Page 110 of Finding His Redemption

Her son was huddled in the hollow where the tree’s roots had been exposed by erosion, his knees drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. He was soaked through, his Minecraft T-shirt clinging to his small frame, his lips tinged blue with cold.

“Oliver,” she gasped, dropping to her knees beside him. “Oh, my sweet baby.”

He looked up at her with wide, frightened eyes. He’d been crying, the skin around his eyes red and puffy. “Mommy?”

Her heart cracked wide open. He hadn’t called her that in two years.

“I’m here.” She gathered him into her arms. “I’m right here, baby. You’re okay.”

“I’m sorry. I-I’m so sorry I ran away. I tried to find my way back, but—I c-c-couldn’t and?—”

“Shh, it’s okay.” She rocked him, stroking down a wild cowlick of wet hair. “You’re safe and I have you. That’s all that matters.”

Oliver’s gaze landed on Jax, who was standing behind her, Echo faithfully at his side, her tail wagging. He blinked. “Jax? You came to find me?”

“Of course I did, buddy.” Jax cleared his throat and rested a hand on his dog’s back. “Echo was worried about you. She knew you were in trouble.”

As if summoned by her name, Echo nosed her way between them and began licking Oliver’s face, her whole body wiggling with relief.

“Echo found me,” Oliver said, his voice small and wondering. “She’s the best dog ever.”

“She sure is,” Jax agreed. “She cares about you.”

Brandt appeared with a thermal blanket. “We need to get him warm and dry fast.”

Nessie wrapped the blanket around Oliver’s shoulders, but she could feel how badly he was shivering. “Can you walk, baby?”

“I think so.” Oliver tried to stand, but his legs were shaky. Without hesitation, Jax scooped him up, blanket and all.

“I got you,” he said.

The walk back to the parking lot seemed to take forever. By the time they reached the trucks, word had spread through the search teams. The Valor Ridge men were converging on the parking lot, their relief palpable. Mariah was there, too, tears streaming down her face as she called off the search teams.

Nessie couldn’t believe she’d stayed when she had her own son to think of.

“My truck,” Ghost said, leading them over to it. “I’ve had the heater blasting since you said you found him.”

The truck was like an oven. Nessie climbed into the back seat with Oliver, wrapping him in her arms as the warm air began to chase away the chill. His small body gradually stopped shivering, and color returned to his lips.

“I called Dr. Mallory,” Mariah said, leaning through door. “She’s meeting us at the clinic to check him over.”

“I’m okay,” Oliver protested, but it was half-hearted. “I just got scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared,” Jax said, settling into the front passenger seat. Echo had followed them and was now lying across his lap, her eyes fixed on Oliver.

“The kids at school said you were a bad man,” Oliver said. “They said you hurt people.”

Nessie drew him closer, pressing her lips to his temple. The sting behind her eyes was sudden and fierce. “Oliver?—”

“It’s okay,” Jax said quietly. He turned in his seat to face the boy. “They’re not wrong. I did hurt someone once. I made a very bad choice when I was scared and angry.”

Oliver considered this with the seriousness only a seven-year-old could muster. “But you’re not bad now.”

“Everybody is a little bit bad,” Jax said. “It all depends on how much you let the bad take over. Every day, I try to make better choices and try not to let the bad win. Even then, sometimes, when people say mean things, it’s hard not to get angry.”

“That’s why I pushed Kyler,” Oliver said. “I got angry because he said you are a killer.”

“And what happened when you pushed him?”