Page 118 of Jay Bird

Maybe Alex was right. Maybe the scars weren’t reminders of everything Chen had done to her, but proof that he hadn’t won. He had taken so much from her, but he hadn’t taken her life, her strength, or her freedom.

Jay Bird had been pretending to listen to Joker for the better part of five minutes, but it wasn’t working.

“You’re not listening to a damn word I’m saying, are you?” Joker finally asked.

Jay Bird took a drink of his water without looking away from the pool. “Nope.”

Bear laughed.

Playboy followed Jay Bird’s line of sight. “You know she’s not going anywhere, right?”

“Yep.”

Bear leaned back in his chair. “Leave him alone.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Playboy protested.

“That’s because you enjoy breathing,” Aussie said, which earned several laughs.

Jay Bird finally dragged his attention away from Willow long enough to glare at them.

Nobody looked particularly concerned. He had known this was coming eventually. His teammates had shown remarkable restraint over the past month, probably because they understood Willow’s situation and because they knew him well enough not to push.

But the grace period seemed to have expired.

Snow grinned. “So, how’s domestic life?”

Jay Bird stared at him.

Snow’s grin widened. “You’ve got a woman living in your house, a toddler who apparently owns you, flowers in your yard, and rumor has it you have a playset being delivered.”

Jay Bird looked at Bear. “Who told them about the playset?”

Bear raised both hands. “Wasn’t me.”

“Amira,” Joker said.

That explained everything.

Jay Bird shook his head. The funny thing was, none of it bothered him. A month ago, his house had been quiet.

Now there were toys scattered across the living room, flowers blooming outside, toddler cups filling his cabinets, and tiny shoes he nearly killed himself tripping over every day. Willow cooked while Lily colored at the kitchen table, and this morning Jay Bird woke with a toddler’s foot pressed against his face. Somehow, he loved every bit of it.

“Well?” Snow asked.

Jay Bird looked around the table. “I’m happy. What more do you want me to say?”

Bear studied him for a moment before smiling. “Good.”

Jay Bird nodded. Nothing else needed to be said.

His attention drifted back toward the pool, where Willow sat on the edge with her feet dangling in the water.

He knew exactly why she hadn’t gotten in. He had thought about them several times since that morning, and each time he had to remind himself that Chen wasn’t standing in front of him because the rage that went through him was unlike anything he had felt in years.

Then Alex sat beside Willow, and Jay Bird watched them talk.

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but when Alex turned and showed Willow her back, he knew.