CHAPTER THIRTY

 

KEIR FRESHENED up and started back for the room. A tall, dark figure carrying a brown teddy bear moved in the corridor ahead of him, then entered the semi-private room.

He’d called Skye, he’d call Haylan, he’d called Ingrid. Perhaps this was a relative Ingrid sent over. Doubtful. Or, in the fifteen minutes he’d been gone, Dylan got a roommate.

Myah’s cold tone spoke otherwise. “What are you doing here?”

“You told me to come.”

“Five hours ago. It’s eight-thirty in the morning!”

Keir walked in behind Tall and Mighty, and moved around to stand at the foot of the bed to face him. For crying out loud, this was Greg? Of all the big screen good looks, this guy topped the bill. Keir could admit that. He placed himself to half block the man’s view of Myah, who’d taken up the other chair beside the sleeping Dylan.

Greg gave him a double take and shifted over. “Don’t blame me, visiting hours aren’t until eight.”

“That’s your exc—this is your own flesh and blood, Greg. They make an exception in Intensive Care.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Keir heard the disgust in her sighed response, “I can’t even tell.”

“Do you want me here or not, Myah-girl?”

No answer.

It didn’t take long to assess the character of the man. Myah refused to talk negatively about him, but Keir read through it. He could see the bottom line now. Without prior consent, he needed to get rid of this freeloader of her emotions as soon as possible.

“You don’t speak to either one of them again without me being there,” said Keir.

Greg scoffed. “Who are you, Snowflake? You see that boy right there? He’s mine. Mine and Myah’s. I definitely would have remembered you in her room when we made him.”

Even-keeled at the attack, Keir stared back. “I’m his dad. And you see that boy right there? He’s mine. Mine and Myah’s. You just donated him.”

“Whatever, Blanket.” He looked at Myah and tipped his head up. “That the way it’s going to be?”

Keir didn’t turn to look at her. There was no hesitation in her response. “That’s right, Greg. No more dropping by the house unannounced. No more midnight phone calls, no…”

Midnight phone calls? What?

“…to fix your marriage or what a woman wants, or how you want to please me as a woman…”

With a tight jaw, Keir angled his head and leaned in Greg’s direction. Please her? Greg best step out of the room right now. The other man didn’t miss Keir’s motion, nor the obvious glare.

God, give him humility, because if Keir had known the content of those conversations, the idiot wouldn’t have gotten into the room.

Returning his attention to Myah, Greg’s anger flared. “If I file for shared custody I’d get my alone time.”

“You don’t care about us enough to try.”

“You want the support money to keep coming?”

“You want to be slapped with a child support order?”

Keir did look at her then. At the line of fear in her eyes, like she did want this man to continue child support.

For once he was on the same page as Dylan’s father, even to the truth of the vibe in the room that only the two men seemed to share. That, as of today, Greg would no longer be a part of Myah and Dylan’s lives. If the freeloader couldn’t have his clutch in the young woman he made vulnerable—Myah-girl?—then it seemed he didn’t want any of the package.

“You think you got an instant family? I was there first,” Greg reminded.

“I’m here now. You don’t even know anything about them. Myah’s favorite color. Or Dylan’s. His favorite toy. Favorite song.” Keir felt generous and gave the man time to respond. In the stare down, he shook his head. “Don’t waste your time. You’re off the hook. Whatever you thought you had never lived here.” He could practically hear Myah’s pastor say, ‘Can I get an amen to that!’

Greg’s eyes narrowed in shrewd assessment. Keir let him look all he want, didn’t mean he’d get to stay, and Greg seemed to agree. He glanced at Myah, then back. Greg looked at the teddy bear in his hand, and the cheapskate tossed it into the closet beside him and walked out the door.

Disbelief froze Keir on the spot. He barely finished his turn to Myah before her body rushed him. Her arms wrapped around his neck. He stumbled backward, one arm around her waist to hold her off the floor.

“Thank you,” she whispered as he smoothed hair from her face.

“You stood up to him plenty on your own.”

“Only because I knew you’d protect me.”

He set her down, traced her birthmark. “That wasn’t me. That’s us working together, Myah.”

She beamed, but Dylan made a noise, distracting her. Keir snuck a kiss on the birthmark before she moved away, while a knock at the door took him in that direction. He glanced back to find her gaze on him. The secure look in her eyes went to solidify what he already knew. They worked together because they were a family.

It wasn’t until the following afternoon that Dylan’s final tests permitted the all-clear to go home. Although exhausted, Myah became an energetic bundle of nerves to get him there.

Keir hefted the little guy to his shoulder and led the way out. “I know you want to get home, but Skye has supper waiting at my place.” He pointed her to the right color-coordinated parking section when they exited the building. As they wove through the lot, he held her hand. “If you don’t mind going back there, that is.”

“That’s fine. A decent meal sounds fabulous. And call me presumptuous, but your place is where I planned to go.”

“Oh.” She’d referred to his place as home. “I thought…you know, since this happened, you’d hate being there.”

Myah swung her knapsack against her leg as she walked. “Trouble happens anywhere. I can’t thank you enough for saving his life.”

“The paramedics—”

“You. God used you. When my Dyl went missing, when I saw him in that water. Everything Ingrid taught me flew right out of my head. You brought him back for me, not those trained paramedics.”

