Lies in Love

by Ava Wood

  “Daddy, help.” Millie came barreling into the room squealing with her older brother Derek on her heels. He was mere inches taller, but more stout than Millie’s tiny frame. He had the same curly blond hair on top of his head and freckles across his cheeks.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” Dawson scooped her into his lap.

  “Derek is trying to steal my nose, Daddy. I like my nose. My nose looks like your nose, Daddy. Tell Derek not to take my nose.”

  Dawson laughed, but quickly straightened his face, trying not to offend Millie. “Derek, please leave your sister alone and say hello to Uncle Landon.”

  “Hi, Uncle Landon.” Derek’s speech was much clearer than Millie’s at six years old, but he looked so similar to Millie, so sweet and innocent.

  Millie climbed out of Dawson’s lap and walked over to Landon, looking right in his eyes. She forced her way into his lap as she watched him. “I have your nose, too, Uncie Landon.”

  Landon froze briefly, unsure of what to do with his hands. Was he supposed to hold onto her to make sure she didn’t fall or just let her do her thing? He continued to watch her watch him. She seemed fascinated just looking at him.

  “Uncie Landon, what’s wrong? You look sad.”

  Out of the mouths of babes. “I’m okay, Millie. Just trying to figure things out.”

  “What kinda things. Maybe I can help.”

  “Millie, Uncle Landon and I were trying to talk. Maybe you could go back and play with Alice and Derek.”

  “No, Derek is mean. I want to stay with Uncie Landon.” She smiled so sweetly at him.

  Landon could feel his heart turn to putty in her hands. She was so small, but so vibrant and full of life. Such a sweet little thing. It was obvious why Dawson was so in love with his family, why anyone could fall in love with their kids.

  “Millie, please. Just for a little while longer.”

  Millie stuck out her bottom lip and crossed her arms in defiance.

  “It’s okay, Dawson. She can stay.” Landon placed his arm around Millie’s back and she leaned into him, completely taking him by surprise.

  “You smell good, Uncie Landon.”

  Dawson smiled, clearly amazed by this moment between his brother and his daughter. “I’m going to call Mya and ask her about the room above the garage. Will you be okay here?”

  Landon nodded. “I’m good.”

  As soon as Dawson was out of the room, Millie began a round of questions. “Uncie Landon, why don’t you have any kids?”

  Landon was stunned. He wasn’t expecting such a loaded question from his three-year-old niece. “Well, I don’t have a wife, for one, Millie.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well…” How could he explain this to someone so young? “I just never found someone nice enough to marry.” That seemed safe enough.

  “Mommy is nice. She’s a good wife.” Millie began stroking the stubble on Landon’s chin and giggled. “That tickles.”

  Landon laughed with her. Her tiny hands felt so fragile against his cheek.

  “Uncie Landon, would you like to play Barbies with me? I’m real good at sharing.”

  Dawson had perfect timing, reentering with his cell phone still in his hand. “Mya said you can have the place for as long as you like.”

  “Daddy, can Uncie Landon play Barbies with me?”

  Dawson looked at Landon, questioning with his eyes before answering. “Baby, Uncle Landon and I are talking right now. Why don’t you go play Barbies with Alice?”

  “Maybe we can play Barbies another time. After all, I plan on being around a lot more.”

  Millie beamed at him. “Really?”

  “Yeah.” He couldn’t help but smile back at her.

  “I love you, Uncie Landon.” She hugged him tightly, lingering longer than Landon expected, but when she let him go, she hopped out of his lap and ran down the hall in search of her siblings.

  “You know you’re in trouble now. That kid has a memory of gold. She doesn’t forget anything. You might as well have signed your life over to her if you still plan on moving above the garage,” Dawson chuckled.

  “That might not be so bad. She may be the only person who wants to keep me company after today. The guys are going to freak when they find out I’m moving out.”

  “You never know. They might understand how you feel. Give them the benefit of the doubt.”

