Chapter Thirty-Two
Brody
Landry’s whole family (minus Evie, the sorority chick), and Clashing Swell was sitting down to dinner in her parents’ backyard. She was next to Talon and across from me. Luke had practically placed T and her in assigned seats. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to unclench my jaw. I was trying too damn hard to keep my cool, but seeing her for the first time in months and not being able to touch her was fucking torture.
“I’d love to learn to surf.” Jett had been listening to Dane’s big wave stories in fascination, his mouth hanging open. That kid had a surfer’s spirit, no doubt. Also, I was pretty sure I’d seen him toking on a vape pen behind the massive barbeque pit. He’d fit right in with our crew.
“I can teach you—I used to be an instructor at a summer camp.” T pulled his phone out, swiping it unlocked. Talon loved the ocean. Loaded, but so down-to-earth, he’d volunteered to teach and donated his salary to kids who wouldn’t have been able to afford the camp otherwise. My best friend was a really good dude. “In fact, we’ll be doing a show in Malibu August sixteenth, maybe you can come out?”
“That would be so amazing.” Jett looked down the table to Harlow. “Can we go, Mom?”
“Um, yeah, I’m sure we could arrange it.”
“I don’t know, kiddo, Landry is due in August. Talon might actually be here at the compound.” Luke sent his son a sympathetic smile. “We’ll have to see, okay?”
Talon’s eyes were trained on his plate and mine were on Landry. She mouthed I’m so sorry. This was all so fucking messed up. I hadn’t seen my girl in three months. We had huge things to discuss. We had lost time to make up for. We had an envelope that should have been opened weeks ago. But instead we were sitting at dinner listening to Luke plan out her future with Talon.
“Landry, your weird water bottle keeps blinking blue, what does that mean?” Crue nudged it toward her.
“It’s almost empty.” I answered for her and automatically went to grab it, my hand colliding with Talon’s.
He jerked his back, a frown on his face. “Sorry, man.” He was speaking quietly. “Luke has been making me take care of everything all evening.”
“It’s fine. I know you’re in a weird position.”
“Talon, you can use the water that’s in the fridge for the bottle.” Jacks was watching us from his spot at the head of the table, his voice loud and carrying. “The stuff in the pitcher is filtered.”
Talon sighed, getting to his feet, reaching for the bottle again.
“You know what? No.” I shook my head. “Baby cakes, I’m sorry, but this is getting out of hand.” I stood up, to address her whole freaking family. “Talon and Landry aren’t dating. They never speak on the phone. They never text. He shouldn’t be the one taking care of her. I should.”
“He finally snapped.” Brax whispered to Dane. “You owe me twenty bucks.”
“What are you talking about?” Luke was looking from me to Talon and back again. “Landry, is this true?”
“Nope. You want to talk about this, you talk to me. Landry doesn’t need the stress. Stress is part of the reason she’s on bed rest. And I know that because I was there when the doctor told us. I was there for every appointment, every sonogram. I was the one who made sure she ate healthy and took her meds. I bought her the annoying disco water bottle.” I pointed at the fucker; it was still blinking. “We’re together. We’re dating. We’re having a baby.”
“Wait. The baby is yours?” Jacks was pointing at me, a pissed-off father look on his face.
Landry put her hands on the table, slowly standing. “Brody, you don’t have to do this. I can—”
“Yeah, the baby is mine.” Everyone else at the table faded away. I wanted to wait until we were alone to tell her how I felt, what I wanted. But I couldn’t wait any longer. This charade had gone on long enough. “Landry, I don’t give a shit what the envelope says. It’s my baby, it’s mine in every way that matters.” Her eyes went soft, and then filled with tears.
“Someone needs to start explaining, right now.” Landry’s mom stood up. She had a smile on her face, but she sounded super pissed.
“Mom, let them have their moment,” Beau piped up.
