The Beta's Broken Mate

Planning

Cassie forced herself to take deep breaths, to force one foot in front of the other, feeling Johnathon's gaze on her the whole time as she made it up the stairs without a word, her whole body trembling from his threat. Why now? What had changed to make him decide he wanted her again when she was perfectly happy now without him in her life? Her feet felt like dead weights as she approached her old bedroom and stopped in the doorway taking it all in, reminding her of life before Johnathon had come along.

Her room was a lovely pale green colour on the walls, her four poster bed large and comfortable with a dark green bedspread. A plush dark green mat covered the wooden floorboards and made the room slightly warmer, a dresser in one corner and a vanity in another. A small bathroom was connected to it complete with shower, bath tub, toilet and sink. Cassie had picked the colours for her room herself, loving nature and the forest, the colours reminding her of just that. Her father had spent days helping her paint and pick out the furniture because it had to be just right, nothing else would do she thought fondly reminiscing. She'd been about ten at the time and it was before her mother died and before Isabelle and her half sisters came along, shocking Cassie when her father confessed to the affair he'd been having behind her and her mothers back. She'd forgiven him now but had never been able to get past the fact that he'd cheated out of her mind completely.

She looked at Liam who was sleeping peacefully on her bed, thankfully undisturbed by the night's events, his chest rising up and down and small snores coming from him. She giggled and came over, sitting next to him and just watching, unable to keep her eyes off of her son. Isabelle clearly had no idea about children if she thought a two year old was old enough to sleep by themselves and she shook her head at the suggestion her stepmother had made. Then again if you have a nanny bring up your children from the moment they're born until they are old enough to take care of oneself maybe you didn't have a clue?

Cassie would never even contemplate having a nanny even if she had the funds to do so. She wanted to raise her child and see all of his milestones. His first smile, his first laugh, when he started to crawl and walk. It might not seem important to some people but to her it was everything and she adored her son who showed her such love and affection even at his young age. She brushed a stray hair over his face and watched him start in his sleep before settling back down again.

Cassie mulled over Johnathon's threat. Surely his parents would object to his insistence on marrying Cassie. They despised her after all, couldn't even bear to be anywhere near Liam, a reminder of a child that was born out of wedlock and apparently an embarrassment to them. Another old fashioned values couple that had frowned upon her even dating their son. No, they would object she was certain of it. But another voice persisted in her head as she tried to stop it, what if they don't? What if they decided they now want Liam to be Johnathon's heir to his estate? Then what will you do.

She fought back her rising panic. She couldn't let them take Liam away from her and she wouldn't let herself be forced to marry a man she now hated with every ounce of her being. But Cassie also didn't have a lot of options. There was no other family to go to to take her in and she didn't know Lauretta and Thomas's whereabouts anymore, Isabelle burning their letters and telling her she had no right to be conversing with anyone outside of actual family. Cassie also had no money because Isabelle made her work for free. If she got a job she would get no sleep whatsoever as she'd have to work nights and there would be no one to keep an eye on Liam. She doubted a work place would let her bring her son to work either.

Isabelle would throw her out if she did try to find work and she couldn't bring herself to leave when Liam needed a roof over his head. If she had to sleep on the streets and it was just her she would but she had a son she needed to keep safe and take care of now. Cassie was trembling now. She had no clue what she was going to do. If she refused to marry Johnathon and that was providing he did keep his threat to have her, then Isabelle would still throw her out and Liam as well. She had no love whatsoever for the boy and hated being referred to as grandmother. Liam had been scolded more than once for calling her it.

Cassie scooted over and lay down next to her little cherub, placing one hand over him as she snuggled up against him and he instinctively turned and rolled over to face her as she gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead. She stroked his face and took in all of his features as though trying to commit them to her memory. She put a blanket over the both of them and breathed in his innocent baby like scent and the strawberry smell from his bath salts as she put her head down on the pillow and sighed. At least for one night she and her son would be warm instead of chilly, and she glanced over at her son one last time before she closed her eyes. If she did marry Johnathon then her son would always be warm and have enough food to eat without worrying about gathering it or growing it. But could she force herself to marry the man who abandoned her so cruelly for the sake of her son?