Reckless Regrets
Chapter 70

Morgan

“I just don’t understand why she’d take him from me. I’ve been nothing but nice to her, and I never once treated Marisol any differently when she was here.”

“You can’t look at it as Gabby taking Cameron from you, she took him for her. Look at all she’s been through in the past few weeks, the life she knew is over, and Cameron is a link to that life,” Alaia reasoned.

“She took him and didn’t care about how I felt. She never once stopped to think about how it would affect me, and that’s unfair. I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

The tears flowed from the minute Kade told me my baby was gone, up until he’d sent me a picture of Cameron sleeping peacefully in Luca’s guest bedroom. When I saw that sweet little face, I was overcome with feelings of relief, then fury, immediately followed by exhaustion. I’d never felt something so deeply in my soul before; it was a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and Cameron had only been missing a couple of hours. I didn’t even want to imagine how I would have felt if he’d been hurt or worst. That maternal instinct to protect and nurture was profound and undeniable.

“Well, we found him before anything could happen, and now we can get Gabby the help she needs. I know that deep down, she’s a sweet girl, but she’s hurting more than I think we realized,” Taylor said.

As much as I hated to admit it, they were both right. From the brief message Kade had sent when he let me know he had Cameron, Gabby had taken excellent care of him as if he were her own. He would be returned as the same happy, healthy little boy he was when he was taken, so I had a feeling that she didn’t mean any harm, at least not to Cameron.

“You two focus on getting her help, I’ll just focus on not ripping her throat out,” I huffed.

“That won’t help anyone, especially not Cameron. He just lost his mom, dad, and grandfather. Do you really think he should lose Gabby too?” Taylor asked.

Damn these girls and their rational thoughts at a time like this.

“Fine, but I’m still pissed. Maybe I’ll feel better when I smell my little boy, he always smells like applesauce no matter what he’s been eating, and I love it. And we’re submitting that paperwork first thing Monday morning. I don’t want anyone else ever to think that they can get away with something like this,” I stated.

“I don’t blame you. But for now, just lay down and get some rest. I know you’re tired babe, it was a long day already before the partial kidnapping, and you and that baby in your tummy need sleep. Kade and the guys probably won’t be back for a few hours anyway, and there’s no point in you sitting up waiting for them,” Alaia said.

I wasn’t going to argue with her there, I was exhausted mentally and physically, and my entire body was starting to ache. I’d probably overexerted myself, and everything was catching up to me. So I crawled into bed and shut my eyes. I would never have thought that I would be sleeping alone on my wedding night, but it seemed the universe had other plans for my new husband and me.

***

Kade

“Beta, if you’d just give her a minute to explain herself, you’ll see that Gabby wasn’t in her right mind when she took your son. She’s a good girl; you know that, so please don’t punish her too harshly for this one mistake,” Luca begged.

I’d been in the guest room and verified that Cameron was safe and listed to Luca as he explained how everything went down, but I’d yet to hear from the woman of the hour. As it stood, only Luca was fighting for her; Gabby had yet to utter one word in her defense.

“I’ll give her all the time she needs, but it would be helpful if she actually said something. Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, Gabby? I thought we were better than this, we’d bonded in Oregon, and the guys and I put in so much time, effort, and money to get you your freedom back, and you replay me by stealing Cameron away? Why?” I asked her directly.

“I needed him. Besides my father, everything from my past was gone, even my childhood home. All I had was Cameron, and it’s not fair that you and Morgan get to just claim him as yours. What about me? Why can’t he be mine? I raised that little boy, so what makes you and Morgan a better choice than Luca and me?” Gabby asked.

Luca’s face paled a bit at the thought that his mate was trying to make him a father so early in their relationship. He was just getting his life together, and a kid was the last thing he needed right now.

“Marisol brought him to us when things began to go south in Oregon. I’m the only father he has ever known, and the last link Marisol sent before she died was to me telling me to take care of Cameron. I don’t know what could be more powerful than that,” I reasoned.

