CONNECT THE DOTS
Kieran and I had chatted until the early morning hours. Shortly after I pointed out the bright pink that colored the sky, I must have dozed off because I couldn’t remember much after. Only a few hours later, the creaking door awoke me from my slumber. Looking up from my pillow, I’d seen Anna frown at the sight of Kieran sprawled half on the chair, half on the foot of the bed.It had looked plenty amusing to me. With a small shake of the head, Anna decided against bringing up her unconscious son’s presence, and whispered that the bathroom was free, that I could shower if I wanted to. Despite the scanty few hours of sleep I had been able to get, a shower sounded remarkably enticing. I nodded my head a drowsy yes. In return, Anna walked over to the bed and assisted me to the bathroom like she had done the previous day when I had needed her help for my bathroom breaks. I still suffered from some morning stiffness in my muscles, but the stabbing pain had disappeared.
“I have put a towel and washcloth ready,” Anna said, pointing over to the sink. “Feel free to use whatever shampoo you find. I’m going to put some of my clothes on your bed so you can pick something you like.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh,” Anna said while opening the cabinet under the sink. “I almost forgot. Here’s a new toothbrush.”
I smiled my thanks as she placed the toothbrush on top of the towel.
“Okay, we’ll see you downstairs when you’re ready.”
Once again, I nodded and waited for Anna to leave. While getting undressed, I heard Kieran groan loudly as Anna ushered him out of my room and told him to finish his sleep in his own bed. Still chuckling, I stepped into the shower. The hot water really did me good and I hated having to step out of that shower a little while later when the water started switching between hot and cold. Only when I was wrapped up tightly in my towel, did I realize that Kieran probably would have wanted some hot water as well. I sent my reflection in the mirror a mischievous smile. After brushing my teeth, I wrapped my dirty clothes in a ball under my one arm and held strongly onto my towel with the other as I peeked my head outside the bathroom. When the coast was clear, I hurriedly made my way to the bedroom I had been staying in. There, I found clothes on the bed, just as Anna had promised. However,I feared none of them would fit seen as Anna had such a slender and petite figure. After a few failed attempts, I finally found a jeans that fit okay. It still wasn’t perfect but definitely the best out of my options. I didn’t have nearly as much trouble picking a shirt, however, the long sleeves came a little short. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed though. With my sleeves rolled up, I left the comfort of the room. Other than the bathroom, the yellow bedroom had been the only part of the house that I had set foot in. The first thing that caught my attention was the giggling that came from downstairs, and Anna’s voice telling Braydon and Lewis to be quiet. Her message fell on deaf men’s ears.
“Oh! Good morning, Seda.” Anna greeted me when I came to the bottom of the stairs. “It’s kind of a nuthouse this morning, I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right. I kind of like it actually. Being an only child, I can assure you that waking up in a quiet house isn’t nearly as much fun as this.”
“I beg to differ,” Anna chuckled just as a dark-haired boy came running into her side. “Braydon, say hello to Seda.”
I laughed quietly as Braydon gave me a quick look and then buried his face even deeper in the fabric of Anna’s shirt.
“Well, as you can see, he’s the shy one,” then she looked over her shoulder and called, “Lewis, come over here. Come say hello to Kieran’s friend.”
No more than two seconds later, an exact copy of Braydon ran past us, except, this one wore a cape. Just as fast as he appeared, he disappeared again.
“They’re usually not like this,” Anna apologized.
Lewis came running around the corner again, squealing this time. “I’m a superhero!”
Anna inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. Lewis disappeared again. It seemed like he was running circles around the house because only a moment later, I saw him turn the same corner again, still running with his arms stretched out like only cartoon superheroes would do. However, this time Anna grabbed him by the shoulders as he aimed to shoot right between Anna and me.
“Lewis, you have to calm down. Now, say hello to Seda!”
The boy looked up, beaming at me. “Hi!”
“Hello Lewis,” I replied, smiling back. “It is very nice to meet you.”
