Ready or Not (The Ready Series Book 4)(78)

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.

Having grown up in Richmond, my mom and Liv made a great pair. Mom took a tour of Liv’s house, and told her stories about the previous owners and how she used to play in the attic as a girl. Still recovering from everything that had happened, we stayed close to home, eating like kings as my parents showed off their new culinary skills they’d learned from a cooking class at the retirement center.

As their time came to a close and we pulled up to the airport, my mom turned to me, her blue eyes shimmering.

“She’s lovely, Jackson. Don’t wait too long,”

“She’s a tricky one, Mom. I don’t want to scare her away,” I replied.

“Just trust me.” She winked.