She shifted the baby slightly.
The little girl looked up at me.
Gray eyes.
My eyes.
The world dropped out from under my feet.
Sound vanished.
Thought vanished.
All I could see was the tiny human in her arms—the impossibly small fingers curled against the blanket, the soft curve of her cheek, the delicate rise and fall of her chest.
And those eyes watching me.
Like she already knew me.
“She’s your daughter.”
The words hit me like a punch to the ribs.
My lungs forgot how to work.
For a moment I couldn’t speak.
Couldn’t move.
I’d faced gunfire, explosions, men trying to kill me…
Nothing had ever shaken me like this.
“I need you to keep her safe,” Laney whispered.
I blinked hard.
“What?”
“Take her. Please.” Her voice cracked as she held the baby toward me. “I don’t have time. He’s close.”
“Laney—what are you talking about?”
But she was already pressing the baby into my arms.
The weight of her hit my chest like gravity snapping into place.
Warm.
Real.
Mine.
My hands came up automatically, cradling the tiny body against me as instinct took over.
Emmy made a small sound, shifting against my shirt.
Something fierce and protective ignited in my chest.
