Landon's Obsession: An Endless Series: Book 3 (Series 3) (38 page)

     “Mother’s been helping Kris. She’s probably been
sending him money through a third person and that’s why my PI hasn’t been able
to track him. It’s why it seems like he’s completely disappeared. Have you been
helping him as well?”

     He paused now, but just for a moment, and his voice was
confused and weary when he answered. “No…I haven’t been helping your brother
hide. I’ve been trying to find him myself.”

     I was pleased to hear that. “Why?”

     “I need to know why he’s hiding.” He answered sounding
tired and pensive.

     “He’s hiding because Landon is threatening to kill
him.” My mother yelled in the background.

     “Nadine! You’ve been going behind my back to hide our
son?” Dad sounded shocked.

     “You went behind my back to search for him.” She
countered.

     “That is completely different. He’s been gone for
months with no word. For all I knew he was dead.” He snapped. I didn’t hear a
comeback after that. My father did sigh deeply though. “Well, now that that’s
cleared up maybe we can finally get some answers.”

     “I’m not bringing my son home so that my other son can
kill him.” My mother retorted.

     “Nadine, don’t be dramatic. Landon is not going to kill
him.”

     I didn’t correct my father because it was going to be a
close call on whether someone pulled me off of him before I did.

     “I’m still not bringing him home so that some girl can
accuse him of rape.” Mother stated.

     My anger was reaching a boiling point at the injustice
for Maya. “Maya isn’t going to press charges. If she had planned to she already
would have.” I roared furiously.

     “That’s probably because she was willing, and now she’s
trying to exploit what this other girl thought she heard to her advantage.” She
bellowed.

     Mu fury was nearly volcanic, but before I could counter
dad broke in. 

     “Okay, that’s enough yelling over the phone. Nadine,
you’re going to tell me where Kris is. Landon, you can call off your PI. I will
take things from here. We
will
find out what the truth is.” He stated
rigidly.

     Beneath his terseness I heard weariness though and my
anger decreased a notch in concern. I also noted that I was driving twenty-five
miles over the speed limit and eased my foot off the pedal somewhat.

     “Dad, you doing okay?”

     He sighed. “Yes, Landon. Just let me handle this now,
okay?”

     I took in a frustrated breath and let it out. “You
promise me that you’re going to find him. I’m not letting him get away with
this. Maya might not be pressing charges, but he’s got a reckoning with me.”

     “Landon, I’m not bringing him home so you can kick the
shit out of him.” My dad declared edgily.

     “Don!” My mother yelled.

     “He deserves it dad.”

     “Oh my god!” She yelled again. “I can’t believe you are
taking that girls…”

     “Nadine!” Father snapped.

     “Auhh.” That yell came out sounding fainter. She
probably stormed from the room.

     Dad sighed again.

     “You sound tired dad.” I stated worriedly.

     “And you sound angry, son.” He countered, sounding just
as concerned.

     “I’m extremely angry. It’s a fire inside me that isn’t
going to be extinguished any time soon. Kris drugged and raped my girlfriend. I
saw them together and thought she was there willingly. I walked away and left
her there. She’s been through a rough time and I’m partly responsible because
when she tried to tell me I treated her like shit. I not only want to kick his ass,
I want to kick my own as well. But Maya won’t let me. She’s basically forgiven
me.” I choked up remembering her words to me this afternoon; about where the
blame lay, and the guilt she herself dealt with.

     My father breathed heavily on the line. “I don’t know
what to say to that because it would be confirming your brother’s guilt and I’m
not ready to go there. All I can say is that if she’s not blaming you then try
to let it go.”

     “I don’t know if it’s going to be that easy to do.
She’s gone through so damn much.” I muttered in misery.  

     There was a heavy pause on his end. “Are you…are you
thinking about getting back together with this girl?” He sounded alarmed at the
idea.

     Fuck, that was question of the week. “Dad, I just located
her this week, and we are both dealing with a shit load of emotions, and I just
found out she doesn’t hate me.”

     “I can hear something in your voice when you talk about
her though, and it isn’t only guilt.”

