Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Epilogue
SIOBHAN DAVIS
www.siobhandavis.com
A Glossary of Irish words, phrases, and meanings can be found at the back of this book.
Table of Contents
Kennedy Boys Family Tree
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Epilogue
Kennedy Boys Series – Future Books
Loving Kalvin
About The Author
Acknowledgments
Glossary Of Irish Words And Phrases
Books By Siobhan Davis
Copyright
Chapter One
Faye
James and Alex are screaming at one another as I ascend the stairs toward her bedroom with a heavy heart. What I’m here to tell them is only going to heighten emotions further. The door is ajar, and I push it the rest of the way open. I know things have sunk to a new low when they don’t even attempt to stop arguing for my sake.
“Stop!” I yell, projecting myself in between them. James is glaring at his wife with unrestrained hatred.
I understand it.
I would be furious, too, if my spouse had lied to me for years and I’d only just discovered the son I love with all my heart is not my biological child. Alex’s tear-stained face showcases her distress, but she’s not blameless.
She knew what she was doing when she deliberately lied to her husband.
I can empathize, to a point. She predicted James would make a far better father for Kyler, and she lied to give her child the best possible start in life. She was thinking selflessly on the one hand but so selfishly on the other.
She didn’t properly consider James in all this.
How devastating it would be for him to discover she’d deceived him for years. Now, he’s questioning everything, and I don’t think their marriage can survive this.
“Ky overheard you. He knows,” I admit bluntly, because there’s no way to sugarcoat something like this. “And he’s gone. He left me this.” I thrust the crumpled note at Alex.
With trembling hands, she smooths it out and starts reading. She whimpers, and more tears leak out of her eyes. “Oh, no!”
“Let me see that.” James snatches the letter from her hands, frowning as he reads. A muscle pops in and out of his jaw. “Do you see what you’ve done?!” He crushes the letter in his fist, shaking it at his wife. “You have driven him away. You did this.” A ferocious glint shines in his eyes. “If he feels anything like I do, then he’s in the worst pain imaginable. I hope you’re ashamed of yourself, Alexandra. You certainly should be.” His chest rises and a strangled sound travels up his throat. “I will never forgive you for this, and there is no coming back from it. We. Are. Done.”
She nods in sad resignation. “I understand, but that’s not important right now. Finding our son is.”
James massages his temples before turning grief-stricken eyes on me. “Do you have any ideas where he might go?”
I’ve spoken to Kal about this already. The latest sordid family secret has knocked him for six, and he was in a bit of a daze when we talked, but he agrees with me. While I know Ky likes going to the lake to think, he won’t go there now. It’s too obvious. He wants to be left alone, and I doubt if he even knows where he’s headed. “I honestly don’t know. But, at some point, he’s going to want to talk to his older brothers about his, um, bio dad, so I’d start by contacting Kaden and Keven.”
I pull my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and check it for the umpteenth time. Ky still hasn’t responded to the multitude of messages I’ve sent. Sighing, I put my phone away again. I know he’s hurting, but I can’t believe he left without talking to me.
I thought we’d moved beyond that.
And if anyone understands what he’s going through, it’s me. I’ve only just discovered that I have a different dad, too.
Ky held me in his arms while I read my mum’s letter. Comforted me as I struggled to come to terms with every disturbing revelation, but he hasn’t afforded me the same opportunity, and one part of me is seething that he’s shutting me out like this. Throwing the “I’m not worthy” card at me.
As if.
I hate the thought of him dealing with all this by himself which is why I’m determined to find him. To support him as he’s supported me. James is lifting the phone to his ear when I start backtracking. “I’m going to see if Brad has any suggestions.” I walk toward the door.
James bobs his head, while Alex sits on the chaise longue with her head in her hands. “Let me know what he says.”
I run down the stairs and all the way to Kal’s room. I don’t bother announcing my presence before I barge inside.
“Whatever happened to your insistence on knocking?” Kal says, glancing over his shoulder at me as he stuffs some garments into a large, black duffel bag. “Could’ve been naked in here.”
“I’m sure I’d have survived the assault on my eyes.” I flick my gaze to Brad, lounging against the wall in the corner. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” He tightens his grip on the bag slung over his left shoulder. “I still think this is pointless, though.”
