She should have said no. Any woman traveling alone with a baby after a failed marriage would have said, No, thanks, that’s too strange. But there was something in his eyes.

Not arrogance. Not manipulation. Real fear.

So she adjusted Lily against her chest and rested her head on Noah’s shoulder.

The effect was instant. The young man lowered his phone. The two women stopped staring. The woman in sunglasses muttered something under her breath, already bored.

Noah slowly released the breath he’d been holding. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Emily planned to move away after a minute. But exhaustion won, and she actually fell asleep.