Landon's Obsession: An Endless Series: Book 3 (Series 3) (53 page)

     “While I want to address that issue it seems I have
another problem to tackle at the moment.”

     I did not like him referring to my girls as a problem.
“Neither, Nola, nor Maya are a problem of yours. In fact, they aren’t any of
your business at all.”

     He frowned and I thought I saw a little hurt in his
expression. “You are my son, so whatever happens in your life concerns me. A
girl is claiming that you have a daughter. You’re telling me that she’s yours. If
she is than I have a granddaughter and that makes her family. I want to see the
medical tests proving it.”

     Resentment surged. “Did you get a look at her, dad? Did
you see her eyes? She has my eyes. I don’t need tests because it’s
unmistakable.” The dread of finding out that she wasn’t mine, but my brothers,
was still something I couldn’t shake. My love for Nola would stay the same, but
it would break my heart.

     My proclamation seemed to have caught his interest, and
his heartstring, because I witnessed a softening to his face. “No, I wasn’t
able to see her eyes. She really has your eyes?”

     “Yeah, dad.”

     “Why have you kept her a secret from us?”

     “Maya wanted to wait. She wanted Nola to get used to me
first before throwing other unfamiliar faces at her. I agreed with her. I also
wasn’t going to introduce you to her with you both in denial of Kris’s actions.”

     Grimacing, his gaze became scrutinizing. “How do you
know she’s not your brother’s?”

     Red colored my vision. “Nola’s mine.” I roared pointing
my finger at him. “I was with Maya for weeks; he drugged and raped her one
night using a condom. Nola’s my daughter.”

     He took a step back at my dark intensity, but wasn’t
silenced. “You didn’t wear protection? I find that hard to believe.”

     I growled at the continued talk of Nola’s parentage. “Dad,
for the last time; Nola is
my
daughter.”

     Taking a deep inhalation and exhale my dad suddenly
sagged and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I fucking hate this.”

     My dad didn’t swear often but when he did it was
profound. “Dad, you need to understand some things. First, Kris is forever cut
from my life. I’m going to see him one last time to beat the shit out of him,
ask him why, and then after that I never want to see him again.” His face
twisted in distress but I couldn’t let it effect me. It was the way it had to
be. “Second, Maya and I have resumed our relationship. I love them both. They’re
my life now. Third, I know I can’t force you to believe Maya’s side of the
story, but if you ever want to meet your granddaughter you will have to keep
any resentment buried. I will not have Maya or Nola upset because of what
you
feel. From my way of thinking Kris should be in jail, both of you should be happy
that he’s not. Moreover, Kris is a non-topic when Maya and Nola are around.”  

     Done with my speech I waited for his reply.

     Looking slightly stunned and fatigued he stared at me
with sad eyes. “Are you certain your feelings for this girl aren’t influencing
your assessment of the situation? Kris has his problems but I can’t see him
doing this to a girl; especially someone you had feelings for.”

     I shook my head decisively, but with a surprisingly
touch of melancholy. Maya had been right; the idea that my brother had betrayed
me this way…hurt. “If you decide to meet her you will know she would never lie
about something like this. I’ve talked to ReKesha and…”

     “Who’s ReKesha?” He broke in with a frown. 

     I huffed out an impatient snort. “ReKesha is Rita’s
real name. Mother made her change it because…well, I don’t know why she made
her change it. What goes through mother’s head most of the time doesn’t make
sense to me so you might want to ask her. Did you know that ReKesha didn’t
quit? Mother fired her.”

     Dad shook his head in tired confusion, and it crossed
my mind that I might actually be hitting him with too much information at one
time. My dad was an extremely intelligent man, who could handle multiple
business problems, but this wasn’t business, this was personal and very
emotional for him. 

     “Dad, I think I’ve given you enough information to chew
on for a while, but the one thing you really need to think on is whether you
want to meet your granddaughter. If you do then you need to decide if you can
do it on our terms. I love you both, and want you to be a part of Nola’s life,
so I hope we can reach some kind of compromise.” If they couldn’t then I didn’t
see much hope for a future with them in my life, because Maya and Nola were
going to be an integral part of my life.

