BROKEN COURAGE (Broken Redemption Book 3)

Chapter 48

Lucas

"Fuck, sweetheart." I pull her into me, her head collapsing against my shoulder. I feel her tears soaking into my shirt, each one twisting the knife in my chest a little deeper. "It's a fair concern. I won't lie—the thought crossed my mind, too, at first. But after everything we've been through, I see things differently now."

I shift, one hand resting over our little Sailor and the other cradling her face. Her tear-stained, beautiful face. I look into her eyes, willing her to believe me. To feel the truth of my words.

"I see this as a start. A new beginning. This baby...this new life you're bringing into this world, he or she is our way forward. That baby is here to help us rise from the ashes, to remind us that for every end, there are new and wonderful beginnings."

I wipe away her tears, my thumb gently brushing across her cheek as I search for the right words to break through her fears. I need her to understand—this baby, the love we already feel for Sailor, is far stronger than the darkness we've endured. Strong enough to heal, to rebuild, to erase the shadows of the past.

"From scorched earth comes renewed hope," I go on to explain, my voice soft but steady. "It's a headline I read once about a fire that burned through California. On the cover, I saw these images—miles of blackened debris, charred trees, scorched, desolate land—and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. How in the hell could anyone look at that level of destruction and see hope?" I shake my head, the memory still vivid. "It was depressing. Complete and utter devastation. Wildlife, vegetation, all of it... gone. I just couldn't see it. Couldn't understand what hope had to do with any of it, so out of anger, I read that damn article, and on that last page, there it was."

I pause, the image flashing in my mind like it had the first time I saw it.

"Amid all that black ash, in the middle of the devastation, these tiny green sprouts were poking up through the soot. And right there, in the center of it all, was the tiniest purple flower. It could have been a weed for all I know, but I swear to fucking Christ, that damn flower was everything." My voice falters slightly, and I feel the lump of emotion building in my throat. "I felt it. Hope. In that one simple, fragile thing. It stood out from the surrounding blackness, and suddenly, it didn't matter what it was. That flower—hell, that moment—it took my breath away. Hit me right in the feels."

I grin sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck as I fight the emotion welling up in my eyes.

"That damn article." I continue, my voice tinged with nostalgia. "It's one of the first things I read after my rescue from Afghanistan. I was sitting in the waiting room for yet another doctor's appointment when I saw it. I was in a dark place. My heart was hard, cynical—my soul crushed and charred, just like that forest in the pictures. I honestly only opened the article so I could disprove that hope exists."

I pause, allowing the weight of the memory to settle over me.

"But when I came across that page, the one with the flower, for the first time since the rescue... I broke down. Not because I was angry or resentful of a universe that had let me down, but because I was thankful. Thankful to realize that hope still existed, even if it was buried deep, under all that ash." I chuckle softly, the bittersweet memory bringing a smile to my face.

"I was such a mess. The doctor I was waiting to see came out with a nurse, and they took me to a private room where they let me weep for what felt like hours. That day was the first time I let myself believe that maybe, someday, I might be okay too."

I reach out, placing my hand over the small bump between us. "Sailor—he or she is like that flower, Embree. Rising through the ashes with the strength and resilience that can only exist after a tragic end. Sailor is our beginning. Not our past. And there's not a doubt in my mind that we'll love this baby just as much as we love Alyssa and Mallory."

My voice softens as I search her eyes, hoping she feels the truth of my words. "That baby is a miracle. An honest-to-God fucking miracle, and I need you to see that. But if you can't right now, that's okay too because I have enough faith for the both of us. Sometime in the next few months, you're going to see it too. I promise."

My chest tightens as the weight of my words settles between us. It's hard to believe there was a time I felt otherwise and almost walked away from the most amazing thing that's ever happened in my life. All thanks to fear—the worst of all the four-letter words in existence. It nearly got me. Almost smothered me to the point of misery, and I'll be damned if I let it do the same to her. I'll do whatever it takes—work night and day if I have to—to prove to her she has nothing to fear. She's already an incredible mother, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the moment she lays eyes on our little Sailor, she'll love him or her with every fiber of her being.

"One of my biggest regrets when you were taken was the possibility that because of the stress, you might lose the baby. The thought of Sailor leaving this world before ever getting a chance to experience being loved and being wanted... it crushed me." I pause, letting the rawness of that memory linger in the air.

"That's when I realized—I already loved that baby. And it was weird to me at first, considering, at the time, Sailor barely felt real. But then, when I got the three of you back, and I saw Sailor for the very first time, I got it. I understood."

I glance down at where my hand rests on her belly as I speak from the deepest part of my heart. "Because in the end, it's not about biology or timing or even the miracle of it all. It all comes down to this simple truth—the love I feel for Sailor comes from the love I feel for you."

When she wraps her arms around my neck, burying her face against my neck in an emotional embrace, I feel down to the depths of my soul. It feels like the dark clouds that have hung over us for weeks are finally clearing.

"Thank you. I'm so sorry. I-I don't know what's wrong with me," she says, her voice thick with emotion. But the way her body is slowly softening, leaning into me, tells me we're moving in the right direction.

"I love you, sweetheart," I murmur, my hand stroking her back while the other rests protectively over Sailor. "I love you both."

"We love you too." Her words slam into me like a tidal wave of hope, filling me with a warmth that spreads through every inch of me, wrapping around us like a protective blanket. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear her say that until now.

She pulls back, her eyes searching mine as she takes a steadying breath. "I want to tell the girls about the adoption. I want them to know what you are to them. To us."

"You... Are you sure, Emb?"

"Yes. I mean, Mallory already knows, but I want to have an actual conversation with them. So they can ask questions and feel secure that we're all okay—Creed included. And then I want to tell them about us... about the baby and the amazing changes happening in our family."

"Fuck, baby." I pull her closer, my lips finding hers in a kiss that pours out every ounce of love, devotion, and hope I have for this life we're building together. "So we're doing this. You're giving me a chance." I whisper between kisses.

"Yes," she breathes against my lips, her voice soft but certain. "I'm giving you everything. Just like you've already given us."

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Author's Note:

It finally looks like things between Lucas and Emilia are back on the right track.

What did you think about Lucas's declaration? Are you surprised Emilia struggled so hard to come to this point? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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