Landon's Obsession: An Endless Series: Book 3 (Series 3) (65 page)

     “The first few weeks are going to be a bitch, but it
should level out, and then my hours will diminish slowly over time; especially
as I train Evan to take over divisions of my work.”

     Maya raised her head with a frown. “Evan’s going to
work for you?”

     I tucked some hairs behind her ear. “With me…I’m going
to train Evan as an executive, because unlike me, he wants to work in business.
In fact, Nic and I were discussing a new business venture he wants me to join
him in.”

     She rose up further blinking in confusion. “Wait…your
losing me here.”  

     I grinned. “You were right, Maya. I don’t want to work
in business. I want to do something with my art. Little by little the business
would have chipped away at my soul until I was no longer me but someone else. I
don’t want that for me, or for you and Nola. I can’t sever ties completely with
it, but I can hand most of it over to someone I trust who wants the damn headache
of it all.”

     Mouth agape she stared at me. “What will your dad say?”

     I shrugged my brows. “I think he might go along with
it. Hell, it’s possibly the best time to ask him with what mother and Kris did
to me…to us.” I snorted angrily and gave her a sorrowful glance. “Sorry, I
don’t want you to think I’m making light of it…”

     She shook her head somberly and brushed my hair back.
“I know you’re not.”

     I breathed and let her soothing fingers ease my ire.
“I’m going to let him know that I’ll keep a managerial role, but it will be
part-time. I don’t have a problem delegating the chief portion of the work to
someone I trust. All Nic wants me to do is draw and I’m happy as all fuck with
that arrangement.”

     A smile curved Maya’s lips and her eyes lit up. “Oh,
Landon, that’s so great. I’m so happy for you.”

     Tilting my head I brushed her lips gently. “That’s why
I love you.” She’d always been looking ahead toward my future happiness.
Something no one else had really done for me. I loved my dad, and I know he
loved me, but he’d always thought his interest in business had been passed down
to me. I’d never really told him differently, but I think subconsciously I’d
expected him to know where my true interest lay.

     My mother…she’d just expected me to follow her plans.
She’d recognized my deep interest in art and that hadn’t aligned with her
plans, just like Maya hadn’t, so she’d schemed and had nearly destroyed
everything; not just four years ago but this time around too. When Maya had run
from me this morning I’d thought she’d finally reached her limit and I hadn’t
been surprised…my family and I had brought her nothing but pain.

     Desolation had flooded me when she’d held up her hands
to keep me away and run from the room. I’d barely kept it together during the
next forty minutes; calling Maya’s mother, watching over Nola, explaining to
ReKesha of what my mother had done, giving Nola a kiss and a hug and telling
her I’d see her later…hoping I’d be allowed to see her again.  

     It’s a fucking miracle I didn’t wrap my car around a
tree on my way back to the hospital with the hole in my chest sucking the life
out of me. When Maya walked into that hospital room I’d been staggered, and
then when she’d walked up next to me and given me that loving smile my heart
had restarted for a second time.

     The first time had been when she’d let me back into her
life.

     Thank god she still loved me after learning of my
mother’s manipulations. I think that was the only thing getting me through this
with a straight head…the fact that she still loved me.

     A yawn abruptly split my face.

     Maya giggled. “Geesh, I think I saw to China down that cavernous hole.”

     I gave her a feeble poke that had her jerking and
giggling again. Kissing my jaw she curled up next to me. “Go to sleep.” She
ordered.

     “I need to brush my teeth.” I mumbled around another
yawn.

     “I’ll brush them while you sleep.” She whispered
stroking my ear.

     Shit, she was the best girl friend ever, and her offer
sounded great…I might have to take her up on it.

EPILOGUE

Three Months Later

LANDON

     “Lands sake, how many presents did you get Nola,
Landon?”

     I grinned at ReKesha as Nola demolished the wrapping on
the last gift I’d gotten her. “What, do you think I might have gone overboard?”

     ReKesha snorted. “I think you and your father have set
a precedent this birthday that will be difficult to follow.”

