Page 88 of Burned in Stone
“Good. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
Stone’s been worrying about everything being perfect for Emma’s visit. It’s been years since she’s had Christmas off from dancing the Nutcracker, and she’s been texting non-stop about cookies, decorations, and the cookout. So he’s saying yes to everything.
“Tell her we got the inflatable Santa,” Tank says. “The one that looks drunk.”
“I’m not telling my daughter we have a drunk Santa,” Stone says, but he’s grinning.
“Why not? She loves the lawn display.”
“She did when she was twelve. She’s twenty-eight now.”
“Almost twenty-nine,” Maggie adds.
Tank mutters something about never being too old to enjoy Christmas, and Stone shakes his head, smiling as he returns to his office.
When Bones and Steel leave, I see Mercy and Poppy returning with coffee. Mercy’s laughing at something Poppy said, her whole face lit up, and my chest does that thing. That tightness that used to scare me but now feels like home.
She hands me a mug, kisses my temple. “You good?”
“Yeah. Just thinking.”
“About?”
“How lucky I am.”
Her eyes go soft. She slides onto the couch beside me, tucking herself against my good side. “You’re going to make me cry, and I just fixed my mascara.”
“Don’t cry. Save it for when we’re alone and I can take advantage of your emotional vulnerability.”
She smacks my chest. “You’re terrible.”
“You love it.”
“Unfortunately.” But she’s smiling.
Rose starts fussing, and Poppy shifts her, bouncing. “Someone’s hungry. I should probably?—”
“Go,” Mercy says. “We’ve got this covered.”
Poppy heads off to feed Rose, and I pull Mercy closer, careful of my ribs. The chaos continues around us—Duck and Tank arguing about light placement, Andi chasing the twins, and Kya and Lee arriving with a giant ‘welcome home’ banner. I watch them string it across the main room, all glitter and red foil.
“Think she’ll like it?” Lee asks, stepping back.
Kya adjusts one corner. “She’s going to love it. You said yourself she’s been homesick.”
“Hard to believe,” I say. “Girl’s been dancing with one of the best ballet companies in the country. Thought she’d be too busy to miss anything.”
“Sometimes that’swhyyou miss home,” Mercy adds. “Because you miss how simple things were before everyone grew up and got responsibilities.”
I glance at her, wondering if she’s thinking about her own family—the ones who sided with Gabriel. But before I can ask, Stone appears in the doorway, phone to his ear, expression stricken.
“What do you mean she wasn’t on the plane?” Stone’s face drains of color, knuckles going white around the phone. The room senses the shift, conversations dying until there’s only his breathing and faint Christmas music from a speaker.
“Bones, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.” Stone’s voice drops to that lethal quiet that makes my survival instincts scream.
Bones’s voice comes through—urgent, apologetic—but I can’t make out words. Stone’s jaw clenches, muscles jumping under his skin. My stomach drops.
