Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
My stomach sinks because that definitely felt like a threat, and I’m not sure it was subtle enough for our parents to miss it.
Mom surprises me by inserting herself into the conversation. “Why do you have a problem with Javier? He was perfectly nice to all of us.”
I start to sweat at Mom zeroing in on that. Of course Javier was polite to all of us—he was doing his job—but we all know he was a little more friendly toward me.
“Aladdin? Aw, what’s not to like about him? Aside from the fact that he clearly wants to fuck your daughter, anyway.”
“Landon,” Hayden snaps.
Well, this is all the evidence I need that humans can’t actually die from mortification.
Mom flinches at the crass way he speaks about me, but while that would ordinarily deter her, she keeps pushing. “Why do you call him that?”
Landon’s eyes widen. “Because the guy looks like fucking Aladdin, Gemma. Jesus Christ. He looks like he just popped out of the Disney cartoon and started parking cars. He’s even got the vest. All he needs is a fucking monkey.”
Mom considers that, then nods. “Now that you say that, I suppose I can see it.” Then her gaze meets Landon’s and she asks the million dollar question. “But even if he does like Parker, why do you care?”
Hayden doesn’t seem to want Landon to answer this question. Before Landon can open his mouth, he snatches Landon’s bag from my hands and walks it over to the stairs. “There’s no sense in arguing about this anymore. What’s done is done. I handled it this time, but if you do it again, you’re on your own.” Holding out the bag I packed for him, Hayden adds, “You’re already packed, so there’s no reason for you to go upstairs.”
Landon stares at his father. A smirk tugs at his mouth, but there’s no amusement dancing in his deep green eyes. It’s pure malevolence. “You just couldn’t wait to get me out of here, huh?”
“You know that’s not true, Landon. All I want is for all of us to get along, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to.”
But we all know that’s not true.
Landon is the reason.
He is the only wrench in the wheels of this new family functioning like a well-oiled machine.
Landon nods, holding his father’s gaze. Then he turns around and comes back down the stairs. “All right. I’m out of here,” he says, snatching the bag without stopping.
“You’re not driving,” Hayden states before he can make it far. “You’re grounded. That means no car. And you’ve been drinking. I’ll drive you.”
“I’d rather walk,” Landon states.
My stomach is in knots. I have a really stupid urge to go after him, but I’m afraid of him making things worse.
Hayden sighs, watching his son leave.
It’s probably a little bit on purpose, but as soon as Landon is out the door, I remember his school bag.
“Wait, his school stuff is in his car,” I say, already inching toward the dish where Landon drops his keys. “I’ll just run out real quick and tell him in case he forgets.”
“Parker,” Mom calls after me, clearly objecting.
“I’ll only be a minute.”
I rush out before either of them can stop me.
My heart pounds as I head down the steps to the driveway. “Landon, wait.”
He looks back over his shoulder. His steps slow, but he doesn’t stop.
I have to jog to catch up to him. “I… I’m the one that packed your bag, and I couldn’t find your school stuff. Your dad thought it might be in your car, but you got here before we could check, so…” I hold out his keys. “You may want to grab it.”
He doesn’t take the keys. Doesn’t even look at them. Instead, he stares at me. “You packed my bag.”
It feels like an accusation of betrayal, and it makes my stomach bottom out. “Your dad asked me to.”
“You always do everything he tells you to?” he asks snidely.
I don’t know what to say. I can understand Hayden’s frustration with his son, but I can also understand how Landon is feeling. The things he said to his dad just now further cement my theory about why he has such a problem with my mom.
It’s not her, personally.
It’s his dad he really has the problem with, and the issues between them have built up for so many years… we just came into a mess. They probably need therapy or something to truly untangle it all.
And when I was younger I didn’t get it, I just thought Landon was cruel, but now that I’m older, he reminds me of something I read once. I don’t remember the exact phrasing, but it was something like, “sometimes the people who need love most ask for it in the most unloving ways.”
Landon probably does need discipline, but it needs to be tempered with love and compassion. I think he still needs what I tried to offer him years ago. He pushed it away then, and I expect he will again because the old wounds never healed.