Page 89 of Jay Bird

The first time she had driven it alone, she had cried. Then she had laughed at herself for getting so emotional over a Honda.

Jay Bird had understood. He usually did.

He had also bought her a phone, something she had initially argued about until he had handed it to her and told her she needed a way to call someone if she was ever in trouble.

When she had opened the contacts, she had found nearly everyone already programmed into it.

Then there was work. She had started at Mia’s clinic two weeks ago and loved every second of it. Some of what she had learned before her kidnapping had come back immediately, while other things required refreshing, but Mia had been patient and encouraging. Just being around the animals again made Willow feel connected to the woman she had been before Chen.

Except she was beginning to realize she didn’t necessarily want to become that woman again. She wanted to become whoever she was supposed to be now.

Lily was thriving too. Juliette and Hannah had been taking turns watching her while Willow worked, usually along with some combination of the other children. Lily had gone from barely tolerating strangers to squealing when Willow told her she was going to see her friends.

And then there was Jay Bird. Willow smiled to herself.

That had been changing too, slowly and exactly as they had promised.

Their kiss on the beach hadn’t suddenly turned into some whirlwind physical relationship. If anything, it had made the little moments between them sweeter.

A kiss before he left for base, his arm around her while they watched television, Willow curling against his side, and a kiss in the kitchen whenever Lily was distracted.

Once or twice, those kisses had grown heated enough to leave Willow breathless, but Jay Bird always eased back first. He never pushed her or assumed she wanted more, and that made every moment between them feel safe.

And when he had left for a week of training out of state, Willow had discovered something important.

She could be alone.

The first night had been horrible. Every sound had woken her. She had checked the security panel so many times she was surprised she hadn’t worn the buttons off.

By the third night, she was feeling better, and by the fifth, she realized that she and Lily were perfectly fine on their own.

The women checked in constantly, and Willow suspected at least two members of Alpha Team had driven through the neighborhood during the week.

She had survived without Jay Bird, but she had missed him like crazy. There was a difference between needing someone to get through the day and simply wanting them there, and Willow was proud that she finally understood it.

“Earth to Willow.”

She turned toward Riley and found her staring.

“What?”

“You were smiling at a hydrangea.”

“I like hydrangeas.”

“Sure you do,” Riley said with a knowing smirk.

Willow rolled her eyes and placed another plant into her cart.

Riley surveyed everything she had accumulated.

“You know you’re basically marking your territory, right?”

Willow frowned. “With petunias?”

“I’ve seen stranger mating rituals with these men.”

Willow burst out laughing. “I’m landscaping.”