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“Who’s Saint?” I asked as I got out of my side of the car.
“Santiago,” he replied. “An old Marine buddy.”
“Oh,” I said.
Monty led the way to a sleek door and knocked. As we waited for a response, I felt a nervous flutter in my tummy. I was eager to see Faith again, but for some reason, I was anxious. Was she mad? Did she somehow blame me for everything that had happened? After all, I had introduced her to her psycho ex-boyfriend, who made her life a living hell, and then I just abandoned her when she needed me most. I would understand if she did, although she hadn't sounded like it on the phone. Maybe she was saving it for the in-person meeting? Would she be happy to see me?
The door opened, and a good-looking dark-haired man opened the door, looking surprised to see Monty standing there.“Monty?!”
“Nice to see you again, Saint,” Monty said, and the two men shared a hug.
“What the hell are you doing here?” the man asked.
He shrugged. “Well, Vin’s wife wanted me to find her friend, and…well, I found her.”
“More like I found him,” I said, thinking of how everything unfolded. “Hi, I’m Kayla. Nice to meet you. Is Faith in there?”
“Um…yes…”
I spotted Faith instantly over the man’s shoulder and began moving toward her. She was sitting on the couch next to a heavily pregnant lady who was holding a baby. They were both cooing over the infant. She looked up as I approached and gave a delighted squeal, jumping up and running to me.
The same silly sounds were leaving my mouth as I ran to her, and we embraced, holding each other tight.
“Oh my God,” I could hear the tears in my voice when I spoke. “I can’t believe it’s you. And you’re alive.”
Tears were streaming down Faith’s face as well when she pulled back, but there was a large smile on her face.
“Alive and well,” she said. “Not the worse for wear except for a little memory loss here and there.”
“You look fantastic,” I said and noticed there was something different about her, a glow that hadn’t been there before. The Faith I had known had been pretty timid and too nice, and she walked with a slight hunch like she was trying to hide. Now she stood straight with confidence and held me with an inner strength that hadn’t been there before.
“Erm, excuse me,” said the lady on the couch. I was taken aback when I looked at her—she was almost unnaturally beautiful. She looked like some kind of doll, like the girls who had bullied Faith in high school, but there was a directness to her gaze that I liked.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” she said with a smile. “But the curiosity is killing me.”
“Hi, I’m Kayla,” I said, smiling back at the woman and holding out my hand for a handshake. She took it and nodded.
“Right. Of course. But I’m still not sure what that means,” she responded with a teasing chuckle.
“Kayla and I were friends in the final year of high school,” Faith said, “And we remained friends for some time but lost touch after I lost my memory.”
“You didn’t remember her?”
“I did, but she had left, and I didn’t know how to contact her,” Faith said, looking guilty at the admission. She bit her lip as she glanced at me, but I smiled in understanding. “I had lost those months after the fire."
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “I understand.”
“No, it’s not okay,” Faith insisted. “So much wasted time….”
“Well, it’s all in the past now,” I said, really and truly ready to move on from that. “So, what have you been up to?”
Faith smiled again. “Well…that,” she said as she pointed at an adorable newborn who was asleep in the other woman’s arms. Faith’s baby was a beauty with dark hair and eyes and a beauty mark on her cheek. We cooed and fawned over her for a few seconds. Faith also later pointed out her husband, who had gone to the door to greet Monty too. He was a large man whose presence took up the whole room, but there was something gentle about him. From everything Faith told me about him, I could tell he was a good guy, and she loved him very much.
I continued catching up with Faith and Lucia—the blonde woman who happened to be her sister-in-law—until my phone started ringing. It was Ella.
“Hello?”
“Hi.” Her voice was high and thin as she spoke. I was instantly on alert.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s your son. He’s missing.”
