Page 69 of Believe In Us

“Oh, he’d know,” Asher said. “I’ve broken a rib.”

Grady chimed in from the table. “Oh, yeah, when you break a rib, you know.”

“Have you all broken ribs?” I asked.

Just then, Jude came walking in. “I have. Hurts like fucking hell. Trust me, Lincoln would know if he broke a rib,” he offered, adding to the consensus.

I sighed. “Well, I guess that’s good to know.” I ladled scrambled eggs with bacon, mushrooms, and lots of cheese onto my plate, along with some kind of potato hash brown thing, and a bagel. “I think the shape’s pretty good,” I called over to Tommy as I scooped cream cheese and several slices of smoked salmon onto my plate before crossing over to sit beside my dad.

He leaned over and gave me another kiss on my cheek. “Good to see you, girl. Heard you went for a little snow hike last night.”

“We all did,” I replied. “Because Lincoln decided to go for one and then went missing.”

“These things happen.”

“Dad, they don’t just happen.”

“Sweetheart, he’s fine. Right now, all you have is the present. This moment. Lincoln is fine. The present moment is a gift. Someone said that before and I never forgot it.” He took a swallow of his coffee. “I understand you’re worried, and sure, give him a little lecture about not going too far when he decides to go for a walk in the dark, but he’s good and that’s all that matters.”

In short order, Lincoln arrived to sit on my other side. As I looked around the table, my heart felt tender and full. Lincoln was bruised but safe, and my dad was here. This felt like my family. When we made the decision to come here, I had no idea what to expect. My dad had promised me I would love it, but my bruised heart at the time had struggled to imagine I’d love anything again. What I couldn’t have anticipated was how much I would love it, both the landscape and the people and the hodgepodge family I’d found here.

Kendall was teasing Jude about something, and then Elsa laughed, commenting, “You know Eden.”

Grady’s head literally whipped over when she said the name. “What about Eden?”

“She’s coming home,” Elsa said.

“Who’s Eden?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“We all went to high school together,” Kendall added.

“Opinionated,” Grady said, his tone holding an edge.

“Who’s opinionated?” someone asked.

“Eden.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Elsa teased.

Grady simply rolled his eyes, uncharacteristically quiet on the subject after that.

Lincoln leaned over, whispering in my ear, “Grady had a crush on her in high school.”

The brush of his breath sent a shiver down that side of my body. I glanced toward him and he waggled his brows before sliding a hand onto my thigh and giving it a squeeze.

“Lincoln,” I murmured under my breath.

His low chuckle only made matters worse. All this to say, I was just glad to be here. All of my favorite people were here, and Christmas was racing toward us.

Chapter Forty-Three

Chloe

Last text

My phone vibrated on my office table just as I was laughing at something Lincoln said. Christmas was two days away. I’d been drifting on the adrenaline-fueled high of Lincoln being safe and sound for a day now. When my gaze flicked down to my phone screen and I instantly recognized the number, I felt as if someone punched me in the heart.

Lincoln read my expression as quickly as tangled emotions rose inside of me. “Is she still texting you? Can I see your phone? Obviously it’s up to you,” he added hurriedly.