Page 52 of The Spirit Key
The question was valid, but I think I knew the answer. “Do you remember Mrs. Kennedy?”
He clucked his tongue. “Really? She was my mom’s best friend for my whole life. Where one was, the other couldn’t be far—oh. Ohshit. Do you think the two of them were like us?”
“Well, I’m not sure they were lovers, but yeah, I think they were lock and key. When Mrs. Kennedy died, your mom lost that part, so she probably couldn’t do much anymore.” And the more I thought about it, the more I was finally starting to understand. “And the ghost inside of you? That’s my fault.”
He held up a hand. “No, we’re not going through this again.”
“Listen to me. Do you remember what the lady in the dream said? ‘He protects you from yourself, and you’ll keep him from becoming overwhelmed.’ Maybe that’s why your mom came to me. She told me you needed me. I think she meant if I didn’t come, the ghost would take you over completely. She came to me once she could no longer keep it away.”
And that set my mind wandering down another path. How much of her energy had she had to use to keep the spirit in Tim at bay because I wasn’t here? If I had never left, would she be alive today?
“It’s not your fault.”
I looked up as he took his seat next to me again, putting an arm around me and pulling me to him. It was… nice. “What?”
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not your fault. Mom wouldn’t want you blaming yourself, and I don’t either. All the stuff you went through as a kid had to be terrifying and lonely. I think any sane person would have put as much distance between himself and the weirdness as he could.” Tim reached up and ran his fingers through my hair. “And we all know you never had a firm grip on sanity to start with.”
Before I could protest—not that he was wrong, mind you—he continued.
“I can see my mom being like you. She was always so strong-willed, and she never let anyone go without if she could help it. I have no doubt she would give everything she could to protect me, even if it was killing her. That’s just how she was.”
And it was true. When things in my family went to shit, Mrs. Jennesee was there with hugs, a sympathetic ear, and a lot of love. And after Dad left, she became an even more important figure in my life. It was her who taught me that even if I was broken, I was still worthy of being cared about.
“Want to know a secret?”
Yeah, I wanted to know. Right now, I just needed him to talk to me. “Sure, lay it on me.”
He took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. When he peered up at me, there was an anxiousness I’d never seen before. “I was thirteen when I told Mom I was in love with you. And you want to know what she said?”
Thirteen? “I don’t know. I’m afraid.”
He snuggled me closer. “She said that she knew from the way I looked at you. The way you were the only person who could make me smile.” He nipped at my ear. “When you left and I went crying to her, she gathered me up in her arms, the way she always did, and told me that I needed to be patient. That you would come home to me one day, and that if I wanted to be worthy of your love, I needed to make sure I was ready for you.”
I tried to pull away, but he wasn’t having it.
“Sit still and listen. I was angry and hurt, yes, but I listened to my mom. Even though the plans I had were changing, I did my best to adapt and tried something new. I admit, I blamed you for a long time, but Mom? Whenever I threw a fit, she reminded me that sometimes when we’re on a journey, our paths might take us in different directions, but that was fine as long as it brought us together at the end. It took me until the day I saw you on the porch to understand that.”
My cheeks were warm, and I scrubbed at my eyes because someone was cutting onions or dusting or something.
“Hey, no, don’t cry.” He leaned back and cupped my chin. “I was an ass, and I chalk that up to hurt feelings. Despite what you may have heard, I’m only human.”
“So the rumors of you having superpowers was wrong?”
He chuckled. “Oh no. They were right about that.” He put his lips to my neck and sucked gently.
“No, stop.”
He drew back. “You want me to stop?”
“I want to go into your bedroom, because after you do whatever you’re going to do to me, I’m going to pass out on you.”
The sexy quirk of his lips morphed into a frown. “I forgot. Let’s get you to bed.”
Well, goddamn it. “No, I really—and I mean,really—want you to—”
“No. You’re not distracting me again. I said I would take care of you, and that’s what I intend to do.” He stood up, slid one arm under my legs and the other behind my back, and hoisted me off the couch. “Once I have you in bed, I’m going to cook you food, and then I’ll bring it in so you eat.”
“But—”
