I nodded, urging him to continue.
“Then, when it got dark and we showed up here, she stopped talking and just began to pace—back and forth, over and over. That was a little scary. After a few hours, she calmed down and started asking me about my teachers and stuff. I think she actually listened then,” he said.
“But this morning, when she woke me up, she looked agitated and distracted again. She told me to go downstairs for the continental breakfast, and she made me swear I wouldn’t run off.” He looked frightened.
“You were brave,” I assured him.
The police officer escorted us back to the squad car where I’d promised to stay, but I obviously hadn’t. As he opened the door, I looked over and saw her.
Her hands were handcuffed behind her back while two uniformed officers were on either side of her. They swiftly walked her to the opposite side of the parking lot where a police car was parked and ready to take her away.
As she passed, our eyes met, and I saw the raw pain radiating through them. Her gaze quickly darted to Noah, and then she looked away as if it hurt too much to do so.
As I was pondering what the hell I’d just witnessed, Jackson appeared, and he was immediately covered by two sets of arms. Noah hugged his waist while I wrapped myself around his shoulders as I softly kissed him.
It was over.
“Let’s go home.” He breathed out a sigh of relief as he bent down and kissed Noah’s forehead.
“I’ve never agreed with you more.”
~Jackson~
“I should have known,” I said. “I should have done more—helped her.”
Liv’s hands trailed down my naked chest as we lay in bed, watching the moonlight dance around the room. Hours had passed since we sat outside of Noah’s room, waiting for him to fall asleep. We’d spent almost the entire day on the phone, assuring everyone that we were all fine and safe, and all I’d wanted to do was sit there and listen to him breathe.
Walking away had been difficult, but I knew now that he was safe. Natalie would most likely be serving time well into his geriatric years. The thought should have given me relief, but I felt little.
Could I forgive the woman who had kidnapped my son? No.
I couldn’t help but question if I hadn’t played a slight part in everything that happened.
Had I really known the woman I claimed to be in love with? Or had I not cared enough to learn?
Looking back, there was so much about her I didn’t know—chunks of her life I’d never bothered asking about. Had she purposely kept them from me or did I not care enough? I could blame it on youth, but deep down, part of me wondered if I just hadn’t wanted to know the real Natalie.
“You can’t help someone who doesn’t want it, Jackson,” Liv urged.
“I just can’t stop thinking that if I’d taken the time early on to be more…caring or attentive, maybe she would have found the help she so desperately needed, and none of this would have happened.”
Her hand cupped my cheek, and I found myself staring into her deep brown eyes.
“You can’t be responsible for everyone, Jackson. I know you have this innate sense of duty to protect those you love, but don’t be pulled down by the actions of others. Each of us makes our own path.”
“I hated her for what she did to me and to Noah. But seeing her break in front of me…I only wish things had worked out differently for her. I don’t long for the life we could have had, but anything is better than where she ended up,” I said, nuzzling my head close to hers.
“You’re a good man, Jackson,” she whispered.
“Would you think less of me if I told you that I never want to leave this bed again?”
“Considering the barrage of concerned calls we’ll both have to face all over again tomorrow and the police coming back for our statements once again, I wouldn’t blame you one bit.”
I smoothed down her dark hair, loving the way it almost seemed to glimmer under the light coming through the window. It had been a long day. After we’d rescued Noah, everything had seemed to unfold in a great blur of events. We’d received endless phone calls and questions, and an onslaught of media attention had swarmed the house when word had gotten out that a suspect was captured.
At least my embarrassing statement on the news was now nullified. Dozen of hate messages had begun pouring in from concerned citizens over the misuse of tax money over my faulty AMBER Alert.
Liv’s father had helped where he could, fielding questions and issuing blanket statements for the family as a whole. The assistance was greatly appreciated. It hadn’t made up for everything in the past, but it certainly left the possibility of something more between Liv and her parents open in the future.
While the world had exploded around the three of us, we’d tried to focus on each other. The phone rang, the door bell rang and sometimes it seemed like peace and quiet would never come.
But none of it mattered because we had him back.
The phone would eventually quiet, the media would find something else to talk about, and our lives would return back to normal with just the three of us.
“Dad,” a small voice uttered from the doorway.
“Yeah, buddy?” I replied, lifting my head to find him slowly walking toward us.
His hair was a mess, and he looked so much younger in his sleepy state. “Can I…I mean, would you let me—”
“Come on, get in here,” I said, answering the question he was so scared to ask.
He gave a relieved smile as I lifted the covers and scooted over, so he could crawl between us. He nuzzled into my pillow and curled slightly onto his side. I looked over to find Liv watching him, her hand reaching out to push away the loose piece of hair that had fallen into his face.
Our eyes met, and in that moment, I knew that I not only wanted this woman for my wife, but I wanted her to be the mother Noah had never had.
He deserved a mother like Liv.
Following the incident, Noah stayed home from school the first few days, but eventually returned and he began to adjust. His biggest fears were resolved when the kids all rallied around him, giving him support and love, rather than contempt and indifference. The lack of friends was a nonissue, and Noah suddenly adored middle school. It could have something to do with the female attention he’d been receiving since his harrowing adventure.
He took it in stride though and didn’t let the extra attention go to his head—much.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t keep my parents from flying in immediately, so the first few days were spent with them, catching up with Noah and me. Also, they were finally able to meet Liv.