     Dad rubbed at his chest and concern shot through me.
“You okay?” I stepped closer.

     He waved his hand and nodded. “Yes, yes, just exhausted
emotionally from this whole ordeal. Landon, if she’s your daughter then of
course I want to be part of her life. She’s my granddaughter. If you can talk
Maya into it maybe we could meet soon? And you can tell her that I will abide
by all your rules.”

     Relief swamped me at his concession. “I’ll talk to her,
but I can’t promise anything right now. She was extremely upset when she left.”

     His mouth twisted in an attempt at humor, but I could
see it was forced. “Yes, that’s the thing with surprises. They seem to be
either good or bad, nothing in between.” Stepping forward he embraced me. “I
love you son, and even though this is a mess right now I’m pleased to see how
you’re handling it. That you’ve stepped up and are taking responsibility.”

     The knot in my belly relaxed and I returned my dads
hug. “Thanks dad, I love you too.”

     Breaking apart with slaps on the back my dad turned and
walked away. The knot that had loosened tightened all over again at seeing the
obvious weariness to his steps. Dad was in his late fifties, and while he kept
himself fit I was worried that all this might be too much for his heart. The
man lived on stress everyday with the businesses he ran, and now having to
worry about all this family shit…I could see it was wearing him down.

     Hopefully meeting his granddaughter would bring some
lightness into his life. I had no doubt that Nola would instantly capture his
heart.

     Making my way back to the locker room I found it empty.
It had been an hour since the game ended so it wasn’t surprising. After a quick
shower I hurried into my clothes and headed out to my car. A quick glance at my
phone revealed one message from Nic asking if everything was okay and inquiring
if I needed anything from his end…his end being any of the guys.

     I texted back that everything was good and that I was
headed over to Maya’s. I typed in an appreciative ‘
thanks’
for his concern
with a smiley face for amusements sake. He sent me back a ‘tongue out’ one in
return.

     On the way to Maya’s I picked up some lunch for myself
as well as some chicken nuggets and French fries for Nola…just incase. I’d told
I’d get her some and I was going to make certain she got some. Pulling down
Maya’s street I instantly noted the extra car in Maya’s driveway. 

     It appeared that Gabby, Lon, and possibly the other guy
had stayed with her.
Fucking
Great
! I didn’t mind seeing Gabby
and Lon, but that other dude was another story.

     Parking behind Maya’s car I jumped out and strode
toward the front door. Walking past Maya’s car I had a random thought that I
needed to get her a newer vehicle, something sturdier. Would she like a mini
van or maybe a Mercedes? With ideas of possible vehicles swimming through my
head I used my key and walked directly inside to find everyone in the living
room. All eyes landed on me and it went quiet at my entrance.

     Seeing Gabby sitting next to Maya on the couch, and the
Juan guy seated across from her in a chair, went a long way in reducing my
tension toward the asshat. I didn’t necessarily have a problem with Maya having
male friends, they just needed to keep their distance from her, not ever touch
her, and there was definitely no staring at her ass. 

     “Daddy, you here.” Nola cried jumping up from the floor
and running toward me.

     I scooped her up giving her a hug and kiss. “Hey, baby
girl. Did you get your chicken nuggets and French fries?”

     “Yeah, we stopped at KFC. They have my favorite chicken
nuggets.” Seeing the food bag in my hand she reached for it. “Did you bring me
more?”

     “Are you still hungry?” I chuckled.

     “I always hungry for chicken nuggets.” She exclaimed
with grabby hands.

     I handed the bag over and gave her one more kiss before
setting her down. She ran back over to Andrea and crashed to the floor rather
ungracefully. I winced wondering if she was going to cry but she just rolled to
her stomach and reached into the bag. Shaking my head with a grin I turned to
find everyone watching me.

     Not at all discomfited at their attention I raised an
eyebrow. “By the quiet in the room it seems like I was the topic of
conversation.” Striding over I stood at the end of the couch, my gaze centered
entirely on Maya who stared at me with worried eyes.

     “Was it bad?” She asked.

