Page 104 of Husband Missing

Roe nodded and patted the table. The fingers of her right hand jerked. The smile never left her face, no matter how many tears she shed.

The rest of the visit was mostly Erica blurting out random things in a very high-pitched voice. Roe hung on every word. When the guards told her their time was up, she stood without protest, and, with a quavering hand, blew a kiss at the three of them.

For the love of God. Josie was going to have to have a Big Cry in the car on her way home.

Roe was almost to the door when Erica leapt from her seat and flew around the table. Before any of them could stop her, she threw her arms around Roe’s neck in an awkward side hug that only lasted long enough for Roe to pat her arm before the guards pried them apart.

Josie looked back and forth between Erica and Eva, noticing the way their faces glowed with excitement and joy and she thought maybe, just maybe, something good had come from Lila Jensen’s legacy after all.

SEVENTY-FOUR

From the bathroom on the second floor, Josie could hear the laughter and chatter of their friends and family as though they were right outside the door. It was only eight in the evening but their New Year’s party was in full swing. They’d never had so many people crammed into their house before, but Josie had never been happier to have everyone they loved under one roof along with some new faces.

Her entire family was there, including Drake, and Brenna, her brother Patrick’s girlfriend. Noah’s brother and sister had turned up. Laura was on her best behavior, although Josie put that down to Shannon’s repeated warning glares. Misty and Harris had brought food and a karaoke machine. Cindy Quinn—Harris’s grandmother and Josie’s former mother-in-law—had brought a collection of glittery hats and noisemakers.

Gretchen and Turner were working, but Gretchen had popped in. Josie refused to admit, even silently, that part of her hoped Turner would as well. She already knew he wouldn’t, what with the way he’d balked at her invitation and said something offensive. Maybe normalcy was a good thing. Chief Chitwood, his sister Daisy, Amber, Dr. Feist, and Paula were there for the duration. Luke Creighton, Josie’s former fiancé and the policedepartment’s K-9 unit, had brought his bloodhound, Blue. Trout had given him a chilly reception at first but later decided to share his Kong, which was a peace offering if Josie ever saw one. Even Sawyer had come. So far, he’d spent most of the evening chatting with Alec and Erica Slater.

It was perfect.

As she checked her makeup in the mirror, she tried to ignore the tiny voice in the back of her head that wanted to add, “except for us not having a child.” It still stung. Noah had taken the news far better than she did but there were days she could tell it bothered him as well. They hadn’t talked about next steps or options or if there even were any. Not yet. Everything was too raw. Noah still had nightmares about his ordeal and the two of them were wrapped up in one another, trying to make up for the days Noah had been missing. Every single one had felt like a year.

The door creaked open.

“Occupied,” Josie called.

“Exactly what I was hoping for.” The door clicked shut and Noah’s hands gripped her hips. She had a brief glimpse of his mischievous smile before he dipped his head and started planting kisses along her jaw.

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Josie said as she tipped her head to the side to give him access to her neck. “We have guests.”

“They won’t miss us,” he said against her skin.

She turned in his arms as he slid his warm palms beneath her shirt. “What if someone has a question?”

The clasp of her bra snapped open. “Misty knows where everything is,” he breathed. “I just want to see my wife naked one last time this year.”

Josie’s hands tangled in his thick, dark hair, the tip of her index finger brushing the scar from the graze wound. The reminder of how close she’d come to losing him made her thinkhis crazy idea wasn’t so crazy after all. But for good measure, she reminded him, “You saw your wife naked this morning. Twice.”

“The third time?—”

His words were cut off by the sound of a doorbell chiming from the back pocket of Josie’s jeans.

Noah pulled back and waited as she took out her phone and checked the camera app. “Who would ring the doorbell?” he asked. “Is it Turner?”

Josie’s brow furrowed. Something about the person standing on their doorstep was vaguely familiar. “No. I’m not sure who it is.”

“Turn around.”

She did. He refastened her bra and straightened her shirt. Then they walked hand in hand out of the bathroom, crossed the hall, and headed down the stairs. The bell rang again just as they reached the door. Josie opened it.

The girl couldn’t have been more than fourteen years old. Black hair, dyed bright red at the ends, hung to her shoulders. Her frame was swallowed up by a hoodie three sizes too big for her. Under that was a pair of black leggings that disappeared into large men’s work boots that had probably seen their best days five years ago. On the ground next to those was a duffel bag. Two curly wood shavings clung to its surface.

Josie’s heart began to pound, each beat its own little earthquake. Noah squeezed her hand. “Can I help you?” he said to the girl.

“Yeah,” she said, addressing Josie, voice quavering. “My dad just died and left custody of me to you.”

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