  “You always were the eternal optimist. I guess that’s why you’re happily married and I’m miserably single moving in with my brother.”

  “It’s not that bad. Just think of it as a break. This isn’t permanent. It’s just temporary until you can wrap your head around what you really feel, what you really want in life.”

  “I know.” Landon got up to leave, but Dawson stopped him.

  “You want to stay for dinner? I’m making mac and cheese.”

  Landon shook his head. “I think I’ll pass. I ought to head back and talk to the guys. I still haven’t talked to Quincy since that debacle on Friday.”

  “Landon, it’s been nearly a week. What have you been doing?”

  “Avoiding reality.” He grabbed his jacket from the peg and slipped it back on. “I’ll call him when I get back to the apartment. Hopefully by then I’ll know what to say.”

  “It’ll be alright. I’ll run over to the garage after dinner and get the room ready. The kids will like helping me tidy the place up for you. After all, that place has been storage to a few toys they haven’t seen in a couple years.”

  “Thanks, bro. I’ll call you before I head back over.”

  “Sounds good.” Dawson hugged his brother. “Whatever you need, I’m here.”

  “I know.”

  Landon returned to his bike, dreading the return to his apartment.

  Chapter 5

  Lucky Man

  “Where you been?” Ethan hollered from the couch as Landon walked in the door.

  “I went to my brother’s.” Landon dropped his jacket on a barstool and took a seat next to Ethan, watching the basketball players run back and forth on the screen.

  “How’s he doing?”

  “He’s good. His kids are growing up way too fast.”

  “Oh yeah? How old are they now.”

  “Millie is three, Derek is six, and Alice…” Landon had to think for a minute. He couldn’t even remember the last birthday party he’d been to, so remembering Alice’s age was challenging. “Alice is ten, I think.” Landon remembered pacing the hospital waiting room before Alice was born. His father had just married Gina and he had been spending quite a bit of time with Dawson to ignore the new stepmother. He hadn’t been present for Derek or Millie’s births, because he was too busy with his current job by then.

  “Damn. I can’t believe Alice is ten. I remember the first time I met you, you and your brother were out shopping for what, her second birthday?”

  “I think so, yeah.” Landon became abundantly aware that he’d wasted quite a bit of his life as an escort and had missed out on so much in the last six years.

  “Hey, Landon.” Brent came out of his bedroom dressed for yet another job.

  “Working again tonight?” Landon watched him search the kitchen.

  “Yeah. Quincy set me up with a model just in town for the evening.” Brent was smiling.

  “Speaking of Quincy, I need to give him a call.”

  Ethan observed Landon from the corner of his eye. Before Ethan could say anything, Landon left the room to make the call he’d been struggling to come to terms with. He had no idea how to tell his boss that he needed time, that he wasn’t sure whether or not he would be coming back. Quincy had given him so much. He’d been there for him when his dad was arrested for drunk driving. He’d helped him get a place set up for his dad when he got out of jail. These were things he couldn’t put on Dawson since he had a family. Dawson didn’t deserve to be dragged into the garbage heap that his father’s life was. Landon knew he could turn to Quincy and save his brother from all of the dra
ma. He owed Quincy everything and the call he was about to make felt like a huge betrayal.

  Falling down onto his bed, he dropped his head in his hands. Could he really walk away from what he’d lived and known for the past six years? What would he do with his life? He was at a crossroads and the road he was about to choose gave him no way to turn back, flashing a huge “no U-turn” sign in front of him. It was now or never. He had to make a choice. He was giving up everything he knew on a gamble with a single phone call. Landon took a huge breath, held for a beat, and blew it out. Before he could talk himself out of it, he dialed Quincy’s number and waited on the line.

  “Hey, kid. Everything okay?” Quincy’s deep inhalation could be heard through the line. He was, no doubt, taking a drag of his cigarette.

