I quickly glanced at Kenna before I pulled into traffic. The woman looked effortlessly gorgeous, wearing jeans that hugged her curves just right, and a tunic-type top in a deep maroon that brought out the amber of her eyes. Shit, I needed my head examined if I was noticing that kind of thing. I cleared my throat. “You look great. This is a casual thing.”

Kenna pressed her lips together and nodded, clearly not believing a word I said. “Is there anything I need to know about Zoe?”

I navigated my truck away from town and headed towards the rolling hills. “She’s nine. Loves soccer. Doesn’t seem to be into dolls.”

Kenna laughed lightly. “All the most important things to know.”

“Her mom’s in jail for drugs. It’s a second offense, so she’ll likely be there for a while.”

Kenna sucked in a sharp breath. “There’s no other family who can take her?”

“They declined to take custody.”

Kenna muttered a curse under her breath. “How long has she been in foster care?”

“A few weeks now.” I looked over at Kenna for a brief moment before returning my eyes to the road. The lines on her brow and the set of her eyes communicated a mixture of anger and pain. “Were you ever in foster care?” I hadn’t even considered what memories this might bring up for Kenna given her history.

She stared out the window towards the ocean as we drove. “One week. It was more than I’d wish on anyone.”

My hands tightened on the wheel. “Bad foster parents?”

“Not bad. Just…exhausted. Too many kids in one home. And I was terrified of what was going to happen to me.”

“But Harriet got you.”

A small smile tipped her lips. “She did. I’d live through that week a hundred more times if it meant I ended up with her.”

“You two were good for each other.”

Her smile widened, it was that unguarded one I so rarely got but craved with every part of me. “We were, weren’t we?”

I pulled into the driveway of a house that looked a little worse for wear but not too bad. Zoe was sitting on the front step with her new backpack, Mrs. Calhoun in a rocking chair behind her with a baby on her lap.

Kenna’s hand reached out and grabbed my thigh as I put my truck in park. “That’s Zoe?”

“Yup. She’s gonna love you.”

Kenna blew out a breath. “Let’s make today really fun for her.”

A grin spread across my face. “That we can do.”