Chapter Nine
The gear room was filled with the familiar sounds of the team wrapping up for the day, metal locker doors opening and closing, equipment hitting benches, Velcro ripping apart, and the occasional curse from someone trying to shove something into a bag that clearly didn’t want to fit.
Normally, Jay Bird liked this part of the day.
There was something almost mindless about breaking down his gear, checking everything, and putting it back exactly where it belonged.
After hours of training, it gave his brain time to come down from the constant focus required on the range and during tactical exercises.
Today, his brain apparently had other plans, because instead of focusing on the training they had spent most of the day doing, he kept wondering what Willow and Lily were doing.
Jay Bird shoved a piece of equipment into his locker harder than necessary and closed the door.
He needed to get his head straight before someone got hurt.
He knew Willow and Lily were fine. Mia had gone over to the house earlier, and if anything had happened, his phone would have blown up with calls before he had even known there was a problem.
But it didn’t matter. No matter how many times he told himself that, he still couldn’t stop thinking about them.
He was still thinking about that kiss that Willow had placed on his cheek the night before.
He had been kissed plenty of times before, and in places considerably more interesting than his cheek.
Yet apparently his dumb ass had decided that kiss was the one worth replaying in his head all damn day.
Mostly, because he understood what it had meant for Willow to initiate it.
She had chosen to touch him, and after everything she had endured at Chen’s hands, Jay Bird knew that wasn’t something he should take lightly, so he hadn’t.
He also hadn’t slept worth a damn because every time he had closed his eyes, he had remembered the soft brush of her lips against his skin and the pink staining her cheeks when she had pulled away.
Earlier that morning, Derek had cornered him between training evolutions and asked if he was still comfortable with Willow and Lily temporarily using his last name.
Jay Bird hadn’t hesitated. He didn’t need time to think it over or weigh the options, because in his mind there was only ever one answer. Yes. He was sure.
If using his name put another layer between Willow and Chen, then she could use it for as long as she needed. Hell, if there were something else he could give them that made them safer, he would hand that over too.
Derek held his gaze for a few seconds longer than Jay Bird was comfortable with, like he was trying to read something Jay Bird wasn’t saying out loud. Eventually, though, he let it go without pushing further.
Before walking away, Derek handed him a large envelope Tink had dropped off earlier, containing a driver’s license and other documents for her to look over and fill out.
“Yo, Jay.”
He glanced up to find Joker sitting on the bench across from him, casually unlacing his boots.
“How is Willow doing?”
“She’s good.”
“And the little one?” Snow asked from farther down the row of lockers.
“Also good.”
Aussie snorted. “Jesus, man, don’t overwhelm us with details.”
Jay Bird flipped him off, which immediately drew a few laughs from the group.
Nails tossed a shirt into his bag. “Riley wanted me to ask too. She didn’t want to bug Willow today since Mia was already going over there.”
“They’re both settling in well.”
That much was true, and honestly, they were settling in better than he had expected.
There was already more shit in his living room than there had been three days ago, like crayons, coloring books, building blocks, and a stuffed elephant that somehow migrated from room to room.
And then there was Willow mentally renovating his backyard. Jay Bird still wasn’t sure how the hell they had gone from her insulting his landscaping to discussing pools and playsets, but apparently that had happened too.
Bear zipped his bag closed. “Derek said Tink stopped by yesterday.”
Jay Bird nodded. “He did. They discussed some personal stuff, and Tink mentioned that somebody has been digging into her old identity.
“Shit,” Playboy stated
“Tink is trying to find out where the searches originated,” Jay Bird continued. “Because of that, it was decided that she doesn’t use her real name on any type of identification for now.”
Nails frowned. “So what is she supposed to use? She needs a valid ID.”
Jay Bird pulled his bag off the bench. “She is still using Willow, but her temporary last name is Bird.”
As soon as those words were spoken, silence fell over the room.
“Willow is taking your last name?” Bear asked.
“And Lily,” Jay Bird responded.
Bear just nodded. There were no questions, or anyone asking what the hell Jay Bird had been thinking when he’d offered his last name to a woman he’d known for less than a week, because these men knew him.
“If Tink thinks it’ll help keep them hidden, then it’s a good call,” Duke said.
Jay Bird nodded, telling himself the same thing he’d been repeating all along: that this was about security, nothing more.
