“It isn’t kidnapping, and it didn’t go as planned, but it doesn’t matter because they are here now.”

“It didn’t go as planned because it shouldn’t have ever happened. I’m just glad you came to your senses… sort of.”

“Why did you rat me out to my brother?”

“Because you were homesick, and I knew he wouldn’t hurt you no matter how many times he may have fantasized about it over the years.”

“That isn’t a reason.”

“Would I knowing about Kennedy be a reason?”

“Come again?”

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “He told me when he cornered me. At first, I thought it was a trick to get me to tell him what he wanted to know, but then I realized it was Keiran. He would have just tortured me.”

“So how did he convince you that she was real?”

“He showed me a picture of her. She looks just like you, which is kind of a shame. I always wanted to know if those Maury shows were created with real material or staged.”

“Di.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“What are friends for?” she grinned smugly.

“You fucking annoy me.”

“And you’re a slut.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

SHELDON

I’D BROKEN FREE. Back at the shop, I snagged a couple of bobby pins and didn’t allow myself to wonder how they’d gotten there. Thanks to boredom and YouTube, I figured out a long time ago how to pick a lock. Once I was free, I tiptoed out of the room and listened for any sign of Keenan. When I realized he wasn’t in the apartment, I made a mad dash for the phone I spotted downstairs.

I tore the receiver from the counter and dialed Dash. When he didn’t answer, I tried Lake, who answered almost immediately. “Sheldon! I’m so glad you called. I was getting ready to form a search party for you and a lynch mob for Keenan’s head.”

“So why didn’t you?” I asked bitterly. It was all I could do not to scream into the receiver. I had been locked away in some undisclosed location for the past twenty-four or so hours, and Lake, one of my best friends, pretended as if I had just come back from some vacation.

“Well, I didn’t want to disturb your romantic alone time.”

“Come again?”

“Don’t be so stingy with the details, girl. Spill.”

“Lake… what the hell are you talking about?” I was yelling into the phone, clutching it with a grip more suffocating than death. “Scratch that. Where is Kennedy?”

“I thought Kennedy was with you guys. Are you okay?”

“No. I’m not okay. Keenan—”

“Mommy?”

I whirled around and almost tripped over my feet at the sound of my sweet little angel’s voice. “Kennedy?” I could hear Lake calling for me in the background, but I absently hung up and ran the short distance to where Kennedy waited by the door.

“Ken! Oh, my God.” I kissed her all over her face and completely ignored the fact that I could be scaring her. “Are you okay? Let me look at you.”

“Mommy, I had fun.” She began to fire off everything she’d done, and though I could barely keep up with her babble, I listened because I wanted to know exactly where she’d been. “Di show me sharks.”

Di? Did she say Di?

“Di? You had my daughter around that slut?”

“Watch your mouth around my kid.”

“I think I know how to raise my own daughter. I’m her mother.”

“Then act like it. She needs a bath and it’s late. Do it before I change my mind.”

As much as I wanted to argue, he was right. It was almost midnight, and I was surprised she was still up and wide-awake. I could also smell the beach on her. He walked past me and shed his linen jacket that matched the pants he wore. I tried not to salivate over how suave he looked. It was a far cry from the jeans and tees he normally wore. He looked every bit of the man he’d grown to be and even older than his twenty-two years.

I ran a bath for Kennedy. Before long, her eyes were drifting close so I dressed her for bed. By the time, I had her nightie on her Keenan had entered and took a seat on the edge of the tub while I brushed Kennedy’s hair. Her head rested against my chest, but when Keenan entered, she began to fight sleep.

Could she already be attached to him? If she was, then I knew it was too late. How could I rip them apart now?

“Why did Lake think we were spending alone time together?”