“Katie said she ran into her at the grocery store, seemed depressed and out of it. Instead of arguing, why don’t you just try talking to her?”
“Why don’t you?” he asks, knowing full well this has everything to do between the two of them.
“If you do, I’ll do something special for you later,” I purr.
He snaps his eyes to me, wrapping an arm around me to pull me closer.
“Touch that pussy for me?” he asks.
“Maybe,” I tease.
“Fuck yourself with your fingers and let me come all over your tits?”
“Anything you want.”
His eyes darken, his hand sliding into the back of my jeans, teasing my puckered hole with the tip of a finger. I groan softly and lick his lower lip.
“You want me there?” I ask.
He growls and kisses me.
“Mom!” Abbey shouts from upstairs.
Nathan growls again, but not for the same reason as before.
“Duty calls, good luck Dad.” I salute him as he walks towards the side door.
****
I walk up the steps leading to the loft, the music and volume of the God awful shit is ratcheting up my irritation level. Raising my fist, I pound on the door. Of course she doesn’t hear me, how the fuck could she. I bang on it once more, before grabbing my key ring and letting myself in. The thunderous drums and shriek of guitars, along with a person screaming is louder behind the door.
Daisy is sitting at the kitchen table by the window, sketching. The sun pouring in from the open windows makes her blond hair glow, like it does her mom’s. I look at my beautiful daughter, remembering how at one time, even if it was forever ago and only for a brief time, we were all we had. I thought the bond we created after her birth would conquer anything. She was Daddy’s little girl, I regarded her as my guardian angel, recognizing as time passed how she helped me more than she’d ever know when her mom was in a coma.
The song ends and it’s then she notices me in the doorway. Her eyes pierce me like Skye’s always do. They look so much alike, but Daisy is anything but easy going like her mom. She’s fierce and hard-headed, like me. If she wants something, nothing will stop her.
I often remember back to the first doctor’s visit I went to with Skye when Daisy was in her belly. How they weren’t sure, and had no way to predict how her developmental skills would be from what Tyler had done. But she started walking at eight months, started reading at three years old, excelled in everything, I thanked the gods for not giving her any setbacks.
When she started playing volleyball, she was told she would never be first string, she wasn’t good enough. That girl practiced her ass off, her life became the sport, and she reached her goal of being a varsity member of the team her freshman year of high school. When the letters from colleges started rolling in her junior year, we were all so proud, and she was obviously more than happy to know all her hard work had paid off. Then the end of her senior year, something changed her. Once so excited about going off to college and experiencing a new life, she announced shortly into the summer that she wasn’t leaving and wasn’t going to college.
Skye wanted to talk to her, because we worried something had happened to her that we didn’t know about. But I was on the verge of having a meltdown when she told us a few weeks ago about her deferment, and I still haven’t talked to her about anything. All we do lately is argue, and now I know something’s going on.
My once doting daughter, is now skipping dinners every evening, avoiding me, and locking herself in the loft. Little things like that, accompanied by her announcement, didn’t sit well with me. I asked her best friend, Irys, Maven and Dornan’s third of six kids, but she said she had no idea. Skye, Maven, and Missy all told me to leave her be, but I knew there was something going on.
“What?” she asks.
Just then another bullshit song blows through the speakers and I give her a look. She groans and walks over to the stereo, shutting it off. I want to yell at her, because I’m sick of this shit. But I remain calm.
“Will you talk to me?” I ask.
“There’s nothing to say,” she states.
“So, I’m supposed to go on with you acting like when you see me you want to rip my face off?”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” she asks with a shake of her head.
“Because I love you.”
“Mom loves me, and she leaves me alone.”
“I’m not your mom,” I retort.
“I don’t see why you’re riding me so hard about school,” she says.
“I just don’t want you to say you’ll go back after time off, once you get out of the routine of school, you’ll never go back, Daisy. I left to take care of your uncle and I didn’t go back, I regret that. I understand taking a break from volleyball, but you’re not even taking any art classes over the summer.”
“I’ll sign up for art classes then, will that make you happy?”
“I’m not saying you have to major in art, I just would like to see you doing something, if not college.” I feel my temper beginning to flare, I take a deep breath and remind myself, we’re talking.
“I’m working at the yoga studio; I’m making money-”
“Money isn’t the issue, Daisy. I just don’t get what happened to my go get ‘em daughter.”
“I just don’t want to go out of state, I thought about it, and the more I did, I didn’t like the idea.”
“That’s fine, but it’s not just school…you don’t want to do anything,” I say softly.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she sighs.
“Try me, I bet I do.”
She shakes her head and looks down. Her fingers pick at a hole in her jeans by the pocket, she seems nervous and I don’t like it.
“Is it drugs?” I ask.
“No,” she says almost with a laugh, “I wish.”
“What?” I boom out, her eyes widen and shoot towards me. “I mean,” clearing my throat. “You can tell me anything,” I lower my voice.
