by L. P. Maxa
“I’ll wait.” I put my hands on his, finally grinning for the first time today. “I’ll wait for you to open it, I promise.”
He kissed me, hungrily and inappropriately given our location. I knew we were drawing attention, but in that moment I didn’t care. “Next month, we perform an hour from here. Meet me there? We’ll get a hotel room, we’ll open it after the show.”
“Okay.” I swallowed down my tears, something I found myself doing daily. “Wow. I feel like I can breathe again. I was so scared that you’d really want to be over. That they’d draw my blood and you’d walk out.”
“How could you honestly think that?” He got back in his seat, picking up his sub sandwich and taking a massive bite. “I’m obsessed with you.”
I was obsessed with him too. The crazy drummer who did acrobatics from light rigs and let random strangers tattoo his ass was my knight in shining armor. He was kind and compassionate. He made me laugh, and he made me scream.
And best of all, he was the best friend I’d ever had.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brody
“Hey dude, what the hell? I thought you were going to text me after Landry’s appointment? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all damn afternoon.”
I smiled, pulling the phone away from my ear to minimize Talon’s loud-volume lecture. “Landry was off today so we came home after her appointment and banged a lot.”
“Really Brody?” I looked to my right, winking at my half-naked girl.
“I take it things went well then?” I heard the humor and relief in Talon’s voice, and I loved him for it.
“We’ll get the results in a couple weeks, but yeah, everything went well.” I didn’t want to gush to my friend in front of my girl. How uncool would that make me?
“Put me on speaker—I need to talk to Landry.”
I hit the button and laid my phone on my chest. “Okay.”
“Luke has called me three times in the last four hours. I have to get him an update.”
Luke still thought Talon was spending all his free time with Landry, taking care of her and going to all her appointments. It didn’t bother me as much as it did in the beginning. It kept her family off her case, which in turn kept her stress level down.
“Sorry, Tal. I think my phone is still in my purse.” She got up and I groaned in annoyance.
“Baby cakes, get your naked ass back in this bed.” I slapped my hand on the mattress for dramatic effect. “Dammit T, this is why I wouldn’t answer your calls or reply to your texts.”
He chuckled on the other end of the line. “Give the woman a break. I’m sure she needs some rest and some sustenance.”
I sighed. “You aren’t wrong.”
“Talk to you guys later.”
“Bye.” I held my phone out toward Landry when she walked back into the bedroom. “Tell Talon to go away.”
“Bye Talon.”
I hit the end button and then pulled up my Grub Express app. “You hungry?”
Landry lay down, covering her perfect breasts with one of my loose-fitting t-shirts. “Yeah, whatever you want to eat is fine with me.” She put her cell in front of her and the sound of a FaceTime ring filled the room.
“Are you seriously doing that with my naked ass two feet away?” I reached over, tickling her ribs. “Are you ready to tell them about us? I need to talk to your mom anyway. She wants all my social media login info for our new PR manager.” I made a grab for her cell phone and she rolled away, laughing.
“Just stay on your side of the bed”—she pointed at my face—“and keep your mouth shut.”
“Hey, Buttercup. How are you? How was your appointment? We’ve been trying to reach you all day. We were worried.”
It was her dad that answered. The concern in his voice was actually pretty heartwarming. I scooted down farther and positioned my chest between Landry’s thighs, ordering our dinner while she chatted with her fam.
“The appointment went great, and when I got home, I fell asleep.”
“Is Talon still there?” Luke’s voice came over the line, and I rolled my eyes then nipped at her bare thigh.
She smacked the top of my head lightly. “No, he dropped me off after my appointment. He had to go home and pack.” Lies fell off my girl’s tongue with ease, even though I knew they ate her up inside. “Why are you guys all at Uncle Smith’s house? Where is Aunt Dilly?”
“We sent all the females for a spa day.” Dash was the one that answered her question. “Your Uncle Smith adopted two Great Dane rescue puppies as a surprise for his girls.”
