Page 165 of The Heart of Winter

"Then we’ll ask the coast guard again. Beyond the military, they’re the only ones with long-range drones," he whispered.

"I don’t know if we, as private individuals, can request the coast guard to restart a drone search. Last time, it didn’t do any good," I muttered. "The drones flew over many islands and saw nothing."

"But not all of them—not the ones farther north. Who knows? Maybe this time they’ll find something."

I clenched my jaw, sitting on the edge of the bed, my feet touching the cold floor.

"There’s only one way. The Lowens." I stood, determination surging through me. "I’m going to the city. I have to meet Jacob in person."

Surprise flickered across Aiden’s handsome face, his silver eyes widening. Even after all these years, he could still take my breath away.

"You don’t even know if he’ll be at work, or if he’ll agree to see you," he said, as his eyes searched my face.

Frowning, I started getting dressed. "I won’t give up. I won’t. Because my child needs me," I murmured through clenched teeth.

When he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me, some of the storm inside me faded. He gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him.

"Hey, baby… I’m coming with you. Where you go, I go."

Our eyes met and his smile was so warm, so reassuring. A sense of gratitude filled my heart.

"Thank you… for believing, Lake," he whispered. "For having hope, still. When the doubts crush me, you keep fighting. When I feel like drowning, you pull me up to the surface."

His fingers brushed my cheek. I closed my eyes, because his touch had always been magic to me.

"I love you," he whispered, and then our lips met.

***

Two hours later, Aiden and I were standing outside the DevApp building. It was just before 8 am.

We were met with a rather cold reception in the lobby. As soon as I mentioned that I was the parent of one of the passengers on the plane that Sariel Lowen had been on, the receptionist’s face noticeably fell. He quickly excused himself and disappeared into an adjacent room to make a call.

It was nearly ten minutes before he returned, he had clearly made several calls. His expression remained uneasy as he addressed us.

"I'm very sorry, but Mr. Lowen won't be able to see you today. He has several business meetings scheduled."

"This is extremely important," I whispered, pressing my hands to my chest in a near-pleading gesture. "We have information about the crash, something that could matter to him."

The omega at the desk pursed his lips and shook his head. "I truly am sorry for your loss, and I sympathize with your situation, but there’s nothing I can do. The CEO will not agree to meet with you."

A wave of anger surged through me, and I clenched my teeth. But before I could say too much, Aiden placed a steadying hand on my shoulder.

"My love, come. Let’s sit in the lobby and discuss our options," he said gently.

I shot the receptionist a look full of reproach but turned away and followed Aiden. We sat down in the spacious, luxurious lobby. Employees streamed past us in a constant flow, paying us little mind.

"We’ll wait here for him. They won’t throw us out, right? And if they do, we’ll wait outside," Aiden said, calmly but firm.

Appreciation filled me, having him by my side meant everything. For a moment, I had expected him to try to convince me to go home, but he didn’t. He understood me.

"Alright," I whispered, feeling a wave of relief.

His silver eyes studied my face.

"Please, try to stay positive. You’re so tense, so stressed… I’m really worried about you," he murmured, squeezing my hand.

My breath came out almost painfully. "I just can’t relax. I can’t stop fighting for him."

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