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I raised an eyebrow. “I was.”
“Was?”
I shrugged as well. “It’s been a bit chaotic. But, hey, you were obviously better informed than we were.”
His gaze narrowed, like he was studying me. I noticed that what I thought were Dad’s eyes actually weren’t. Same color, but different structure. Better. Kinder.
Because he hadn’t been raised by him.
“Not really,” he said softly. “I mean, I knew of you, but—Dad never gave details. I got those on my own.”
“You looked us up.”
He laughed. “Wouldn’t you?” Gesturing to where we sat, he smirked. “Didn’t you?”
I smiled and looked into my coffee. “Touché.”
There was a silence that, oddly, wasn’t entirely uncomfortable.
“When your father can’t stay with you because his real family is somewhere else, the need to know is all-consuming,” Matthew said finally.
“Real family,” I said with a little too much acid as the bitterness rolled to the surface. “Sorry, that’s—” I shook my head.
“I’m Adam Bishop, by the way,” Adam said suddenly.
“Oh, shit,” I exclaimed, slapping my palms on the table. “I’m sorry, this is—”
“Adam Bishop?” Matthew said with a humorous grin. His eyes crinkled at the edges and damn it, I fought the urge to like him. They shook hands. “So, you’re—?”
I met Adam’s gaze, and neither of us knew how to answer that. Friend? No. Pain in my ass? Definitely.
“I’m here to take Faith home after this little reunion because she isn’t supposed to be driving or traveling after surgery.” He fixed me with a sarcastic grin that I simultaneously wanted to slap and slam my mouth against—damn it.
“Says the felon driving across state lines in a car that I know damn good and well Tobias didn’t give his blessing to take.”
That did the trick. The grin went away.
“Excuse me?” Matthew said, alarm on his face.
“That’s a low blow, even for you, Faith,” Adam growled.
I smiled my most charming smile. “Oh, even for me? That’s cute.”
“You’re in danger, damn it,” he said, his voice low. “This little rendezvous of yours is stupid.”
“Nice,” I muttered.
“They’re gonna finish the job they started,” Adam said, scraping his chair back and rising to his feet. “They know you’re here. And they burned down your dad’s house yesterday.”
“What?” Matthew said, sitting back in his chair.
I blew out a breath. “No,” I said, running a hand over my face. “That would be me that—burned down the house.”
Adam’s look was incredulous. Or proud. Or afraid. I wasn’t sure which. “Jesus, Faith.”
Matthew rose to his feet as well, killing any response I might have had to Adam’s declaration. “I’m sorry, who the hell are you people?” he said, holding his arms out to his sides. “I guess I know the basics, but I’m a simple guy. If you’re here out of curiosity, Faith, I get it, but let me make it easy.” He picked up both our mugs and brought them to the sink. “I grew up in a simple house with a mom who came to everything and a dad who never did. I didn’t have any other family. I went to school till it was time to go to work, and now I work till it’s time to go help someone else.”
“Help someone else?”
