table. As odd of a family as this was, I was sure it was still good for Landry to experience. People who loved each other, joking and laughing, coming together at the end of a busy day to share a meal. I knew that Jacks worried about normalcy with her, but really, what defined normal these days?
“So, Buttercup, did you have fun with B and Lexi today?”
Landry nodded. “We went shopping and we went to lunch and we met a really nice policeman.”
I wrinkled my nose and held my breath.
Jacks’s eyes got wide. “You met a policeman? Where?”
Landry’s little body was bouncing as she swung her legs back and forth. “In the car on the way home.”
“Oh really?” Jacks sat his fork down and leaned closer, engrossed in her story.
She nodded again, the dark topknot I’d done for her wobbling. “Yeah, he flashed his lights and then came up to the window and asked for B’s number.” I couldn’t help but smile when she called me B; it was sweet. Even though she was ratting me out.
Jacks looked over at me. “I thought you said you didn’t get a ticket.”
“I didn’t.”
Lexi laughed from the other end of the table. “She got a warning and then asked out on a date.”
Jacks’s smile faded as he turned to me. “Did you say yes?”
“No.” I reached across the table and moved Landry’s milk away from the edge; with all the bouncing around she was doing she was bound to spill it. Not that Dagger would mind. I’d seen him camped out under her chair at every meal so far.
Luke leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms overhead. “Thanks for dinner, Bryan. It was delicious.”
“No problem, glad you liked it.” I stood and started gathering dishes, glad the subject of me getting pulled over had been dropped.
Jacks put his hand on my arm, stopping me. “No, you cooked. I’ll do the dishes.”
“I thought you had some errands to run tonight.”
He nodded, grabbing mine and Landry’s plates. “I do. But that’s later.”
“Okay. Well, Landry and I are going to watch The Little Mermaid, can we use your TV?” While we were out that day I realized that Landry had never seen any of the Disney movies. My sisters and I had watched those movies over and over when we were younger. The Little Mermaid was always my favorite, so when I’d seen it at the store, I bought it. Along with The Lion King, Aladdin, Tarzan, and Sleeping Beauty.
Dylan clapped her hands together. “The Little Mermaid?! I want to watch it, put it on down here.”
Fast forward twenty minutes? Everyone in the house was gathered in the living room. There were pillows and blankets and bowls of popcorn everywhere. Jacks was on the couch sitting between Landry and me, with Luke stretched out on the L part of the sectional. Dash and Lexi had made a pallet on the floor with Dagger. And Smith and Dylan were on the recliner. I couldn’t help the contentment I felt. I loved getting to be around my sister. And I had thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lexi today. I felt very at home here with all these people.
After a while Landry leaned her head against Jacks’s arm. So he lifted it and pulled her against his side. She bit her lips together to hide her smile. I felt so lucky to be here, to be able to watch the bond forming between those two. I looked up to see Jacks watching me watch them. He kissed the top of my head and then put his arm around me. And that’s how we stayed, the three of us, snuggled together watching The Little Mermaid.
When it ended, Luke jumped up. “This was fun, I’m going out. Jacks, you’re coming, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you out front.”
I stood and put my hand on top of Landry’s head, playing with her now disheveled topknot, trying to hide the sudden pang of jealousy that coursed through me. “Come on, sweet girl, I’ll get you tucked in. Jacks has some stuff he needs to do with Luke.” I wasn’t stupid, I knew when he asked me last night to watch Landry what kind of “errands” he needed to run. I mean what else would someone need at ten thirty at night? I’d put it out of my mind all day, not particularly comfortable with the way it made me feel. I didn’t want to say I was jealous. Because why would I be? We were just friends. Sure we spooned all night, sure I’d woken up with a huge smile on my face, sure he smelled amazing all the time. But we were just friends.
When Landry and I stepped past Jacks, he reached out and grabbed my free hand. “You okay with that?”
I smiled, giving his palm a squeeze. “For sure. No worries, have fun.” I waited by the stairs while he told Landry good night and that he’d be home soon. And then I watched, silently, as he left the house in search of something our friendship would never give him.
Chapter Nine
Jacks