“I followed you down here last night,” Kieran admitted, his eyes shooting back to the bedroom where he had placed Faith. She still had yet to say a word, but she seemed to be resting comfortably, at least. Kieran left the door open so he could keep an eye on her.
Matt blinked, surprised. “You knew?”
Kieran nodded soberly. “Lex told me, but you guys had already left. I’m sorry, Matt. Sean flew me down last night. I was waiting at the airport, but somehow I missed you.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Matt said. “I’ve never seen her like this. Is she going to be okay?”
Yes, she would, Kieran thought, because he would make sure of it. Even if it meant he had to raze the whole goddamn town on her behalf.
To Matt, he said, “How about telling me what happened? Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out. You can begin by telling me why you quit the mixed martial arts class.”
Matt nodded. He told Kieran that it just got to be too hard to pretend that nothing was wrong when it was obvious both Kieran and his mother were miserable. Without going into too much detail, he managed to paint a clear picture of what life had become for them. Faith spent all day working at the Celtic Goddess, then came home, made sure there was something for Matt to eat, then worked cleaning houses around the neighborhood to earn some extra cash. Weekends weren’t much better.
“I didn’t get to see her hardly at all, and the times I did, it was like she was in another world or something.” He looked accusingly at Kieran. “And you weren’t doing anything about it, even though you were every bit as miserable as she was.”
The muscles in Kieran’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. The kid was right.
Matt went on to tell him that he’d come home from school and Faith had surprised him with tickets to Georgia. “I would have told you,” Matt assured him, “even though I wasn’t sure you even cared anymore.”
Kieran stoically took that hit, too, though he suspected Matt did know better. The fact that Matt was so angry with him was a good thing. It meant he cared a hell of a lot.
Matt spoke in great detail about their meeting with Nathan. Kieran couldn’t help but smile at the way they’d handled themselves, and was relieved that neither Faith nor Matt had any interest in cultivating any further relationship with Nathan Longstreet.
It was when Matt started talking about their walk to Faith’s childhood home that the true unease began to settle in Kieran’s gut. Matt told him everything, tears in his eyes when he ended with his frantic call to Kieran.
“It’s my fault,” Matt said. “I made her go there.”
Kieran placed his hand on Matt’s shoulder, commanding his attention. “Listen to me, Matt. It’s not your fault. There was no way you could have known what would happen. Even your mom didn’t know. She never would have taken you there if she did.”
The food arrived, and Kieran suggested they take a break and eat. He left Matt wide-eyed in front of the huge cart of food and went to check on Faith. She was right where he’d left her, though she’d turned onto her side, curling up with a pillow in her arms for comfort.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” Kieran said, stroking her hair. “I’m here now. Me and Matt, we’re going to take care of everything, so just rest.” He wasn’t sure if she heard him or not. He hoped she did. He wasn’t going to give up until he was sure she understood that he would never, ever leave her again.
––––––––
It was well past midnight when Kieran finally shut down his laptop and rubbed his eyes. With Ian’s help, he’d managed to gather a lot of information about the pious pastor, John O’Connell and his wife, Mary. Most of it, he had no intention of ever sharing with Faith unless she asked for it outright, and possibly not even then. It was true what they say – those that protest the most vehemently are often the greatest offenders, and John O’Connell had a very loud voice indeed.
Matt was sound asleep in the second bedroom, having made a significant dent in the room service that had been delivered. Kieran had already given him a heads-up that he would be sharing a room with Faith. He wasn’t sure how the kid was going to take it, but Matt seemed relieved. He told Kieran that he’d sleep a lot better knowing that his mom was safe.
Kieran changed into some loose sweats and a T-shirt, then climbed into bed with Faith. She sighed softly and rolled right into his arms. He could only hope she’d be as willing when she was awake.
*
It was as if someone flipped a switch. One minute she was completely oblivious to everything around her, the next all of her neurons were firing and her senses were back online. She opened her eyes to find herself tucked neatly into Kieran’s strong arms, her face buried in his neck.
Memories drifted back to her. The plane. The diner. Her mother.... Oh, God.
“Kieran! How did you - ”
“Ssshhhh,” Kieran said, his low words rumbling through his chest and into hers. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.”
“Matt?”
“He’s good. Well-fed and sound asleep in the next room.”