Chad holds the sleeping toddler in his arms as Lily tries her hand at changing the motel manager's mind. After six minutes she walks back over to Chad with a frown. He gives her a pleasant smile, “Well?” She glares at him and he chuckles. “I see you did as well as I did. I guess he meant it when he said that he only had one room available.” “Shut up.” Chad's smile stretches into a grin as he reaches down with one hand to grab as many bags as he can, leaving her to grab the rest. With the room key tucked into his back pocket, they leave the office. He knows that Lily does not like the idea of sharing a room with him, but she is going to have to get over it. He was relieved to hear that the motel man only had one vacancy left because it would be so much easier to protect her if he were actually near her. As the two of them, plus bags and baby, reach the door, he offers her his back. “The key is in my pocket. Dig it out and open the door.” “Oh, no. I'll take him so that you can-”

“Home, sweet home.” Lily mutters to herself as she stands in the kitchen. Not really able to sleep too well, she came in here to make breakfast. It reminds her of that morning all those years ago when she came in here to do the same thing but everything got so messed up. She has spent many a night wondering what would have happened had she never crawled out of bed that morning. What if she had just stayed in Chad's arms? Would she have lost him or someone in his family to an attack? Would Darin have just given up and gone away? Or would he have been discovered lurking around our house and taken before Adam? Often times she wishes that she had stayed where she was. Who knows how things might have turned out but maybe she wouldn't have had to live with Chad. Because she feared losing him to Darin, so she ran, but she ended up losing him anyway. “Couldn't sleep?” Lily spins around to find Chad standing in the doorway behind her, looking rumpled with sleep and so incredibly handsome.

“He is finally asleep!” Lily makes the announcement as she comes back into the living room, with a sippy cup in her hand and a few hairs out of place. Ty was so overstimulated that he was way harder to put down for a nap than he usually is. He wanted her to sing to him, then he wanted to dance to it. So she tried a story that he requested about dinosaurs, but then he had to get up and do the dino stomp while roaring. Finally, she had to just get him in her arms and lay down with him while he tangled his chubby, sticky little finger in her hair. It took about ten minutes doing it that way, but she eventually got him to sleep. Then she laid there for a few moments longer, just holding him, breathing in the sweet scent of him and enjoying the warm weight of his body on her arm. She looks forward to watching him grow into a strong young man and watching his personality develop, but she is scared to death of the moment when he will no longer hug her like this. When he is too old to

“Then why did you leave me that night?” “I woke up around four that morning and I was laying in bed beside you as I always did, just watching you sleep and listening to your chest rumble with each breath. I had woke up to you like that so many mornings before, but that morning was different. I was your wife. We had made vows.. promises.. and it was the beginning of our life together. I just knew at that moment that life could not get any better for me. After a while, I decided to go make you breakfast. I left the bed and went to the kitchen and let me tell you, I was floating on air. I was riding a high.. lord, was I!” “Then what-” “I heard a noise outside. I opened the door to see what it was, like a freaking idiot. Darin was there.. he grabbed me. He was raging at me that I let you mark me and mate me.. He was like he was possessed, the way that his eyes stared at me.. It was scary. He yelled at me that I always ruin everything, then as if we were having a totally different conv

“I don't think that I can do this.” Lily whispers the words as her stomach clenches with nerves. Her hands are shaking and she feels restless, much like she does when she needs to shift. The urge to run away is strong but she is fighting it. She just does not know if she should be. “What? Why not?” Turning to Chad, Lily admits her biggest fear. “They are going to hate me. Your family loves you. You all are all so close with one another and so very, feircely loyal.. I am the bitch that broke your heart and deserted you on our wedding night, mere hours after we marked one another. They could not have been thrilled about that. They have to think so poorly of me. Hell, I think poorly of me!” “Lily-” “I'm afraid to face them..” Lily whispers on a quick release of breath and Chad smiles. “It will be okay. They loved you once a much as I did and they know you are a good person. They do not hold any grudges against you, okay? If I thought this would go badly, I would never bring you