“How about breakfast?” Anna suggested before he could run off again. Lewis responded with a fist in the air and a loud cry of victory. Anna stifled back a laugh, but I couldn’t. The chuckle that escaped my body only motivated Lewis to do it again.
“Lewis, why don’t you go wake your brother? And Braydon, you can help me set the table.”
“Yeah!” Lewis shouted and sprinted to the stairs.
“Seda, do you mind going with him? I don’t like him running up and down the stairs by himself. Especially not when he’s as wild as he is this morning.” Anna whispered quickly so Lewis wouldn’t hear.
“Of course not,” I replied. By the time I turned around to the stairs, Lewis was already halfway up them.
“Hey Lewis,” I whispered not so quietly when he reached the top. “Do you want to do something funny?”
He nodded eagerly.
“You want to scare Kieran? If you do, you should just go running into the room, shouting as loud as you can.”
Lewis didn’t say anything in reply, he just turned on his heel and ran straight to a closed door. I motioned for him to wait for me and then when I opened the door, I whispered, “Go ahead!”
The little boy ran into the room, singing some cartoon theme song at the top of his lungs. Watching the scene in front of me made me grateful for not having any siblings, younger or older.
“Dammit!” Kieran growled, lifting his pillow over his head.
“Lewis! Duck!” Without questioning me first, Lewis did as told and only barely managed to escape the pillow that Kieran hurled in his direction. It had effectively shut him up though.
“Should have known,” Kieran muttered, shaking his head when he looked up at me. “I should have know you had something to do with this.”
I laughed out loud from the doorway and a second later, Lewis joined in. Together we held our bellies while we laughed at Kieran who overreacted by pulling his sheets over his head.
“Come on,” I motioned for Lewis to leave Kieran be once my laughter quieted down a little. “Let’s return downstairs.”
Lewis took the hint and grabbed hold of my hand.
“Kieran, are you coming too? You’re mom’s waiting for breakfast.”
He didn’t lift the sheets off of his face but mumbled loud enough for me to hear, “I’ll be there in a minute.”
With that, I closed the door behind us and we made our way back downstairs. Not yet knowing where everything was, I followed Lewis to the kitchen.
“What was all that about?” Anna asked with raised eyebrows as soon as we appeared in view.
“I woke up Kieran.” Lewis answered proudly while sitting down at the table. “He threw a pillow at me!”
“I’m sorry. It was my fault.” I quickly informed Anna. I didn’t want any of the boys to get in trouble because of me. I told Lewis to go in screaming. He only did what I asked him to do.” A little lost, I stared at the empty seats at the table, not sure which seat I was supposed to take. “Kieran said he’d be down in a minute though, our little plan seemed to have worked.”
“That it did,” Kieran’s voice sounded drowsily, coming from close behind me. Startled, I turned around and practically bumped right into him.
“Why can’t you walk like, I don’t know, an obese, cripple drunk or something? At least then you wouldn’t be able to sneak up on me like you always do.”
“Oh, you mean something like this?”
Kieran wriggled his way past me and stumped loudly around the kitchen table with his arms at odd angles. This amused his two brothers to the point where they both jumped up from their chairs, mimicking Kieran’s zombie-like movements.
“Oh boy,” Anna muttered when she turned around with a jug of fresh orange juice and saw her boys limping around the kitchen table. “I’m not even going to say anything about this. Now, Seda…why don’t you take a seat and get started on breakfast? Let these crazy boys do what they do best.”
I eyed the empty seats again and Anna noticed.
“You can just sit wherever you want.”
I walked over to the nearest chair when all of a sudden, Lewis ran over to me. “No!” he shouted and started pushing me to another chair. “Sit next to me!”
“Okay, okay,” I raised my hands in defeat. “Where do you want me to sit?”
“No, Lewis. No!” Braydon cried, unexpectedly rushing to my side as well. “She’s going to sit next to me!”
I opened my mouth, only to shut it again. I seriously lacked experience when it came to dealing with children. Okay, so pulling a prank on someone and agreeing to whatever they wanted wasn’t all that difficult, but being caught in the middle of two little boys was more than I could handle.
