Page 103 of Jay Bird

“Every penny. However, he said that she gave it to him. But her mind was starting to slip, and he took advantage of that. She gave him power of attorney for everything.”

“Jesus.”

“Yep, she went from having enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life to having nothing. He even mortgaged her house.”

Jay Bird muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like fucking asshole.

Willow couldn’t disagree.

“He convinced her he was helping with investments or something.”

“And she still supports him?”

Willow gave a humorless laugh.

“Yep.”

“My brother always came first. If he needed something, everyone was expected to help. If I needed something...” Willow shrugged. “I figured it out.”

Jay Bird’s arm tightened slightly around her.

“And now he’s in prison.”

“For embezzlement.” Willow nodded. “Turns out stealing from family wasn’t enough. He started stealing from his employer and apparently a few other people too.”

“Good.”

Willow lifted her head.

Jay Bird didn’t look remotely apologetic. “What?”

She smiled. “Nothing.”

“Guy steals from his sister, his mother, and whoever else he can get access to? Prison sounds appropriate.”

“I happen to agree.”

“And your mother? Do you think you’ll ever reach out to her?”

“No. I have no desire to. She and I hadn’t really spoken for a couple of years before I was abducted. The only time she or my brother usually called was when they wanted money, and after a while I stopped answering.”

“Does that sound terrible, that I don’t want anything to do with them?”

“No. It doesn’t.”

“They’re technically the only family I have left.”

Jay Bird’s arm moved around her more securely. “No, they’re not.”

Willow lifted her head.

Jay Bird looked down at her and smiled.

“You’ve got Lily. And you’ve got Mia. Riley. The guys from the teams and their families. And you’ve got me.”

Willow stared at him as something warm spread through her chest.

“My dad used to tell me family wasn’t always about blood.”