Page 87 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

Then I heard a child's voice from below—bright, cheerful, ringing through the morning air like a bell.

I stepped to the window and looked down.

Below the apartment building was a small playground—slide, swings, sandbox. A little girl in a pink dress sat on a swing, a middle-aged woman—probably a nanny—standing nearby. The girl's brown hair was tied in two pigtails that swayed in the breeze.

Lily.

Mia's daughter.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I could hear blood roaring in my ears.

She was swinging. The nanny pushed her back, and she flew up, laughing. That laughter was like a key, unlocking something dusty and forgotten deep in my chest.

I stood there watching her laugh in the sunlight, feeling like a voyeur.

Then she turned her head and saw me.

Her gaze cut through the window, landing directly on me. Those gray-blue eyes—my eyes—blinked. Then her face broke into a brilliant smile.

She waved at me.

I froze.

She waved again, then jumped off the swing and ran to the building entrance, looking up and shouting something—too far away, I couldn't hear.

But the next second, Lily ran inside and stood at the door, looking up at me. Her hair in two pigtails tied with butterfly clips.

She looked at me. I looked at her.

About three feet between us.

Then she spoke, her voice clear as spring water. "You're the guy who played guitar last night!"

I blinked. "You saw me?"

"I saw you from the window!" Her eyes sparkled. "You sing well!"

I felt something slam into my heart.

"Thank... thank you," I said, voice rough.

"Are you Mommy's friend?" She tilted her head, those gray-blue eyes full of curiosity.

"I... I guess so."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Zane."

"Zane!" She repeated it like tasting the word. "My name is Lily! Mommy says Lily means lily flower!"

"I know," I said, my voice gentler than I expected. "It's a perfect name for you."

She smiled, showing two little dimples. That smile—identical to Mia's—made my knees weak.

"Zane, can you play with me?" She asked, eyes shining with hope. "It's boring swinging by myself."

I opened my mouth to say "I'm not sure your mom would approve," but before I could speak, she grabbed my hand.