The guys finished packing up, and conversation gradually shifted toward weekend plans and whether Joker owed Aussie money over some stupid bet Jay Bird hadn’t paid enough attention to understand.
One by one, they headed out, Duke leaving with Snow, Joker and Aussie still bickering as they disappeared through the door, their argument fading down the hallway.
Nails paused just long enough to tell Jay Bird to have Willow call Riley if she needed anything before he followed the rest of the team with Playboy in tow.
In the end, the room slowly emptied until only Jay Bird and Bear were left behind.
Jay Bird should’ve known that wasn’t accidental.
“So,” Bear said.
Jay Bird groaned. “Don’t.”
Bear laughed. “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You’ve got that look.”
“What look?”
“The same damn one Derek’s been giving me.”
Bear slung his bag over his shoulder. “Maybe because we’re all wondering the same thing.”
Jay Bird grabbed his own bag. “And what’s that?”
Bear leaned against the lockers. “How are you really doing with all of this?”
With anyone else, Jay Bird would’ve brushed the question off without a second thought, but Bear wasn’t just anyone. He was his friend and brother-in-arms. He didn’t pry for the sake of knowing somebody else’s business. If he asked, it was because he genuinely gave a shit about the answer.
Jay Bird let out a breath. “She fucked up my head.”
Bear’s mouth twitched.
Jay Bird laughed quietly and shook his head. “I’ve known the woman for what? Four days? And I’m standing in the middle of training wondering if she ate lunch.”
That made Bear laugh.
“It’s not funny,” Jay Bird said.
“It’s a little funny.”
“Fuck you.”
“And Lily? I even have to admit, there is something different about how you interact with her than the other kids.”
That wiped some of the humor from Jay Bird's expression.
He looked down at his bag as he rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s just something about that little girl.”
He thought about Lily clinging to him outside Nova’s gym, her small voice repeating, Bad man hurt Momma, and then how quickly things had shifted into something else, like pancakes, crayons scattered across a table, and the sound of her calling his name from the living room.
For Christ’s sake, he had even pictured a playset in his backyard, something he had only meant to imagine for a second before realizing he had already started planning it without meaning to.
“She trusts me.”
Bear’s expression softened. “Kids are pretty good judges of character.”
“Yeah, well, apparently this one’s defective.”
Bear laughed.
Jay Bird smiled, but it faded quickly.
“She shouldn’t trust men that easily after what she’s probably seen.”
Bear shrugged. “From what you’ve told us, she doesn’t trust all of us. She trusts you.”
Jay Bird stared toward the floor. “Willow’s different too.”
“I gathered that when you gave her your last name.”
“Temporary last name.”
“Of course,” Bear said with a knowing smirk that had Jay Bird wanting to roll his eyes.
Jay Bird pointed at him. “Don’t start.”
Bear raised both hands. “I’m not.” He pushed away from the lockers and picked up his bag. “Look, we’ve seen some weird shit happen with this team.”
Jay Bird snorted. That was an understatement if ever there was one.
“Half these idiots met their women because somebody was kidnapped, shot at, threatened, stranded, or otherwise dropped directly into whatever clusterfuck we were dealing with at the time.”
Bear chuckled. “It’s our form of being romantic. We’re a special bunch.”
Jay Bird laughed.
Bear’s expression turned more serious. “My point is, stop trying to figure it all out four days in. Willow’s been through hell. Plus, you’ve got shit you don’t talk about either.”
Jay Bird’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
“Take your time,” Bear said. “Let her take hers. And just see what happens.”
Jay Bird considered that, letting the idea settle in his mind.
Baby steps. It wasn’t complicated, but it also wasn’t something he was used to slowing down for.
Willow had said something similar last night, her voice quiet but steady, like she was trying to convince both him and herself.
Maybe there was something to it after all.
Bear slapped him once on the shoulder. “And if it turns into something? Then, we’ll all pretend we didn’t see it coming.”
Jay Bird shook his head. “Asshole.”
Bear just grinned and headed for the door before glancing back.
“You coming?”
Jay Bird grabbed his bag. “Yeah.”
He followed Bear out of the room, but his thoughts were already somewhere else—home.
The word slipped into his mind so naturally that Jay Bird almost stopped mid-step, like it had caught him off guard.
Not the house, not the structure he lived in, but home.
The place where Willow and Lily were waiting.
Jesus Christ—he really was fucked