     I shrugged. “Both of us missed her first three, so we
each felt like we needed to make up for them. It was hard as hell stopping
myself from buying up the whole store. I tell you, what you see here is me
being restrained.”

     And that was the absolute truth. I’d wanted to buy
everything in the store, but after Maya had caught me sneaking in with my
twelfth gift—when she’d told me to stop at the tenth—she’d threatened to cut me
off from sex. I totally could have had her rescinding that threat because my
woman turned to combustible tinder in my hands, but Maya had explained that while
she understood my need to make up for past birthdays too many gifts would just
overwhelm Nola…and spoil her rotten.

     Nola squealed in excitement as the miniature battery
operated red sports car was revealed. It was already charged and ready to go so
she climbed in and began driving around the backyard…and immediately drove into
her swing set.

     Okay, so she wasn’t the best driver, yet.

     I rushed over and shifted her car off the pole she was
hung up on and Nola was instantly off again. Everyone cheered and camera’s
flashed as Nola waved and smiled delightedly at the crowd like some kind of
prom queen…my girl was fucking adorable! I jogged next to for a while making
sure she didn’t turn and run down that same crowd of guests that had come to
celebrate her fourth birthday. The guests consisted of my father, ReKesha,
Brian, and Greg the douche—who was beginning to grow on me, especially since he
brought a date—all my roommates and their girlfriends, Blake, Gabby, Lon, Andrea,
Juan the douche-two, as well as three other huge tattooed cousin’s that I’d
just learned Gabby had tried hooking Maya up with but had ended up in the
friend-zone…thankfully.

     It wasn’t easy seeing them and thinking about the ‘
what
ifs’
. She’d had countless opportunities to hook-up with several good men but
hadn’t. Sometimes all the ‘
what ifs
’ woke me up at night, but then I’d
see Maya sleeping next to me and I would curl around her—or wake her up—and the
reassurance of her presence made those gut wrenching feelings disappear.

     Lately I’d been too tired to wake up. That first month
after my dad’s heart problem every hour I hadn’t been sleeping had been taken
up with the businesses and course work. Evan had quit lacrosse with me and we’d
become attached at the hip as my dad and I bombarded him with facts, figures,
and numbers. Evan appeared to be taking in everything we threw at him with no
trouble though. In fact, the guy seemed to be thriving on the challenge.    

     Dad hadn’t taken much convincing when I brought the
idea of Evan sharing the leadership role alongside me, especially when I’d
finally confessed my true interest. He’d stated that I should have said
something sooner because the last thing he wanted was for me to be stuck in a
career I hated. His easy acceptance had been surprising and I couldn’t help
wondering if mother’s scheming had a factor in his decision. Whatever the
reason I was relieved that he wanted me to be happy in what I wanted for my
future.

     However, that first month had been anything but joyful.
I was barely able to spend any time with Maya and Nola. I’d almost quite school
hating that all my time was being taken away from my family. I figured I could just
make up the credits later, but Maya had urged me to keep going reminding me
that it wouldn’t be forever. Thankfully, that next month had shown a decrease
in hours with my dad returning to the office. He’d been on restricted hours so
Evan and I continued working, but I was able to at least get home for late
dinners.

     Dad was back to work full-time now and Evan had taken
over my role as his part-time assistant. For the last three weeks I’d only had
to go in for a couple hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for CEO
meetings where they kept me up on everything. The businesses would fall into my
name after my father passed and I wasn’t going to abandon my inheritance, but
Evan would become the president in my stead. 

     Maya had been my rock through this whole thing, and
even though I’d seen through her unsuccessfully concealed disquiet at my long hours
and absences, she’d never complained. I was lucky as hell that she’d put up
with all the shit that came along with me.

     Mother had been making efforts to communicate with me;
finally expressing regret for what she’d done, but I wasn’t certain if I’d ever
be able to forgive her. She’d broken our family irrevocably. She’d asked one
son to betray the other effectively destroying our relationship. Dad was filing
for divorce and with everything she’d done he basically controlled how it was all
going to be settled. He wouldn’t leave her with nothing, but whatever
settlement he did give her she wouldn’t be able to contest it.

