Page 21 of Wilderness Daddy

Chapter Five

Landon

The house is quiet when I walk in and I’m relieved. I know my mother will be full of questions and I don’t want her to read anything on my face. Akari is not the woman she thinks and I’m apparently not the man. My father may be happy I’m stepping up for our family but my mother would be disappointed in me.

“That poor girl,” my mother’s voice says from behind me as I reach into the fridge for a beer. I straighten stiffly.

“Poor girl?” I repeat, cracking open my beer, and remaining aloof as I take a pull from it.

“I’m glad she has you.” My mother’s tone is gentle but I hear the underlying tension in it.

“Uh, yeah,” I say, setting my bottle down and collecting the fixings for a sandwich out of the fridge. I’m in desperate need of some time on the water with my pole and the sounds of the wilderness as my only company.

“Landon.” Her voice pulls at me so I look up. Her chair is now next to the open fridge door. She reaches forward and gives it a gentle push, letting it shut with a quiet swish. “I know you’re nothing like Grant, but I want you to be careful.”

“Huh?” My brow crunches as I look at my mother’s pretty face. Her eyes, as green as my own, penetrate me. She’s not concerned about me at all. I cock my head to the side. “What are you talking about, Mom?”

“Akari, son. I hope you’re not fooling around with her.” Her glare is strong on mine. “A man like you would be wonderful for her, but only if you mean it.”

“Mean it?” My eyes widen slightly when my mother leans back in her chair and crosses her arms.

“Stop playing dumb, Landon. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Fine. Explain it to me, please,” I say and start to put together my sandwich. She reaches forward then and touches my arm as I slap a piece of lettuce on my bread.

“That girl is hiding a world of hurt. She’s hanging on by a thread.” Her words make me pause.

“Akari? Hell, she’s a warrior if you ask me.” I toss some ham on top of my lettuce and squirt on some mustard.

“If it’s not real, Landon, you need to stop. You’ll break her. We’ll break her.”

“What do you mean ‘we’ll’ break her?” I ask, licking the mustard from my finger, attempting to hide the worry niggling my gut.

“We’ll be the family she needs, but if you aren’t in it for real, losing you, losing our family, it’ll destroy that girl.”

She doesn’t say anything else, just turns her chair and wheels away, leaving me to stand there dumbfounded. Maybe my mom doesn’t know the circumstances of our situation, but she knows Akari. Apparently far more than I know her. Which only means one thing; not only do I have to help solve Akari’s and my problem but I also have to keep her away from my family.

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