  “I need to talk to you.” Landon took another deep breath. He was going to have to blurt the next bit out before he could change his mind. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately and I decided I need to get away for a bit. I need to separate myself from the business and clear my head. I’ve just got a lot on my mind and I can’t get things sorted while I’m here, doing this.” Landon waited for Quincy’s response, but he only heard Quincy’s labored inhalations as he continued to puff on his cigarette. “I’m sorry, Quincy, I know I owe you more than this, but I just can’t wrap my head around it right now. I need some time to myself.”

  “I understand, kid. I just hate losing you. You’ve been like a son to me.”

  “This isn’t forever, Quince. It’s just until I get my head sorted. Things are really muddled up there right now and I can’t concentrate on anything. I’m not doing this business any favors if I continue escorting. The last thing I want to do is give you a bad name.”

  “Yeah.”

  Landon hated when Quincy was this quiet. He knew he was letting him down. It was the last thing he ever wanted to do. “I’m real sorry, Quincy.”

  “I know, kid.”

  Landon didn’t know what else to say. The soft click of the line going dead let him know that he was off the hook. He didn’t have to say any more. Quincy heard all he needed to hear. Now all that was left was telling the guys. He decided to pack a backpack full of clothes and his essentials to take to Dawson’s for the night. He’d have to come back later with Dawson’s SUV to get the rest of his things. When he had everything he couldn’t live without, he returned to the living room with his backpack in hand to give Brent and Ethan the news.

  Brent was still rummaging through the kitchen for something; Landon still hadn’t figured out what. And Ethan was still perched on the sofa watching basketball. This wasn’t one of his favorite teams, so he was reclined rather comfortably instead of screaming at the players, telling them how they weren’t worth the paycheck they lived off of.

  Landon stood by the bar and cleared his throat. Everything about this was so nerve wracking. He just hoped that Quincy, Brent, and Ethan could forgive him. “Hey, guys, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Brent turned with a stern look on his face. He shoved a kitchen drawer shut with his hip, crossed his arms in front of him, and stared at Landon. Landon waited for Ethan, who got up from the couch and joined Landon at the bar.

  “What’s up, Landon? This looks serious.” Ethan was intuitive, but never judgmental; not like Brent could be.

  “I’ve decided to stay with my brother for a while. I’ve got some stuff going on that I need to sort out and I just can’t do that here.”

  Brent slammed his fist on the counter, rattling the silverware in the drawer below his hand. “This is because of that chick, isn’t it? You just couldn’t help yourself. You had to take that date.”

  “Brent,” Ethan scolded.

  “No, I told him this would happen.” Brent turned his scolding from Ethan to Landon. “You think I don’t know what I’m talking about? You think I haven’t lived this very same thing? What happens when that little chick of yours finds out what you really are? You think she’s going to be so keen on sticking around when she finds out you’ve fucked half the women in the Dallas area?”

  “I don’t know what she’ll think, but it’s not really about her. This is about me, about the life I want to live. I haven’t been able to think about anything more than this job the last few weeks and I know I won’t be able to figure it all out trapped here.”

  “Who says you’re trapped? You don’t have to be here. No one made you choose this job. If you don’t want to be here then get the fuck out.” Brent marched off to his room, giving up his search in the kitchen.

  “Are you okay?” The creases in Ethan’s forehead deepened.

  “I will be. I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to cause any problems, I just need to be on my own for a while.”

  “It’s cool. I’ll talk to Brent and calm him down. You just take the time you need to figure this all out. And you know, if you need anything, I’m here.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Landon grabbed his jacket from the barstool and slipped it on before pulling his backpack onto his shoulder. “I’ll call you.” When Ethan nodded, Landon turned to leave. He didn’t know where this road led, but he hoped he was making the right choice for everyone.

  “I’m not going, Sara. Just leave it alone.” Talia rushed around the shop, trying to keep her distance from Sara and the other girls.

  “You have to go,” Sara practically whined her pleas.

