CHAPTER 24
Naomi watchedthe road unfold ahead of them as Micah drove them back after the doctor’s appointment.
In the back seat, Grace slept peacefully, completely unaware of any tension or danger.
The doctor’s appointment had gone well—Grace was healthy, gaining weight, meeting every milestone a week-old should. Dr. Nolan had smiled and said everything looked perfect.
But neither Naomi nor Micah had relaxed.
She saw the tension in the set of his shoulders, in the way his jaw stayed tight even when he wasn’t speaking. She saw it in the way his eyes kept flicking to the rearview mirror—once, twice, checking for something that might suddenly appear.
Having Grace with them changed everything.
This wasn’t just about Naomi anymore. It wasn’t even just about keeping the shelter safe. There was an innocent, fragile life in the back seat now, and both of them felt the weight of it.
Naomi glanced out the window, her mind drifting back to the man she’d seen outside the pediatrician’s office. Had she seen him before?
She wasn’t sure.
Could he be connected to what happened in New York?
The thought surfaced before she could stop it.
Her attack had been random. At least, that was what the police had told her. She’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone had been looking for an easy target on a dark street.
But she’d never understood it. Why her? Why that night?
And why hadn’t the man robbed her?
She constantly wrestled with those questions, turning them over and over in her mind, searching for patterns that didn’t exist.
There were no answers. Just gaps where her memory should have been.
At least she was here now. In Virginia. Away from the noise and chaos of the city, away from the crowds and the constant hum of traffic and the feeling of being surrounded by strangers who didn’t care if you disappeared.
At one time, she’d thought city life was for her. The energy, the opportunity, the way everything moved fast and felt important.
She’d been wrong.
Her gaze drifted to Micah.
He was focused on the road, one hand steady on the wheel, his expression unreadable—calm on the surface but always working underneath. Always watching. Always ready.
Something warm flickered in her chest at the thought, and she looked away quickly.
That warmth was dangerous.
She wasn’t looking for a relationship. She couldn’t afford one, not with everything else pulling at her attention. And Micah didn’t seem to be looking either—he kept himself at a careful distance, present but never pushing, helpful but never crossing lines.
But there was something about him . . . something about the way he showed up without being asked. The way he listened without filling the silence. The way he made her feel steadier, like the ground beneath her was more solid when he was around.
She was doing it again. Letting her attraction to Micah settle in. She needed to stop nurturing that feeling before it went any further.
The iron gate came into view, and Micah slowed to enter the code. The gate swung open, and they pulled through onto the drive.
Naomi released a breath.
She was home. She was safe. Grace was safe.