“No.” She jabbed a finger in Beau’s direction. “I have had it with people standing up at the table and dropping truth bombs all over the freaking place.” She took a deep breath. “I am not a bad parent, we are not bad parents. You guys are all amazing kids, and we trusted you because of that. You were always here at the compound. You were always together and making good grades. So we trusted you. But look where that’s gotten us.” She gestured toward Halen and Beau. “Those two had a whole secret life we never knew about. Landry is six months pregnant and now we’re finding out the drummer with the dolphin on his ass is the father? Come on.”
“It’s a shark. A great white knocked me off my board when I was twelve, but then swam away.” I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to correct her.
“Of course you guys are good parents.” Beau was standing now too. If we kept this up, there would be more people on their feet than sitting down. “We’re all okay. Some of us marginally, some fantastically. Hell, Landry may be knocked up, but at least she’s a surgeon. Halen and I are doing great.” He glanced around the table. “And everyone else is alive and out of jail.”
“Why do you keep lying to us?” Beau and Landry’s mom looked sad and at a loss. Like she was exasperated with her kids, but loved them so much it hurt.
“I stopped lying. Landry is the one—”
“Seriously?” Landry made a mean face at her brother then turned to her parents. “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry that I wasn’t honest with you about who the father was. But I had my reasons.”
“There is never a good reason to lie.” Jacks shook his head, standing to put his arm around his wife. “Especially to your parents. There is never a good reason to lie to your parents.” Then he sent a tight smile across the table to Dylan. “This parsley cashew pesto is delicious by the way.” Dylan rolled her eyes and Cash choked on the water he’d just taken a sip of.
“I was dating that surgeon, Travis.” Landry waited for her parents to nod before she continued. “I caught him cheating on me, and we broke up. A few days later, I went to a Clashing Swell concert with Uncle Luke and Aunt Lo and met Brody.” She looked at me and I winked. “We started seeing each other, but we both knew it was a short-term thing. He was leaving on tour and I practically lived at the hospital. When I was home for the memorial, I found out I was pregnant. I knew then that the baby could be Brody’s or Travis’s.”
“Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you want to talk to us about it?” Her mom was breaking my heart with the desperation in her voice. I’d need to remember that tone when my own kid needed a solid guilt trip.
“Really, Mom?” Beau again. “You wanted Landry to tell the whole family that she’d slept with two guys so close together than she didn’t know which one had gotten her pregnant?” Beau was standing up for his sister in a way that only a sibling could, and it made me want to buy him a present. It also made me want to make sure Landry and I had more than one child.
“At first, I thought I wouldn’t tell either guy about the baby. Travis never wanted kids and Brody was about to start a whole new life. But then, I thought, okay maybe I’ll get the paternity test and then tell the father. Minimize the drama.” Landry sent Luke a glare. “Luke accidentally let it slip one night while he was watching the band that I was pregnant. Brody came over, he told me he wanted the baby and that he wanted me. And I had to tell him he might not be the baby’s father.”
“Holy crap, dude.” Crue was looking at me, shaking his head slowly. “And you’re still here?”
“Of course I’m still here.” I chuckled quietly. “I’m in love with Landry. And I’m in love with our baby. It doesn’t matter whose blood it shares, I’m its dad. I’ve been there from the start. I held Landry’s hair back while she puked her guts up. I slept with my hand on her stomach, silently begging the kid to take it easy on its mom. I was there to hear its heartbeat for the first time. I felt its first kick.” I held my hand out toward my girl. “And if she’ll let me, I’ll keep being there. I’ll show up, for both of them, every fucking day.” I smirked at T. “You were right—I’ve been falling for her from day one.”
“I’m sorry. What was that? Could you say it a little louder?” Talon cupped his hand around his ear, leaning forward.
“You were right.” I said the words over again, loudly. “I’ve been falling for Landry from the moment we met. Walking away was never an option.” I let go of her and quickly made my way to the other side of the table, taking her face in my hands. “I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but I’m so in love with you.”
I put my hand on her stomach, chuckling when the baby kicked my palm. “So in love with both of you.”