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Noa wraps his arms around me from behind while I imagine Cave coming home and Noa showing him this. Cave is only twelve days away from his release date, and Vincent is working around the clock to get him home before Christmas. All we can do is hope for a Christmas miracle.

Chapter Eleven

Cipher

Our parents are due to arrive any minute, and I keep glancing at my watch. While I might check in with my mom every day, I haven’t seen my parents all year. They don’t live close by and have to fly in to visit. I wanted to pick them up from the airport, but Dad insisted on hiring a car.

Noa is vibrating with energy beside me, since his mom and siblings will be here any minute as well. They live about eight hours away and are driving too. Valli has cleaned every square inch of the shed, even though they’re not staying here. Nixie has cleaned a guest house for them, while other family members visiting will stay in RVs. All the night chases are suspended for the week leading up to Christmas and for a few days afterward to allow family to stay, something Nixie does for most holidays. It allows us to take a much-needed break, and we still keep the island open during the day, and families are welcome to participate and have a good time.

“Cars are coming!” Noa exclaims, taking Valli’s hand and dragging her toward the front entrance while I follow behind them.

Once the minivan parks, Noa releases Valli’s hand and takes off running. His mom is the first out of the van, and Noa runs into her arms. She is a tiny woman and not at all what I expected, since Noa is not a small guy. Noa catches her and lifts her off the ground. Behind her, I watch as his siblings pile out.

My parents park and both get out of the car much more sedately in comparison as I walk closer, my mom smiling at me and signing, “You look thin.”

I sign back. “I’m fine. You look well.”

“I’m always well.”

She smiles and steps forward, putting her arms around me and holding on tight. When she’s done, she pulls back and looks at me, then at Valli, who has stayed close. Not that I blame her with the noise coming from Noa’s family.

“Is this her?”

“Yes, this is Valli. Love of my life.”

Valli has no idea how to sign. She told me as much, and was freaking out, but I assured her it’s fine. I will help teach her if she wants, but for now my mom can read lips. My mom steps around me and takes Valli’s face in her hands, and Valli goes incredibly still. When my mom releases her, she signs to Valli, who then looks at me.

“She says you are already hers. She has claimed you,” I explain.

Valli looks back at my mom with a shy smile as my father joins us with their luggage.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Valli,” my father says politely, which I made him promise to do. Otherwise he can be a bit hard-headed at times.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Valli says, grabbing at the hem of my shirt.

My father nods and looks around. “This place isn’t what I expected,” he says. This is his first visit to the island, since I normally always travel to see them.

“Valli!” Noa shouts.

She turns to Noa, releasing my shirt as Noa runs over and takes her hand. He pulls her closer to his family, and I watch Noa’s mom, Kelly, take Valli by the shoulders. She gives her a look, followed by a huge smile, then pulls her into her body and wraps her arms around her.

“I told you,” Noa says to his brother Lach. “I told you she would cry.”

After Noa introduces Valli to his family, he yells for everyone to follow him. So everyone grabs their bags, while I find Valli and take her hand, not wanting to lose her in the chaos.

As we walk toward the cornfield, Noa’s brother stops. “This place is incredible. Is that the cornfield? Why are there Christmas trees instead of cornstalks? Noa said that someone lives in there.”

“No one lives in there,” Noa says.

“But you said . . .”

“Cave used to live there, but he isn’t here right now,” I explain, hoping that will be the end of the conversation.

“He now lives with us,” Valli adds. “But the cornfield is his.”

Lach looks at the field of trees and nods. “I want to meet him.”

Noa’s older brothers, Ellis and Mack, have been less vocal, but his younger twin sisters are clearly displeased that they have to walk and drag their bags behind them—typical sixteen-year-old girls.