Page 25 of Jay Bird

“Willow,” Mia said gently, “I know this is a lot.”

“That might be the understatement of the century,” Willow murmured.

Mia smiled. “Probably. But you would be safe there.”

“You would,” Riley agreed. “And it doesn’t have to be permanent. Just until we figure everything out. We need to get your identification replaced, deal with everything involving Lily, and most importantly, keep you and Lily safe until the authorities can find Chen.”

The small bit of calm Willow had found disappeared at his name.

Chen was out there somewhere

Her arms tightened around Lily before she could stop herself.

Riley gently touched her arm. “Hey, we’re going to find him,” she said. “But until we do, I want you somewhere secure. Jay Bird’s house is about as secure as you’re going to get without putting you on a military installation.”

Willow looked at Jay Bird again, really looked at him this time. He wasn’t trying to convince her, wasn’t listing reasons she should trust him, and he wasn’t making promises he couldn’t guarantee. He was just waiting, quietly and patiently, for her to decide, and somehow that simple act of giving her the choice mattered more than he probably even realized.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

Willow took a breath and looked down at Lily.

As if sensing her attention, Lily glanced up from the tablet and grinned. “Momma.”

Willow brushed a strand of hair away from her daughter’s face.

This wasn’t about pride. She could worry about rebuilding their lives tomorrow. Right now, Lily just needed somewhere safe to sleep, and if Riley and Mia trusted this man, then maybe Willow could trust him too, just enough to give her daughter that.

She looked back at Jay Bird. “Okay. We’ll stay with you. At least until I can figure something else out.”

Jay Bird nodded once. “Okay.”

“And I’ll find a way to repay you.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “If you can keep me from having to watch Peppa Pig. We’ll call it even.”

A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

From beside her came a suspicious choking sound.

Willow glanced over to find Nails suddenly very interested in the floor, while Stitch had apparently discovered something fascinating on the ceiling. Mia had pressed her lips together, and Riley looked like she was seconds away from saying something she knew she shouldn’t.

Willow narrowed her eyes, studying the room as if the answer might be written somewhere on their faces. Something was clearly going on that she wasn’t in on, and the way everyone suddenly avoided her gaze only made it worse. After a beat, she let out a quiet breath and decided she probably didn’t want to know what it was.

Instead, she looked back at the man who had caught her daughter before she hit the ground, stayed beside Lily all night, fed her French fries, endured hours of Peppa Pig, and was now offering them a safe place to stay.

“Thank you, Jay Bird.”

His eyes held hers. “You’re welcome, Willow.”

Willow leaned back, resting her head against the pillow, and pulled Lily a little closer to her.

It all sounded good. And God, Willow wanted to believe it was that simple. But she knew Chen. She knew that somewhere out there, he was looking for her. He wouldn’t just accept that she had taken Lily and disappeared. He wouldn’t stop because she had finally found people willing to protect them. If anything, it would make him angrier.