Chapter 105

It’s been three years since I saw Ethan. Three years since that night when I escaped Andrew. Three years since I found out I was pregnant with Ethan’s son.

I named him James.

My mother and I had run ‘Wonder Dough’ bakery ever since we escaped. It was flourishing within the new city that we inhabited. It was a content, quiet life.

I was never followed around by paparazzi photographers, antagonized by newscasters, or questioned by reporters during my day-to-day life. In fact, I was hardly bothered at all.

I blended in. I was normal - invisible.

It made it so much easier to hide from my past when I knew that nobody would be able to find me here because nobody knew I was here.

I changed my name, too. Just to make sure I was harder to find. I was so worried about facing Andrew or Baron’s wrath that I made sure that neither them or the rogue wolves they aligned themselves with would be able to hunt me down. Ensuring my family’s safety meant giving up part of who I was.

Ava was the Luna I was back then. Ava was married to Ethan, Andrew’s daughter, and the Luna of the Blue Moon Pack.

I changed my name to Hannah. It was a simple name, ordinary. Nobody was looking for a girl named Hannah. I could just be the girl who owned the bakery with her son and her mom.

I liked being Hannah.

I didn’t know it at the time, but Ethan was looking for me for the entire three years I was gone. He had gotten the evidence I sent to Tristan, got Andrew locked up, and became Alpha Chairman shortly after it was all said and done.

He waited for me at first. He thought, as he told me much later, that I would come back to him once I realized that it was safe to come out of hiding. However, as days turned to months and months to years, Ethan had to face the facts that I would not be coming back on my own volition.

Ethan started searching for me, but he couldn’t find me.

I was that good at hiding who I was and tucking myself away.

On James’, my son’s, third birthday, I threw a little party for him in the bakery. I had the doors propped open to bring in the beautiful autumn breeze, and baked him a giant cake with lemon cookies dusted in powdered sugar.

Much like his father, those lemon cookies were his favorite things that I made.

The birthday was going well, peaceful, until I heard my name being called from an all too familiar voice in the doorway.

I almost dropped James at the sound.

“Ava?” It was Ethan’s voice, though deeper and more matured.

I froze in place. No one had called me Ava since I left. Even my mother, I insisted that she call me Hannah. The use of my real name paired with that voice broke something in me.

I turned, slowly, tears welling in my eyes and blinding me until I blinked them away and they rolled down my cheeks.

“Ava!” Ethan said again, rushing towards me, but stopping once he saw the child propped up on my hip.

James looked at Ethan.

They shared the same icy blue eyes and dark black hair. There was no doubt that James was his son. Ethan knew it the moment he laid eyes on him.

“Ethan,” I choked on the words as they fell from my lips. I didn’t realize just how much I missed him.

“Ava,” Ethan said my name as though the very syllables were made of glass and liable to break if handled too roughly. “Is he…?”

He wasn’t sure if he could ask the question - if he should ask the question.

“His name is James,” I told him, “Today is his third birthday and” - I sighed - “Yes, he is your son.”

Ethan’s face morphed into one of ecstasy and despair mixed together. He had found me, he found his son, but he missed the first three years of his son’s life. He missed his birth, my pregnancy, he never got to pick the name.

Part of me felt guilty for hiding him away all these years, but I knew in my heart that it was the right choice.

“How did you find me?” I asked when Ethan stayed silent, simply staring at James as though he was a new creature to behold.

“I’m here on a business trip,” Ethan explained, blinking, “I smelled those lemon cookies you always made and I knew that you had to be the one who was baking them. I followed the scent to this store and… here you are.”

“Here we are,” I nodded, putting James down as he was starting to get fussy from being held so much.

James, in his toddler-like wonder, stumbled towards Ethan with big, curious eyes. Ethan knelt down so that they were face to face, and James giggled loudly.

Ethan’s face broke into a smile as James clumsily ran to him and jumped in his arms. Children are incredibly adept at knowing things based solely on instinct rather than needing to use logic. I knew that James realized that Ethan was his father.

The connection was there the minute they laid eyes on each other. A father’s bond with his child was like no other. I wished circumstances hadn’t kept them apart for so long.

“Have you been okay?” Ethan asked, picking James up and holding him close to his chest.

James didn’t protest, instead loved being coddled by his father.

“We’ve been okay,” I smiled. “My mom is better thanks to you and she’s been helping me run this shop and care for James. We got through this together like we used to when I was a girl.”

Ethan nodded along, listening as he took a moment to observe the bakery and life I built for myself without his help. It wasn’t as extravagant or fancy as the life I had with him, but it was mine and it was good.

I was proud of everything I’d accomplished.

“Have you thought of me at all?” His voice was small as he asked the question. It was almost as though he didn’t actually want to know the answer.

“Everyday,” I told him simply. It was true, too.

Not a day went by where I did not long to be by Ethan’s side again. To have him in my bed. To make his meals and kiss him goodnight.

My body ached for Ethan. My soul yearned for him.

Ethan nodded and, unfortunately, had to bid my goodbye for the afternoon so that he could attend his work meeting that he came into town for. He asked me if he would be allowed to come back and visit later.

I gave him my new address instead, asking him to come by for dinner so that we could catch up properly. Ethan wasted no time in sweeping me up into a kiss to part ways. I saw him later that night for dinner.

In fact, I saw him for dinner every night for the rest of my life after that.

Ethan and I remarried, and he moved his entire life to be in the same town as James and I. He didn’t ask me to give up my work, but instead helped me improve it until I had a chain of pastry shops spreading around the globe.

He helped me build an empire and together we raised James.

We spent the rest of our lives together, happily and danger free. It was a life that we both deserved.

The End.