“I know. I love you, too.”
That was all she needed to hear for the tears to start flowing. All the fear and tension that had been wrapped up inside her started to escape, wracking her body and making her reach out for Michael’s shoulder to stop herself from falling.
“Don’t cry,” Cam crooned. “It’s okay. Hang in there for a few more hours.” She could hear the echo of an announcement. “I’ll see you real soon.”
She was still crying as he ended the call. Wiping the hot salty trails from her cheeks, she turned to Michael, who was staring at her, his eyes watering, too.
“He’s really okay?”
“He really is.” She gasped in some air. “He’s coming home.”
“Let’s go inside. You can tell me everything in there,” the officer suggested. “I’ve already let my partner know to call off the search.”
“We were about to leave to start another search,” Becca called out, running up the stairs, her eyes wide with hope. “Is it true what the police said? Is Josh okay?”
Mia nodded, her chest too full to say anything else. Becca threw her arms around her, pulling her close as Mia sobbed into her shoulder. “He’s okay. He was in Cam’s car that Brian was driving to Boston.”
“How the hell did Brian not notice?” Becca muttered. “No, nix that. Brian always plays music way too loud. He’s a damn metal fan. I’m surprised he isn’t completely deaf already.” She blew out a mouthful of air. “How far away are they?”
“Cam said a few hours.” She checked her watch. How had the time gone so quickly today, and now it was only a minute since Cam hung up? She wanted time to speed up, to hold her baby in her arms.
To see Cam again. Because right now she didn’t know what to do without either of them.
“Ma’am, shall we go inside?” the officer asked.
“That’s a good idea.” Sam nodded. “It’s cold and you two need to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry,” Michael said, his eyes rimmed red.
“I know, son, but you need to eat. For Josh’s sake. He needs you both to be strong for him.”
“Do you want me to come, too?” Becca asked Mia.
“It’s okay. You guys have done enough.” Mia hugged her again. “Thank you for everything. All of you. You’re an amazing family.”
“So are you guys,” Becca told her. “And you’re a part of our family, too. With or without Cam.”
Mia blinked back more tears. She needed to wash her face before Josh came home. She was a mess, and he didn’t need to see that.
“Call me if you need anything,” Becca said, walking down the steps. “Any time at all. And Logan’s heading to the airport to meet Cam. All your boys will be home before you know it.”
All her boys. She liked the sound of that. Liked the thought of being surrounded by the people she loved so much it hurt. And after today – or the past weeks if she was being honest – she was going to hold them all so tightly.
It was time to have her family back. That was all she wanted.
“Hello? Mia? Is there any news?”
She’d thought about not phoning Niall. Or at least delaying her call for a little while. But that wasn’t her style. Even if he was being an asshole, she didn’t need to stoop to his level.
“They’ve found Josh,” she said, keeping the emotion out of her voice. “He’s okay.”
There was silence for a moment. “Are you sure he’s okay? Where was he?”
“In a car. He’d climbed inside to try and get to Boston.” She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “It’s a long story.”
She expected him to ask for more information. Because she’d be demanding it. She’d be desperate to know exactly where and why Josh had tried to get to Boston.
“Well that’s good. I knew it would all be okay. I’ll give him a call over the weekend.”