Kayla smiled. “I’ve got it.”
He watched her go over and put her key in the lock. Ana waved a chunky arm at him and he waved back, his heart cracking just a little bit at how trusting and innocent she was. Fucking James Dunn had wanted to sell her like she was a purebred puppy or something. What the hell was wrong with people like that?
And not just people like him, but the kind of people who would buy a black market baby, no questions asked. But maybe they didn’t actually know what was going on. Some people were so desperate for children that they didn’t ask too many questions when faced with the possibility of finally having one. He couldn’t blame everyone who found themselves in that situation, though he didn’t doubt that some of them knew what was going on.
He shook his head, tamping down on the flare of anger, and unloaded the SUV. It took three trips before he had it all inside. He carried a load up to the main floor and found Kayla and Ana waiting for him. Both of them smiled when he walked into the room.
His heart skipped and his stomach knotted. Not in a bad knot, but the kind of knot that said he was facing something he’d never encountered before. The two faces smiling at him didn’t change, but something had changed.
“You ready?” he asked them.
“We’re definitely ready,” Kayla said.
“Let’s go then.”
He let them go in front of him. It wasn’t until they’d entered Ana’s room with its pink accent wall and white furniture that it hit him what had changed. Kayla turned around, showing Ana the room, and Ana babbled and swiveled her head back and forth. Kayla fixed her eyes on him and smiled, and the thing that was different washed over him like a tsunami.
He was falling in love. Not only with Kayla, but with Ana too.
Chapter Twenty
Happiness was a bubble inside Kayla, lifting her up and making her float along like she was made of air. It was crazy to be so happy, especially when Dal Gentry was still expecting her to give him seventy-five thousand dollars in a few days. Money she definitely didn’t have, though Zach told her not to worry about it because the SEALs would take care of everything.
But Gentry and the Kings weren’t inside this house she shared with Zach and Ana, and they weren’t inside her little girl’s pink and white bedroom as she turned around and showed Ana her new space. Ana burbled happily, but she didn’t really care about the room. She was still too young to care.
Kayla knew she’d love it when she was older. Especially once all the things Kayla had ordered came in and she placed the rug and accessories where she wanted them. This one small room was everything Kayla had ever wanted when she’d been a little girl, and everything she’d never had.
Pink and white, her own little space with toys and books and soft textiles. A sanctuary where she could be a little girl without fear. She could play dress up and have tea parties and sleepovers. She’d never had a sleepover, but she wanted Ana to have them one day.
Zach stood in the door, watching her and Ana slowly turn. The expression on his face changed as she met his gaze, and her heart skipped a beat. He looked intense—and somewhat lost. Before she could ask him what was wrong, his expression changed again. He smiled at her, and love flooded her heart so fast that she felt as if it would burst.
“I think she likes it,” he said as Ana tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling before turning to look at the pink wall and her new crib.
Kayla laughed and bounced Ana up and down. “Do you like it, Anastasia-belle? My little Ana-banana-boo?”
Ana chortled with glee and Kayla laughed. So did Zach.
He came into the room and stood with them. Kayla leaned into him and he put his arm around her and Ana both and hugged them close to his side. She felt his lips on the top of her head, and then he kissed Ana’s head too.
“Welcome home, Ana.”
Tears spiked in her eyes, all prickly and hot. “I can’t wait to get it finished,” Kayla said, because she needed to speak or the emotions inside her would break.
“Lesley always says her stuff comes fast when she orders it online.”
“I got an email. It’ll be here by Tuesday.”
He was still hugging her to him. “Great. We’ll finish everything then.”
Ana reached for Zach, putting her little arms out and holding them wide. He grinned. “You want to come to me, Ana-boo?”
Kayla let her go and Zach hefted her up higher than she’d been in Kayla’s arms. She burbled some nonsense and then she laughed. “Za!”
Zach laughed too. So did Kayla.
“You don’t really think she wants pizza, do you?” he asked.
Kayla shook her head. “No. She just likes saying it.”
Zach tickled Ana’s belly and she laughed. “Or maybe she’s trying to say Zach.”
“Maybe so,” Kayla said. “She’s a little young to start talking, but it’s coming soon.”
“She’s eight months old, right?”
“Yes. Another month or so and she should say her first word. If the baby books are right,” she added.
Zach looked at Ana. “That’s only an average, right Ana-banana? You could be a little genius. Can you say mama? Ma-ma.”
Kayla folded her arms and hugged herself, half wondering if this was real or if she’d fallen into a dream. Zach carried Ana around the room and let her look at everything. He kept talking to her, and Kayla’s heart beat like a drum the whole time. It was sweet and special, and it made her hopeful for the future even while her natural
