I wondered if Landry had Jacks’s last name or if her mom had used her maiden name. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about Landry, mainly because none of it mattered. She was Jacks’s daughter; I loved her instantly.
Jacks reached over and tickled Landry’s ribs, making her squirm and giggle. “Buttercup, why don’t you run across the hall and get dressed? We’ll go get some breakfast.”
She jumped up and did what Jacks asked. Luke moved to the side so she could get past him, ruffling her hair as she did. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and resumed his post on the wall. “You three looked adorable all piled in that bed.”
“Well, we are all very adorable people.” Jacks threw back the covers and got up. His tight ass looked good in those shorts. An image of my hands digging into his flesh flashed across my mind. Last night was the start of something, and even though I wanted to go slow, I was more than ready to get to the good stuff. So far so good; I definitely wasn’t feeling bored. “You stay out all night again, Lukey?”
Luke glanced down at what he was wearing. “Looks that way, Jackson.”
What was this tension between them? What did Jacks care if Luke whored his way down 30A from Destin to Panama?
Jacks grabbed a tee from his closet, pulling it over his head and then slipping on some flip-flops. “You want to tell me what is going on with you? What’s causing you to stay out all night, then come home looking like death warmed over?”
Luke’s jaw tightened. “Just picking up where you left off, brother.”
Jacks nodded, his hands on his hips. “If you don’t want to talk about what’s bothering you, that’s fine. Just make sure that none of your new activities happen in front of my kid.”
Jacks had gone from the life of the party to a protective father in under a week. In my opinion people had been underestimating him for most of his life. Jacks had always been capable of being this man: this responsible, loving, kind man. He just didn’t have a reason, or anyone to believe in him. Now he had both.
Luke let out a sigh, defeated. “I would never do that.”
“You’re right. The old Luke? The one from before Lex joined the tour? Would never even think about letting a child see him destroying himself. But you see, the old Luke didn’t want to destroy himself.” Jacks faced his bandmate, arms crossed. “I’m sure Landry has seen enough shit in her life. I won’t let her see any more. You feel me?”
Luke pushed away from the wall, turning to leave. “I feel you.”
Landry came bounding back into the room. I loved seeing her run around like a normal kid. For the first few days she was here, she kind of walked around very cautiously most of the time. Like she needed to be invited into every room before she entered. Jacks playfully dove onto the bed next to me. “What do my beautiful girls want for breakfast this morning?”
This man melted me. He gave love and affection so easily, so naturally. He’s exactly what Landry needed right now. “Hmmm…I think I want…doughnuts!”
Jacks looked over to her. “What do you say, Buttercup? Want to go for a drive and get B some doughnuts?”
***
When those two left to get everyone breakfast I headed downstairs and found Dylan sitting on the back porch with a cup of tea in her hands. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings. I looked down at the shirt I still had on, the one I’d slept in. It was Jacks’s. When I’d gotten out of the shower last night it had been sitting on the bathroom sink. There was a note in the mirror fog that said WEAR ME. It didn’t necessarily look like a man’s shirt; it fit me pretty well. Jacks wore his shirts incredibly tight; maybe she wouldn’t notice. “Hey.”
She looked up when I opened the back door, smiling. “Hey.”
I sat down in the padded chair next to her. “What are you doing up so early? It’s Saturday.”
Dylan took a sip out of her cup. “Just used to getting up early, I guess. What about you? Where is Landry?”
“Jacks took her to go pick up doughnuts.” I leaned back in the chair, enjoying the early morning sun before it turned blazing. “He asked me to stay, for the summer. To help with Landry.” I hadn’t told her last night, I didn’t want to ruin all the fun we’d been having.
“And? What did you say?” I could hear the disapproval in her voice already.
“I said yes.” I brought my knees up, hugging my legs to my chest. “I want to be here; with him, with her, with you.”
Dylan sat her cup down. “I love having you here, Bryan. But you need to be careful when it comes to Jacks and Landry. Children need consistency, and you have a tendency to be the opposite. You need to make him be her father; you can’t start to raise her for him.”