Chapter 27
Palmer
Hailey had spent most of 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.
Hailey shifted behind me. The tangles were mostly gone and the brush glided smoothly through my hair.
“I think my daddy likes you,” she said.
I stiffened. My heart began to race so violently I almost tipped over.
“Did your daddy say something to you about it?” I glanced back at her.
She shook her head. “No. But I can tell.”
I swallowed, my mind spinning. What did that mean?
After one last pass of the brush, she set it down at the table and gave me a big grin. “All done,” she said cheerily. “Your hair is like, really soft, by the way.”
“Thank you.” I did my best to return her smile, even though I was distracted by what she’d said.
“Daddy’s never looked at any girl the way that he looks at you.” Her eyes twinkled. “I think you make him happy,” she added.
Something fragile inside me cracked open. I almost burst into tears right there in the middle of that bright kitchen. I didn’t. I kept my composure, if barely.
“I want your daddy to be happy,” I said softly.
Nothing had ever been truer. Despite our situation, despite our history, I wanted nothing more than for Roman to flourish. He deserved every happiness this life had to offer him.
Hailey nodded, serious again. “He’s been sad for a long time,” she said. “I think he missed my mommy so much that his heart was really hurting.”
My lungs spasmed, pain lancing through me.
She tilted her head as she watched me. “I think you make his heart feel better.”
Heat rushed through me—part from cautious happiness, and part from something deeper. There was sadness at the thought of him grieving alone for so long, but I tried to remember what Raleigh had said: Jessica’s death was a tragedy, not a trade for mine.
It was still hard not to feel some guilt, though.
She had been his wife. The mother of his child. The woman he’d chosen.
There would never be any replacing her, as it should be.
I reined myself in before those thoughts could spiral too far, and I wrapped my arms around Hailey and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m so glad I got to meet you,” I whispered into her ear.
“I hope you stay with us,” she said.
My throat burned, and I coughed to clear it. “I would really like that, Hailey.”
Hailey slipped off the chair so suddenly I barely had time to steady her.
She spun around, her grin dazzling. “It’s time for my performance now,” she announced dramatically.
A chorus of exaggerated groans and applause came from the living room.
I followed her out of the kitchen and into the open living space, settling onto one end of the couch while the rest of the family rearranged themselves like this was a well-practiced ritual.
The fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting warm light over the vaulted ceilings.
The mountains beyond the massive windows had gone dark, nothing but silhouettes against the night sky.
Hailey planted herself in the middle of the rug. “Uncle Gus,” she declared, pointing right at him. “You’re the dragon.”
August sighed like this was the greatest inconvenience of his life before lumbering to his feet and crouching low, arms raised like claws. Hailey grabbed a throw pillow and used it as a shield, “defending” against him with shrieks of laughter while Emersyn filmed from the couch, shaking her head.
Then Hailey moved on to Lark, insisting they sing a princess duet.
Lark played along, clutching her heart and belting out surprisingly on-key notes while Hailey twirled in circles.
Reid pretended to cry when Hailey accused him of stealing her royal treasure.
Fox accepted his assigned role as the “silent knight” without a word, standing stoically with crossed arms while she issued commands.
It was ridiculous and loud and…perfect in its own way. No one refused the little girl, as if she were the most important person in the room.
I let myself smile, watching the way this family moved together so easily. They leaned into one another, comfortable and content with who they were and where they fit into the group.
They were rooted. I’d lived with many families and people throughout the years, but the Ramseys felt so right that it scared me.
I let myself imagine what it would feel like to be part of something like this. Something so full of a love that seemed as close to unconditional as I’d ever experienced.
I hadn’t realized how much I craved something like this.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, distracting me.
I was going to ignore it, but the only person who would be texting me was Roman. As I pulled my phone from my pocket, an unknown number flashed on the front screen.
Someone I didn’t know had sent me a picture.
With one swipe, I opened the message and my breath stalled.
A candid photo of Roman popped up, taken at a distance. He was mid-stride, jaw tight, head bowed as he walked up the steps of the bed-and-breakfast.
Beneath the image was a single butterfly emoji.
The room around me blurred. My fingers went cold. I tried to rationalize what I was seeing, tried not to panic before I had a reason to, but deep in my gut I knew something was wrong.
My phone buzzed again.
You shouldn’t have left him alone.
My vision tunneled.
I couldn’t hear the fire crackling anymore. Couldn’t hear Hailey’s giggles. It all faded against the tsunami of panic and anxiety.
