Bad Seed

“Together,” she said. “I like the sound of that.”

“You better,” I said. “Because we're going to raise our family together. We're going to raise good kids. Honest kids. We're going to give them a good life.”

“I know,” she said as another tear – this one, I assumed, of joy – ran down her face. “I know that.”

I wasn't sure how I was going to give them a better life. But, I was going to have a few months to figure it all out.

“It's all going to be okay,” I said and surprised myself by actually meaning it.

“I believe you,” she said. “I actually believe you.”

I nodded. “Good,” I said. “Because it's true.”

She leaned forward and kissed me, letting me feel all of the emotion she carried inside of her for me. It was going to have to sustain me for a few months. But, I vowed that once I got out, I would never be apart from her or our kids again.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you too.”

CHAPTER TEN

KARA

THREE MONTHS LATER...

“Daddy is going to be home soon,” I whispered to the baby in my arms.

Jack just smiled up at me, reaching out, he let his little hand touching my face. I kissed him on the top of his head, holding him close to me as we waited outside the gates for Declan to step out. Today was the day. He was a free man. Finally, our family could be together. Whole. For real this time.

When the gate opened up, and Declan stepped through it, my heart felt like it was about to burst as my eyes filled with tears. I stood and hurried over to him. No, more like I sprinted over to him. As soon as I reached him, Declan wrapped his arms around Jack and me and held us close.

“I've missed you,” I sobbed into his shoulder.

“I've missed you too,” he said.

He pulled back a little and smiled down at his son. Jack cooed at him, making us both laugh.

“God, he's gotten so big,” Declan said.

I handed Jack over to him. The baby was so small in Declan's big, powerful hands, and seeing how gentle and tender he was with his son filled me with a joy I couldn't even begin to explain.

“He loves to eat,” I laugh. “Just like his daddy.”

Declan's gaze moved lower on me, to the soft pooch of my belly. There was still some fear in his eyes. A soft tremor of uncertainty. Still, he smiled and reached out, resting a hand on my stomach.

“Sometimes it felt like a dream, you know?” he said, meeting my gaze again. “All of it – from Jack, to you, to hearing that you're pregnant. I'd wake up sometimes and wonder what was real and what wasn't. Then, you'd stop by and I knew – I knew it was real, and that soon, I'd be getting out of that place. It was the thought of you and Jack – and our new little one – that kept me going. That and nothing more.”

“This is still all real. Very, very real.”

I rested my hand on his where he still had it resting against my belly. There was a small trace of sadness in Declan's eyes, and I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me. He tried to smile, and he seemed happy enough, but something was still very wrong.

Then again, he'd flipped on his own family and turned them all over to the authorities. They were all doing some long, hard time, and I was sure there was a lot going on inside of his head right now.

“Mind if we stop by Meredith's and see the kids?” he asked.

His question should have surprised me, but for some reason, it didn't. I nodded.

“She's been extremely apologetic since everything went down,” I said. “Who knows how much she actually knew about what Killian really did, but I'm glad she can still raise her kids. Someone has to. And despite her flaws, she's a good mom.”