10. Landry
CHAPTER 10
landry
“So, how is it being back home?” Rowan poses as we sit on the front porch of his parents’ house together. I’d gone for a short visit at my mom’s before returning to pick up Daisy and found him waiting out here when I drove up.
I heave out an exhale. “It’s been … well, it hasn’t been easy after everything that’s happened with Loren and the babies.”
He nods knowingly. “I’m glad they’re all okay, but that’s not what I meant. How have you been getting along with your family?”
I frown, slightly offended. “Good enough.”
“And you’re fine with the engagement?”
My stomach and my jaw both drop, and it takes a full three seconds for me to realize he’s referring to Blake’s proposal to my sister and not my proposal to his. Although Rowan and I had spoken about Loren’s emergency delivery a few times, I hadn’t mentioned her engagement. But Daisy must be keeping him posted on the latest developments.
“I’m not thrilled about it,” I say. “But Lo seems bound and determined to learn the hard way.”
“You do know they were already a thing by the time we went out, right?” he asks with a smirk.
“Yeah, unless you’re trying to tell me the twins are yours,” I reply sarcastically. But we’ve both seen Loren’s conception date in her chart before, and as far as I know, Rowan’s chances of biologically fathering a baby are impossible.
He rolls his eyes. “I mean he actually crashed our date. I don’t know whether it was planned, but Blake was at the restaurant where we were having dinner.”
I huff. “Of course he was.”
“He came over to our table to stake his claim, and Loren’s whole demeanor changed the second she saw him, even though she tried to pretend like she was upset about it. But they couldn’t take their eyes off one another for the rest of the night. It wasn’t surprising when she ended the evening with an awkward hug and an apology for realizing too late that a two-hour commute ‘just wouldn’t be fair to either of us.’ Then I drove home assuming she’d turned right around and went back into that restaurant to meet him,” he explains, smiling wistfully.
“Is this supposed to make me feel better about you not giving me a head’s up when you caught my baby sister screwing around with the same condescending asshole who once slept his way through an entire sorority?”
“Your sister is a thirty-one-year-old woman, Landry,” he reminds me. “And, yeah, I realized he was that Blake Bourgeois after he introduced himself, but it wasn’t my business to tell Loren who she should date. And it was never your right or responsibility, either.”
“That’s not how I’ve always seen it,” I mutter under my breath.
“Is that why you tried to set us up for so many years?” he asks after a while. “You figured you were better off with the evil you knew?”
“You’re both nerdy. I honestly thought you’d be a perfect match. And yeah, if she’s dead set on getting married and having babies, I’d rather see her end up with someone more like you.” I sigh again and add the last part quietly. “I also know how much you want to get married and have a family.”
He leans over and shoves my shoulder playfully. “There he is, there’s Doctor Reed.” I furrow my brow. “Sometimes Landry can be abrasive, even though he means well. But Doc Reed is just a big teddy bear, and you know it.”
My lips twitch as I fight the smile threatening to overtake my face. “I take back all that mushy shit I just said. No wonder my sister wasn’t into you.”
He laughs again. “So, speaking of bro codes and all, when were you going to tell me?”
Panic hits me again before I remember he’s only talking about Daisy and me moving in together, and I force an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, man. There was a mix up with Loren’s house, and Daisy insisted I take the spare bedroom—just until I find something else,” I fib. That’s technically how it started, anyway.
“Really? And you listened?” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“Only as a favor to you,” I add quickly. “I mean, I know the two of you have always been close and figured you’d appreciate someone looking after Daisy on your behalf.”
“Hmm,” he hums. “I guess that means my baby sister’s living with Dr. Reed and not Lando?”
I nod, but I can’t tell whether he’s really buying my story. “I’m trying my best to be nice. And you have my word—nothing’s going to happen.”
Nothing that can’t be undone with an annulment, anyway.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” he says, looking more amused than anything. Frankly, I’m a little offended by the implication that he doesn’t seem to think I’m as worthy of his little sister as I thought he was of mine. “I assumed she’d wrangled you into this from the start and that you’d only said yes so you could have someone to take care of. You know, now that your mom’s doing well on her own and Loren doesn’t need you as much.”
I scoff. “Tell me how you really feel, bruh.”
“Why not? You never spare the rest of us,” he retorts, and it’s one of the only times he’s ever been this short with me.
“Sorry,” I say quietly. “No one hates the garbage that comes out of my mouth more than I do.”
“I know, man.” His expression softens again. “But you can’t blame me for worrying about how your disposition might affect Daisy, even if I know you have the best intentions most of the time.”
I nod again. “I’m working on it.” But I’m failing miserably.
“Let her help you,” he says plainly.
“What?” I rear my head.
“It’s like when you tried to set me up with Loren. You just wanted to see me happy, right? I know you care about me, even if you can’t bring yourself to say it out loud. And this is me telling you that I care about you, too, and that you deserve to be happy.”
I cock an eyebrow. “I don’t understand what this has to do with Daisy and me living together.”
“Daisy’s good at seeing the positive in everything.”
“So what? How is that going to turn me into an optimist?”
“Why don’t you try letting her rub off on you?” he suggests with a shrug.
“You really think all it’s going to take for me to get over the shit I’ve been struggling with for the better part of my life is to try sticking a freaking flower in my hair and going around acting like everything’s great even when it’s not?”
He sighs. “I was actually referring to her willingness to offer up her suffering for others. It’s not that far off from the way you’ve always been willing to make sacrifices for the people around you, only she does it with a smile and a prayer intention.”
I look away. “I should have known you’d try to make this religious.”
“Look, Landry, I’ve never tried to force my beliefs on you because I always figured it’d be more effective if I let you come around to it on your own,” he says, his expression more serious than usual. “The truth is the truth, regardless of our ability to stomach it. And you may be stubborn, but you’re too smart not to recognize the truth for what it is, even if it takes you a while.”
“But Daisy’s not as patient as you are, is she?” I venture after a second.
He nods. “And if you can’t deal with that, then you’d better back out now. Because I’m not letting you break her spirit, man.”
I clench my jaw and stare him down, and thankfully Daisy and her mom walk outside to meet us before I have to give him a verbal answer.
I acknowledge his terms with a short nod of my own, and he turns to embrace Daisy while Mrs. LaFleur hugs me and offers her gratitude.
“Thank you again for this,” Daisy says as we pull onto the road.
“No worries.”
She takes in a breath. “Landry, can I ask you for one more thing?”
I glance over at her and nod.
“I can’t put you in a position that would force you to sin. So before we go through with this, you have to promise me you won’t lie about it.”
“You mean, you don’t want us to keep it a secret?” I ask, furrowing my brow.
“No, I definitely think we should keep it to ourselves. But if anyone finds out, including Rowan, you have to tell the truth.”
“Okay.”
“And we’ll probably need to write our own vows. We can’t go in front of a judge and make promises we don’t intend to keep.”
“All right,” I say, biting back a smile. “I’m sure that’s doable.”
“Thank you.” She exhales, sounding relieved.
“Is that how you plan to help me?” I ask after a while. “By protecting my integrity?”
“Nah, you’re already a good person. But you could probably use some help letting everyone else see how good you are.”