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I just didn’t know why I reacted to him like that.
The headache triggered some nausea, and I had to reason that was why I blurted, “You’re not one of them?”
Hope filled me.
He sniffed, the tension rippling through his arm again. “They’re insane.”
Was that an answer?
“You told me once that runs in your blood.” I stared at him, trying to read his expression and find the truth in those eyes that enchanted me like he was a snake charmer and I was a python.
My inquiry had him tipping his head to the side, and he stunned me by smiling. “If it does, we’re both fucked. Me with Da, and you with… well, Kuznetsov seems to think you’re his granddaughter, so insanity is in both our lines.”
My mouth tightened. “My mother was a liar.”
“Mothers tend to lie.”
“I don’t lie to Katina.”
He hitched a shoulder. “You’re weird.”
“No.” My brow puckered as I reiterated, “Moms aren’t supposed to lie.”
“In my experience, they do. Little white lies. Santa exists. The tooth fairy pays for dead bits of collagen and calcium. ‘I’ll call every other day…’ All lies.”
That stung.
That fucking stung.
He knew I’d made that promise to Katina, but how?
“There’s a big difference between telling a kid that Santa’s real and—” My throat felt tight. “Katina’s worried about me.” It wasn’t a question.Of course, she was worried.I’d broken so many goddamn promises to her that she’d probably never trust me again.
Who the hell could blame her?
I’d let her down when I’d sworn I never would.
“She is. I met her. She ran away to the city to find me.”
Startled, I whispered, “Why?”
“Seemed to think I’d be the one who’d bring you back.”
My knees felt weak at that.
My kid was worried about me and he’d comforted her.
Self-control shot to hell, I squeezed his hand. “That’s why you’re here?”
“It’s one of the reasons.” His arm dropped away, breaking the bridge we’d made with our fingers. “I’m pissed at you.”
“I deserve that.”
“You do. The first time I saw you, I was supposed to hug you and kiss you. I wasn’t supposed to be attacked by a chair and then have to defend my goddamn honor.” He huffed.
“Everyone betrays me, Conor. I don’t inspire loyalty in people.”
He snorted, but before his disregard could sting, he waved a hand at me. “Yeah, because I’mnotstanding here. I got a fucking concussion from Maverick because he thought I stole Kat—” That same wafting hand motioned at his forehead where the smudge from a bruise was still apparent as well as a goose egg. “—and I got on a plane for you, Lodestar. A plane. I don’t do that for many people.”
