The door to the warehouse bursts open, and Lauren runs in. “Kieren!”
She throws herself at her son, and he sweeps her into a hug. “I’m okay, Mom. I got him in a headlock, and Dean knocked him out.”
She pulls back from him and checks him over. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Nah, I’m fine. Mark isn’t though.”
Lauren notices the figure lying prone on the floor and jumps away before realizing he’s passed out. Her hand goes to her chest, and the relief that floods her face makes it all worthwhile.
“What happened?”
Kieren explains the story again to his mom.
“You got out of it yourself,” she murmurs.
Aiden joins us. “I’ve checked the warehouse, and there’s no one else here. It seems he was acting alone.”
There’s movement by the side of the warehouse, and I catch Jace jumping on stacked crates to get down. He jumps from the final crate and lands badly, rolling his ankle.
“Ah fuck. I’m going to get shit from the doc for that.”
Aiden calls it in to Owen, and while we wait for law enforcement to turn up, I put one arm around Lauren and the other around Kieren and walk them away from Mark’s prone body, away from their past.
“You guys want to get some pizza?”
I leave the men waiting for law enforcement while I head off with my family.
12
LAUREN
At Pizza Feast, all Kieren can talk about is how he overwhelmed Mark to get him in a headlock. He doesn’t even call him his father. He refers to him as Mark, and I realize he’s not as impressionable as I feared. In fact, as he recounts how he used his situational awareness to realize Mark was acting alone and to wait for his chance to strike, I realize he’s far from the confused little boy who couldn’t understand why we always moved. Kieren is growing into a young man, and he’s doing okay.
Owen stops by to let us know they’ve taken Mark into custody. Between skipping bail and the kidnapping today, he’s looking at more jail time.
There’s a group of school kids at the pizza place, and Kieren introduces me to Thom, his friend who is also at the training gym.
“Thom is having a gaming session, and he has a spare controller. Can I stay at his place tonight?”
My instinct is to say no, but I pause. With Mark in custody, and Kieren proving himself, there’s no reason for Kieren not to go, especially since it means he’s making new friends here.
“And it means you won’t have to sneak into Dean’s room if I’m not there.”
I freeze with a piece of pizza halfway to my mouth. “I don’t know what you mean.” But I can’t hide the blush that creeps onto my cheeks.
“Hah! I knew it.” Kieren points his finger at me, but he’s grinning.
“Come on, Mom, I’m not stupid. You’ve been practically dancing around the cabin, you’ve been wearing lip gloss, and even though Mark was on the loose, you’ve seemed happier than I’ve ever seen you, like ever.”
I lower the piece of pizza. “I’m sorry. I was waiting for the right time to tell you. It’s all so new, and we don’t know where it’s going yet.”
Kieren nods sagely. “Maybe you’re the one who needs situational awareness training, Mom. Dean’s crazy about you. Anyone can see that.”
His words make me both warm and anxious. “But are you okay with me dating?”
Kieren shakes his head. “Mom, you’re dating a badass ex-Navy SEAL, and you’re happy. You deserve that.”
I’m warmed by his words, and I pull him into a hug. He usually pulls away, but tonight he surprises me by hugging me back.