Helplessly, I looked between the two boys who seemed about ready to pull each other’s hair.
“No!” said Kieran all of a sudden, using the same tone the two boys had. Only, his voice sounded more powerful.Both boys looked questioningly up at their older brother as he walked over to our side of the table. “Seda was my friend first so she’s going to sit next to me.”
As Kieran grabbed my arm and pulled me to an empty chair, I expected the little boys to protest. However, my heart melted as I saw their sad pouts. They didn’t fight Kieran. It seemed like Braydon and Lewis knew they couldn’t win from him anyway.The twins took their seats, as did Kieran and I.
“See,” I smiled at Braydon and Lewis as we all sat down. “I’m sitting right across the table from you. Now we can see each other! Much better than when we sit next to one another, right?”
I saw the wheels spin in their tiny heads but almost immediately, their eyes lit up.
“Hah! You can’t look at her!” Braydon said to Kieran while beaming brighter than ever. Lewis, too, carried a big smile on his face as he dug his spoon in the bowl of cereals Anna placed in front of him.
Two hours later, I found myself on the couch, watching cartoons with the twins flanking me on either side. After Anna complained about needing to go grocery shopping, she happily accepted my offer to babysit the twins. I wouldn’t have offered if I hadn’t known Kieran would be around. Then again, as soon as Anna had left through the front door, the twins made it abundantly clear to Kieran that their mom hadn’t asked me to babysit him – only them. Therefore, when he sat down on the couch to watch some television with us, they pestered him until he gave in and left the living room. I shrugged apologetically at him with a What-can-I-do expression. So yes, the twins and I were watching cartoons while we waited for Anna to return. The only way I could tell the boys apart was because of the cape Lewis refused to take off – for which I was extremely thankful. Unlike that morning during breakfast, both boys were calm and entirely focused on the cartoons that I had never watched before.
The breakfast tumult had made it simple for me to forget about reality, and that which ultimately led me to stay with Kieran’s family. However, seated on the couch, my mind seized the opportunity toworry at its own content. I tried my best to focus on the cartoon in case the boys asked me a question about the story, but getting lost in my own thoughts was simply inevitable.
Did Kieran and his family know about the evil schemes of Mountain River’s inhabitants? Did the people back at home know I was gone? If so, were they out looking for me? What would they do if they found me? Should I even stay with Kieran’s family, possibly putting them in danger?My parents, what would I tell them when I saw them? I hadn’t even the slightest idea of what my feelings were towards them. Was I angry? Well, yes. They had left me all alone and if Kieran could find me, they should’ve been able to do so, too. No? At the same time, I was over the moon about meeting them. I hoped that meeting them would finally allow me to learn about myself. Who I was meant to be opposed to the person Trudy and Jackson taught me to be. Would I even meet up to the expectations of my birth parents?
“Ouch,” I winced in pain when Lewis accidentally pressed his shoulder into my side – successfully bringing me back from my thoughts. Lewis leaned back, giving me a questioning look as I placed my hand over the nasty bruise from when those stupidly drunken school kids bumped their car into me.
“You okay?” Kieran’s voice surprised me. Too lost in thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed him coming downstairs again, and yet, freshly showered, he was seated on the other couch with his legs stretched out in front of him.
“Yeah. He just bumped into a sore spot. It’s nothing.”
“Do you need a sticky?” Braydon asked and I looked over at Kieran for an explanation. I had no idea what Braydon meant.
“A Band-Aid.”
“Oh! That’s nice of you Braydon. But I’ll be okay.”
“You need a magic kiss? Mom always gives a magic kiss.”
Not sure of what to expect, I nodded yes because I didn’t want to upset the boys.
“Where is your pain?” Braydon wanted to know as he slid off the couch.
I pointed to my left side.
“Be careful guys,” Kieran warned his brothers. “You don’t want to hurt Seda more, right?”
