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Xavier smiled but dared not say another word. If he tried, he might choke on them. The emotions in him were far too immense to hold back and be a disaffected man.
He wheeled their sedan out of the parking lot, then Xavier took the scenic route home rather than the ugly freeway. The splendor of the day demanded more beauty heading home.
The country road was a winding, tree-lined single lane each way. Xavier cracked the windows a bit for Sara to inhale the arbor mist.
“This is our home, Sara. And someday, it will be our baby’s. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is. The enormous green trees, the big leaves. And the scent. So much better than a concrete jungle. Our baby couldn’t have a better life anywhere else.”
Xavier smiled. His right hand held tightly to Sara’s as he steered, swinging the wheel left and right to make each snaking curve.
Sara closed her eyes. Her contentedness filled the air, but weariness too. He took the quiet time to fall into his mind’s eye and think back to how his life had changed so fast and in such miraculous ways.
Just a few months ago, he had signed up with the Shifter Surrogate Agency and hoped for the best. And as a result, all his dreams had come true. It was more than Xavier could’ve ever imagined. In the space of time that seemed to speed forward in flashes of pure joy, the lonely alpha, still grieving the loss of his parents and sister, went from an unfulfilled leader to one who couldn’t be any more satisfied.
Xavier gazed out at the winding vista. He viewed the majestic trees with their thick branches, which slowly swayed and cloaked the wondrous land. He took in the bright, beaming sun and the gloriously blue sky that, soon, his baby would be here to appreciate as well. All was so right with his world that he could barely breathe.
And then headlights almost on his rear bumper flashed in his rearview mirror.
Xavier grabbed the wheel with both hands.
Fenders collided. Metal screamed against metal.
His head jerked forward. Tires swerving. He felt the car swerve out of control.
The sedan careened off the road and into the ditch.
The hood accordioned, hitting straight into a massive oak tree. The crumpled chassis sat at a dangerous tilt.
He heard airbag explosions.
Then a blaring horn.
Everything was black and thick and heavy, but he could still smell the engine smoke overtaking the cab.
He was too dazed and disoriented to process or respond to any of it, his brain barely registering in and out of consciousness. The last thought he had, trying to fight off the blackness that gripped his mind, was that the scenic route wasn’t so scenic after all.
SIXTEEN
SARA
Sara threw the bottom of her sweatshirt over her mouth to block the smoke and felt for Xavier. By his mere posture, she knew he was out cold. Nevertheless, she gently shook him to get him to wake up.
“Xavier! Xavier! Do you hear me? Wake up! Wake up!”
Sara felt no movement coming from Xavier’s body. Panic set in. Their baby!
With her right hand, Sara examined herself. Forehead, arms, legs, all moving, all okay. She hesitated to touch her belly. Fear of … fear of … oh, God knows what settled like a fog in her mind. Eventually, she examined her belly with her hand. No spasms, no contractions, no pain.Good. And no wetness. No signs of blood.
Relief welled inside her. Sara reached out to move Xavier’s body when cold air instantly hit her.
Her door opened. Hands, big, strong ones, tore her from her seat.
In the smoke and sunset shadows, Sara was lifted, carried, and placed on a rough carpet surrounded by the smell of gasoline.A car trunk!
The lid slammed down.
Before she could scream, utter one word of help, or cry out for Xavier, the car sped off, tires squealing as they hit the asphalt.
