“I’m sorry.” My voice cracked on the words. I felt like utter shit. I’d been the worst type of man. “I’m sorry I treated you like that. I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t count on me, couldn’t come to me.” I shook my head. “But that doesn’t excuse the way you treated Landry. What happened to the money, Emily?”
Her eyes went to Smith. “His old man took some every month. He said if I didn’t keep giving him a cut that he would tell everyone I’d lied, that I was extorting the band. Smith got out, he got away. I didn’t. I was my own worst nightmare, raising my fatherless child in the trailer park.” She didn’t have to tell us the rest of her story; it was written all over her face, her body. The money went to drugs, to booze, to numb the pain of her life, and Landry was a casualty.
“Don’t you want better for her? Don’t you want more out of life for our daughter?”
She sobbed, “Yes.”
“Then let her stay with me. Don’t fight for custody.” I was pleading with her. I would get on my knees if I had to.
“How will I know if she’s okay? How will I know if she’s safe?”
“Because you can come check on her.” Bryan was standing at the backdoor, Landry’s small hand in hers. “You can call if you want…or come see her…” She looked down at Landry. “But you have to be clean. You have to be sober. We won’t let you come in and let her down. She deserves more than that, and you know it.”
Emily got up and kneeled on the floor at Landry’s feet. “I am so sorry, baby. I am so sorry for everything.” She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “You can stay here with your dad. I won’t make you choose.” Landry let go of B’s hand and threw her arms around her mom’s neck. They held each other for a while before Emily stepped back and placed a kiss on Landry’s forehead. “I love you, baby.”
Chapter Thirty
Bryan
Jacks told Landry’s mom that he wouldn’t tell the label about what happened. He said that as long as she stopped giving money to Smith’s dad and entered in-patient rehab, she could keep her checks. But she would need to prove both. She called CPS from our living room and Diane came over with paperwork signing away her parental rights. It was hard, and she cried, but in the end she was finally the mother Landry deserved. By giving her up, she got to keep her. I wouldn’t go back on my word. I’d make sure that she’d get to see Landry whenever she wanted, as long as she stayed clean and healthy.
I knew Jacks didn’t fully understand what had happened or why…but he was thrilled to have Landry, no strings attached.
“Hey, what are you still doing up?”
Dylan had walked into the kitchen where I was sitting with my laptop. “I’m hiring movers to box up all my stuff and place it in storage.”
She nodded, grabbing two mugs from a cabinet and putting water in the kettle to boil. “Does Mom know? Mikah?”
“They are actually coming down here in a couple of weeks. I told them a little about what’s been going on and they insisted. They wanted to see us anyway.”
She placed a tea bag in each cup and then leaned her hip against the counter. “I’m not sorry for wanting to protect everyone. But I do feel badly for making this harder on you and Jacks, and Landry.”
I gave her a small smile. “I love them both so much. There isn’t anything you or anyone else could have said to make me change my mind in the end.”
The kettle started to whistle and she took it off the stove, filling each of our cups. She handed me one and then came and sat next to me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Doll?” We both looked over when Jacks walked in. “You okay?” He came and stood behind me, kissing the top of my head.
“Yeah, just hanging out with my sister.”
He chuckled. “I should have known. I wake up wanting some ass and your sister is down here cock-blocking me.”
Dylan reached out and pinched his arm. “Calm down, pretty soon we’ll be living in separate houses and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
He frowned. “It’s going to be so strange. Not being with everyone like this.”
I laughed. “The houses are only a couple of acres apart. It’s not like we’ll be living in different neighborhoods.”
“B? Jacks?” A sleepy Landry padded into the room, her hair a mess and her clothes all twisted.
“Hey, Buttercup, what are you doing up? Did you have a nightmare?” Jacks scooped her up and placed her on the island.
“No. Crash was snoring.” We’d conceded and let Crash sleep in Landry’s bed. “And I looked across the hall and you guys were gone.”
I hugged her little waist. “I’m so sorry, sweet girl. We didn’t mean to scare you.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t scared. I was just wondering if you guys were down here having midnight snack time with Lexi.”
Jacks laughed. “What are you talking about? What’s midnight snack time?” At that moment Lexi came strolling into the kitchen, whistling, completely unaware that we were all watching her. “Can we help you?”
She jumped about a foot in the air. “Holy fudging shit! What is wrong with you guys?! You can’t scare a pregnant chick like that! I could go into labor.” She looked around the kitchen, taking us all in.