“Palmer?”
The voice came from somewhere to my left.
I blinked up at Graham’s baby-blue eyes.
His posture shifted immediately in the armchair he was sitting in. “What is it?”
I couldn’t speak. My fingers trembled as I gripped my phone.
August stopped mid-dramatic death scene and turned toward me, his expression changing the moment he saw my face.
He crossed the room in three strides. “Palmer,” he said quietly. “What happened?”
I swallowed and held out the phone.
He took it from me, his jaw tightening as he saw the message. “When did this come in?”
“Just now,” I whispered.
He didn’t say a word for a beat, but handed the phone to Fox.
“Trace it,” August instructed.
Fox was already pulling his own phone from his pocket, movements precise and controlled.
The shift in the room was immediate and chilling. Reid stood up and Graham moved toward the windows, staring out into the darkness.
Warner’s easy posture vanished, his shoulders squaring as his gaze sharpened on his boys.
Hailey’s voice faltered mid-sentence.
Raleigh stepped forward smoothly, her smile calm. “Hailey, sweetheart, why don’t we take a little break? Come help me in the kitchen to make a yummy snack.”
Hailey seemed confused but obeyed, padding toward her grandmother.
August reached for Emersyn, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head before he addressed his brothers.
“Let’s meet in the office,” he said, voice way calmer than I felt. “Everyone else can stay out here with Hailey until she goes to bed.”
Skye cut him a look. “Why? I want to know what’s going on.”
August nodded. “You will. Fox will fill you in. But I need to talk to my brothers first.” He glanced at me briefly. “It won’t take us long.”
Skye still seemed displeased, but she gave him a tight nod.
The Ramsey men, except for Warner, all disappeared through a hallway off the right side of the living room.
I was left sitting there, frozen on the couch like a statue, my heart racing like the wings of a hummingbird.
Someone sat beside me on the couch and grabbed my hand.
It was Lark, her expression serious and sad. “You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not comfortable,” she started, hesitant. “But if you want to, we’re here to listen.”
I gnawed at my bottom lip, tasting blood. “A number I don’t know sent me a picture of Roman outside the bed-and-breakfast.” My voice cracked. “It said that I shouldn’t have left him alone.”
I closed my eyes against the horror of something happening. Nausea twisted my stomach.
Lark gripped my hand hard. “Roman can take care of himself,” she said.
She was trying to be reassuring, but it only made me feel worse. I knew he was strong and capable, but I also knew the power of not being alone. Roman was alone right now.
Lark looked at Emersyn, who stood with her hands splayed over her round belly. Skye had taken a seat on the other end of the couch, and Quinn had settled herself into the armchair Graham had been sitting in.
“I’m really sorry you got involved in all of this.” Lark sighed. “This house…it’s beautiful, but it’s not home.”
I squeezed her hand. “What if—what if the Shadow Stalker hurts him?”
Lark paled.
Emersyn stepped forward, her expression sharp. “Amos has no reason to hurt Roman,” she said, her voice so anger-soaked it was trembling.
“Then why is he threatening him?” My lips trembled, but I held back the building sob. “Why did he burn down Hearthstone?”
Emersyn’s deep-green eyes narrowed. “Because he’s pathetic. All Amos knows how to do is destroy things.”
She paused, a hand rubbing softly over her stomach. “I’m not sure if you know this, but Amos is my uncle.” She glanced at Lark, whose face seemed to heat under her stare. “And he’s Lark’s real father.”
I tensed. I had come across that fact in my research on the killer.
“Lark never knew him personally,” Emersyn continued. “But I did.”
Her anger was palpable, and I found myself wondering what it had been like for her—what it had been like when she had been abducted by him.
“Even though Amos is smart,” Emersyn went on, her voice steadying, “he’s not smarter than Roman. He’s not stronger, either.”
Lark nodded.
“The truth is,” Skye cut in, a lock of her short, dark hair falling forward as she leaned toward me, “Roman can hold his own until the rest of his brothers get there. They’ll take care of one another.”
All the women in the room agreed, absolutely certain of it.
But something didn’t sit right with me.
I didn’t want someone only watching out for his physical safety and keeping him alive. That was important, but there were other important things.
Someone should be there who wouldn’t let him face it alone—someone who would protect more than his body.
Roman needed someone who would take care of his heart, too.
I didn’t know whether I was the right person to do it, didn’t know whether he would want me, but I had to try.