Landry giggled. “So you four wanted an afternoon of puppy snuggles before Aunt Dilly and Emmie could come home and hog the new family members?”
“We had to, uh, fix part of the fence. You know, man stuff.” Smith made his voice sound deeper than it actually was.
“Sure.”
Our food was ordered and now I was watching Landry talk to her uncles. They loved her so much. It was clear as day by the tones they all used with her. She’d had a shit start in life, but she was surrounded by affection and attention now. But as sweet as hearing their conversation was, I was me. And I couldn’t let this moment go by without fucking with her.
I slid the sheet covering her legs to the side, dipping down and taking her clit in my teeth. I smiled when I heard her inhale a loud quick breath. “I, uh, I’ve gotta go guys.”
“Buttercup are you okay? You look a little red.”
I let go of her clit, using my tongue instead, teasing her opening.
“Yeah. You know, I’m feeling a little sick, but it’s, ah, it’s time for my meds.”
I put my hands under her ass, lifting her so I could cover her with my mouth.
“Love you guys. Bye.” She flung her cell across the room and collapsed back on her pillows. “I should be pissed at you right now.”
“Yeah?” I flicked her clit with my tongue. “You want me to stop?”
She fisted her hands in my hair, holding me in place. “Don’t you dare.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Landry
I’d come out of a six-hour surgery and then headed straight to Mr. Weston’s follow-up visit. It was Thursday, and Brody left on tour tomorrow afternoon. I’d taken Friday off so we could sleep in and then I could see him off. For me, I’d taken Saturday off so I could cry in peace. Hormones were a bitch.
Because of the time off, today had been especially busy. I’d barely had time to drink enough water, let alone eat. But it’d be worth it when my alarm didn’t go off at sunrise.
I stopped right outside of Wes’s exam room, grabbing my vibrating cell.
Brody: How’s your day baby cakes?
Landry: Good, busy but really good.
Brody: Drinking enough water?
Usually I could honestly answer him, yes. But today had been so damn nuts that I hadn’t drunk as much as I should have.
Landry: I’m working on it.
Brody: I’m at the beach house, getting all my stuff packed and loaded up. I want to do nothing but YOU until I have to leave.
Landry: Oddly sweet.
Brody: That’s my jam.
***
“Everything looks great.” I closed Wes’s chart and smiled at him and Minka. “You are all cleared.”
Minka got up, hugging me as best she could, her pregnant belly keeping us a couple feet apart. “Thank you for everything, Landry.”
“We know this is your fifth year, and your fellowship is coming up.” Wes got to his feet, putting his arm affectionately around his wife’s shoulders. “We put in a good word for you with the board. A really good word.”
“That was so nice of you, thank you.” A good word from a trustee? I was pretty much guaranteed a fellowship offer from the hospital.
“Oh, and I finished your baby blanket.” Minka hopped up like she’d almost forgotten. She grabbed a pretty silver box from under her chair. “You’ve got to keep us in the loop, let us know how things ar
e going.”
“Thank you, I will.” I took the box from her, my eyes filling with tears pretty much instantly. “And you too, please let me know when you’re back here. I’ll come up and see you, make sure everyone is doing their job.” I winked and then headed for the door. “See you guys soon.”
I stepped out, shutting the door behind me and was immediately pulled to my right. I almost tripped before Travis came to a stop, his grip on my arm punishing. “What the fuck were the Westons talking about Landry? Are you pregnant?”
I opened my mouth then closed it again. I wanted to lie to him. I wanted to tell him no, that I wasn’t. I didn’t want to have this conversation right now, if ever. I wanted to go back in time and never sleep with Travis, never date him in the first place. “Yes.”
“How far along?” His voice was ice cold, his eyes accusing.
“A little over twelve weeks.”
His eyes narrowed, his jaw ticked. “It’s mine, it’s mine and you didn’t tell me. You lied. You kept the pregnancy to yourself until it was too late. Didn’t you?” He used his hold on my arm to shake me a little, causing me to wince in pain.