Both boys shook their head a fervent no. First, Lewis leaned over and placed a feather light kiss on my shirt. Then Braydon bent over and did the same, only with a loud smacking sound.
“Now you’re better!” Lewis exclaimed proudly.
“I am, thank you very much!”
Braydon started to say something back, but Lewis shushed him, telling his brother that he wanted to hear his cartoon. Braydon seemed to have forgotten what he wanted to say and just like Lewis, he got comfortable again on the couch.
Kieran smiled at me from where he lay on the other couch before he, as well, focused his attention on the television again.
It couldn’t have been much later when light snores came from Braydon on my right. On my left, I watched Lewis absently rub his eyes. Minutes later, he too had his eyes closed and was fast asleep.
For what seemed like a long time, I sat frozen, afraid to move and accidentally wake the boys as they leaned into me. Only when Anna returned home again and walked into the living room, did I dare to breathe normal instead of the shallow breaths I’d restricted myself to.
“Oh my god,” Anna mouthed as she saw her youngest boys passed out next to me. She motioned for Kieran to get up and carry them upstairs.
“Don’t wake them,” she added in a soft whisper. “I’m going to empty the truck.”
Kieran did as told and carefully lifted Lewis off the couch and carried him upstairs. Shortly after, he did the same with Braydon. Finally able to move without potentially waking anyone in the process, I was glad to stretch my legs after sitting still for too long.
“Can I help with anything?” I asked Anna when I entered the kitchen. Several grocery bags already covered the table while Anna tried to push on two more.
“That’s all right,” she shook her head. “I’ve got it covered. Although, could you please just push those bags a little more to the center? So I’ll be able add the last ones?”
Anna left the kitchen once again while I started shifting the bags so that there would be more room on the table.
Kieran came downstairs again, stumping his feet louder than necessary. “Better? I didn’t startle you this time?”
I chuckled. “How nice of you to remember.”
“How could I not?”
“Good. You’re here, Kieran,” Anna sighed relieved when she reappeared in the kitchen with two more bags. “You can help me put all of this stuff away!”
With a dramatic sigh, Kieran walked past me and started emptying the first bag.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Anna asked and motioned for me to take a seat.
“Sure, that’d be nice.”
“Oh, so that’s how you’re going to play it?” Kieran mocked his mom. “You’re going to let me do all the hard labor while you two have a nice little chat over tea? How awfully nice of you!”
“Kieran, you’re such a drama queen.” His mom laughed, throwing a sachet of instant soup at his head.
“And still I’m you’re favorite”
“I’m just going to ignore that question. A “no comment” is all you’re going to get.”
As Anna stood up to heat up some water for our teas, I stifled a yawn. Unfortunately, as much as I had tried to hide my fatigue, Anna picked up on it and shook her head slightly.
“Why don’t you go up and have a nap as well? It might do you good. How much sleep did the two of you get anyways?”
“I had trouble falling asleep,” I admitted. “I just felt too awake.”
“You don’t look like you’re too awake now,” Anna smiled. “Head up to bed. Catch up on a few hours of sleep. It’ll do you good.”
Fighting another yawn, I obeyed and headed upstairs. When I left the kitchen, I heard Anna complain to Kieran for not letting me sleep that night. It hadn’t been his fault though, but I was too tired to go back in and tell Anna she had it all wrong.
After what felt like an eternity, I woke up to commotion coming from downstairs. In a haze, I turned onto my back and tried to hear what was going on. At first, the voices and the arguing had been too far away, but as the turmoil moved closer to the stairs, it became easier for me to make out the words.
“I don’t think this is the right time,” Anna spoke, unyielding.
“If she is asleep, you shouldn’t wake her.” Another voice pleaded, a voice I couldn’t remember hearing before.
“I can do whatever I want,” another voice I couldn’t place cut in. This one, however, sounded even more obstinate than Anna. “I have every damned right to go up now.”
“Then please,” Anna begged, “get cleaned up first. You don’t want her to base her first impression on the state you’re in now.”
