Jacks told me that B was now more than his best friend, she was his girlfriend. I said duh, and everyone laughed. I liked making these people laugh and smile. It seemed like all I had to do was say whatever was on my mind and they thought I was hilarious. I’d never been allowed to do that before, tell grown-ups what I was thinking.
My social worker came over the other day. It was one afternoon when Mr. John was here; she seemed to like to listen to him teach me too. She told us that she would be coming back two more times, unannounced, whatever that means. And then we’d be set for the trial. I was really nervous to talk to the judge. I didn’t want to go back with my mom, but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to make that happen. Diane told me I just had to tell the truth.
I was so happy here. I didn’t ever want to leave; I didn’t ever want to go back to my old life. And more than anything, I never wanted to see my mom again.
Chapter Twenty-five
Jacks
We were down in the studio. We’d finished five songs and were working on number six when my phone vibrated in my pocket. Landry’s mom hadn’t been back, but Diane had been over for a check, and I knew she’d be back by at some point this week. Her visit had made me a little nervous. With Landry’s mom fighting for custody, the stakes were higher. I asked everyone to act like Amelia wasn’t a problem. We continued on with life like she’d never been here, like Landry had never seen her. I was doing everything in my power to make her feel safe here. I smiled when I saw B’s name across the screen. We both decided it was safer if she texted me instead of coming down here when she needed something. Every time I laid eyes on her, all I wanted to do was take her upstairs and fuck her senseless. It’d been weeks and I still couldn’t get my fill. I swiped my finger across the screen.
B: Landry is meeting with her incredibly British counselor… Wanna come upstairs and counsel me for a little bit?
J: You are giving me a semi… How am I supposed to come up with killer riffs when I have a hard-on that rivals a steel pipe?
B: Well, come upstairs. I’ll take care of that for you real quick.
J: Oh yeah? You ready for me?
B: I’m always ready for you.
J: You alone?
B: Yep. All alone laying in this big bed. Naked. And so damn w—
“Jacks! Put down the fucking phone. You know the rules.” Dash shot me a look that would put Dylan’s to shame.
I’d just gotten in trouble last week for sexting during a Skype call with the label. Told you I wanted her all the time. “B was just telling me that 007 is here for his session with Landry.”
J: Dash is being a shit, I’ll break away as soon as I can. Stay in bed.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket. “Happy?”
“Yeah, I fucking am.”
Smith chuckled. “You know Landry is going to grow up and only be interested in guys with accents, right?”
I scowled. I didn’t want to think about my little girl and dudes. Ever. “I think it’s the other women in this house who have a thing for accents. I swear they whisper in Landry’s ear and tell her to pick these guys.” Not only was her tutor Australian, but her counselor was British.
Smith shook his head. “Landry loves Uncle Luke too. That Texas twang of his has to be part of it.”
Landry enjoyed hanging out with Luke, and she seemed to have knocked off some of his self-destructive tendencies. They were good for each other. I pointed at Smith. “You aren’t her favorite man in this house, and you have an accent too.”
Smith shook his head. “Not to Landry I don’t.”
I laughed. “Are you kidding me? Your drawl is getting worse by the day.”
“Yeah, it is. Because I’m around Landry.” He looked around the room. “Am I the only one who’s noticed this? Landry doesn’t have an accent to me either, because we sound the same. We have the same drawl.”
Luke stood and walked around his drum set, sitting on the couch next to Dash. “For sure, man. Landry sounds like she should be Smith’s kid instead of yours.”
Landry sounded a little like Smith, but I hadn’t really paid all that much attention to it. They both grew up in Louisiana, figured that was why.
Dash leaned back against the cushions. “At first I didn’t hear it, but Smith is right, the more time he spends around Landry the more his accent comes out.”
Smith nodded. “I learned to curb it, tone it down a bit over the years. But being around Landry? Just brings it out.” He looked at me. “Are you sure you don’t remember where you were in Louisiana when she was, uh, conceived?”
“Sorry, dude. No clue.” Did it even matter? He wasn’t a fucking linguistics professor; it’s not like he could pinpoint the location by the sound of Landry’s voice.
Dash took a deep breath. “Since we are taking a break here…there is something I want to tell you guys.”
“You grew a vag? And that’s why you’ve been acting like a PMSing chick these last few days?” Dash had been cranky as fuck this week.