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  “You’re going to go stay with us tonight, okay?” I tried and failed to keep the panic out of my voice.

  “It’s okay, Mr. Kayden. Dad will wake up tomorrow.”

  My stomach rolled. So, this wasn’t the first time Riley had seen this.

  “Let’s just have a sleepover. It’ll be fun.”

  “Okay.” Riley made his way down the steps and got back into the car. I made sure the heat was on and that the kids were comfortable before turning back to the house. “I’ll be right back guys. Just hang tight.”

  Turner was on the porch now, cell phone to his ear. He looked at me as I approached. “He’s alive. I’m calling the Chief right now.”

  I nodded and swallowed thickly. The door to the house was still open, but I couldn’t look inside. When Turner got off the phone, I asked. “Is there anything we can do for him?”

  He shook his head. “Don’t you dare go in there. I’ll stay here and wait for the ambulance to arrive and I’ll be home after that, okay?”

  I nodded. I wrapped him in a hug and kissed him before I left.

  He hugged me back, reluctant to let me go.

  Chapter Eleven

  Turner

  I stayed the night with Kayden that night, because he seemed to need me. And honestly, I didn't want to let him go. I checked in with the Chief to see how Tom was doing once they got him to the hospital.

  He wasn't in any condition to come after Kayden or his son, and likely he would be arrested and arraigned before he was released from the hospital. If he was released at all. Tom was going to be quite unhappy when he found out that Kayden was involved in his arrest.

  Kayden didn’t sleep well that night. He turned over and over, holding me one minute, pushing me away the next. Currently, he clung to me like a second skin, and that morning when I tried to get up and slip out of the bed, so that the kids didn't see me here, he latched onto me, and wouldn’t let me go. He whimpered in his sleep as he held me.

  I stayed.

  Jackson came into his room about an hour later and found us there. Me dozing in and out of consciousness, Kayden laying over me like his personal pillow.

  Jackson smiled as he tiptoed into the room. “Would you like some breakfast? Uncle Ollie is making waffles.”

  “I don't know, kiddo. I've probably got to get going soon.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Uncle Ollie always makes a lot and freezes them for the daycare kids, so they'll be plenty extra if you change your mind.”

  I grinned. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  He turned around and left the room. I had to laugh at just how grown up my little boy was. It was hard to forget that he was just six. Kayden wasn't kidding when he said that Jackson was a rule follower. The few times that he had ridden with me in the car, he’d kept a close eye on my speedometer and made sure it matched what was on the speed limit signs as we passed them. Not that I was much of a speeder, but I did creep over a few times. Jackson was sure to catch me.

  “Is it morning?” Kayden asked.

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Yeah, I suppose we should get up. Our son is already awake.”

  “Your son is a morning person, and I've had to deal with that on my own for the past six years. You know I suck at mornings.” Kayden’s arm still lay over his face, he hadn’t opened his eyes yet.

  “Why don’t you sleep a little longer? I’ll go deal with the kids.”

  Kayden didn’t answer. He was already asleep.

  He did deserve to sleep in for once. I grabbed his hand from where it rested on my hip and lifted him off my body. I put a pillow where I had been laying so that he snuggled against it.

  “I'll get up in a minute,” he mumbled. “I just want to rest my eyes.”

  “Sure,” I said as I stood. I bent down and kissed his forehead, then went out into the chaos.

  That's all I could call it. There were three kids at the table, laughing and telling each other jokes that I didn't quite understand. Ollie, with his rounded belly was working a waffle maker. Philip looked as if he was dressed and ready to go on duty. He nodded to me as I came in.

  “Coffee?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Is it like this every morning?”

  “This? No, this is easy. Try getting them to eat breakfast and be ready for school. You get used to it,” he said as he lifted the mug to his lips.

  “Yeah, I think I could,” I said.

  Riley never asked what time he had to go home or how his dad was. When I left an hour later, after playing several board games, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and one that I didn't know or understand the rules, he was still there.

  I didn't bother going home. I just went straight to the Chief’s house. I needed to talk with him about Tom and what the plan was.

  Derek lived just off Main Street, about three blocks from the police station.

  I pulled in the driveway and put the car in park. The house looked quiet, but surely he had to be up by now, it was close to noon. I lifted my hand to knock on the door when it swung open. An Omega, who I recognized as the firefighter Cam stood in front of me. We both stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, then he pushed past me and started walking down the sidewalk. He still wore his baseball pants from the day before.

  The door was still open, so I stepped inside. “Chief?”

  “For fuck’s sake, Jefferies, just call me Derek already.”

  I took a few more steps and found Ch—Derek standing in his kitchen drinking a cup of coffee.

  “Rough night?” I asked.

  Derek nodded. “I…” He shook his head. “I didn’t expect that to happen.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “No, not right now. I’m not even awake yet. What are you here for?”

  “Wanted to touch base on how things went with Tom yesterday. Have you heard anything?”