“I don’t give a damned –“
“Kieran, get back inside!” Anna shouted all of a sudden, definitely losing her temper. “And you do care! Don’t be selfish! Think of what it will do to her.”
At the sound of footsteps, I jolted upright so I sat facing the entrance of the room. Whoever was making a fuss downstairs was now on his way up. I could only assume that the girl they referred to was, in fact, me. Had the people from The Hall found me? Had they come to get me and deliver me to that man they had made a deal with? My eyes wandered over to the window. If I intended on making a run for it, the window wouldn’t offer me any chance of escape. My side still hurt and my ankle was finally better, jumping from windows wouldn’t do me any good.
“Please don’t do –“ Anna pleaded not too far from the door that led to my room.She didn’t get to finish her sentence. The door burst open.
Scared, I scooted as far back as I could possibly manage. My back pressed against the headboard of the bed and in my hands, I clenched the small bracelet with my name carving. If they were coming to get me, I’d take it with me. Reacting by instinct, and instinct alone, I raised my hands to shield my face and squeezed my eyes shut in fear. When the rustling of clothes and movement inside my room had come to a stop, yet no one laid as much as a finger on me, I hesitantly lowered my hands. With great effort I scrambled enough courage together to open my eyes.
At the foot of my bed stood three people. Nearest to the door stood Anna. She gave me a weary smile. Next to her stood a much taller man. His eyes reminded me of Kieran’s. If it hadn’t been for that little feature, I still would have been able to conclude that he was Alex Whyte; Anna had her hands wrapped around his left hand and clung to his side. This man was Kieran’s father, no doubt about it.
Next, closest to the bed, stood the stranger who had wanted so desperately to come to my room. He looked like a mess, to be completely honest. His dark hair was in desperate need of a cut. Dirt streaked his face, hands and most of his disheveled clothes. This tall man was in desperate need of a shower, that was for sure. Despite the dark circles underneath his tired-looking eyes, his need for a shave and stunned expression, I felt like I had seen him before. I felt certain I hadn’t met him in the past, at least not in person. Nevertheless, I had seen him somewhere, although I couldn’t quite remember when or where. Once again, my eyes drifted to Kieran’s parents, hoping they could help me out. Their expressions were a mingling of worry, hope and…accomplishment?
I returned my gaze to the familiar stranger and then the puzzle pieces clicked in place.
“D..D…Donovan? What are you doing here?”
“You know each other?” Anna frowned, confused. She let go of her husband and took a step forward. She glanced between Donovan and me, trying to find answers. Anna’s confusion was reflected on Alex’s face. Donovan, however, seemed more shocked than confused.
“How do you know me?” he asked, addressing me for the first time. Actually, those words were the first he said since their party of three burst in the room.
“Joanne,” I replied in all honesty. “She’s a friend of mine and she showed me some family pictures the other day. She told me your name.”
“But you haven’t met Donovan? Not before now?” Alex wanted to know.
I shook my head no. “Not that I’m aware of, no.”
“We are going to give you two some privacy. If there’s anything, you will be able to find us downstairs.” Anna said, while tugging at Alex’s arm for him to follow.
“Good luck,” Alex said to me, and then with a nod to Donovan, he left the room.
Donovan’s gaze never drifted from me. His focus remained solely on me. I felt uncomfortable under his stare.
“What brought you here? Did they send you?”
“Huh?” Donovan blinked, looking utterly confused. “Did who send me?”
“Are you the one they sent to come get me?”
Frowning, he shook his head no. “I’m not here to come get you.”
“Then why are –“
“Good heavens, you look just like her.” Donovan blurted out, cutting my question short.
At a complete loss, I stared back at Donovan. He still stood in the exact same spot as when I had opened my eyes. It was as if he was scared to move, which puzzled me. Absently, I played with the bracelet that I held in my hand, a nervous habit I’d picked up not too long ago.
It might take my father a good few hours to get to yours and then they have to come all the way back…
As I recalled Kieran’s words, everything started to make sense. If what I thought was right, then I knew why Donovan was here. I could slap myself on the head for not connecting the dots faster.
