***
Landry and I made muffins, and the wolves descended and ate all of them. Then the guys went down to the studio and Dylan went to work. Once again it was just Lexi, Landry, and I all alone in this massive house. Landry was at the coffee table with a coloring book and huge box of crayons. Lexi was watching a pregnancy yoga workout on TV. Smith had put it on for her before he went downstairs, and she’d gotten on her mat and done it until the door shut. Then she’d gotten up and climbed on the couch. I adored her. I looked out the window, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was too pretty to be inside.
“Hey, Landry? Have you ever seen blue water and powder sugar sand?”
She turned around, her long hair whipping to the side. “No.”
I grinned. “You want to?”
She hopped up, that fun little light in her eyes. “Yes! Can we go?”
“Go upstairs and change into a swimsuit while I get some stuff together.” I looked across the room to Lexi. “How ’bout it, Lex?”
She put her hands on her belly. “I’d love to. But I have a Skype meeting with the builders today. I’ve been overseeing our house as well as Luke’s and Jacks’s. I am spent.” She sat up. “Actually, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to take over Jacks’s place while you are here.”
“Take over how?”
“The guys all worked on their own plans with the architects, but they need help picking out everything else. Tile, paint colors, fixtures. Would you mind?”
Would I mind picking things out for a house that wasn’t mine? That some other woman would live in one day? I couldn’t say I was thrilled about it. But if Lexi needed help, I wouldn’t deny her. “Uh, yeah, sure, I can do that.” I’d just pick out a few different options and then let Jacks do an either/or type of deal. It wouldn’t take long and then he would be responsible for the final decisions. “But can I start tomorrow? I’m taking that girl to the beach.” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the stairs.
“Yeah, of course. You guys go have fun and I’ll put all the catalogues and builder notes in your room.”
I went to the kitchen, got some snacks together, and loaded it all in the small cooler I’d found in the pantry yesterday. Then I headed into the studio to let Jacks know where we were going. I was once again greeted with the sound of a guitar, and before I even saw him, I was licking my lips in anticipation. His eyes opened when my foot hit the last step, like he could sense that I’d entered the room. He continued to play, his gaze never leaving mine. I was captivated by him, and I barely resisted the urge to jump him. After the last chord was strummed, he sat his guitar down and came toward me. My breath hitched in my chest. I had a sudden vision of him grabbing me by the back of the head and pressing his mouth to mine. Well, our friendship was taking an odd turn…
“What’s up, baby doll?”
I blushed. I freaking blushed at the sweet nickname that I’d heard a hundred times before. “I, uh, we’re going to the beach.”
He frowned. “Right now?”
“Yeah, well, Landry said she’s never seen the ocean and it’s such a pretty day.” Why did he look so upset? He asked me to watch her and…oh. “I’m sorry, how selfish of me, I didn’t even think to… You should take her for the first time, you should be there when she sees it.”
Jacks shook his head. “No. That’s not…” He pursed his lips and looked over at his bandmates. “I’m going to skip out today if that’s okay with y’all.” He smiled. “I’m going to take my girls to the beach.”
Chapter Eleven
Jacks
Bryan and I were sitting on a blanket; all the fear and nervousness I’d felt last night had been gone when I woke up. Like I’d worked out all my fears and worries in my sleep. Plus, seeing her comfort Landry in the middle of the night? Was everything. I guess what they say is true, things always look better in the morning. For once, I wasn’t scared of a relationship. I wasn’t running or avoiding commitment. B was perfect, and I was going to take things one day at a time. And today? We were watching Landry build a castle in the sand. Bryan had thought of everything. She was the one that slathered Landry in sunscreen, she was the one who stopped off and bought Landry this floaty ring noodle thing and a bunch of shovels and buckets… I’d have been lost without her. Landry and I spent an hour playing in the waves while Bryan laid out on the beach with a book in her hand. Her body was toned and tanned; she wore her long dark hair piled on her head. The way the sun kissed her skin, the way she looked in her aviators, everything about her was sexy as fuck. The only thing capable of distracting me from Bryan was Landry. She had so much fun jumping the waves and watching for dolphins.