  He grabbed his phone and swiped his thumb across the screen. “According to the doctor, he’s conscious. I can send a few deputies over to take him into custody. Or if you’d like you and I can go.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t see him. I’ll want to kill him. God knows how many times Riley witnessed something like that.”

  “The boy at your Omega’s house?”

  “Yeah, he, Jackson, and Christopher have been having the time of their lives this morning. They’ll probably crash soon though. I know I’m ready to.”

  Derek nodded. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything else, all right?”

  “Thanks, Chief.”

  “No problem. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention that, uh…”

  “That Cam was here this morning?”

  “Yeah, that.”

  “Sure.”

  After I left the Chief’s house, I went home and took a shower, got cleaned up, did a few dishes, swept the floor, then sat down. Normally, I enjoyed my days off. It was my time to myself where I could catch up on… What exactly had I done with my life before Kayden and Jackson? The house seemed empty without them here. I wanted to go back to Kayden’s, or better yet, have both of them here. Somehow, I had to convince Kayden that the two of us could commit to one another. There wasn't a question that we loved each other unconditionally. Hell, I'd spent the last six years thinking of him as the one that got away. I hadn’t let myself dwell on the past too much, because I didn't need that kind of heartache. But now that he was here, I wasn't letting him go again.

  Wouldn't it be great to have a couple more little kiddos, just like Jackson? Maybe a little girl. I scrubbed a hand down my face. What in the world was I thinking? Kayden had made his stance on that quite clear. He didn't want a relationship. We were fine, just being casual. Anything more than that was too much for him.

  I stared off into space for a while, mulling over what I could do to convince him. Thankfully, my phone rang. I answered it right away. I didn't even notice who it was.

  “Hello?”

  “
Turner. It's Ralph.”

  Ralph was another agent from the FBI. He’d owed me a favor, so I’d turned to him when I wanted information on Tom. “Hey, man. What's up? You have some information for me?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I got an interesting report that came in my email this morning. That guy you asked me to look into, was arrested last night.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I was there.”

  “Good. That’s good. What was interesting was that since I had his fingerprints, I ran him through our system. And I think you're right. There's more to this guy than you thought.”

  I stood up straighter. “What is it?”

  “That kid he has with him has been missing since last year. Tom’s the number one suspect. At least I hope it's the kid he has with him. Is his name Riley?”

  “Yeah.” The wheels in my head started to turn.

  “Tom doesn't have custody of him. He took him from his Omega dad, and left the state, He must’ve landed in Millerstown.”

  “Christ,” I said. “Well, thankfully, we have Riley in a safe place. Tom won't be getting out of jail anytime soon.” Holy shit. What were the odds? I had to tell Kayden, soon.

  “Nope. That's unlikely.”

  “What should we do with Riley?”

  “I'm going to make some phone calls,” Ralph said. “I'll have a team come pick him up and get him back to his Omega dad. He'll have to get looked over at a hospital. The kid’s been missing for a year. God knows that Alpha probably wasn’t taking proper care of him.”

  “No shit,” I said.

  “Yeah, it's good thing you called me. We might never have tracked this guy down.”

  “Yeah,” I said absently. “Riley’s with my Omega at his house. I’ll go fill him in on what's going to happen.”

  “That’s great. I didn’t know you had an Omega. Congratulations, man. I'll let you know when I have the team on the way.”

  “Thanks Ralph. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.”

  I didn't even grab anything, I just walked out the door and went straight to Kayden’s house. The boys were outside playing catch, the dog running excitedly between each boy when they had the ball. Kayden sat on the front porch, filling out some paperwork.

  “What are you working on?” I asked.

  “Just some stuff I need to fill out for daycare inspections. I swear, they've got people coming every other week to make sure we're up to code. It's great because it's necessary. But it's annoying because I have to fill out all this fucking paperwork.”

  “Yeah, you might have some more paperwork to fill out now.”

  He looked at me oddly. “Why?”

  “I had one of my friends from the FBI run a search on Tom a while back, when he first started causing trouble.”

  “And?” Kayden said.

  “I don't think he has that kid legally.”

  Kayden gasped. “Oh my God. Are you sure?”

  I leaned against the railing “Yeah. Riley was reported missing about a year ago. Ralph's making some calls right now. They're going to have a social worker out here soon to pick him up and start the process to get him back home.”

  “Oh, that poor kid. He never said anything.”

  “He’s probably terrified,” I said. ‘God knows what Tom told him. Hell, that asshole could have told him that his Omega dad was dead for all we know.”

  “Holy shit.” Kayden set the paperwork down on the porch and stood up. He walked right into my arms. “That's insane,” he said. “We've got to go tell Ollie. When do you think the social worker will be here?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  “How am I going to tell Christopher and Jackson? What am I going to tell them?”

  “Tell them the truth.”

  “Of course,” Kayden said, and he stepped back. His eyes were filled with anguish. “But that doesn't make having the actual conversation any easier. You weren't there when I had to tell Jackson that Christopher had been kidnapped. He was distraught for days, even though Christopher was safe, that didn't stop the terror. And now I have to tell him that another one of his friends has been kidnapped? And that he can't see him anymore because he's going back to live with his family? Fuck.”