     I went silent this time, not sure how to answer him.
There was definitely something there, it had always been there. I’d just shoved
it way back and buried under anger and cynicism.

     “I have to tell you, Landon, that if you start
something back up with this girl it will probably create a lot of additional
tension in this family. Tension I don’t know that could ever be smoothed over.”

     I almost told him about Nola and that Maya would always
be part of our family because she was the mother of their granddaughter, but I
had to get that approved through Maya first. I wasn’t going to break the trust
she put in me.

     “Dad, I got to go. I’ve got a meeting for lacrosse I
need to get to.” I lied because there wasn’t anything else I could tell him at
this time.  

     “Okay, son. Remember what I said about letting me
handle this situation. I will bring your brother home.”

     I hung up hoping he was telling me the truth on that,
and impatient for our fucking reunion.

∞                   
∞                    ∞

     I knocked on Maya’s door and heard pounding and yelling
from inside the house. A second later the door was opened and Nola stood there wearing
a sweet, enormous smile on her face with two fluff ball pigtails on her head.
Shit, she was adorable.  

     “Daddy! It’s my daddy. Mommy, Nana, it’s my daddy.” She
screamed.

     Each ‘
daddy’
out of her mouth hit me right in
the chest. Nola hadn’t called me that yesterday and I found I liked it a lot.

     Kneeling down I gave her a tender smile. “Hey, it
sounds like you missed me? Did you miss me, baby girl?” The ‘baby girl’ slipped
out because I’d heard Maya call her that several times yesterday.   

     Her shoulders arched and her smile turned shy. “Mommy
said you would be here and I couldn’t wait to see you again. I want to show you
to Nana. You need to take off your shoes first though. Mommy don’t like shoes
in the house.”

     After I’d taken off my shoes and coat Nola held out her
hand for me to take. I had a burning desire to pick her up and hold her, but I
wasn’t going to push myself on her. So I let her tiny fingers wrap around one
of mine―this had me hunching over slightly Quasimodo style―so she
could lead me inside to where Maya’s mother stood waiting five feet away…a
tight smile on her face.

     In her early forties now, she was still an attractive
lady; petite like Maya, with similar features. It gave me an idea of how well
Maya would age over time.

     “Hello Mrs. Cornett…I mean Mrs. Davison.” I switched my
gaze to the tall, some what graying, black man at her side. He looked to be
maybe ten years older than her but appeared to keep himself fit. “Mr. Davison.”

     He stared at me with a small frown and intent gaze, but
held out his hand. “Call me Brian. It seems we will be seeing each other a
lot.”

     Reaching out I took his hand, gratified by the gesture.
It was more than I expected. He could have given me the cold shoulder. Maya’s
moms’ lips thinned at her husband’s cordial offer and I sighed inwardly. She
was going to be a tough nut to crack.

     Nola tugged on my finger. “Daddy, look by the fire
place. I built anofer tower. I made it really high.”

     I let her lead me toward her handy work. “Nola, that
awesome. Did you do that all by yourself?”

     She beamed. “Yes, all by myself. Mommy let me stand on
the fire place, but she said I could only do it if she watched me.”

     Damn, she was adorable. I knelt down. “You did such a
good job, and I’m glad you made sure you kept yourself safe. I wouldn’t want to
come here and find out that you’d fallen and hurt yourself.”

     “Mommy don’t uselly let me get on it, but this time she
did because it was a present for you.” She stepped forward and gave me a hug
and my throat nearly closed up.

     I’m glad it didn’t though because she smelled good. Did
all kids smell this good; powdery, sweet, and fresh? It was a scent I’d never
come across before and someone needed to fucking bottle it. They’d make
billions.

     Nola then turned and brushed a kiss across my cheek and
my throat closed up the rest of the way.  

     She pulled back looking at me expectantly, and I had to
clear my throat to get words out. “Nola, that is the best gift I’ve ever
gotten. Thank you so much.”

     She nodded like ‘of course it is’, and I grinned. She
was such a firecracker. I pulled out the rolled piece of paper that was
sticking half out of my pocket.

     “I got you another present. I made this one like you
made mine.” I unrolled it and showed her. Her eyes widened as she took in the
picture. “I saw that you liked mermaids so I drew this for you, making you into
one.”