     I was pretty sure he was still in love with her, but like
me, he couldn’t get past what she had done.

     Dad hadn’t dropped Kris from his life though. He’d told
me that he’d gotten Kris into a rehab center. He believes Kris has been
fighting alcoholism for years and that’s why he was so easily persuaded by
mother into doing what he did.

     I think dad was hoping Kris’s diagnosis would sway me
into forgiving him, but it hadn’t. I don’t think I ever would. Even if I could fully,
without any doubt at all, believe him that it all been a set up the picture of him
and Maya naked in that room would be forever imprinted in my mind. Knowing that
he’d drugged her, stripped her, and lain with her…it wasn’t something I could
ever forget. Moreover, he’d caused her unimaginable sorrow, and that was
something I would never forgive.

     “Hey Landon, you’re daughter drives like you. She needs
to learn to slow down in populated areas. Maybe you should lie down and explain
to her about speed bumps?” Noah yelled laughing.

     “I’m not anatomically correct for her car, but you
might be the right size. Why don’t you give it a try?” I returned. Only the
adults would get my hidden denotation and that I was referring to one part of
his body as being smaller than mine.

     Several hoots said my meaning had been caught and
appreciated.

     “I’m more anatomically corrected for a tank.” Juan
boasted, flexing his biceps and waggling his brows.

     “Your ego’s tank size, that’s for sure.” Maya retorted
with a grin as she cleaned up discarded wrapping paper.

     Knowing that Juan was no real threat, but still annoyed
at any attention he received from Maya, I jogged up to her, snagged her around
the waist, and swung her up in my arms. She squealed in laughter at my sudden
action, clutching at my neck. The day was warm and she was in shorts that
showed off her gorgeous sleek legs. Everyone was in shorts, but hers were the
hottest, and I couldn’t wait to have those legs wrapped around me later.

     “My ego’s tank size, but I know I have the gun to prove
it.” I whispered in her ear.

     Her arms tightened and she grinned up at me happily.
“And you never seem to run out of ammo, either.”

     I laughed at her speedy quip. “I wouldn’t want to
disappoint my woman. She’s voracious.” I waggled my eyebrows and attacked her
neck with my mouth causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

     “Daddy, pick me up too.” Nola demanded tugging on my
shorts.

     I grinned at Maya. “Looks like both my girls are
demanding.” Still holding Maya I bent down and had Nola climb into Maya’s lap.
Straightening with both of them in my arms was a little difficult but both my
girls were petite so it was doable. I headed for the picnic table. “Who thinks
it’s time for cake and ice cream?” I exclaimed loudly.

     “I do.” Nola answered.

     “Me too, me too.” Several others echoed.

     Setting Maya down carefully on the bench I gave each of
my girls a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.” I made my way into the
house and my dad followed me into the kitchen.

     “So, are you still going ahead with it?” Dad asked
walking over to light the candles on the specially made mermaid cake.

     I grabbed the large tub of ice cream out of the
freezer. “Yep.” The nervousness that was churning in my gut had nothing to do
with any doubt on my part.   

     “You’re sure?” He persisted.

     Digging in the drawer for a scooper I gave him a direct
stare. “Never been surer.”

     He let out a deep exhale, his lip twisting into a
half-smile. “Well, okay then.”

     I passed the ice cream off to him and hoisted up the
massive cake. As soon as I stepped out the patio doors I began singing the
birthday song, and everyone else immediately joined in. Nola made her wish, telling
everyone she wanted a real-live mermaid, and then blew out her candles. I
sliced up the cake and passed it out to everyone.

     The last slice of cake I cut for Maya. Placing a candle
in the middle I reached in my pocket and dropped my gift to her over the
candle. Relighting the wick I set it in front of her.

     She looked down at it with a confused smile. “Why are
you giving me a lit candle? It’s not…” She stopped talking and gasped. Covering
her mouth she looked up me with stunned watery eyes.