"It's about my new interior designer. We apparently have history.”
"Meaning you've already fucked her."
"She says I have, but the thing is I have no memory of her. That's what I need to talk to you about. Do you remember that Comic Con we went to a little over three years ago where we both decided to go as Thor?"
"Vaguely." He scratches the back of his neck. "Why?"
"Did you happen to sleep with a girl that night and use my name to do it?"
“What the fuck, man?” he seethes. “I’ve been with Maria since high school. I wouldn't cheat on her.”
“I didn’t think you would, but fuck man, I’m at a loss. She says we slept together at that Comic Con, but I don’t remember a thing about that night. Nothing. All I remember is you and I wanting to see if we could get some autograph and act like total dorks, but I'm sure I ended up being strung out the whole time.”
Landon snorts. “When weren’t you?”
“Fuck off.”
“Sorry. Okay, start over. What is this really about? So, what if you slept with her once? Does she have a grudge against you? Does she want something?" he asks as he lifts his soda to take a drink.
"It matters because she's claiming I'm the father to her son."
He chokes on his soda, spluttering some from his lips. "She's what?"
“Yeah. My sentiments exactly.” I shake my head and throw him a roll of paper towels. “She says I got her pregnant that night. The thing is…the kid looks just like me. Like us."
I yank out my phone and open the gallery finding the picture I took of Matty this afternoon. He's holding up the model car I gave him and grinning at the camera. I show it to Landon.
"Okay," he says slowly. His eyes darken as he studies the picture, and then he shoves the device away. “Cute kid, but I don't know why you would even consider asking me if I slept with her? That’s a fucking low blow man."
"I told you it's because I don't remember. You and Maria have had your problems.”
“Wow, I didn’t even think you would have even noticed,” he grits through his teeth and rises from his seat. “But I love Maria with every fiber of my being, and I wouldn’t ever cheat on her, despite any issues. I’m nothing like you man where I have to sleep with everything that has legs because of a fear of settling down.”
“I don’t sleep with every woman I see,” I grind out. “Stop trying to sound like Dad.”
“Stop trying to accuse me of cheating.”
“I’m not.”
“Fuck if you’re not.”
“I don’t know what I’m thinking alright.” I grip the edge of the counter and take a deep breath to steady myself. “Sorry. I was hoping you could give me some answers to that night. You’re the only one who can.”
Landon brushes his hand under his chin. “We had a fight and you wandered off. We ended up getting separate rooms, so I don’t know what happened to you after that. You blame me for being a dick a lot, but you were a dick when you were high.”
“I get it.” I nod. I was a tool when I was high. There are times I forget how much shit I did put my family through.
We both stay quiet for a moment, listening to the hum of the fridge.
"Listen, I get this woman..." Landon says cutting through the silence.
“Her name is Holly.”
He blinks a couple of times. “Excuse me?”
“I said her name is Holly.”
Landon laughs. “I see. You fucking like her?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to; you gave her a name. You never give them names.”
“Fuck off,” I bark. “It’s not like that. It’s the fact that despite me wondering if you used my name that night, I oddly trust her. As crazy as it all is maybe there’s a part of me that wants it to be true.”
Why the hell did I admit that out loud to him?
“Ah, fuck. This screams Sara all over again. You’re going to get yourself attached and find yourself hurt all over again from some woman looking for an easy payout. Open your eyes.”
“She’s agreed to a DNA test. That already speaks volumes.”
Landon shakes his head. “Honestly, dude, I don’t think you're ready for a kid.”
“Fuck you. I'm not going to walk away.”
“And I think this is you trying to fill the void Sara left you with, but you wouldn't have been ready then.”
“This isn’t a void. This is doing what is right if I have to. That’s all I tried to do last time.”
Landon shifts in his seat. “If I were you, I would drop her some cash and get rid of her.”
“What the fuck? I’m not going to walk away if there’s a chance of him being my son.”
“You praise yourself all the time how you got better, and I hate to see one woman destroy what you fixed all over again. Even if the kid is yours, which I doubt. " He rubs his chin. "You don’t know if she’s manipulative or what games she could try to play with you to hook you in. I guess all I’m saying is watch your back and make sure it's something you really want.”
I want to punch him, but at the same time, he's right.
I need to push her back. She’d already gotten under my skin long before all this new information. She’s a risk. She has the power to hurt me. Ruin me like Sara did. If I let her in, she could destroy me. I need to wait. Find out more about her before I even think of letting her into my fucked up world.
CHAPTER