She knew how to stroke a man’s ego. And Myah would reserve that level of encouragement for him only. It did his heart good to know she was there for him no matter what. He stared at her then, seeing once again the beauty beyond her physical appearance.

“C’mere,” he whispered. He hugged her tight. A natural aroma, one that stripped away all and left only Myah, made him smile and squeeze her in his arm tighter. “Do you have any idea how many cups of black tea you owe me, woman?”

She shoved him. They resumed their walk under a halo of chuckles and grins. When they stopped again, a deep frown befell her face. “Keir..?” She raised her hand as if to touch him but then pulled back. “You…” Her voice floated with awe and wonder; about as much as he experienced flow through him at that moment. “Keir…you…you drove my car.”

 

 

“I DIDN’T think about it…what I was driving.”

Myah watched the lines on Keir’s face change from smooth and amazed to creased and confused.

“How could I not know?” His fingers ticked off the list while he stared incredulous at the strange vehicle. “I had to get to the hospital, drive home for your purse, get back to see Dylan.”

Conscious to avoid making it a big deal in the event that reality would throw him off, she remained silent while Keir drove them to his home without strangling the wheel. No sweat, no rapid eye blinks, only the occasional white-knuckling on the wheel.

Were his hang-ups banished for good? Good grief, who knew? But she thanked God for him that it was possible. She’d celebrate with a special Sunday meal tomorrow.

She turned her attention to Dylan. She hadn’t wanted to tell him happy birthday while still in the hospital, and was overjoyed he made it home on his special day. When they stepped through the front door, decorations and kiddies music greeted them.

“Skye!” she gasped.

Not only had Skye made dinner, but took it upon herself to bring Ingrid, her brother-in-law, and Keir’s whole family to celebrate. She couldn’t ask for anything more. It was exactly what she needed as a substitute, not a hoorah affair, but a quiet and somewhat subdued gathering.

Safe from the thunderstorm that forced them inside, sitting in the comfortable wooden chair in the furnished basement, Myah felt the last of her energy drain. The darkened atmosphere and mellow music massaged her brain to mush. She chuckled when Keir came over with a single cheese doodle.

“Your son’s face is covered with this unhealthy excuse for a snack. Who knew they were his favorite junk food?”

She stared at him, remembering he’d told Greg that Dylan was his.

His head tilted as he offered the twist. “Here. You look like you could use it. And I’ll even kiss you afterward.”

Clear-headed, she received the humble offering, and ate it for all it was worth. “Cheese rules,” she told him.

He made a face, but took both of her hands, raising her out of the chair. She fell against him, weak, shaky. Out of nowhere, the fortress crumbled. With pretense stripped away, tears began to fall. The nightmares which haunted her from the moment she saw the empty bed upstairs, sobbed out onto Keir’s chest. His arms tightened. Exhaustion loosened the grip of her composure. She had nothing left, no walls, no hideaways, no strength to wrap her arms around him. She moved in his gentle sway.

“I’ll take care of you.” His voice hushed her in the music.

She sagged into him, not an ounce of energy left to even tell him she’d always known he would.

Songs changed, lyrics told her about love and faith, but the strong arms remained, his motion soothed every doubt and hiccup. Myah rolled her forehead on his chest. She breathed in time with him. As he turned her and persuaded away all her troubles, she propped her chin over his heart. Eyes closed, she listened to his comfort.

In time, she lifted her lids to stare. He didn’t stop talking, singing, loving her with his dance and his words. He loved her, in front of the world and forever. Myah stood on her tiptoes and puckered her lips against his chin. “Whatever it costs, I’ll pay the IOU on this one.”

His steady gaze lasted until the side of his lips quirked, and his lids blinked a couple of times.

“Keir, are you getting all misty-eyed on me?”

He swiped at his damp eyes. “My eyeballs are sweating. Leave me alone.”

At her chuckle, he gently cut her off with a kiss. She moaned in content when it ended, fascinated reading his eyes. His attention veered, distracted by something behind her. His face contorted in a “what?” frown.

“What’s wrong?” she turned over her shoulder to see Haylan standing near the stairs.

“He wants to know if we’re sleeping together.”

“What!” Myah stared aghast at Haylan who, through the dim light, sported a deep blush that his brother announced it to the whole room.

“He’s asked before. Keep it cool, Hart. Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Haylan’s voice came out high.

Keir’s exasperated grunt made Myah chuckle. She swayed with him as much as their eyes danced together in laughter until he stood motionless with harbored mischief in his beautiful dark brown eyes. “When do you want to start?”

She squinted back and hummed as if in thought. “Hmmm. May.”

“May?”

“May.”

The side of his face wrinkled. “That’s an awfully long way off, My.”

She shrugged.

Keir’s sneaky leer returned to Haylan. “We’ll start in May.”

Myah bit her lip and snickered against his chest. A shocking, snorty squeal pierced the air. Stunned out of her comfort, she gawked at Ingrid off to the side. Her sister stared wide-eyed, clutching Skye’s arm as the taller woman stood with her mouth slacked open in shock.

Ingrid’s body vibrated with excited shudders. She looked between them. “What in the world! Did you two just get engaged?”

Myah laughed and started to sway again as she left it to him.

Her cohort’s gaze traced down her face. Keir smiled back. “Yes, we did.”