“Well, stay behind then,” I snap, retrieving my bag from the side of Kal’s bed where I stashed it a few minutes ago. “No one is forcing you to come look with us.”
“I want to help, but driving around the streets in the dark looking for him is a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
I dump my bag on the ground at my feet. Planting my hands on my hips, I glare at him. “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears. And let’s not forget who let him leave.” That’s a low blow and I know it, but I’m too wound up and worried to care.
Brad stalks toward me, anger reflected in his eyes. “And how the fuck was I supposed to stop him?” His boot nudges the tip of my shoe.
“You could’ve come and told us straightaway. Given us a chance to stop him!”
“Why, Faye? Why would you try and stop him when you know as well as I do what this type of revelation is doing to him?”
“And that’s exactly why he shouldn’t be alone right now!” I yell.
Brad shakes his head. “This is what he does, Faye. He retreats into his shell and hides away to lick his wounds. This is no different. You’ve got to let him fix this shit on his own.”
“No.” My voice booms around the room. “He’s been left to deal with too much on his own in the past. It’s up to the people who love him to show him there’s a different way. I love him, and I’m going to be there for him. I’m going to put my arms around him and hold him while he’s processing everything, and when he’s ready to talk I’ll be right beside him prepared to listen.”
Kal rests his chin on my shoulder. “And that is why you are so perfect for him.”
Brad’s face has fallen, and he looks away. “Fine,” he says a couple of seconds later in a quiet voice. “Let’s split up and see if we can locate him. He hasn’t had too much of a head start.”
“Did you speak to Keven?” I twist around to face Kal. My eldest cousins had only left a couple of hours ago to return to Harvard.
“Yes, but it won’t help. It looks like Ky’s ditched his cell.”
“Aw, dammit!” I was hoping Keven could use the tracking device on his phone to pinpoint his exact location. The only other option we have right now is to drive around in the hope that we might find him somewhere. He can’t have gone too far this time of night, and my best guess is that he’s found a hotel to crash in. “Did he contact him or Kaden?”
“Nope.” Kal effortlessly lifts my bag as well as his own. “But Keven said he’d call us the second he does.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.” I stride toward the door with the boys trailing behind me. We tiptoe along the corridor, trying to minimize noise so we can sneak past the mezzanine stairs to the kitchen and out to the garage. I doubt Alex and James would approve of our plan, and I don’t intend to let anyone stand in our way. The longer Ky is out there alone, the less likely we are to find him. Time is of the essence.
We are just creeping across the lobby when James’s deep voice bellows out. “And where do you think you’re going?”
I bite out a curse as I slowly turn around, prepared to put up the mother of all fights. “We’re going out to look for him, and don’t try to stop us because there’s nothing you can say that’ll keep us here.”
“I know where he is.”
My mouth is already open in protest before his words register in my brain. “Wait. What? What do you know? Tell me.” I race up the stairs, meeting him on the small landing outside his study.
James looks at Kalvin and then back at me. His mouth pulls into a grim line. “You told him?”
“I had to. I needed his help.” I look my uncle square in the eye, refusing to apologize for something I don’t regret.
“I specifically asked you not to tell anyone. I’m not happy about this, Faye.”
“Dad,” Kal pipes up from the foot of the stairs. His tone is uncharacteristically soft. “You can’t expect to keep something like this quiet. We have a right to know—this impacts everyone.”
James exhales, and raw emotion is etched across his face. He’s hurting too badly to even attempt to disguise it. “I know that, son, but I was hoping to speak to Kyler first.”
Kal comes up the stairs, stopping alongside me. His hand moves to my lower back. “He’ll be okay, Dad. He’s strong, and he’s not stupid. It’s obviously a massive shock. He’ll come back.”
James gulps, and his tormented expression doesn’t waver. “I’ve just spoken with Kaden. He’s in Harvard with them.”
My eyes narrow suspiciously as I turn around and eyeball Kal. One of my cousins is lying but I’m not sure which one. Kal’s eyes dart wide in genuine surprise, and I have my answer. “I’m going over there.” I have only taken one step when James tugs on my elbow.
