Page 43 of Rescuing Tobias

Letting out a breath, he realized how relieved he was to know that neither Isabella nor their baby had been seriously injured.

In that moment, he knew.

It didn't matter that he was trying his best to save them both from a life of responsibility and burden, he wanted them. Both of them. Wasn't sure he could resist the pull to go to them.

“Should I book you a flight?” Raven asked.

“She might not want to see me.”

“I didn't want to see Max when he obnoxiously showed up to follow me when I was tracking down leads on Cleo.”

“But you two were in love.”

“We were.”

“I don’t love Isabella. Don’t know her well enough.”

“And it’s okay if you never fall in love with her. You two might not be supposed to be together as a couple, but you are having a baby, and there is something between you. Am I wrong?”

“No. You're not wrong.” There was something there, but fear was holding him back from exploring it. For giving it the chance it needed to grow into something more. Maybe one day it would grow into love. “Nothing has changed with my injury.”

“Even if it gets worse, and you wind up in a wheelchair, it’s not the same as your parents. Talk to her. Give her the chance to make her own decision. She deserves that right, even more so because of what she’s been through. Don’t be just another person who took her choices away from her.”

Those words struck deep.

They were true, he hadn't even had a conversation with her when she came to tell him she was pregnant. He’d just unilaterally made the decision on what was going to happen. That wasn't fair to Isabella at all.

“So?”

“Book the flight,” he told his boss. He was flying out to see Isabella, there was no way he could believe she was safe if he wasn't there watching over her, even if he knew that Connor and the rest of Charlie Team would be able to protect her.

It wasn't the same.

Now he just had to pray she didn't hate him and at least gave him a chance to explain himself.

April 24th

8:31 A.M.

Finally,it was starting to feel like spring.

While it wasn't what anyone could describe as warm, it was becoming mild, and even though the mornings were still chilly, this was Isabella’s favorite time of day to spend some time on her own, soaking up the outdoors.

The peace of being surrounded by nature was still what she missed the most about no longer living in remote villages, but she was slowly getting used to being in the city again.

It did help that Becca and Connor had a really nice backyard. Their own little oasis. There were large trees in both the back corners, and lots of flower beds currently breaking out into a riot of color. Add in the bees and butterflies, and when she closed her eyes and breathed it all in she could almost believe there was nothing but nature around her for miles.

Grabbing a blanket to wrap around her shoulders, since it was still cool this time of day, she toed off her slipper boots and headed for the back door. Feeling the grass on her bare feet was quickly becoming one of her favorite things. Especially if there was dew. The small droplets coated her soles, and she couldn’t explain it but something about it was soothing.

Weird, maybe, but she was enjoying the little things these days.

This morning routine wasn't just the highlight of her day, it was the focal point of it. Spending this hour or so sitting outside, relaxing, and not thinking or worrying about anything, was how she kept herself sane.

It wasn't meditation exactly, more just being one with nature. Just existing in a space where she wasn't constantly breaking down her thoughts into manageable little chunks, or fighting against her anxiety that insisted she cocoon herself away somewhere safe.

For this hour she wasn't Isabella who had been snatched from her village in Cambodia, gang raped and sold, forced to work as a nurse for organ traffickers and tortured when she refused. Or pregnant Isabella, who would be raising her child as a single mom. For this hour she was just Isabella.

Just as she reached for the door handle, her cell phone alerted her to someone at the front door. Not bothering to check the notification to see who was there, she just assumed it was another package arriving and changed course.

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