JENNIE

Christmas Eve. It was Leo's first Christmas and there wasn't a shred of holiday spirit in the house. The events from two days ago were still too raw. Instead of trimming a tree or wrapping gifts, I'd spent my waking hours waiting for answers and hovering close to my son.

Leo cooed on the bed, picking up his feet with his hands, while I folded the last load of laundry.

Lisa and I had both taken time off from the hotel. When her staff had learned what had happened with Leo, they'd all insisted she stick close to home. They'd handled the wedding and were making the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feasts at Knuckles.

Haruto and Anne had volunteered to cover my shifts, cleaning rooms and bustling around the hotel until I was ready to come back.

I wouldn't stay away for long. I wouldn't put that burden on them. But for the moment, I wasn't comfortable being under a different roof than my son. And Lisa seemed to feel the same. While I'd kept my mind occupied by cleaning the house and doing laundry, she'd been on her feet in the kitchen, prepping for the Christmas dinner we'd have at the ranch tomorrow.

Maybe I didn't have any Christmas cheer, but there wasn't a place I'd rather spend my holiday than with her family.

I'd lost all faith in my own.

My mother had tried to call once. I'd declined it, opting for a text to let her know that Leo was okay and home. She'd called four times since. If they continued, maybe next week I'd answer. Maybe not.

It was a strange feeling to lose your family. It would have been heartbreaking had Lisa's not already claimed me as their own.

Anne had been over three times since Friday, Harrison and Haein twice. Rosie had come on Friday night after we'd returned from that motel. Ryujin had been right behind her, insisting on doing a quick checkup to make sure Leo was fine. And then Jihyo and Haruto had shown with dinner.

The only family member we hadn't seen was Jisoo.

And she was the one we'd been aching to see.

"Jennie," Lisa called from the living room. "Jisoo's here."

"Finally," I breathed. The T-shirt I'd been folding plopped into the basket. I swept Leo into my arms and carried him down the hallway.

Lisa opened the door for Jisoo, kissing her cheek as she came inside. "Hi."

"Hi." She smiled at us both. "Sorry to do this today. But I figured you guys were probably anxious to know what was happening and it would be better now than tomorrow with everyone around."

"Please." My heart was in my throat.

It was early still, just ten in the morning. Only yesterday Jisoo had told us they were still questioning Jessica and Jill. But time had ticked by slowly and every hour spent waiting had felt like a week.

"Can we get you anything?" Lisa asked, escorting her to the living room. "Water?"

"No, I'm good." She pressed a hand to her belly that was just barely beginning to show, then took a seat in the chair so Lisa and I could sit side by side on the couch.

Lisa lifted Leo from my arms and laid him on the play mat beside our feet. Then she leaned forward, elbows to knees, and gave Jisoo the nod to start.

"Jessica and Jill both requested lawyers, which has slowed the process down. But Jill has finally started cooperating. And we've got some evidence to help fill in the gaps with Jessica's side of the story."

"Was she an FBI agent, Jessica?"

Jisoo shook her head. "No."

"But she showed me a badge." It had been in a black wallet that she'd flipped open when I'd seen her outside my townhouse.

"We did find a badge on her person. It was a fake. A good fake. There was no way you'd know."

"So she tricked me." My heart sank. "She was just trying to get information on Jiyong. Why?"

"From what we were able to find on her phone, she's got a lot of video footage of Jiyong. When I say a lot, it's the sort I would expect to see from a stalker."

"When I talked to Jiyong, he sounded like he'd already dismissed her," I said. "If he was being stalked, wouldn't he know?"

"Not necessarily. She also had videos of your father. I doubt he knew she was following him either."

"Why?" I shook my head. "I don't understand why any of this was happening."

"You and your family were a target." Jisoo gave me a sad smile. "I'm guessing that Jessica was offered money from Jiyong to stay quiet about their relationship."

I huffed. "He probably paid her the fifty grand I didn't take."

"Afterward, she must have learned about you and your family. Thought that if Jiyong would pay her, you would too. And it would be an easy way to make money."

"You think she knows how much Jennie is worth?" Lisa asked.

Jisoo nodded. "I do."

"I'm worth nothing," I said. "Not anymore."

Lisa put her hand on my knee. "I doubt she saw it that way."

"She could have gone to his wife," I said.

"Nah." Lisa sighed. "Too dangerous."

I was the easy route to millions. Except I didn't have millions. Not anymore. "Why would she want Leo?"

"This is where Jill comes into play," Jisoo said. "Again, without a confession, I can't be sure, but I suspect that after your father denied her money, she decided she needed more ammunition. Specifically, a paternity test. Something to hold over his head, maybe Jiyong's too."

"Enter Jill," Lisa mumbled.

"She's a piece of work." Jisoo rolled her eyes. "She doesn't think she did anything wrong. Jessica reached out to her weeks ago. Fostered some sort of relationship. Told her that she was Leo's aunt. That her brother was his father. Jessica's story was that you refused to admit Leo was her brother's son. And before they could get answers, you fled New York."

My jaw dropped. "What? And Jill believed her?"

"Apparently. They'd become friends. Jill thought she was helping Leo get reunited with his family."

"Oh, I hate her." My teeth ground together.

Lisa seethed at my side. "That fucking bitch."

