“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He’d love to tell her what was on his mind, but she wasn’t ready to hear it.
“What did Hunter say? Any progress?”
“No, but they’re trying everything they can.”
Tessa frowned with worry. “They must be frantic.”
Zy had heard the fear in Hunter’s voice, but he didn’t want to alarm her any more. “Of course they’re concerned, but they’re doing what they always do, following clues and working angles. Something will turn up.”
“Do they need more help with food or supplies? What about the kids? I could take them off their hands for a bit.”
He shook his head. “They’ve got everyone on lockdown at an undisclosed location, just in case. The fewer people who know where the better.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Tessa shook her head and forked in another bite of salad. “Hey, I wonder if that guy who accosted me in the parking lot this morning wanted information about where they’re hiding.”
“Maybe.” It had crossed his mind, too. “If that guy shows up again, you let me know. I’ll make it clear that he needs to leave you the fu—the F alone.”
Tessa smiled and followed his stare over to the baby, chewing happily on tortillas, carrots, and teeny bites of chicken. “She doesn’t understand you yet.”
“But she will. Easier to clean up the language now. It gives me time to get it right since I’m bound to…F it up.”
“You’re so cute.”
That’s why you love me, he almost said. But did she?
Zy wasn’t entirely sure, and it bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said instead. “Do you remember anything else that guy said?”
She paused, seeming to mentally replay the conversation. “It all happened so fast, I’m trying to remember everything he said. He told me they had ways of making me comply, so that was unnerving.”
Hell yeah, it was. “It’s basically a threat.”
“That’s how I took it, too.”
“But he didn’t say what they would do if you refused to cooperate?”
Tessa shook her head. “He just indicated they were trying to be ‘nice’ in offering me money for the information they sought. The whole conversation was maybe thirty seconds. By the time I realized what he was saying, you came out and broke it up.”
Damn it. Zy wished like hell he’d stayed out of it long enough for Tessa to hear the stranger’s whole spiel, but he’d seen what seemed like a player with swagger trying to horn in on his woman—and he’d lost his shit.
“Don’t give it another thought. If he’s smart, he won’t be back.”
“I hope you’re right. It was weird.”
She’d obviously been unsettled by the encounter, so Zy took her hand. “I’ll look out for you, baby. I promise.”
“I know.” She sent him a soft smile. “Thanks.”
Suddenly, Hallie shrieked and pounded her palms on the tray of the high chair.
Tessa laughed. “That’s her way of saying she’s done with dinner and wants attention now.”
“Yeah? How about I do the dishes so you can play with her?”
“Actually, she needs a bath. We’re running a little behind schedule tonight.” Tessa stood and lifted Hallie from her high chair. “I want to get her into bed. Because someone didn’t fall asleep on time last night and was a bit fussier than usual this morning.”
She kissed the little girl’s head and headed to the bathroom, flipping on the light and talking to her daughter in a happy singsong tone that earned her a baby giggle. Listening, Zy smiled as he started clearing the table.
Twenty minutes later, they met back in the living room. Tessa carried a clean Hallie, looking flushed and tousled from wrestling her rambunctious toddler in the steamy water.
“You’re looking very pretty, young lady,” he said to the girl whose wet brown curls framed her pink-cheeked face.
She smiled, her big green eyes lighting up.
“She’s so happy,” he remarked to Tessa. “You’ve done great with her.”
“There were days I wasn’t sure I had it in me, but I’m happy now. Even with all the Cash drama, I don’t regret anything about her coming into my life. And I can’t believe she’s going to be one in just over a week.”
Time had flown.
“Think she’d let me hold her?” He hadn’t pushed the issue because she’d always been a little leery of men, but if he was going to be any sort of father figure, he needed to start now.
“Worth a try. If you can rock her a little, maybe read to her some, that will give me a chance to boot up my laptop and send Joaquin some paperwork he asked for.”
Zy frowned. In the middle of helping to locate his stepsister, Muñoz wanted some shit from the office? It didn’t make sense, but then again nothing about this situation did. “Sure.”
Ten minutes later, Tessa strolled in as he stood to settle Hallie in her crib.