Page 88 of Monk

My stomach twisted before I could stop it.

Who is she?I started walking toward them, my pulse kicking up harder with every step. John saw me almost immediately. His head turned, his eyes locked onto mine, and his mouthcurved into a slow, devastating smile that made my knees feel suspiciously less reliable.

The young woman followed his gaze and turned toward me, and the second she saw my face, her whole expression lit up like Christmas. “Oh my God!” she squealed. Before I could so much as blink, she launched herself at me and wrapped me in a tight, enthusiastic hug. “You’re Lina,” she said breathlessly. “I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you! John’s told me so much about you—well, nottoldme exactly, because apparently grunting counts as communication in your family now—but I could tell, you know? He’s been different lately. Happier. Lighter. Like he finally has something to live for again. And Tatum isadorable. I mean, she looks just like you, obviously, but she’s got John’s eyes, don’t you think? And the way he looks at her—God, I’ve never seen him like this. He’s always been so serious and closed off, but now?—”

She pulled back but kept her hands on my shoulders, her eyes suddenly shining with tears. “I’m just so happy you’re back,” she said, her voice cracking around the words. “I’m so happy he has you. Both of you.”

I stared at her, mind scrambling to catch up, and then it clicked.

Abigail.John’s sister. The girl he had protected all these years. The one he’d stayed in WITSEC for. The one he had raised when he was barely more than a kid himself.

“Abigail,” I said softly.

She nodded hard, grinning through the lingering shine in her eyes. “Abby,” she said. “Everyone calls me Abby.”

My throat tightened so fast it almost hurt. This was the girl John had sacrificed everything for. The one he had stayed alive for. The one he had loved fiercely enough to build his whole life around protecting her. And she was hugging me like I already belonged to her world.

“It’s so good to meet you,” I said, my voice thick.

Abby beamed at me. “You too. I’ve been waitingforeverto meet you.”

Before I could even figure out how to answer that, another voice cut through the noise behind me.

“Lina?”

I turned, and my heart leaped.

Vivi.She stood a few feet away with her hands clasped in front of her and a tentative expression on her face, like she wasn’t entirely sure how this moment was going to go. She looked different than I remembered—older, thinner, shadows under her eyes that hadn’t been there before—but her smile was the same. Warm. Genuine. Soft enough to crack something open in my chest.

“Vivi,” I breathed, and then I was moving before my brain had a chance to catch up. I closed the distance between us and pulled her into a hug, and she hugged me back just as tightly, her whole body trembling a little in my arms.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“I missed you too,” I said, my voice breaking right down the middle.

We pulled back, both of us laughing through the tears and wiping at our faces like idiots.

“God, look at us,” Vivi said, shaking her head. “Crying at a barbecue.”

“Speak for yourself,” I said, trying for dignity and failing miserably. “I’m not crying.”

“Liar.”

We both laughed, and for one fragile, perfect moment, it felt like no time had passed at all. Like we were still sitting on her porch with cheap wine and nowhere else to be, talking about everything and nothing. “How are you?” I asked softly.

Vivi’s smile faltered just a little. “I’m... managing,” she said. “It’s been hard. But I’m managing.”

I squeezed her hand. “I’m here now. If you need anything.”

“I know,” she said, tears brightening her eyes again. “Thank you.”

A sudden burst of shouting and laughter snapped my attention away so fast my neck actually jerked. I turned toward the sound and felt my stomach drop. Near the fire pit, a scuffle had broken out. Kansas and John each had a little girl locked in their arms, holding tight around squirming, kicking bodies that were clearly seconds away from going feral again. Kansas barely contained a furious blonde-haired child, whose face was red and furious as she thrashed and shouted. John had Tatum caged against his chest, his big arms wrapped around her while she twisted like a wildcat in miniature. His expression was somewhere between amused and deeply exasperated.

“Let me go!”

“She started it!”

I hurried over, heart pounding hard enough to make my ears ring. “What happened?” I demanded.