"If you're working, I'll take Maya myself. It's freezing in your hometown. She just got over the flu—she shouldn't go."
I grabbed the door handle and lifted my daughter, ready to leave.
Austin locked the doors and shot me a look. "Zoey, your mom lives in the building right behind us. She sees Maya every day. My parents don't have that."
"Last year I wanted to bring Maya back, and you said she was too young. My parents didn't get to see her."
"They came all the way from the countryside, and you said she's shy around strangers. They still didn't get to see her."
"Zoey, Maya is a Mason. I get that you mind that my parents are from the village—"
"That's not what I mean." I cut him off. "Maya's been sickly since she was born. She's shy. I wasn't trying to keep your parents from seeing her."
Austin's expression darkened. "I know you want what's best for her. But my parents would never hurt her."
My heart lurched. I thought of the hide-and-seek that killed my daughter in my previous life.
The moment we arrived, my in-laws and Austin's three younger sisters swarmed around me—asking after my health, fussing over me with exaggerated warmth.