     Looking at Gabby I gave her an inquiring smile. “Gabby,
can you watch Nola so Maya and I could talk for a moment?”

     She nodded with a smile and curious eyes. “Of course.”

     Holding out my hand I waited to see if Maya would come
with me. To my relief she took my hand without hesitation, and I led her from
the room and down the hall to the study. Closing the door I sat down in one of
the large comfortable chairs by the window, and pulled Maya onto my lap.
Situating her legs over mine I enfolding her in my arms, pressing her into my
chest. Nuzzling my nose in her neck and hair I breathed in her scent. The smell
and touch of her was tremendously stimulating, making my cock swell, but it was
also calming…because she was choosing to be here after everything.  

     Tension rolled off me as I just sat there holding her,
content that she let me. It didn’t escape my notice that she was taking
advantage of the embrace in hushed quiet herself. Her head rested on my shoulder
and her fingers interweaved through my hair slowly…tenderly.

     “You believe me, right? That I didn’t set that up?” I
asked.

     “Yes,” her breath whispered over my ear, making my dick
twitch. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. The sight of him just scared me.”

     I stroked down her shoulder and arm. “You know you have
nothing to be afraid of with them. As Nola’s parent’s we can keep them from her
and they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. They have no legal
standing.”

     She sighed. “I’ve spent year’s worrying that they would
find out and try to take her from me. I was a teen mother and they have so much
money and influence. It’s not like I’m living on the streets, and with the help
of my mom and Brian I’ve built a good life for Nola, but there’s still that
worry that what I’ve done isn’t enough. That they could convince the courts
that she would be better off with them, or if Kris…if they found out she’s
his…that he would…” She paused and inhaled a shuddery breath unable to
articulate the awful notion of Kris being a hands on father to Nola.

     The thought made me sick as well and I squeezed her in
comfort. It also gutted me thinking of her living on edge for years, fearful
that any moment my family would swoop in and tear Nola away from her.  

     “None of that will
ever
happen.” I assured her
resolutely. “Nola is my daughter. I’ve informed my father of this, and I told
him that if he wants to have any part in her life then he needs to abide by our
rules; to leave all resentment at the door, and no mention of Kris.” I took a
breath giving her a couple seconds to mull that over before continuing. “He
wants to meet his granddaughter and agreed to our stipulations.”

     She inhaled sharply and lifted her head. She looked
anxious but not terrified like earlier. Gripping her chin I brushed her lips tenderly.
“I said I would have to run it by you first. I won’t make any decisions
concerning Nola without notifying you first, and you agreeing.”

     Her breath eased out. “Oh…thank you.” She frowned.
“What about your mother?”

     “She wasn’t there. My father came alone wanting to talk
with me.”

     Her mouth turned down at one corner. “So you don’t know
how she feels about everything yet?”

     My mouth mimicked hers. “My mother will most likely be
a harder sell, but I’m not going to put up with any of her attitude. You and
Nola are my life now. She won’t have any contact unless she can follow our
rules.”

     Her head fell back down on my shoulder and we sat there
for another moment of silence, and petting. Her hand returned to stroking my
hair, down my neck, and around my ear, and then repeated. My hand settled on
her hip, squeezing her flesh, trying to control my escalating desire. Her touch
was setting me on fire, and my cock was fully engorged under her bottom. I swear
I could feel her heat through the material of her jeans.

    This was torture. 

    “I don’t want to keep them from her. They’re your
parents, and her grandparent’s. If they can abide by the rules than…I guess we
could set something up, but I won’t feel comfortable with them being alone with
her, probably not for a while.”

     I could hear in her tone that she was pushing past her
fear for my benefit and it made my chest hurt with the emotion constricting it.
Fuck, I loved this woman.

     Her head shot off my shoulder and she stared at me in
shock. Shit! Did I just say that out loud?

     “Did you…?” She began, but then broke off gazing at me
with dazed eyes.

     Yep, I guess I did. And now that I’d spoken it out
loud, even accidently, I wondered why I’d kept it to myself. It felt like a
load off my chest. Sandwiching her face between my hands I kissed her deeply.
Pulling away I set my forehead to hers.