“Not tonight, sweetheart.”
“I need to see him.”
He kisses the top of my head. “It’s late. You can see him in the morning. I think he needs to talk to his brothers.”
I know I’m being irrational, that it’s completely natural for Ky to want to speak to Kaden and Keven, but I can’t help feeling dejected because he hasn’t sought to confide in me. Is that why Keven lied to Kal just now? Because Ky asked him to? “Okay,” I answer meekly, shucking out of his hold. “I’m going to head to bed.”
I take my bag from Kal and walk toward my bedroom. “Are you okay?” Brad asks, as my fingers curl around the door handle.
“I’m fine.” I give him my best effort of a smile. “Just worried.”
He scrubs a hand over his jaw. “I know. Me, too. Try to get some sleep and I’ll drive you over there first thing.”
“Thanks.” I open the door to my room and throw my bag on the floor. “Goodnight, Brad.” Looking over his shoulder, I pin Kal with a knowing look. He waits for Brad to enter his own room before stepping into mine. I quietly close the door. “This is totally fishy.”
“Agreed.” He deposits his duffel on the floor by his sneakers. “Either Keven lied to me or Kaden lied to Dad.”
“My money’s on it being both of them.” It’s the only scenario that makes sense. Ky doesn’t want his parents knowing where he is so why would Kaden say he was there if he really was there? But if I know Ky at all, he would’ve called his brothers, which means that Keven lied to us too.
“Mine too. They’d never take our parents side over Ky’s. Especially not now. I still can’t believe it.” He shakes his head. “And I can’t help wondering …”
He doesn’t need to continue that sentence for me to understand. “If it helps, I fully believe James is your dad. There are subtle differences in your looks and it’s one of the ways in which I figured this out. You and the triplets have lighter hair and darker eyes and I believe your mum when she told me about Ky.”
“It’s difficult to take her at her word when she’s told so many lies.”
“I get that. James said he was going to organize tests for all of you so you’ll know conclusively.” I step toward him, patting his arm. “But I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. I’m pretty confident he’s your dad.”
“Easier said than done.” He locks his hands behind his head. “What’re we going to do about Ky?”
I straighten my spine. “We’re not waiting until morning. If we go to Harvard and confront Kaden and Keven now, we’ll know if they’re lying. And, if they are, we can make them tell us why.”
“Are we bringing Brad?”
“Nope. I think he made his feelings perfectly clear. Let’s do this on our own.” Grabbing my bag—we may be heading out on a road trip after all—I move toward my window. “Let’s sneak out this way.”
“A woman after my own heart.” Kal swaggers toward the window with a smirk.
Rolling my eyes, I toss my bag out first. Once we are both outside, we creep along the side of the house, ducking down under the bedrooms to avoid detection, and enter the garage from the front of the property. Kal stows our bags in the boot, and I slip in the passenger seat while he gets behind the wheel. His fingers caress the steering wheel as he quietly starts
the engine up. “It feels so good to be able to come and go as I please,” he murmurs, more to himself than me. “I was going insane cooped up inside.”
Kal had been on house arrest in the run up to his trial, and I know the lack of freedom killed him. “I’ll bet. I’m just glad it’s all behind you now.”
He eases the SUV slowly and quietly out of the garage. “Yeah, but I still miss her. Has she been in contact with you?”
“No.” Although we had promised to keep in touch, I haven’t heard a word from Lana since our conversation outside the courtroom.
“I can’t believe I’m never going to see her again. It feels like I’ve lost a part of myself.”
I twist around in my seat. “That’s understandable. She’s been a part of your life since you were a kid.” I stare out the window, angling my head so I can study the smattering of twinkling stars in the nighttime sky. “If she’s your other half, your paths will cross again.”
He takes his eyes off the road for a split second. We’ve just reached the end of the driveway. “You believe in all that superstitious nonsense?”
“I believe in true love. The kind of soul-deep love that can only be experienced when two people meet who are destined to be together.” A small frown creases my brow. “Or I used to. Now I’m not so sure what I believe in.”
Keeping Kyler (The Kennedy Boys Book 3) Page 1