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adequate housing and food. What did a baby eat? Did his son even eat real food? Dawson had no idea. Resentment for losing the past year and a half of his child’s life bubbled to the surface along with a very real fear. Thinking about his little sister, her illness, had him wondering again if his son would inherit the disease.
    He glanced at the rearview.
    Melanie had closed her eyes in the backseat while holding Mason’s hand, and a piece of Dawson’s heart stirred.
    Once again, he was floored at the thought he had a child.
    It was a lot to digest, but nothing would stop him from getting there and accepting it. An image of him and Mason playing ball popped up in Dawson’s head. Pride filled his chest, accompanied by a feeling he couldn’t put his finger on. He recalled feeling something like this for his baby sister when she’d been alive, but the feeling had been tucked away so deep he almost forgot it had existed.
    He hadn’t allowed himself to think about her in years. He guessed he’d stashed away everything that had caused him pain.
    His relationship with his parents had never been the same after her death. Their mourning was so powerful, so strong that they had nothing left to give Dawson or each other.
    His mother took it the hardest, staying in bed until Dawson returned from school most days for a year. Grief-stricken, she left her medical practice for almost two years before finally trying to move forward. His father put on a brave mask and went to work. He’d bring food home, keeping the house going, but he never really smiled or laughed after that.
    A few years later one of Dawson’s friends and her little brother, Rebecca and Shane, had been abducted. Dawson’s parents had joined in the search. It was the first thing they’d done together since losing Bethany. With time, they became closer and more involved in Dawson’s life again.
    But in those dark years when the air had been sucked out of the house, Melanie had brought the light.
    If someone had told him that Melanie would betray their history, their friendship, with one act, he wouldn’t have believed it possible. She could’ve gotten away with almost anything and he’d have found a way to forgive her. But this?
    Never.

Chapter Four
    By the time Dawson pulled into the hotel parking lot, Melanie was asleep in the backseat. He hated to wake her, so he just stared at her for a minute. All those old feelings—good feelings, like nights spent outdoors looking up at the sky and warmth—crashed with the new reality, the one where she’d betrayed him in the worst way.
    She wasn’t the same person and neither was he. Her skin glowed and he figured something about motherhood had changed her. So much about her was different, especially in the way she carried herself. Her features had softened even more unless her son was threatened and then her protectiveness was written all over her stern gaze and determined stance.
    On closer look, he’d noticed the dark circles under her eyes. It seemed she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in months, and based on his limited experience with a baby, he could see how that might happen. Dawson didn’t think he’d ever sleep again for worrying over his son, especially while the little guy was sick. Plus, everything about Mason seemed tiny and fragile.
    The kid had a good set of lungs on him.
    And Melanie seemed to think Mason was huge now. Dawson could only imagine what those first few months must’ve been like while he was even smaller.
    â€œWhere are we?” Melanie woke as soon as Dawson cut off the engine.
    â€œWe’re in a Dallas suburb. Figured there’d be grocery stores nearby where we could pick up supplies for the baby.”
    She shook her head and blinked her eyes. “Okay. Just give me a second.”
    Dawson opened Mason’s door and waited for her to unbuckle him. Working the car seat was a lesson for