     Her little finger reached out and touched her drawn
face on the body of a mermaid frolicking in the waves; fish and other sea
animals around her. “It’s beau-ti-ful.” Her gaze turned excited. “Can I show
mommy?”

     “Of course you can. It’s yours and you can do whatever
you want with it.”

     She grabbed it and scampered for the kitchen. “Mommy,
mommy, daddy got me anofer present.” Then she disappeared around the corner.

     I turned my attention to Maya’s mom and caught her
staring at me with confusion. Brian continued to watch me fixedly. I had no
idea what to say to them and they didn’t seem inclined to start a conversation.
Could this get any more awkward?

     Thankfully, Maya came out of the kitchen, Nola leading
her like she had me. Maya was wearing a pale green, knee length dress, pinched
in at the waist, with a scooped neckline. It showed off her petite figure to
perfection, and my cock swelled at the sight.

     This was not good…down buddy; daughter and grandparents
watching.

     I tore my gaze from Maya’s figure to her face and it
wasn’t like that was going to be any help. Her hair was up again, in some kind
of curly mass on top of her head, but with loose tendrils. It was like she’d
put it up this morning and it had slowly been working its way free throughout
the day. Her make-up was light, but she’d never needed any. All it did was
bring out her already perfect features. Her cheeks were flushed appealingly,
probably from cooking, but when she came into the room they pinkened even
further.

     I used to love that color on her cheeks. I still loved
that color. My swollen cock twitched.

     Shit, I needed something to cover my response.

     Maya seemed to take in the distance between her mother,
step-father, and me, and sighed. “We all getting along in here?”

     Her mother smiled and walked over to Maya, kissing her
on the cheek. “Of course, honey.”

     Nola waved the paper I’d given her. “Nana, Papa, look
at the picture my daddy drew for me.”

     ReKesha sat down on the couch, drew Nola into her lap,
and looked down at the paper. Her lips did a twist and a pucker, and she threw
me a quick narrowed eyed glance before answering. “That looks exactly like you,
Nola, and you look beautiful.”

     Nola nodded again. “My daddy can draw really good,
can’t he?”

     “Yes he can.” She agreed. “It’s probably where you get
your drawing hand from.”

     Nola frowned. “What do you mean, Nana?”

     “You know how I’ve said you have your mother’s nose and
mouth?” ReKesha tapped Nola’s nose and mouth. “Well, you have your daddy’s eyes
and hands.”

     Nola frowned and looked down at her hands and then over
at mine. “Daddy’s hands are way bigger than mine, Nana. See.” She scrambled
down and ran over to me, setting her hand on top of mine. “Your hands are huge,
daddy.” She declared animatedly.

     Maya suddenly sputtered and then raised her hand to
cover a convulsion of coughing. I stared at her with concern, but then a light
bulb went off in my head. Did she just have a naughty thought? My chest
lightened at the possibility.

     “Seriously, Maya?”

     I looked over at Maya’s mother to see her rolling her
eyes. She seemed to have interpreted her daughter’s fake coughing as well.
Brian appeared to be holding back a grin, and doing a poor job at it.

     Maya straightened, sporting even redder cheeks. “What…I
swallowed wrong.”

     Brian sputtered and began coughing himself.

     “My lands, I’m surrounded my children.” ReKesha
declared.

     “What do you mean, Nana?” Nola asked.

     “She means that mommy and Grandpa are being
dingledorks.” I had to use everything in me not to smile, and if it had just
been Maya and me I would have been pressed up against her demanding to know exactly
what she’d been thinking…and that was an enlightening thought.

     RaKesha gave me a surprised look.

     “Are they being silly, Nana?” Nola smiled.

     “Very,” she declared dryly.

     “Dinner’s ready if anyone is interested in eating.” Maya
proclaimed looking embarrassingly aggrieved, and avoiding my gaze.

     I liked her having dirty thoughts about me, and it was
also nice to see that this incident had broken some of the tension in the room.

     “Come on, daddy. You can sit by me.” Nola tugged at me,
and I followed obediently.