  “I can’t. I have a meeting in Fort Worth,” Talia uttered.

  “What meeting? Why didn’t I know about it?”

  “You don’t have to know about every meeting. I’m the one running this place, remember. Daddy left it to me. Not you.” Talia knew it was a low blow but she had to get Sara off her back.

  “Only you would set up a meeting on a Friday night,” Sara muttered through her clenched jaw. “I see what you’re doing, Talia. I know you’re trying to shut me out. But this business is just as important to me as it is to you.”

  “Stop being so melodramatic. This has nothing to do with you.” Talia rolled her eyes and scurried to the front of the shop to rearrange displays.

  “That’s not true and you know it. This has everything to do with me and Camey and Reina. You’ve been avoiding all of us. You keep shutting us out.” Sara pulled Talia’s shoulder to spin her around. “What is going on, Talia? What are you trying to hide?”

  “NOTHING!” Talia screamed, then looked around the shop for prying eyes. Fortunately, there were no patrons roaming about the store. “Stop trying to make such a big deal about this. It’s just a damn meeting.”

  Sara rolled her eyes, mimicking her sister. “If it’s just a damn meeting, reschedule.”

  “Why is it so damn important for me to go out tonight? Will the world end if I don’t go?” Talia wished Sara would just let it go.

  “No,” Sara huffed, clearly frustrated. “It’s just … never mind. Just forget it.”

  When Sara turned to walk away a load of guilt poured over Talia. “Sara.” She wanted to apologize, but for what? She wouldn’t tell her the truth. She couldn’t go to Satin tonight. She wouldn’t allow herself to search for Landon only to be let down again. She had to separate herself from the situation and force herself to get over it. She wouldn’t be some sad puppy dog pining for a guy that she clearly meant nothing to. “It’s just a meeting. Please don’t make this out to be anything else.”

  “Whatever.” Sara returned to the back room, leaving Talia to finish arranging a few potted plants sitting in the display window. She’d make this up to Sara somehow.

  Landon sat at the bar surveying every person who walked through the door. Half an hour after he arrived, he saw Camey enter the club followed by the two girls he met at the diner. His heart beat in double time briefly until he realized Talia wasn’t with them. He waited a moment longer, seeing if she was straggling behind, but she never appeared. She wasn’t there. Where is she? She always comes out with the girls. He struggled with his next move, deciding he would talk to Camey, see if he could find out what was going
on. He needed to see Talia. He needed to figure out what this was between them. He walked toward Camey, pushing through several groups of people along the way and catching her just before she hit the dance floor. “Camey.”

  Camey turned around and the smile that was on her face quickly disappeared. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was looking for Talia. Where is she?”

  Camey gripped Landon’s bicep and pulled him away from the dance floor to a corner somewhat removed from the chaos of the club. “I don’t know what your plan is, but you need to drop it.”

  “What? Why?” Landon didn’t understand how Camey could go from pushing her friend on him to wanting him to keep away from her.

  “Look, Talia is in a bad place. I’m not sure why, but I don’t think meeting you helped anything. So please just leave her alone.”

  “What if I can’t do that?”

  “This isn’t some game, Landon. Talia is my best friend and she’s hurting. Hiring you was a mistake. You have to understand that and leave her alone.”

  “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean, you can’t? It’s easy. Stop coming to the club, don’t try to contact her. Just leave it alone. She doesn’t need you messing with her head. She’s already in a bad place and I won’t watch you hurt her.”

  “Trust me, I have no plans of hurting her. She isn’t the one you should be worried about now.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Camey’s eyes were intense, a burning fire penetrating his.

  “It means I want to know her; I care about her. I want to make her world better.” The words were like a bullet to the chest, because he knew they were true. The realization was that this wasn’t just some sexual attraction. He really did care about what happened to Talia.

  “How can you say you care about her? You’ve met her twice. You haven’t even been on a date with her.”