Page 110 of Midnight Between Us
“Hey,” he replies, like we bumped into each other at a gas station.
“I’m Keir,” I add, even though he knows.Of course he knows.It’s the most redundant sentence I’ve ever spoken, and I immediately want to rewind and delete it from existence.
Lyndon’s mouth twitches.Not quite a smile.More like ...restraint.“Yeah.I figured.”
I study him.He’s slightly taller than me, probably six-one.Slighter in frame, but there’s strength in the way he holds himself—like he’s been through shit and didn’t let it break him.His eyes are mine.But his jaw, his mouth—that’s Simone.The shape of his expressions, the way he scans the room before meeting my gaze again—it’s all her.
“You look a lot like your?—”
“Simone,” he cuts in quickly, like the thought is a landmine he wants to control.
He starts to pace.Just a few steps back and forth, like he’s trying to shake something off.I don’t interrupt.The last thing I want to do is make him feel cornered.I already showed up too late.Pressuring him now would just be selfish.
“Listen,” he says after a beat, pausing to look straight at me.His voice doesn’t shake.It’s clear and measured in a way that stings.“I’m happy with my life.I’m not looking for a father.I already have one.So if that’s what this is, we can save each other a lot of time.”
The words hit like an open palm to the chest.Not unexpected.But still—fuck, they hurt.
I nod.Swallow.Try to keep my shit together.
“I’m not here to take anything from you,” I manage.“I’m just ...here.”
He doesn’t blink.Doesn’t breathe, maybe.
And I get it.I really do.Because what did I think would happen?That he’d run to me?That he’d say he always wondered, and now, finally, he feels whole?
He’s already whole.
I’m the one who shattered and walked away.
I shake my head slowly, like maybe that’ll knock some clarity loose.“I’m not even sure why I’m here,” I admit, voice low, honest.“Learning about you a few months ago ...it was cathartic.Not the world-falls-into-place kind.Just ...something cracked open, and for once I didn’t bleed out.”
I try not to fidget, but the energy under my skin has other plans.
“Learning about you ...and Sims,” I go on, “made me realize my entire life has been a fucking clusterfuck.And I’m done pretending like I’m not part of the problem.So, I got help.Finally.I want to live differently now.I want to be part of your life—if you’ll let me.In any way that makes sense for you.”
He narrows his eyes as if he’s trying to see past my face into the spaces I haven’t figured out how to rebuild yet.
“I’m new at this whole healthy-relationship-with-family thing,” I add, forcing a breath out of my lungs.“It’s not an excuse.It’s just the truth.I’m learning about boundaries, showing up without making it about me, and how not to emotionally unload on people like I’m dropping a bomb and handing them the instructions after it explodes.”
“Fair,” he says, cool but not unkind.He watches me closely.I feel dissected and exposed, but not in a cruel way.It’s careful.Intentional.“You look like someone who’s been through something,” he adds.“Finn told me you were in a center.”
“I was.”I nod.“Still working through it.Rehab wasn’t just for my leg—it was for my mental health.”
He gives a short nod.Like that’s enough for now.
“I don’t really know why I said yes to this,” he admits, finally.“Curiosity, I guess—or maybe closure.But let me be clear—I’m not here to hand you redemption.That’s not my job.”
I flinch a little, but I respect it.More than that—I admire it.
“I’ve said this to Sim a few times,” he continues, his voice steady.“I love my life.And I’m grateful she gave it to me.”
Something in my chest shifts.A slow release, like pressure bleeding from a valve I didn’t know, was stuck.I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding that fear—that maybe he’d grown up feeling abandoned, unloved, like a mistake someone made and ran from.
“I’m not surprised she chose the perfect family for you,” I say with a small smile.“That’s Simone.She knows good hearts when she sees them.”
“I’ve had a good life,” he says, more firmly now.“Good parents.A good home.I’m not broken.”
“I never thought you were.”
