Chapter 25 #2
Reid—the youngest brother—stood near the stove, tall and broad, flipping pancakes in a cast-iron skillet while a woman with curly blonde hair—his wife, Lark, I think—leaned against the counter beside him, smiling at something he’d said.
August sat at the table with Emersyn. I recognized her from her true crime podcast. I’d binged some of her best episodes on the Shadow Stalker in the last few weeks.
She was tucked into August’s side, his arm draped across the back of her chair, his other hand resting on her stomach.
Something soft flickered in my chest at the small swell of her stomach.
Roman hadn’t told me they were expecting.
A small smile tugged at my mouth.
Fox stood near the coffee pot, and Skye—his fiancée, the one from the documentary on the Shadow Stalker—was beside him, close enough that they brushed together without even noticing.
The second oldest brother, Graham, whose job as a forensic psychologist fascinated me, sat at the far end of the table with his girlfriend, Quinn. Their heads were bent together as they spoke low to each other over Quinn’s phone.
At the head of the table sat Warner, the family patriarch, steady and watchful, a heavy ceramic mug in his hand like he’d been there all morning, taking it all in.
I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Raleigh had said I was welcome, but she wasn’t here now, and I didn’t know whether anyone even knew my name. Was I supposed to walk in and sit down like I belonged?
My thoughts started to spiral.
Should I say something? Wait for someone to notice me?
My gaze caught on someone looking my way.
Lark tucked a loose blonde curl behind her ear and pushed off the counter, heading toward me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Hey,” she said softly when she reached me, her voice calm and soothing. “I’m Lark.”
I shifted on my feet. “I’m Palmer,” I said. The statement sounded almost like a question.
Lark nodded. “We all know who you are,” she said warmly. “And we’re so excited to have you here.” She paused, her smile falling a little. “Though I do wish it weren’t exactly like this.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Me too.”
Before I could second-guess anything else, she slipped her arm through mine. The gesture was easy and natural.
“Come sit,” she said. “You must be starving.”
She guided me toward the table, and my attention snapped to the highchair immediately. I had noticed the squealing baby, but I wasn’t sure who she belonged to.
The little girl sitting there had chubby cheeks flushed pink, soft blonde curls bouncing around her face as she happily squished a piece of pancake in her hands.
My heart melted on impact.
“Oh,” I breathed. “What’s her name? Is she yours?”
“Thea Grace.” Lark gazed at the baby like the world began and ended with her. “And yes, she’s mine.”
Thea. I stared at the perfect squishy baby, realizing she had quite the namesake to live up to. The brothers’ late sister would be so proud, I was sure.
“That’s a perfect name,” I said, my voice gentler now. “She looks just like you.”
Lark blinked, a faint blush rising to her cheeks as we sat down. “You think so?”
“Definitely.”
Lark’s smile widened, proud and soft and full. “She has her daddy’s eyes, though,” she added, glancing toward the stove.
I followed her gaze.
Reid stood there, completely unbothered, holding a pancake folded in half like a taco and taking a bite out of it, mid-conversation with Fox.
It caught me off guard, and a small, unexpected smile pulled at my lips.
“Can I get you a plate?” an unfamiliar voice asked.
I blinked over at the other end of the table, where Graham was looking at me, expectantly.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
He took in my bandaged hands. “I can get you a plate of food, if you’d like?”
“Oh, you don’t have to…”
He shook his head. “I don’t mind. I was about to get seconds.”
With a reassuring smile, he got up and headed to the plates heaping with food lined up on the counter. I hated how I couldn’t get it myself, but my hands did throb.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Skye asked from where she stood by the coffee pot. “Or tea? Water?”
I stared at the woman who I’d seen on the documentary about the serial killer. It was weird meeting someone for the first time when you’d watched them on TV.
Her brows drew together the longer I gaped at her without speaking, and I cleared my throat.
“Tea is good, thank you.”
Skye nodded and went to a cabinet to grab a box of tea and a mug.
Graham came back with a full plate, setting it down carefully in front of me. “Reid doesn’t know how to cook for less than twenty people.”
“That’s not true,” Reid shot back. “I was just raised by Raleigh Ramsey, and she doesn’t see the point in making any less.”
Lark laughed.
“Thank you,” I said again.
“Anytime.” Graham nodded, taking his seat next to Quinn and grabbing for her hand.
Skye set a steaming mug of tea next to my plate. “We heard you’ve been taking care of Hailey,” she said, her face softening.
“Roman needed help, and I happened to be available.” I shrugged. “She’s really great.”
“I can’t wait to see her,” Lark said, as she gave Thea Grace a piece of her bacon.
“I’m actually surprised Roman trusted you with Hailey,” Quinn mused.
The woman holding Graham’s hand was some kind of lawyer. Roman had mentioned she was supposed to start working with the Ohio Innocence Project before they had left for the safe house.
Quinn blinked at the silence that followed her comment, and she sat up straighter. Her expression tensed. “Not that you aren’t a trustworthy person,” she said, straightforwardly. “I meant that Roman isn’t very trusting, especially when it comes to Hailey.”
Graham shifted closer to her, giving her a reassuring smile. Then, his bright-blue eyes came back to me. “Roman is lucky to have found you.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling everyone else’s focus on me too. “I’m pretty lucky as well. Roman and Hailey have been…really amazing.”
The memory of Roman’s lips flashed through my mind, but I squashed it down. I wished he were here to guide me through meeting his family. There were so many of them.
“All right, you guys,” a deep, rumbling voice said from the end of the table. Warner waved around the room. “Leave the girl alone for now and let her eat. I’m sure she’s hungry.”
I gave him a grateful glance, and he winked at me as the rest of the clan went back to themselves.
As I ate my breakfast, I watched the rest of the family. The food was delicious, and everyone else left me alone, which I appreciated. Only Lark reached out to me, talking about Thea Grace.
The longer I sat there, the more comfortable I became. A warmth settled over me as I sipped on my second mug of tea.
For a fleeting, hopeful moment, I wondered what it might be like to belong here.