Chapter 21
***WALKER***
Walker pulled Maddie back into his arms as soon as the truck was on the road.
He wasn’t sure which one of them was trembling more, but having her there made some of the panic and fear fade away.
He felt Justin beginning to squirm under the jacket and eased up a little, then pulled the oversized coat Maddie was wearing back to reveal a little face looking up at him.
The baby smiled up at him, then reached up and touched his face before pulling his hand back with a little squeal of laughter, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“He’s not scared,” he said, looking over at Maddie. “I thought he’d be terrified after what you’ve been through.”
“He can sense that he’s safe,” she said, still a little breathless. “I’m not scared, so he’s not either.”
“Can I hold him?” he asked, pulling the coat back some more. “I don’t want to scare him, though. I’m more or less a stranger.”
He saw the regret on Maddie’s face. “It was my own fault, I pushed you away, I have no one to blame but myself, I was about to tell you that when I discovered what happened,” he said.
“I’ll always regret missing the first few years of Justin’s life, but there’s nothing I can do to change the bad decision I made back then.
I promise you that old Walker is long gone, and I’m going to be here every moment of every day from now on. ”
“I know you will, and that’s good enough for now,” she said, smiling up at him. “We’ll figure out the rest later.”
Maddie pulled the baby out of the coat and shifted him to Walker’s lap, then shrugged out of it and threw it down on the floorboard with a shudder.
“We’ll throw that away the first chance we get,” Walker said, but his eyes were on Justin, who was studying him like only a toddler could.
“Should I do something? He’s just staring at me. ”
“I think he’s trying to figure out who you are,” Maddie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “He might feel the connection between us, he’s pretty in tune with my moods, but you’re the one who knows about this stuff.”
“I suppose it’s possible, but honestly I have no idea,” he said, stealing a glance over at her. “I guess we’ll have to figure out all that too. I’ve never been bonded to anyone before.”
“I’m certainly glad to hear that,” she said, a smile on her face. “That makes two of us.”
He laughed, then looked back over at Justin. “Well, little man, you and I have a lot of catching up to do,” he said. “I think we should start with getting you a basketball and maybe a baseball. It’s probably too soon for football, we’ll see.”
The baby laughed, then reached up and patted his cheek. “Dada, dada, dada,” Justin babbled, “wanna ball..”
His eyes instantly filled with tears, and a feeling of love he’d never experienced before washed over him.
All he could do for a few seconds was stare at the baby.
“Did he just…no, he couldn’t have…I mean…
” he stammered, then looked over at Maddie, who had tears in her eyes as well. “He didn’t just call me Dada, did he?”
“I think he did,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “I talk about you all the time and not in a bad way, maybe…I don’t know…he senses that’s who you are.”
“You know what, it doesn’t matter how or why, I’m just glad to be here with him,” he said, grinning at her. “My mom is going to flip out when she sees him.”
“Is that where we’re going?” she asked, then remembered they were not alone and leaned into the front seat. “Thank you for coming after us, all of you. I wasn’t sure how I was going to find help, then you were just there.”
“Anything for family,” Ryan said. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Ryan, and this is Jackson. The rest of the boys are going to meet us at Walker’s parents’ house. This is far from over.”
Maddie looked over at him. “I’m afraid he’s right, Thomas isn’t going to give up unless you…” he let the words trail off. “How did you get away?”
“Sleeping pills,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “He wasn’t a very good kidnapper. I had them in my purse, I managed to slip some into his drink, and he was out in ten minutes.”
He leaned over and gave her a big kiss. “Smart, brave, and beautiful, I really hit the jackpot,” he said, pride welling up inside him. “You’re all mine, and no one is going to take you away from me.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said, snuggling down into his arms. “How far is your parents’ house?”
“It will take a couple of hours to get there,” he said, smiling when the baby settled down in his arms, his head against his chest, eyes drooping. “Maybe you both should try and get some sleep, it might be all you get tonight.”
“I’m not going to argue with you,” Maddie said, yawning. “I am tired, and we’re safe now. I think I will try to sleep a little.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams, princess,” he said. “I’ll be right here watching over both of you.”
***Maddie***
Maddie woke when the truck came to a stop and opened her eyes, confused for a second about where she was, then it all came rushing back to her.