“How about the Alpha of the pack all these wolves belong to stating that Cameron is where he needs to be with Kade and Morgan? Soon they will have gone through the proper channels to make everything official, and you will not try something like this ever again, do you understand me?” Xander stepped up and asked.

“Yes, Alpha. I understand.”

“Good. Luca, do you mind if Gabby stays here for a little while? She’s no longer welcome in the packhouse, and the village cottages are all currently full. So our only options are for her to stay here, go down into the cells, or with her father in Oregon unless there is somewhere else you’d like to go?” Xander asked.

“Will I be allowed to see Cameron?”

“No, until the adoption is finalized, you will have zero contact with him; after that, it will be up to Kade and Morgan to decide.”

I watched the two interact, and it was almost sad. When I came here, I had every intention of throwing Gabby into the cells, but now seeing how hurt she was by the idea of never seeing Cam again almost broke my heart.

“She can stay if she wants too, Alpha. And I’ll make sure any rules you set in place are followed,” Luca chimed in.

“That works for me. Is everyone else good here?” Xander asked the room. After receiving everyone’s confirmation, I went to grab the little guy so that we could head back home. Before I walked out, I let Gabby have a few minutes with him. I would have gone about it differently, but if anything were to happen to any of the guys, I would be crushed if I couldn’t still have a relationship with the kids.

“Please tell Morgan that I’m sorry. I won’t say that I didn’t mean for this to happen because I obviously did, but I didn’t think about how much it could hurt her. She’s going to be a great mother,” Gabby said before I walked out the door.

“I’ll let her know. And you make sure you take care of yourself. Cameron is going to need his Aunt Gabby around.”

Once we were all loaded in the car, I looked over at the sleeping child next to me and thought back to when this all started, and I refused to even look at a picture of him every time Marisol asked me. It was funny how much things could change in a short period of time.

“So, I’m sure your wedding night is ruined, but have you put any thought into your honeymoon yet?” Matt asked.

“Besides having my wife naked as much as possible, no, I haven’t,” I replied.

“Since the wedding was so last minute, Morgan probably hasn’t either. So why don’t you put something together and surprise her?”

I thought it over and felt like I could make this work. We’d submit the adoption papers and make sure that Cameron would be secured in the packhouse or with a ranked member at all times, and we could take about a week before the baby became too big for Morgan to move around comfortably.

I settled on the perfect place then pulled out my phone to see what they had available. It only took me fifteen minutes or so before I had the entire week planned out and booked. Now we just had to get there.

“Hey, Xan. Do you mind if we borrow the jet for a bit? It can be your wedding gift,” I said.

“The plane is yours for whatever you need. And don’t be stupid, you’re still getting a wedding gift,” he replied.

Perks of having a wealthy best friend.

“What did you decide on?” Xander asked.

“Well, my Sugar loves to travel and collect passport stamps, and she also loves to bake, so we’re going to roll the two in one. I’m taking her to Paris, and she can make all the croissants and macaroons and whatever else she wants while we explore the city. She will be happy, so I’ll be happy,” I replied.

“Spoken like a damn good husband. You’re learning fast, Kade,” Tyson said from the front seat.

“I’m just seeing where you guys have f****d up and doing the opposite. So far, it’s worked pretty well, and hopefully, I can keep that streak going,” I joked.

”Nah, I’ll give you a week before you’re on a s**t list, ten days tops,” Xander said.

“Not even! Five days, max,” was Tyson’s bid.

“You’re really betting on this?” I asked the car.

“Oh yeah, I’ve got $100.00 that says Morgan will be ready to scratch your eyes before you step foot on the plane to Paris,” Matt chimed in.

And these were the men I called my best friends and brothers. But I knew my Sugar and how she couldn’t resist me. This would be easy money.

“You’re on,” I replied as I ran through every way to satisfy my wife before our honeymoon. I was going to enjoy spending their money on my trip.