  I grimaced. “I guess I didn't think about that.”

  Kayden sighed. “It's one of the absolute worst parts of parenthood. I just want to put him in a bubble and never let him see anything negative about the world. You had a good point that day about bringing children into a world this evil, you know?”

  “No,” I said adamantly. “There's good in it, too.”

  Kayden nodded. “On days like today, that's hard to remember.”

  He went inside and called for Ollie.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kayden

  I met Ollie's gaze that evening as I came down the stairs from putting Jackson to bed. He had just finished putting Christopher down as well. The two boys were reluctant to let go of us after the day that we’d had. Christopher and Jackson had waited inside while the social worker had met with Ollie, me, and Riley. Riley had cried when he’d left. He was scared, but happy to see his Omega dad again. Tom had told him that his Omega dad didn’t want him anymore.

  “Outside?” Ollie said.

  “Outside.” I nodded.

  We made our way to the deck and then sat down.

  “You can have a beer, you know,” Ollie said.

  I shook my head. “My stomach's not right today. I just haven't been feeling the greatest.”

  “I don't blame you,” he said. “It has not been an easy one.”

  “Nope,” I said. “If I could just not have to explain to my son that people are terrible and awful, that would be great.”

  “It's not all people or even most people,” Ollie said.

  I sighed. “I know. But damn, it wasn't even three months ago that I was telling him about Christopher. And now I’m telling him about another friend. The kid is not going to want to make friends anymore.”

  “He'll be all right. But I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to speak with a specialist about this. Especially since word might get out around town and some of the kids at daycare will want to know.”

  I nodded. “That's a good idea. I'll make a few calls tomorrow, see if we can make an appointment with someone to talk about it.”

  “Thanks,” Ollie said.

  I turned to look at him, inspecting his face for any clues as to how he was feeling. “Are you all right? This can’t be easy for you. I mean, you had your son kidnapped, I can’t even imagine…”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Philip asked a few favors and he’s actually coming home tonight. He has to go back in the morning, but just having him here will be nice. I just… that poor Omega dad. His kid has been gone a year. It nearly killed me having Christopher gone for a few hours. How the fuck can anyone survive a year?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I'd love if we could just close tomorrow. Take a mental health day.”

  “Same,” Ollie said. “I got a message from Molly's mom. She's getting picked up early and so we'll only have kids until three o'clock. So, it'll be an early day.”

  “That'll be nice,” I said.

  “Did you talk with Turner?” Ollie asked.

  “About?”

  Ollie shrugged. “About anything.”

  “He said that Tom was going to be in jail for a while, and that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere. So, we're safe from him, I suppose.”

  “What about the two of you?”

  “What about us?” I said. “There's nothing to discuss.”

  “Come on,” Ollie said. “Have you even talked about whether or not he's going to stay around or what you're going to do? Seems like he's pretty committed to you and Jackson. He bought furniture for Jackson's room.”

  “Sure,” I said. “But he can take furniture anywhere. It's not like he has to stay in Millerstown.”

  “Do you want him to?”

  My stomach clenched
at the thought of not having Turner around anymore. “Of course I want him to stay, but…” I shook my head. “I just don't think that the two of us are cut out for commitment. What if we change our minds?”

  “That's what's holding you back?” Ollie said. “What if Philip finds somebody else tomorrow that he likes better than me?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Philip would never do that. He loves you.”

  “Yeah. And Turner loves you, too.”

  “It's different. I've never been the forever type and neither has Turner.”

  “Prior to getting pregnant with Jackson you were never the dad type either, but here you are with a six year old son, who's amazing and you own a business with me. A daycare. And we write children's books. Things change. Nothing in this life is set in stone. I don't know why you would put your relationship with Turner on hold because of a ‘what if’”

  Fuck this logic. Too much had happened today for me to focus on my personal issues. “I really can't even think about this right now Ollie. Can we just drop it?”

  He looked as if he was going to protest, but then he nodded. “Yeah, it's been a day. You have the daycare plans ready for tomorrow and the whole week?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I emailed them out to the parents. We're going to be making slime. But I promised them we won’t send it home. We’ll keep it here.”

  “That'll be fun,” Ollie said. “Messy, but fun.”

  “Yeah. You can pick up the boys from school tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah. Maybe we'll swing by and get them some ice cream or something.”

  “They'll like that,” I said. I stood up, pushing away from the chair, then grasped Ollie's hand and pulled him up as well. He rubbed his rounded belly and I placed a hand over it.

  “Hey,” he said. “That's not communal property, you know.”

  I laughed. “Get over it. I'm never going to feel this again on myself. So, I want to live vicariously through you. I barely remember when I was pregnant with Jackson.” I held my hand on his stomach for a moment. I even felt the baby kick beneath my palm. I grinned. “Thanks, Ollie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”