Chapter 8 - Turning the Tide
By 5:30 a.m., the pale pink glow of dawn was breaking over the horizon of the Atlantic coast, washing over the shipping cranes and casting long shadows across the deck of a private yacht docked at the private slip.
Lauren sat in the plush leather salon of the yacht, rocking Ren gently in her arms. The baby was sleeping peacefully, completely oblivious to the war that had raged around her over the last twenty-four hours.
The cabin door opened, and footsteps approached softly.
Lauren looked up as Colton walked in. He had changed into a fresh shirt, but the exhaustion carved into his face was undeniable. A faint bandage covered the graze on his forearm, and his knuckles were bruised and swollen from the altercation with his brother.
He stopped a few feet away, hesitating as if unsure whether he had the right to approach her.
"Is it over?" Lauren asked softly, her voice steady and clear.
"It’s over," Colton replied, his voice thick with weariness. He crossed the room and knelt down beside the armchair, resting his hands gently on the armrests, his eyes searching her face. "Tom is locked away. The internal leaks have been cauterized. Our security grid has been doubled. No one will ever touch you or Ren again. I give you my word."
Lauren studied him. Twenty-four hours ago, she had been running for her life, convinced her husband was a monster who was abandoning her. Now, sitting here in the quiet aftermath of the storm, she realized the terrifying truth of her husband’s world: Colton Beckett lived in the shadows so that she and Ren could live in the light.
"You lied to me," Lauren said, though the bitterness in her voice was gone, replaced by a quiet, lingering ache. "You should have told me about the threat from the beginning."
"I know," Colton whispered, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I wanted to protect you from the ugliness of my life. I thought if I kept you in the dark, you’d stay safe. But I was wrong. By keeping secrets, I almost lost the only things that matter to me." He looked back up, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I am so damn sorry, Lauren."
Lauren reached out, her hand resting softly against his bruised cheek. Her thumb traced the line of his jaw. "If you ever keep a secret like that from me again, Colton Beckett... I won't just pack a bag and drive twenty miles. I’ll disappear so thoroughly you’ll spend the rest of your life looking for a ghost."
Colton let out a ragged, breathless laugh, leaning his face into the palm of her hand and pressing a lingering, reverent kiss against her wrist. "I know. And you’d succeed, too."
May you like
He reached out, his large, calloused fingers gently brushing against Ren’s tiny, sleeping cheek. The baby shifted, letting out a soft yawn and curling her fingers around Colton’s index finger.
Colton closed his eyes, a profound, shuddering wave of relief washing over him.
