Danielle sat in the back seat of the taxi, Samuel’s birth certificate tucked safely in her handbag as they approached George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The driver took her around to the Signature Flight Support building. She was familiar with this type of private area. Unlike commercial flights, she would be allowed to wait for him in the lobby.

She’d loved airports since she was a kid, probably because her father loved airports and airplanes and anything related to flying. His exuberance had been contagious and had become a part of her as well.

Still, she had butterflies in her stomach. It had been five days since she’d seen Samuel, though they’d talked on the phone daily. He would only stay long enough for them to eat lunch, then he’d be on his way back to Fort Worth.

After arriving at her building, she paid the driver and entered the lobby. It smelled like fresh-baked cookies and popcorn. She smiled at the nostalgia associated with private lobbies over the years from flying with her dad.

She was early, so his plane wasn’t there yet. She took a seat where she could watch the incoming planes.

She thought of Samuel now as her boyfriend, though it was going against her rule about not dating pilots. She supposed that since she’d made the rule, she could break it.

Her father and Savannah made it work. Surely she and Samuel could also. How many men would be willing to raise another man’s baby?

She shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. He’d offered to help her out, he certainly hadn’t committed to raising the baby as his own.

She recognized the plane coming in from pictures he’d shown her before it even landed. The single black stripe down the tail distinguished it from the others. She stood up and leaned against the window to be able to see him the minute he stepped from the plane.

The sky was a beautiful clear blue dome today; a perfect day for flying. He’d promised to take her up this weekend, probably Saturday, since they were having lunch with his family on Sunday. She reached inside her handbag and pulled out the envelope with his birth certificate.

She grinned as he stepped from the plane. He was wearing black pants and a white oxford shirt, the uniform her father insisted on. It was the first time she’d seen him in uniform, and her heart skipped erratically.

After he stepped from the plane, he turned and helped an attractive woman with long wavy brunette hair, looking to be about their age, step from the plane. The woman had on shades, heels, and wore a red trench coat over a short skirt. Once the two of them were on the ground, she took his hand, and they faced each other. They were too far away, but it looked like they were talking. She couldn’t see Samuel’s face, but the girl looked serious, then smiled.

Then they hugged. A long hug. Danielle held her breath, but even when she had to breathe, they still hugged for a few more seconds.

And then the girl stretched up and kissed him. Danielle couldn’t tell if she kissed him on the cheek or the lips. As they turned and walked toward the limo that had pulled up, she slipped her hand around his elbow, their heads bent close in conversation. She kissed him on the cheek before he relinquished her to the care of the limo driver. He watched as the car drove off.

Stunned, Danielle watched as he walked back to the plane to speak to one of the line crew before approaching the lobby. She was trembling, and her thoughts were completely incoherent.

Her ears ringing, she sat on the nearest chair. She stared at the door he would be coming through shortly.

Samuel came through the lobby door a couple minutes later and quickly spotted her. A wide smile on his face, he strode toward her.

She sat, frozen, watching him walk toward her.

He stopped in front of her, and his smile disappeared. “What’s wrong?” He held out a hand to help her up.

She flinched away. “No,” she breathed.

“Danielle, what is it?”

“No.” She stood up, threw the envelope at his feet, and practically ran toward the exit. The tears were blinding her.

“Danielle. Wait.” He followed, quickly catching up with her.

He grabbed her arm. She could barely see him through the tears. She jerked away. “Leave me alone.” She turned and hurried down the hallway, ignoring the people who stopped to stare at her.

When she was outside, she stood pressed against the wall until she could catch her breath. She’d been wrong about him.

He was no different from the others. No different from Joey. No different from Richard, who’d broken her heart when she was in high school. No different from other pilots who had relationships with flight attendants and passengers. She’d been so gullible. So desperate to be loved, that she’d believed him.

She had believed that he was different.

But he was like all the rest.