Page 166 of Jay Bird

“She’s going to sleep through Derek and Juliette’s dinner if we don’t wake her,” he murmured, but there was no urgency in his voice.

“We’ve got time.” Willow turned in his arms, facing him.

It had been five months since she had shown up outside Nova’s gym with a terrified two-year-old, and years of fear coiled tight in her chest. Five months of him being patient, never pushing her, and never asking for more than she could give.

She reached up, tracing the line of his jaw with her fingertips. The scruff there was soft, familiar now. She knew this man. Knew the way he laughed with Lily, the way he fixed things that were broken, the way he had sat with her through nightmares she couldn’t speak about and never once made her feel small.

“I have one more present for you,” she said quietly.

His eyebrows lifted, that half-smile playing at his mouth. “Willow, you already got me more than enough.”

“Those were from Lily.” She took a breath, felt her heart stutter in her chest-not with fear, but with the enormity of what she was offering. “This one is from me. Something that I’m ready to give you.”

Jay Bird’s smile slowly disappeared as he studied her face, and Willow could almost see the moment he understood what she was trying to tell him.

“Willow,” he said softly.

She knew that tone. It was the same one he used whenever he thought she might be pushing herself too hard, and before he could start worrying about her or giving her an easy way out, she slid her hands up his chest and rested them against his shoulders.

“I’m ready, Jay.”

His eyes searched hers. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“I know.”

“And you don’t owe me anything.”

“I know that too.” Willow smiled because, of course, he would need to say it. This man had spent five months making certain she understood that her choices belonged to her. “That’s why I’m ready.”

Something shifted in his expression, but he still didn’t move. His hands remained loosely around her waist, giving her all the space in the world to change her mind.

Willow loved him even more for it.

“For three years, I didn’t get to decide what happened to me,” she said quietly. “I didn’t get to decide who touched me or when. For a long time after I escaped, I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to separate any of that from what being with someone was supposed to feel like.” She swallowed around the emotion gathering in her throat. “But you’ve never made me feel that way. Not once.”

“Sweetheart.”

Willow shook her head gently because she needed to finish. “You waited for me to take your hand. You waited for me to kiss you. When I moved into your bedroom, you held me every night and never asked for anything more.” Her mouth curved when she added, “Even when I know there were probably a few nights when it nearly killed you.”

That finally pulled a quiet laugh from him. “I’m a SEAL. We’re trained to endure extreme conditions.”

Willow laughed and gave his chest a light shove. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, but you love me.”

“I do.” Her amusement softened as she looked into his eyes. “And I trust you. I want this because I want you, Jay. Not because I think I’m supposed to be ready or because enough time has passed. I’m choosing this.”

His forehead came down against hers, and for several seconds they just stared into each other’s eyes. “If you change your mind at any point—”

“I’ll tell you.”

“If you need me to stop—”

“I’ll tell you.”

“If something doesn’t feel right—”

Willow smiled. “Are you planning on giving me the entire safety briefing before we make it to the bedroom?”