With newfound hope, I asked the one question that would answer everything.
“What’s your last name?”
“Evers. Why?”
Tears welled in my eyes and my breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t believe it. Seventeen years…I had been looking for seventeen years and he stood in my room, only a few steps away. My heart thumped loud and fast, making it the only sound I could hear.
“Why?” Donovan pressed, taking a tentative step closer. “Why would you ask?”
I shook my head in an attempt to juggle my thoughts back to coherence. I didn’t know how to say it, how to ask him, but I still needed confirmation. I still needed to hear it said out loud.
“Because of me,” I swallowed back the lump in my throat. As if to prove my point, I showed him the silver bracelet. “Because my name is Seda Evers.”
“It can’t be,” Donovan spoke to himself while he shook his head slowly. “I must be hallucinating…not after all these years.”
“You’re not hallucinating,” I spoke with a shaky voice.
“You look so much like her.”
“Like whom?”
Donovan seemed to fight back his emotions while with trembling lips, he murmured almost incoherently, “Your mother.”
As soon as he spoke those words, he lifted his hand and hid his face from view. If I hadn’t been paying attention as much as I had, I wouldn’t have been able to understand what he had said.
Mother.
That made Donovan my father.
He was here, in the same room as me.
A sob shook Donovan’s shoulders and without being aware of my actions, I stepped out of the bed and walked over to my real father. The moment I was within reach, he pulled me into a tight embrace. Ignorant to the pain that stabbed through my side, I savored the moment. Even though I had never met Donovan before that day, his hug felt right. Exactly like what I imagined a father’s hug would feel like.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Donovan kissed the top of my head, pulling me even closer.
“I can’t believe I found you.” I cried in return. “I’ve been searching for years and I didn’t think I would ever find you.”
“Alex told me you lived in Mountain River all along. All this time, you were so close. Right under my nose. I can’t believe I didn’t find you. I have looked everywhere and then all of a sudden, Alex tells me you’re at his place. It just seemed too good to be true. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact I’m finally holding you in my arms, after all these years.”
“It is surreal,” I agreed with a faint smile. Another thought crossed my mind and caused me to take a step back. “Joanne said you are her son in law. All of her daughters are married. I don’t understand.”
Donovan’s expression turned somber, at which alarm bells started ringing in my head.
“No… The blond girl? Joanne’s deceased daughter? Is she – was she…did she gave birth to me?”
“Yes. Elise was your mother.”
I didn’t need Donovan’s sad expression, his sympathy. How rude of life to let me find my birth parents, only to have one of them ripped away at the same moment. Too many conflicting emotions ran through me and I couldn’t decide how to feel. I could be glad for finding my father, but at the same time I felt like mourning the mother I’d never met - and never would meet.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled through a downpour of tears. “But I’m going to need some time to…to process everything. Can you please give me a minute to myself?”
Donovan looked at me, really looked at me, and then he gave a single nod. “I don’t know how long you need, but if I have left by the time you come downstairs and want to see me, no matter the time, ask Alex or Anna for my number.” Donovan stepped closer then, and softly touched my chick with the back of his hand. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
I really wanted to reply that I was happy too, but at the same time, I felt too sad to admit to my happiness. As I stood there motionlessly, watching him leave the room, I hoped that deep in his heart, Donovan knew I was happy, too.
When the door clicked shut, I shuffled back to the bed. Loud sobs escaped my body as I curled up on top of the covers and buried my face in the pillow. I cried for a lot of different reasons. I cried out of happiness for meeting my real father. I cried out of fear for what would happen next. I cried for the mother I would never get a chance to know. I cried for the betrayal of the people that raised me. Frightened for what the people at the Hall had been meeting about… I cried because I didn’t know what else to do.
