I turned toward the bed-and-breakfast. The place that had always been home was ominous in the darkness. It was all Victorian angles and shadows, windows like vacant eyes.
The cold night air nipped at my exposed skin, and I shoved my hands deep into my pockets, hunching my shoulders against the chill.
I fixated on my feet as I climbed the porch steps, deliberately avoiding the house where no one waited for me. I’d quickly grown accustomed to coming home to Palmer and Hailey. Now there would be nothing but hollow silence.
Just before reaching the front door, a prickling sensation crawled up the back of my neck. The hairs stood on end, and a surge of adrenaline cut through the alcohol-induced fog in my brain.
Someone was watching me.
I froze, my body instantly shifting from exhausted to alert. Years of emergency response training kicked in, sharpening my senses despite the beers. I carefully scanned the darkness surrounding the house, searching for any movement, any shape that didn’t belong.
Nothing.
The street was empty, the neighboring houses dark or with only the faint glow of television screens through curtains. No cars passed and no pedestrians walked the sidewalks.
The wind picked up, rustling the branches and making them creak and groan. My jaw tightened, and I shook my head. This was ridiculous. Anderson had me jumping at actual shadows now.
I sighed and walked inside.
As much as I missed Palmer and Hailey, at least I knew they were safe.
27
Palmer
Haileyhadspentmostof the day with her uncles. They’d taken her out behind the house, bundled up in coats and boots, showing her the trails that wound along the edge of the mountain. Fox had carried her on his shoulders at one point. Reid had pretended to slip on ice just to make her shriek with laughter. Graham had knelt to help her build something out of fallen branches near the tree line.
Around midday, a friend of August’s had shown up. He was here to help watch over everyone while the brothers went back to Ember Hollow.
Anxiety coursed through me, knowing they were leaving soon. I was glad Roman wouldn’t be alone, but…part of me wished I could go back. The safe house was nice, and Hailey absolutely needed to be here with her grandparents, but I ached to return to Roman.
Which I probably should not want. I hadn’t heard a word from him. Maybe he wouldn’t want to see me.
By the time evening came and dinner had been cleared away, everyone gathered in the living room. The murmur of voices and the low crackle of the fireplace echoed against the vaulted ceilings. The whole space was open concept, wide and airy, but somehow it was still intimate with everyone gathered inside.
Hailey and I lingered off to one side of the kitchen. She had demanded to help me brush my hair since my hands still made it hard for me. I sat cross-legged on the floor while Hailey perched on the end of a chair and brushed my hair.
“How are you doing?” I asked softly, wincing as she yanked on some bad tangles.
“I’m good,” she said, cheerful.
I smiled. “You’re excited to be with your grandma and grandpa and your uncles?”
“Yep.”
The silence that followed her answer was heavier. “You miss your dad, though, right?”
She hesitated, the brush stilling in my hair before she admitted in a quiet voice, “A little bit.”
My chest tightened. “He loves you so much,” I said gently. “And he misses you.”
“I know.”
“You can call him before bed.”
“Okay.” Her voice brightened a little at that.
My gaze drifted toward the living room, where the rest of the family had gathered. August was leaning back on the couch, with Emersyn curled into his side. Fox, Skye, Graham, and Quinn were playing a quiet game of cards around the coffee table, while Reid and Lark sat by the fireplace, watching the baby monitor tucked in Lark’s hands. Warner was losing the battle with his heavy eyelids on the love seat, while Raleigh read a book.
