at least.
Law enforcement knew about Sprigs and Alcorn, but Dawson couldn’t rule out the possibility that there’d be others involved. Those two might sit at the top of the crime ring, but they had to have a fairly sophisticated network to pull off human trafficking. Any of their lackeys could be after Melanie.
Dawson had a thought. Maybe the guy back at the house was supposed to kidnap Melanie and bring her to Sprigs. With everyone on the lookout for him, he’d have to be crafty. He could’ve planned to snatch Melanie and then disappear out of the country.
The thought sat hot in Dawson’s stomach. Being on the Most Wanted list made all those individuals even more dangerous. And that meant his son was in serious danger, too.
“Who knows about Mason?” he asked.
“My family.”
“That’s all?” he pressed. He’d picked up on something in her voice when she answered.
“Yes.”
With a sick baby, Dawson’s first priority would be to get adequate housing and food. What did a baby eat? Did his son even eat real food? Dawson had no idea. Resentment for losing the past year and a half of his child’s life bubbled to the surface along with a very real fear. Thinking about his little sister, her illness, had him wondering again if his son would inherit the disease.
He glanced at the rearview.
Melanie had closed her eyes in the backseat while holding Mason’s hand, and a piece of Dawson’s heart stirred.
Once again, he was floored at the thought he had a child.
It was a lot to digest, but nothing would stop him from getting there and accepting it. An image of him and Mason playing ball popped up in Dawson’s head. Pride filled his chest, accompanied by a feeling he couldn’t put his finger on. He recalled feeling something like this for his baby sister when she’d been alive, but the feeling had been tucked away so deep he almost forgot it had existed.
He hadn’t allowed himself to think about her in years. He guessed he’d stashed away everything that had caused him pain.
His relationship with his parents had never been the same after her death. Their mourning was so powerful, so strong that they had nothing left to give Dawson or each other.
His mother took it the hardest, staying in bed until Dawson returned from school most days for a year. Grief-stricken, she left her medical practice for almost two years before finally trying to move forward. His father put on a brave mask and went to work. He’d bring food home, keeping the house going, but he never really smiled or laughed after that.
A few years later one of Dawson’s friends and her little brother, Rebecca and Shane, had been abducted. Dawson’s parents had joined in the search. It was the first thing they’d done together since losing Bethany. With time, they became closer and more involved in Dawson’s life again.
But in those dark years when the air had been sucked out of the house, Melanie had brought the light.
If someone had told him that Melanie would betray their history, their friendship, with one act, he wouldn’t have believed it possible. She could’ve gotten away with almost anything and he’d have found a way to forgive her. But this?
Never.
By the time Dawson pulled into the hotel parking lot, Melanie was asleep in the backseat. He hated to wake her, so he just stared at her for a minute. All those old feelings—good feelings, like nights spent outdoors looking up at the sky and warmth—crashed with the new reality, the one where she’d betrayed him in the worst way.
She wasn’t the same person and neither was he. Her skin glowed and he figured something about motherhood had changed her. So much about her was different, especially in the way she carried herself. Her features had softened even more unless her son was threatened and then her protectiveness was written all over her stern gaze and determined stance.
On closer look, he’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes. It seemed she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in months, and based on his limited experience with a baby, he could see how that might happen. Dawson didn’t think he’d ever sleep again for worrying over his son, especially while the little guy was sick. Plus, everything about Mason seemed tiny and fragile.
The kid had a good set of lungs on him.
And Melanie seemed to think Mason was huge now. Dawson could only imagine what those first few months must’ve been like while he was even smaller.
“Where are we?” Melanie woke as soon as Dawson cut off the engine.
“We’re in a Dallas suburb. Figured there’d be grocery stores nearby where we could pick up supplies for the baby.”
She shook her head and blinked her eyes. “Okay. Just give me a second.”
Dawson opened Mason’s door and waited for her to unbuckle him. Working the car seat was a lesson for another day. He’d need to figure it out soon if he was going to take his son anywhere on his own. The learning curve on caring for a baby would be steep. He’d seen first-hand with his friend Dylan.
Melanie made it all look easy as she clicked a button and gently removed the straps to free their son.
Dawson reminded himself he’d only had two hours of practice, whereas she’d had the past eighteen months to adjust.
“You’re tired. I’ll carry the baby,” Dawson said. No matter how bad things were between him and Melanie, Mason had nothing to do with it. Dawson had no plans to make his son feel uncomfortable when his parents were around each other so he’d have to work on keeping his emotions in check.
“No, thanks. I got him.” Melanie scooped their son out of his seat fluidly. She had that same look in her eye that she did on the porch, too.
For now, Dawson wouldn’t argue. But she’d learn to give him an inch. Mason belonged to both of them and Dawson had no plans to let his son down in the way his own parents had done him.
Grinding his back teeth, he shouldered the diaper bag.
After ten minutes at the front desk, Dawson had a hotel room key in hand and the promise that a crib was being delivered to the room. He knew enough to make sure there was a fridge and a microwave, opting for an all-suite hotel rather than one with traditional rooms. The inside entry would ensure that Melanie and Mason were safe while Dawson ran out for supplies.
Their suite was on the second floor, another safety precaution he’d insisted on.
“This should give us a place to rest and think so we can figure out our next move.” He opened the door, allowing her and the baby in first.
“It might be safer for me and Mason if we go back to our apartment tomorrow. Sprigs doesn’t know where I live.”
He didn’t want to scare her, but he couldn’t let her take unnecessary risks with his child, either. “You’re stuck with me until they catch him.”
All hope that his comment would ease her concerns flew out the window with her exacerbated look. If possible, her stress levels seemed to increase. Hell on a stick. He hadn’t meant for that to happen. She had bigger ghosts from her past to be afraid of than him.
Mason stirred, spit out his pacifier and started crying again.
The sound was pitiful and caused Dawson’s heart to sink to his toes. He’d do just about anything to make it go away. Watching his son upset with no means to soothe him had never made Dawson feel more helpless in his life, not since...well...dammit...he couldn’t go there again about his sister.
Melanie was gently bouncing Mason while she sang the song from the car to him.
The place had everything they needed, including a bedroom with a door that closed, sealing