She shakes her head again. I can tell she’s struggling with something, I want to help her, to make her feel like there’s nothing she can’t conquer. When any of my kids act this way, timid and troubled, I automatically think of my brother Rob. By no means do I fear that any of my kids have mental disorders, but I knew Rob lost faith in himself. I never want them to feel that way, or at least not feel like they can’t talk to me and Skye about things.
“Come here.” I start walking towards her and she begins for me.
She pushes into my chest, our arms wrapping around one another as she rests her cheek on my chest. I pet her hair and place a kiss there.
“I don’t want us to fight anymore, I’m not telling you that you have to talk to me about everything, but I see something is going on with you-“
“I’m in love,” she sighs.
My brows pinch together.
“Love?” I ask.
“Yes, Dad, I’m in love…and it sucks.”
I feel relief wash over me, and I let out a mighty sigh.
“So what’s the problem?” I ask.
If anyone knows about unrequited love or stress of being in love, it’s me.
“The problem is, he’s my best friends brother, and he blew it with me.” She turns her head to press her face into my chest.
My mind computes. Her best friend is Irys whose brothers are Nolan and Wyatt. My best friend’s kids. Kids who regard me as their uncle. Both are older than Daisy by a few years. Nolan’s in college working on a business degree, and works in the auto shop during the summers. Wyatt, let’s say Wyatt’s inherited his father’s bad boy reputation. He’s deferred from med school for the time being, recently just moved back in with his parents and works at the auto body shop full time…or when he can make it in. I love both the boys, but there’s definitely one I’d prefer for my daughter.
“Which one?” I ask soberly, knowing I won’t like the answer.
She ra
ises her head, blinking up at me.
“Wyatt.”
PLAYLIST
Madonna- Dress You Up
Katrina and the Waves- Walking On Sunshine
Talking Heads- Road to Nowhere
Billy Ocean- When The Going Gets Tough
Glenn Fry- The Heat is On
Hall and Oates- Kiss Is On My List
Huey Lewis and The News- Do You Believe In Love
Adam Ant- Goody Two Shoes
Petshop Boys- West End Girls
Bananarama- Cruel Summer
Human League- Fascination
Crowded House- Don't Dream It's Over
The Motels- Total Control
Foreigner- I Want To Know What Love Is
The Clash- Rock the Casbah
Bruce Springsteen- Cover Me
ABC- Look of Love
INXS- Don't Change
Go-Go’s- Head Over Heels
Depeche Mode- Enjoy the Silence
Howard Jones- Things Can Only Get Better
The Police- Don't Stand So Close To Me
Thompson Twins- If You Were Here
Kajagoogoo- Too Shy
Laura Branigan- Self Control
Toni Basil- Mickey
Lionel Richie- Dancing on the Ceiling
Tears for Fears- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Christopher Cross- Sailing
Simply Red- Holding Back the Years
Miami Sound Machine- Bad Boy
Aretha Franklin and George Michael- Knew You Were Waiting For Me
Naked Eyes- Promises Promises
INXS- Tear Us Apart
Cindi Lauper- Time after Time
Bryan Adams- Heaven
Olivia Newton John- Physical
Billy Idol- Mony Mony
Pointer Sisters- Neutron Dance
Culture Club- Karma Chameleon
Elton John- I Don't Wanna Go On With You
Phil Collins- Easy lover
The Bangles- Eternal Flame
Between novels, I’m releasing a novella about Smokey and Emily. I was urged to write this novella for Stella James and Dee Ellis, just for them to read and not release. But I fell in love with their story and will be releasing Too Close this spring.
The next novel in The Plantain Series will be Daisy and Wyatt in Use Somebody. I had to channel my inner eighteen-year-old self for this one, and man was it fun. As you know by reading past books, Daisy is the daughter of Nathan and Skye, and Wyatt is the son of Dornan and Maven. The chemistry between these two is electric and I had fun working on this new generation of characters. Use Somebody will be out summer of this year.
THANK YOU
Thank you to all of you who have come this far with me. Your love for all things Plantain keeps me writing, and you’re always on my mind when I’m conjuring these stories.
Ellis and Jill, I love you like sister's. You have become two of my closest confidants and I love every bit of you. Your willingness to help is endless and for that I appreciate you. Thank you both for reading my shit and motivating me to keep going. Ellis, I look forward to many more movie nights and our endless love for 80's movies will only grow stronger together. Jill, my VT! I can always count on you for a laugh and a giggle. Your friendship is something I count on and appreciate more than you know.
Also, thank you Christine Besze for being my cock sister and reading my shit like a crack addict.
Lisa for telling me I need to write this book, and of course being right. Thank you for the motivation and inspiration.
To my Instagram fam. Ash.loveofbooks, sl.reads, marymelwrite, abooklover83, abookmix25, hullgirl1, and last but not least kinky_n_smutty_book_addict…you ladies help me in more ways you will ever know. From beta reading, reposting, positive vibes…each of you are important to me and I could not do any of this without your support, and I appreciate all of you, thank you just isn’t good enough of words.
Take On Me: Plantain Series Book Three Page 26