“Yep,” he said, and the corner of his mouth tipped. “My mother will be upset because they’re close and she wants to be here, but he won’t come in until he makes sure our roadways are passable. It’s a habit he’ll never kick. He’ll also count all the exits before he says hello, check for weapons, and basically do what I do every time we go anywhere.
“Should I hide the knife I left on the counter?” she asked, and he laughed at the suggestion. “No, I think that would be okay.” His dad probably had more knives strapped to his body than they had in the kitchen.
They met the SUV outside as it crunched up the packed drive with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof. His dad climbed out first, tall and composed, that watchfulness stitched into him so completely it read as calm. His mom came around the front with a scarf looped high and eyes that went soft the moment she setthem on her son. She hugged Blake hard enough to make him grunt and then stepped back to look him over the way mothers do, as if to confirm her memories still matched the person who stood in front of her.
Blake reached back for Elise without looking and found her hand. The gesture was simple, public, and one she entirely needed. His dad noticed first because, of course, his dad noticed everything, just like Blake did. He nodded once to Elise with a direct kindness that felt like a promise of respect.
“Hi, I’m Elise.” She smiled and offered her name, though they both already knew it. “Please come inside, it’s cold out here.”
Inside, before the warmth enveloped them, his dad’s gaze made a quick circuit, efficient and unthreatening, noting windows, the back door, the fire iron within reach of the hearth. Ember did not get that far. She stopped just past the threshold and looked, really looked. The garland on the mantle, the handmade ornaments tied with rough ribbon, the knitted throws thrown without calculation over chairs that had once been only practical. The small nativity on the shelf, a little awkward and lovely. The round table by the window with papers stacked in careful disorder and a mug that had left a faint ring that said someone had been working and had simply stood to answer the door.
“Oh,” Ember sighed, and the word carried more than surprise. It carried the recognition of what Elise had been trying to do. She touched the edge of the pine wreath and smiled at the way the twine had been tied twice, as if someone did not trust one knot. “This place was always a stopping point for you,” she said quietly. “Now, it’s a home. You did this, Elise. It’s beautiful.”
Color rose in Elise’s cheeks. She knew because the heat in her cheeks was instant. She opened her mouth, but Blake spoke first, his voice low and full of pride. “She did that,” he agreed.
His father’s mouth turned up the slightest degree. “It suits you,” he said to Elise. “Both of you.”
Ember turned, eyes bright, and stepped nearer to take Elise’s hands in hers. There was nothing but genuine gratitude. “Thank you,” she said.
“For what?” Elise asked, flustered, and took a quick look around checking to see what she’d done.
“For understanding him,” Ember said. “And for putting Christmas and warmth in this house.”
The women shed coats and tracked a little snow that melted fast. Blake and his dad lifted the tree from the roof and settled it into the stand inside they’d also brought. Ember and Elise sorted through a couple of boxes of ornaments Ember had purchased and decorated the tree in between checking on dinner.
Ember told stories about a crooked clay angel Blake had made when he was small and how it had fallen off the tree every year, but they would put it back anyway. Elise listened and laughed and, once, looked across the room at Blake because she was seeing a new facet of him. He looked back, steady, and nodded. Yes, he was that person, too, wasn’t he. A mother’s child. A man of violence and a man who cared deeply. She smiled back at him, hoping he knew how much she loved all the facets that composed him.
Later, with the tree lit and the lake frozen outside the window and the scent of pine filling the rooms, they sat around the table, enjoying roasted turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, along with slices of freshly baked bread. Elise loved the feel of the day. It was comfortable, and they shared the easy talk of people who had chosen to share the special day together. Joseph asked her about her work and listened in a way that made her feel he was truly engaged, as if he were listening to every word. Ember asked gentle questions that had more to do with the memory of her family thanwith anything else. Elise answered, careful and true. When she faltered, Blake nudged his knee against hers under the table, the smallest contact, and she was able to continue.
When the plates were empty and the fire had settled into a deep bed of coals, his dad rose and stretched. “We’d better get back to town.”
“Will you be able to come out tomorrow?” Elise asked as everyone stood.
Ember smiled and nodded. “We don’t want to impose, but we have the next two days here.”
“It isn’t an imposition, is it, Blake?” Elise turned to him, hoping she hadn’t spoken out of turn.
“Not at all.”
“I’ll be right back.” His father grabbed his coat and headed outside.
“He’s warming up the SUV,” Ember said when Elise looked at her questioningly. Ember stood and brushed her hands against her jeans and leaned down to kiss Blake’s head. She turned to Elise and touched her cheek. “I am proud of you, Elise,” she said. “I can see the love you’ve put into this house and into him.” She hesitated, then added in a voice low enough to keep the moment theirs, “You’ve given him someplace to set his weapons down and be free.”
Elise did not have words that matched the gift of that sentence, so she simply nodded, and her eyes misted up.
His dad came back in and stomped off the cold. Then he pulled out a large manila envelope from his jacket. “Jason says this is your Christmas present.” He handed the packet to Blake. “They were able to defeat the video, prove the reports were tampered with, and confirm she’s innocent. Interpol has rescinded the warrant for her arrest, and within the next month, all agencies will have the correct paperwork. If you haven’t seen it on TV, the investigation into Zajac, sparked by your article,has been uncovering all kinds of dirt. You’ll be free to go back to Europe soon.” He looked at Elise. “If you want. If not, your visa has been approved. It’s in there as well.
Blake set the envelope down on her work desk and said goodnight to his parents. The door closed on a hush of cold. They stood for a moment just inside the entry, the room quiet around them. He reached for her and drew her in until her cheek lay against his chest. His heartbeat was even and sure beneath her ear. She slid her arms around his waist and felt the long line of him ease under her touch.
“Home,” she said, testing the word in this place with him in it.
“Home,” he said back, as if it had always been there, waiting for both of them to say it at the same time.
“I’m free to leave.” She held him tighter.
He tightened a bit before he asked, “And that makes you happy?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s what makes me sad.”
