Avenger(64)

While I’d been gone, Caeden had been preparing for our return. Little did he know that I’d come home without our baby. I guess he had needed to hope though and I couldn’t blame him for that.

The walls were a pale brown color—not the typical blue, green, or yellow you saw in a baby’s room—and it was the color I had picked out and was having painted the day I was taken. The furniture was a dark wood. The bed things were blue. A pretty white chair, large enough for two people to sit in, was near the bed with a little stuffed animal dog sitting on it. A fluffy white rug covered the wood floors. It would have been the perfect place to sit with the baby.

“It’s perfect,” I whispered, reaching up to wipe away tears from beneath my eyes.

“I didn’t mean for you to see this.” Caeden said from somewhere behind me.

I shrugged. “I’m glad I did.” My breath was shaky as I fought a breakdown, but I wasn’t lying. I was glad I saw this. Beau might not ever come home, but I could imagine what could have been.

I closed my eyes, envisioning a squirming baby in my arms.

Caeden came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His chin rested on my shoulder and he held me tightly, like he believed his strength alone would hold me together.

“I’m okay,” I assured him. “Really.”

“Beau’s going to come home to us, baby. He’s going to sleep in this room and grow up in this house. He’s going to play games and call us mom and dad. And one day, when you’re ready, we’ll give him a little brother or sister. We’re going to have it all, Sophie.”

My tongue flicked out to wet my lips. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am.” His lips brushed softly against my neck. It wasn’t really a kiss, more of a caress.

I extracted myself from his arms and turned around to face him. “I can’t believe you managed to do all this with everything that was going on and the way you must have been feeling.”

“It was awful,” he swallowed thickly, “but I know what I felt was nowhere near close to what you were feeling.”

I reached up, placing my hand against his stubbled cheek. “We’ve both been through a lot. Our experiences may have been different, but that doesn’t make them any less painful.”

“You’re so right.” He smoothed a finger down my cheek. The simple touch sent a shiver down my spine. Our time together, from the moment we’d met, had been full of good and bad things. But I wouldn’t trade those bad things for anything. Everything we’d been through had made us stronger people and therefore a stronger couple.

I looked behind me at the baby’s room once more. “Let’s go.”

* * *

I was ready.

Caeden didn’t believe I was ready. But I was. My injuries had healed and I felt normal again. Well, as normal as I could feel. I was still emotionally drained from losing Beau, but physically I was great. I wasn’t going to sit around anymore. I was better and I was going to find my son so I could end this. If Caeden didn’t want to come with me, then he could stay behind here with his tail tucked between his legs. I didn’t need him to do this. I knew I was strong enough to take on Travis. Now, add in the elders and mutants, and I’d probably get myself killed, but it was a risk I was willing to take. I was a mama wolf now without her cub, and I was going to get my baby back. It didn’t matter what I had to do. Travis had messed with me one too many times and this would be the last.

“I’m going to get our baby back,” I stated, standing in the doorway of Caeden’s office. “You can come with me or not, I don’t care, but I’m going to find him.”

The color drained from his face. “Sophie, we have no idea where Travis and the elders are hiding out. You can’t just leave! We need a plan!” He looked at me like I’d lost my mind, which was quite possible.

“Plans have done nothing but get us in trouble. I’m sick of strategizing only to have it blow up in our faces. Our plans never work out, so why bother?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest. I knew I was being a bitch, but I didn’t care. It was true. Our plans had been no good. We always ended up going in blind anyway.

He smacked his hand roughly against the wooden top of his desk. The sound caused me to jump. “I understand that, and it makes sense, but we still don’t know where Travis is!”

“I can find him,” I stepped into the room, determination ringing in my voice. “He has our son, Caeden. It’s called a mother’s instinct. I’ll be able to find my baby.” I placed my hand against my heart, where a significant portion was missing where my love for Beau had been cut out.