My breathing became shallow; his tone, his words, his actions, they were all making it hard to get air in. “Wait, what do you mean?”
“Did you think that the baby would get me to take you back?” He scoffed, like I was beneath him. “How pathetic can you be?”
Take him back? I broke up with him, loudly and in front of a dozen people. “No. I didn’t and don’t want you back.”
He held his hand up in front of my face, silencing me. “You knew I didn’t want children. You knew I would have asked you to get an abortion. So you lied.”
Abortion. My chest was starting to ache, the stress from the conversation making my head swim. I wanted to walk away. I wanted to lie down. “No, that’s not true.”
“I want nothing to do with this pregnancy, this child, or you.” He shook his head in disgust, his grip tightening even more. “You mean nothing to me; this baby will mean nothing to me. If you try to get one cent out of me, I’ll ruin you.”
How had I ever dated someone so awful, so cruel? I put my hand to my stomach. I was starting to feel sick. Which could either have something to do with the six-hour surgery I’d just performed, or the vile man standing in front of me. “Who the hell do you think you are? I wasn’t trying to trap you or get you back. I want nothing to do with you, and if need be, I’ll help you terminate your parental rights.”
“Oh, it’s needed.”
“Dr. French? What the hell are you doing?” I heard Wes. I heard the outrage in his voice. But he sounded so far away, like he was speaking to us from a tube. “Let her go.”
Travis finally let go, the sudden blood flow making me dizzy. “And I thought you were better than your upbringing. I guess I was wrong. You weren’t wanted, and now your baby isn’t either.”
“That’s it. Security,” Wes yelled. “I’m on the board of the hospital and I want Dr. French removed from the premises, immediately.”
Wes was closer now—I wanted to talk to him, to tell him I was okay. But my legs felt weak, like they were about to…
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brody
“Landry Cole. I need Landry Cole’s room number.” I slammed my hands on top of the nurse’s station desk. “You can glare at me all you want, just tell me what room my girl is in.”
“Brody?”
I spun around, relived when I saw Dr. Woodsen walking toward me. “Where is she? What happened? Is she okay? The baby?” I’d gotten a call twenty minutes ago that Landry had passed out, that she was still out cold. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, every worst-case scenario running through my head.
He gestured to the side, pulling me away from the mean-mugging nurse. “Landry is fine, the baby is fine. As far as I can tell, she fainted, which by itself isn’t concerning.” He paused, scratching his beard like he was trying to buy time. “But she was also dehydrated, her blood pressure was elevated, and it took a little longer than I liked for her to come around.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, resisting the urge to slap him and make him tell me where she was. “Okay, what does that all that mean?”
“This pregnancy started out pretty rough for her, and even though she’s been doing okay lately…I’m putting her on bed rest for the remainder.”
“Holy shit. She’s going to kill you and make it look like an accident.”
He winced. “Believe me, I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.” He started ticking points off on his fingers. “She’s on her feet all day—hell, she performed a six-hour surgery this morning. Her job is stressful. She gets run down way too fast. Her level of dehydration was severe, which was also concerning, given how quickly that happened.”
“She drinks water all day. I text her reminders and she carries that bossy bottle around that spazzes out with reminders.”
“I know she does, which is why I’m so concerned.” He pulled his cell from his pocket when it started to ring. “I’ve already written out her orders and talked to her chief resident.” He took two steps back, still looking at his cell. “I’ve got to deliver a set of twins. I’ll come check on her later. I want her to stay overnight for observation.”
“Wait, you’re leaving? Did you already tell her about the bed rest?”
“I didn’t have a chance yet. Sorry man.” He waved and then took off sprinting in the opposite direction, calling over his shoulder, “Room seven twenty-eight.”
Well for fuck’s sake. I slid down the ugly beige-colored wall and took my cell from my pocket. As anxious as I was to see her, kiss her, make sure she was okay, there was something I knew I had to do first, and I knew Landry was going to flip shit.