A fresh wave of panic and fear started to rise inside her, then she looked over and saw Justin asleep in Walker’s arms. It faded away instantly, replaced by the warmth of their connection, and she let out a sigh of relief, then smiled when she realized that Walker was sound asleep too.
Sitting up a little, she stretched up and gave Walker a kiss on the cheek. “We’re here, sleepyhead,” she said. “Your mom is waiting for us.”
That penetrated through the haze of sleep, and he opened his eyes.“Are we there already?” he asked. “I just closed my eyes for a second.”
“Yeah, and then snored almost the whole way here,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “I don’t know how those two slept with all the noise.”
“You really should do something about that,” Jackson said, grinning at him in the mirror. “I thought there was a volcano erupting back there a few times.”
“Hey, I was tired,” Walker said, giving them both a dirty look, which only made them laugh. “Thanks for getting us here, though.”
“You’re welcome, any time,” Jackson said. “I hope your mom is making breakfast. I’m starving. I’ve been thinking about her French toast for the last hour.”
“Well, then let’s get in there,” Walker said, then looked over at her. “Do you want to take the baby?”
“I think he’s fine right where he is, unless you’re getting tired of holding him,” she said. “He seemed pretty content with you.”
“I’m pretty happy with him,” he said, grinning at her. “Now let’s go introduce him to my mom and dad.”
As soon as they got out of the truck, an older woman appeared on the porch. “Well, where is he?” she asked, squinting in the early morning sunshine. “Where is my grandson?”
Justin began to stir at the sound of her voice. “He’s right here, Mom,” Walker called back. “I’ve got him covered up so he won’t get cold.”
His mom disappeared back inside without a word, but appeared only a few seconds later with a blanket. “Give him to me, I’ll get him inside where it’s warm,” she said, coming down the steps toward him. “We’ve got a nice fire going and the stove is lit in the kitchen.”
Walker glanced back at her, saw the huge smile on her face, but waited for her nod before he handed Justin over. “He’s had a pretty big night, he might be a little cranky,” Maddie said. “He’s usually a happy baby, but…”
“Oh, I think we’ll get along just fine. It looks like you’ve done a fine job of raising him,” Walker’s mom said, sweeping the baby out of Walker’s arms. “Come inside, after I get done yelling at my son for being a total idiot, I would love to spend some time together getting to know each other. We’re family now. ”
She was a bit overwhelmed, but felt only love coming from the woman and smiled at her. “I would love that,” she said. “I’m a little short in the family department, and it gets lonely sometimes.”
“Well, those days are over, now you have us and the entire clan,” Walker’s mom said, then got a funny look on her face. “That is…I mean…”
“It’s okay, I know, we don’t have any secrets between us anymore,” she said, slipping into Walker’s arms. “I still don’t know that much about it, but…well…I’ve seen him.”
“Oh…my…I see…well, that explains a lot,” Walker’s mom said, then gave her a hug. “And it makes things much easier. Marcus will be joining us for breakfast. The council isn’t very happy with Thomas or the Marbury clan; they’re going to want him punished for the kidnapping. Justin is one of us.”
“What about Maddie?” Walker asked. “We’re bonded, they should be protecting her too.”
“Let’s go inside and talk, it’s too cold to stand out here,” Walker’s mom said. “Your dad can explain it better than I can.”
Walker’s father was waiting for them just inside the door. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you,” he said. “I’m Justin Price. It’s so wonderful to meet you. Thank you for not giving up on my idiot son.”
She looked over at Walker and grinned, “Your parents know you so well,” she said, then looked back at his father. “I love him, so I guess that makes me an idiot too.”
They all laughed, then Justin stepped over to his wife. “Are you going to share?” he asked, holding out his arms. “I’d like to hold my grandson, too.”
Before they could even get their coats off, two more vehicles pulled into the yard, and eight people got out. Then another car pulled up, and this time five more people got out. Soon, the entryway was crowded with people, and she quickly lost track of who was who amidst all the commotion.
“I bet you could use a few minutes to freshen up,” Walker’s mom said, putting her arm around her. “There’s a bathroom upstairs in the hallway, help yourself to anything you need, and if you’d like to take a shower, I’m sure I can find some clothes that will fit you.”
“That’s very sweet, I think a few minutes to myself might be nice,” she said, feeling some of the tension drain away. “Thank you, Mrs. Price. Everyone has been great, but…”
“I understand,” the older woman said. “And please call me Mona or Mom if you like, whatever makes you happy.”