Page 59 of Jay Bird

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