"Jessica convinced Jill that she needed her help but they couldn't meet in Quincy. That you might recognize her. It was too much of a risk that you'd take Leo and disappear like you had in New York. So Jill agreed to take Leo and meet her at that motel. It turns out, we weren't all that far behind her. Thirty minutes, maybe. She thought she'd be back in town by five and you'd never be the wiser. Except it took longer at the motel because the money Jessica promised Jill wasn't there."

"Wait." Lisa held up a finger. "Money?"

"One hundred thousand dollars. Jessica said it was a reward her 'brother' was paying to anyone who helped reunite him with his son."

"But Jessica didn't have the money," I said.

Jisoo shook her head. "No and Jill refused to leave without it."

"And Jill believed all of this?" I asked.

"I don't know." Jisoo shrugged. "It's what she's claiming."

"Do you think it's the truth?" Lisa asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. Jill's panicked. I don't think she's got the guts to lie when she's staring at a kidnapping charge."

"Of course it's true. She thinks I'm a horrible mother," I said. "She was probably enamored with Jessica and thinking Leo would be better off without me."

Lisa put her arm around my shoulders. "You're not a horrible mother. She's fucking crazy, honey."

"Then what am I for leaving Leo with her?"

Her eyes softened. "I left him there too. So did other parents. Don't put this on your shoulders. It's on hers. Hers alone."

"I should have trusted my instincts." And the guilt for ignoring them would plague me for years to come.

"Lisa is right, Jennie," Jisoo said. "This is not your fault."

"Do you think Jessica was really after his DNA? Or was she going to take Leo?"

"My hunch is DNA," Jisoo said. "I asked Jill if she was under the impression that Jessica intended to take Leo away. She said all she wanted was his saliva and a hair sample. That she hardly spared him a glance."

"Because he wasn't the endgame." Lisa huffed. "She was after the money."

Jisoo nodded. "It's a lot of speculation at this point, but most of the time, our speculation turns out to be close to the truth."

My mind was spinning again. Though it hadn't really stopped since Friday.

"What's next?" Lisa asked.

"Because this is a case of child abduction, I've reached out to the FBI. They've got the resources we don't to examine Jessica's life in New York. I want the investigation to be as thorough as possible in the hopes that she spends a long while in prison."

"Good." The air rushed from my lungs. "What about Jiyong? Will they speak to him?"

"I expect they will. And, I expect, after everything you've told me, he will deny knowing you."

"Fine by me."

I had no intention of mentioning his name again, even if the FBI came knocking on my door. If Jiyong's wife found out that he was an unfaithful bastard, that was his problem. It wasn't coming from my lips.

"They will take over and bring in federal prosecutors," Jisoo said. "I'll keep in touch with the lead agent on the case. Hopefully they'll keep us apprised as to what's going on. But mostly, we wait. You do your best to get on with your lives."

It didn't feel like enough. There wasn't enough closure.

But I suspected it would be all the closure we'd get.

"Thank you for coming out here today," I told Jisoo.

"I'm sorry I don't have more for you." She stood and we followed, walking her to the door. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yep." Lisa nodded. "Merry Christmas Eve."

"Merry Christmas Eve." She pulled me into a hug. "You're a good mother, Jennie. Never doubt that."

"Thank you." I hugged her tighter, hoping that one day I'd believe those words. Maybe in time, when Jill and Jessica Jung were just a dim nightmare from the past.

Jisoo waved and slipped outside. It had been snowing all day in fluffy, white flakes that dusted her dark hair. When her taillights were a blur down the lane, Lisa closed the door.

"This feels . . ."

"Unfinished." She wrapped her arms around me. "I doubt she'll confess, tell us everything, but damn it, I want answers."

That was exactly how I felt too. "How do we get past this? How do we get past the worst days?"

"By making more of the best." She kissed the top of my hair and let me go, shifting to dig something from her pocket. "I was going to wait until tomorrow. Give it to you when we opened gifts. But after everything that's happened, waiting feels like wasting time."

I shifted, trying to spy what she had in her fist. But she'd closed it in her palm.

It was only after she dropped to a knee that he loosened his hand, revealing a perfect diamond ring.

"Marry—"

"Yes." I dropped to my knees, not letting her finish, and smashed my lips to hers.

She swept me up, not missing a beat as her tongue swept against mine, and carried me to the couch, trapping me beneath her broad frame. Then she kissed me like I needed her to kiss me. Like there were no unanswered questions. Like there was no evil in this world. Like all we needed was right here, in this house and in this town.

Lisa kissed me and made today my fourth-best day.

Leo squawked the moment Lisa's hand slid beneath the hem of my shirt.

She tore her mouth away and shot a scowl toward the play mat. "Son, we will work on your timing."

Son. "He is, you know? Your son."

"I know. We'll get married, then make him officially mine. Whatever it takes."

"Okay." It felt strange to smile after everything that had happened. But I did it anyway. I smiled so wide it pinched my cheeks. "I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed me again. "Until the end of my days, Jennie. You, me, Leo. We're good, honey. We're so fucking good. and we'll add in a bunch of babies to the mix to keep it interesting."

I laughed. "Oh, really?"

"I want a big, chaotic family to fill this house. I want to step on toys in the middle of the night. I want to break apart fights and bandage up skinned knees. I want the mess. I want the passion. I want to watch you grow our kids."

In her piercing brown eyes, I saw that future. It was full of best days. It was full of love for the person who'd stolen my heart. "Promise?"

Lisa grinned. "I swear it."