Page 100 of Before Broken Vows

"Xander!"

Stassi comes flying out of the SUV, ignoring all my warnings about staying inside, but I don't blame her.

"Xander, baby!" she calls out, running toward us.

He lifts his head. “Mommy!”

When we meet, I lower him into her arms. She collapses to the ground, hugging him like she’ll never let go.

They cry together. Clutch each other.

I stand behind them, silent.

She kisses his forehead and then looks at his face.

“He didn’t hurt you? Are you okay?” she asks.

He shakes his head. “No. I was only a little scared. I knew you and Daddy would come.”

Stassi looks up at me.

Her face is soaked with tears, her mouth trembling.

"I—Theo, I thought... Oh God, I can't even," she says, stopping herself.

"I'll always make sure we're together. Nothing like this will ever happen again," I say.

She blinks. Then slowly, she reaches up for my hand and holds it.

"Thank you for bringing our son home," she whispers.

I squeeze her hand, then kneel down and kiss her cheek.

In that moment, I realize something.

I didn't just get my son back.

I got a piece of myself I thought I buried with my father.

"Thank you for coming back. For giving me a son. For showing me I'm more than what I was taught to be."

Andrew steps up behind me and clears his throat.

"What now?"

"Let's get out of here. Back to Greece."

He nods.

"And Andrew, there's people alive connected to this. I want names," I say. "Or I start carving them out of people."

I turn back to look at Stassi. At Xander.

I don't know what will happen next or how this is all connected, but one thing is certain, my family will come before anything from this point forward.

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STASSI