In the distance, I registered a soft knock on the bedroom door but I decided to ignore it. Whoever had been on the other side of the door, took the privilege of entering the room on their own account because the door creaked open. I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes, to look up to see who it was. Yet, as the mattress dipped and someone cuddled up behind me, I knew Kieran had come to console me. Unable to stop the tears, I turned onto my other side, and against his chest, I carried on my piteousness. He didn’t say anything, for which I was grateful. Nothing that anyone could possibly say would make me stop crying anyway. Instead, Kieran only held me close and stroked my hair in a soothing manner while I held onto him for dear life.
By the time my sobs subsided and nothing but an annoying sniffling was left to be heard, Kieran’s shirt was thoroughly soaked by my tears.
“I am sorry,” I muttered between sniffs. “I keep crying on you.”
“It’s only a shirt. There are still plenty left where that one came from. Don’t worry about it.”
We stayed quiet for a few minutes. I had no idea what Kieran was thinking about, but I had plenty other things to worry about.
“So…” Kieran broke the silence. “You met your father.”
“Hmm.”
“If you want to, you can still go talk to him. I think he hasn’t left yet. He was in serious need of a drink after seeing you.” Kieran shook his head at himself. “I mean that in a good way. God, I made it sound like he wanted – I don’t know. I think he kind of feels like you, all emotions thrown together.”
“That’s exactly how I feel. I don’t know whether to be sad, joyful or terrified.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Wait!” I gasped while pushing myself up on my elbow. “If Donovan is my father, and Elise is my mother…that makes Joanne my grandmother!” I waited for Kieran to say something in return but all he did was shrug a little.
“Does she even know? Has she known, all this time, that I’m her granddaughter?”
Again, Kieran decided not to answer my question directly. However, by the way his lips lifted a little on one side, I knew his answer anyway.
“What’s one more lie? What’s one more person keeping secrets from me?” I released a long breath while I let my body fall back against the mattress. “Seriously, every time I complained to her about wanting to find my real parents, she never even implied knowing who they were.”
“I think she did it to protect you.”
“Protect me?” I huffed. “I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about it right now. Wow, it must have been painful for her to see me. I thought it to be nothing but coincidence that her daughter and I resembled one another. Joanne pointed that out all the time. I never paid much thought to it though. Maybe if I had, I would’ve started asking the right questions.”
“Maybe that’s why she showed you those photographs?”
“How well do you know Joanne, by the way?” I asked curiously, looking sideways to meet Kieran’s gaze. I still hadn’t forgotten I had introduced them to each other that night and well, now I could only feel embarrassed for not knowing they were acquainted already.
“She doesn’t visit very often and we’re not exactly allowed to set foot in town. So I didn’t know her very well. Not until I saw you in the woods, that is. I started putting two and two together and by the time we really met, I hated knowing all these things about you but not being able to tell you any of it.”
“But now I know everything. Right?”
His eyes looked at me apologetically.
“Really? There’s still stuff I don’t know? What else is there but a homeless father, a dead mother and a secretive grandmother?”
Kieran chuckled, much to my annoyance. “He’s not homeless.”
“He sure as hell looked like it.”
“Mom was right. Don should’ve cleaned up before meeting you. He actually owns a nice place, just spends a lot of time away from home.”
“For work?”
“If that’s how you want to describe it, then yes.”
“But you’re not going to tell me more?”
“I’m afraid so.”
I groaned in frustration. “You know that is annoying as hell, don’t you? If not, well, then let this be a reminder.”
“Hmm…”
“Is that all you’ve got to say?”
“Hmm…”
I raised an eyebrow at him as he just lay staring at me, eying me with a weird expression.
“I wonder what big secret is left that you can’t tell. It makes me want to pull out my own hair, you know?” I rambled on. “Why can’t you just tell me? I hate being the only clue –“
My eyes widened as Kieran did the last thing I expected him to do, as he silenced me midsentence by pressing his lips to mine…
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A/N: If you spot any mistakes, feel free to point them out. It's a great help, and much appreciated. Also, the last line isn't quite what I wanted it to be, but after changing it a million times (probably slightly less) I figured you'd get the idea and that this would just have to do until I find the perfect one :)
ps: thanks for reading!