“So you hibernate. That makes you more like a bear than a lion,” she pointed out.
Laughter rumbled in Ryan’s chest. “Nice analysis. Pretty accurate, too.” He eased Kennedy toward the stairwell leading downstairs. “Okay, sunshine, let’s make this happen.”
They climbed down the flight of stairs, and Ryan led Kennedy into his private work arena.
“This is where your genius uncle makes things happen,” he informed her, opening his arms wide to let her into his world.
Kennedy’s eyes were huge as her gaze swept the room. “Wow. So much—stuff. Computer stuff. Gym stuff. A cool wobbly chair. A comfy couch. And a pile of weird thingies in the middle.”
Ryan chuckled. “Those ‘thingies’ are my experiments. Different-sized and different-programmed robots that could end up being awesome or end up being trashed.”
Kennedy wrinkled her nose. “You might be a genius, but you’re also a hoarder.” She turned her insightful gaze up to his. “Why are we down here? I mean the real reason?”
Ryan grew serious, and he squatted down in front of Kennedy, placing both hands on her shoulders.
“I have a surprise for you. A wonderful surprise. But you must, must promise to keep it between us. No one—not even the rest of our family—can know about it. It’s crucial that you follow that rule, otherwise the surprise can be taken away, and the situation can blow up in our faces. Okay?”
Kennedy had paled, but she didn’t question him, only nodded.
“Good.” With that, Ryan rose, taking Kennedy’s hand and leading her over to his desk, where his own laptop had been shoved to a side, and a different, brand-new-looking laptop sat in its place. “Sit,” he said gently, waiting until Kennedy had complied before he pulled over a second chair, took a seat beside her.
Kennedy seemed to sense that something meaningful was about to happen, because her shoulders straightened and her breathing got faster.
“It’s okay,” Ryan assured her. “It’s all good—I promise.”
“Okay.” Kennedy nodded again.
Ryan reached past her and turned on the System76. He waited for it to whir to life and the screen to light up. Then, he logged in and began pressing a whole series of keys.
Finally, he relaxed his shoulders, ruffled Kennedy’s hair, and hit one final key.
“For you, sunshine,” he said, sitting back in his chair.
The screen went dark for an instant, and when it came on again, Caitlin was sitting on the opposite side of the screen. At the sight of her daughter, she pressed her hand to her heart, and her eyes filled with tears. “Hi, baby,” she managed.
Kennedy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “Mommy?” she whispered. Then a loud, deeply emotional sob. “Mommy!”
Both of them were crying now, and Kennedy reached out to touch the screen. “Is that really you?”
Caitlin placed her own hand on her screen, touching Kennedy’s as if they were truly together. “Only if it’s really you.”
Not only was Kennedy sobbing, she was shaking to the point where Ryan got up and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.
Kennedy glanced at her uncle, as if suddenly remembering he was in the room. “You did this.”
“Not without your mommy’s help, I didn’t.”
Kennedy nodded, visibly still in shock as she turned back to her mother. She sucked in a harsh breath. “You’re alive. You’re okay. Why aren’t you home? Did that monster hurt you? Threaten you enough to scare you away?” She inhaled sharply again, not even pausing for an answer. “Mommy, he killed Daddy.”
For a brief instant, Caitlin’s eyes squeezed shut. Just as quickly, they reopened, tears wetting her lashes. “I know, baby. And I’m so, so sorry. Daddy loved you so much. I love you so much. We’re going to miss Daddy forever. But we’re also going to make it. You’ll see.” Her gaze shifted to Ryan. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you. There aren’t words…”
“No need to search for any.” Ryan’s eyes were also damp. “Besides, as I said to Kennedy, I didn’t do this on my own. You made it possible.” He forced a smile. “Your genius might even rival mine.”
Still standing, he shifted away from the screen, speaking softly to Kennedy. “I’m going to head over to my bench to work out so I keep in shape. While I’m doing that, you can talk to your mommy alone. But, sunshine, afterward I’m going to need some talk time with her, too. When that happens, Claire will bring you up to bed. It’s late and you must get some sleep. Aunt Maureen and Uncle Colin will be right there in the room with you.”
He saw Kennedy’s terrified expression, and, correctly interpreting it, he squeezed her hands. “You’ll be able to talk to Mommy again, and not just once. You have my word. All I ask is that you follow her lead. Don’t ask her where she is, because she can’t tell you. And let her set the boundaries—for all our sakes. Promise?”
“Promise.” Kennedy was still staring at Caitlin’s face. “How did you know we’d be in Uncle Ryan’s workroom now to talk to you?” she asked her.