“Hello?”
“Beau? Hey, it’s Brody. From Clashing Swell?” What if he’s still like, who? What if he has to look me up on the net? That would be embarrassing as hell.
“Uh, okay? What, uh, what can I do for you man?”
“I might be the father of your sister’s baby.” Wow. I don’t think I meant to say that. I’d planned to sort of lead up to it a little.
“I’m sorry. What?”
Yeah. Obviously that threw him for a loop. I took a deep breath and tried to slow my word vomit. “Landry and I have been seeing each other for a few months now. I know that she told you that she didn’t know who the baby’s father was. Her prick of an ex, or the new guy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m the new guy. Well. I was the new guy.” I shrugged. “I think three months of fucking kind of brushes some of the bloom off, you know?” Shit. I did it again. Word vomit.
“Are you seriously calling me to tell me you’ve been banging my sister and that you might have been the dude to knock her up? I haven’t done shrooms in a long time, but this sounds a hell of a lot like a bad trip.”
“I’m not lying and you’re not high…I mean, I guess you’re not high.” I didn’t know how he spent his evenings. “And I’m calling because I need your help. Your sexy sister is going to try to kill me.” Was it okay to call someone’s sister sexy? I didn’t have a sister. I didn’t know the rules. It didn’t bother me when people called Talon sexy.
“You’re dating my sister. And you know about the baby?”
Beau was a lot slower on the uptake than I thought he’d be. I didn’t have time for a lengthy chat. I needed to get him on board and I needed to get to my girl. “I’m with your sister. We’re taking things slow, one day at a time type of deal, but we are living together…You know what? That’s not important. This pregnancy has been kicking her ass from day one. Our OB—”
“Our? Is the baby yours? I thought she didn’t know yet.”
“Landry is mine. And that’s all that matters right now, okay?” It’d been six weeks since I found out I was possibly going to be a father. Six weeks of craving runs and holding her hair while she puked it all back up. Six weeks of lying in
bed with my hand on her tummy. Six weeks of living life together.
“Okay.”
“She is on some anti-nausea meds, and they’ve been working. She’s keeping food down and gaining some weight, but today she passed out. The doctor put her on strict bed rest.”
“She’s passed out? Why? Is she okay? The baby, is it all right?”
“Dr. Woodsen, our OB, thinks it’s all pregnancy related. She works too many hours, she’s on her feet too much. It’s all a bad combo—her body, the pregnancy, her lifestyle…it doesn’t mesh.” I was taking some liberties with what Dr. McBearded told me, but I didn’t want to get into levels of dehydration right now. “He put her on bed rest.” I rested my head in my hand, suddenly feeling more tired than I’d ever felt in my life.
“I bet she hates that.”
“I haven’t told her yet. That’s why I’m calling you. I need your help.” I glanced around the hallway, making sure she wasn’t about to sneak up on me with a knife. “I leave on tour tomorrow. I have to go. If I don’t I’ll be letting my whole band down. But the thought of leaving Landry here alone rips my heart clean out of my chest.”
“Wow.”
I shook my head. “I know. Graphic. Sorry. I’m just tired man. And worried—this pregnancy had been hard on both of us.”
“No. I meant wow, you’re in love with my sister.”
“Oh.” Was I? “I, uh, I need you to come get her in your fancy pants jet.” He didn’t say anything so I continued, as was the Clashing Swell way. “I’m going to tell her about the bed rest, but I want you to help me convince her to move home while I’m gone.”
“Home? Like to the compound?”
I nodded then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Getting her home is what’s best. She won’t be alone. And you guys have that aunt that is a PA. Here in Florida it would be Landry and her friend Grub Express.” I wouldn’t be able to leave on tour knowing that she was laid up in bed, alone, without any help. Without anyone to make her drink water, to remind her to take her meds. She needed people to keep her mind occupied and to make her laugh. To make her feel loved. I wiped at my cheeks. What the fuck? Was I crying? Good Lord. “Will you help me?”
