“I won’t quit,” she said. “Not because of you. Because she relies on me.”
“I hope you’ll stay,” he murmured. “For her.”
“For her,” Maya echoed.
Yet inside him, something unbarred. Something he thought buried for good. He didn’t trust himself. But Lily did. And for now, that was enough.
The next morning, Maya Williams moved through the home like a shadow. The dining table gleamed, polished spotless. Fresh coffee scented the air.
Neither Nathaniel Blake nor Mrs. Delaney spoke as Maya transferred with a folded blanket in her arms.
“Good morning,” she said evenly, eyes straight ahead.
Mrs. Delaney gave a stiff nod. Nathaniel looked up from his tablet, jaw rigid, lips tight. He said nothing. It didn’t matter.
Maya wasn’t there for kindness. She wasn’t predicting warmth. She was there for the baby.
