Chapter Fifteen #3
“No. I have no desire to. She and I hadn’t really spoken for a couple of years before I was abducted. The only time she or my brother usually called was when they wanted money, and after a while I stopped answering.”
“Does that sound terrible, that I don’t want anything to do with them?”
“No. It doesn’t.”
“They’re technically the only family I have left.”
Jay Bird’s arm moved around her more securely. “No, they’re not.”
Willow lifted her head.
Jay Bird looked down at her and smiled.
“You’ve got Lily. And you’ve got Mia. Riley. The guys from the teams and their families. And you’ve got me.”
Willow stared at him as something warm spread through her chest.
“My dad used to tell me family wasn’t always about blood.”
“Smart man.”
“He usually was.”
Jay Bird brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “For what it’s worth, I think he would be damn proud of you.”
That one got her, and Willow blinked rapidly, trying to hold the tears back.
“You never even met him.”
“No.” His gaze held hers. “But if he were half the man you say he was, he would look at everything you’ve survived and what you’ve done for Lily and know exactly who raised you.”
A tear slipped down Willow’s cheek, and Jay Bird gently wiped it away with his thumb.
“That was really sweet.”
“Don’t tell anybody,” he said and winked.
She smiled. “Your reputation?”
“It’s already hanging by a thread.”
“Between flowers, toddler bedrooms, and pancakes, I’m pretty sure it’s dead.”
Jay Bird groaned. “Go to sleep, Willow.”
She laughed softly and tucked herself back against his chest, and his arms closed around her.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Willow didn’t know how long she had been asleep when a faint sound pulled her awake.
Her eyes opened, and for one terrifying second, she had no idea where she was.
A man’s arm was around her. Her body tensed, and her heart slammed against her ribs as panic surged through her.
Then she smelled him. That familiar and unmistakable scent that was Jay Bird.
She felt the soft cotton of his shirt beneath her cheek and heard his steady heartbeat.
Jay. She was with Jay. Willow slowly released the breath she had been holding.
Then she heard it again, the soft sound of the monitor as Lily made a sleepy little whimper.
Willow lifted her head, and Jay Bird immediately loosened his arm, giving her room without making her ask.
She reached for the monitor and looked at the screen.
Lily rolled over and hugged Ellie against her chest before going still again. Willow watched them for another few seconds, letting the sight settle her. Her baby was safe.
She returned the monitor to the nightstand and lay back down.
Jay Bird seemed asleep, his eyes closed and his face peaceful.
Willow studied his face for a moment before carefully settling against him again, and his arm slipped back around her waist.
She smiled, and within minutes she had drifted off again.
He hadn’t been asleep. Not even close.
Jay Bird stared into the darkness while Willow’s breathing slowly evened out against his chest.
He had felt the exact second she had awakened.
And he felt the way her entire body went rigid, followed by that sharp inhale and the instinctive panic she tried to control before realizing where she was.
It had taken every ounce of discipline he possessed not to react, not to grab her or ask if she was okay.
Instead, he had loosened his arm and given her room to move.
Jay Bird looked down at the woman sleeping against him.
He had faced gunfire without his pulse changing. He had jumped out of perfectly good aircraft, been dropped into places most sane people would spend their entire lives avoiding, and had stared down men who would kill him without hesitation.
But Willow voluntarily crawling into his arms had damn near wrecked him. Then she had asked him to hold her tighter, and he knew he would never forget the way she had trusted him enough to say it.
His gaze shifted toward the monitor on the nightstand, where Lily was sleeping again. His girls were safe. Lily was sleeping soundly in her new bed, and Willow was out cold against his chest.
Jay Bird stared at the ceiling, wondering how the hell his life had become this. He still didn’t understand it. But one thing was clear—he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Willow shifted in her sleep, moving closer to him. His arm tightened around her instinctively. It wasn’t enough to wake her, just enough to reassure some quiet, protective part of him that she was still there.
Jay Bird had never been a great sleeper, and his years in the Teams had made that worse. He could sleep anywhere when necessary, but at home he rarely stayed deeply asleep for long.
Tonight, he didn’t mind being awake.
The security system was armed, the house was quiet, and Lily and Willow were both safe. If either of them needed him, he was right there.
He pressed a soft kiss against Willow’s hair. Then he settled deeper into the pillow and listened to her breathe.
For the first time in twelve years, staying awake wasn’t about waiting for something bad to happen. It was about protecting something good.