Page 92 of Jay Bird

“Actually, it’s mostly for Lily.”

He set Lily down. “Come on.”

Curious, Willow followed them inside. Jay Bird led them toward the side of the house containing the bedroom she and Lily shared.

He stopped outside the closed door. “Peanut, open it.”

Lily grabbed the handle, and the door swung open.

Willow stopped breathing.

“Oh, my God.”

The room was completely different.

Purple and blue covered the space in soft, cheerful shades. The queen bed was gone, replaced by a small toddler bed with a purple comforter covered in stars. A little bookshelf stood against one wall beside a cushioned reading corner filled with pillows.

Bins held toys, a small table sat for coloring, stuffed animals lined the shelves, and cheerful wall decals dotted the room. Even a wooden sign displaying “Lily” hung above the bed, making the space feel like it was completely hers.

Lily squealed. “Bed!” She ran across the room and launched herself onto it.

Willow covered her mouth.

This wasn’t a spare bedroom anymore. It was a real little girl’s room. More specifically, it was Lily’s room.

Everything Willow had dreamed of giving her daughter while trapped behind Chen’s walls was right in front of her.

Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes.

“Jay…”

His hand settled lightly against her back. “You okay?”

“When did you do this? And how?”

“This morning.”

She turned toward him. “But you were at training.”

“We got back around four this morning. I slept a couple of hours at the base. Riley texted when you left to meet her. Everybody had already bought the stuff. Once you were gone, the guys came over, and we picked everything up. The women handled most of this because apparently none of us can be trusted with interior design.”

A watery laugh escaped her. “Smart women.”

Willow looked back at Lily, who was sitting in the middle of her new bed, hugging a stuffed dolphin.

Tears slipped down Willow’s cheeks. “Thank you.”

Jay Bird didn’t tease her about it this time. “You’re welcome.”

Willow wiped her face. Then something occurred to her.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Where am I supposed to sleep?”

He nodded toward Lily’s bed. “It looks comfortable.”