Danielle rushed into the ER and found her way to the desk.

“Samuel Johnson,” she struggled to catch her breath.

“Your name,” the clerk peered at her over narrow glasses.

“Danielle.” She tried to smile. Anything to keep from grabbing the computer from the woman and looking herself.

The woman’s hands remained in her lap. “We have a family-only policy for giving out information.”

“I’m his fiancé,” she blurted.

The woman tilted her head as she seemed to consider.

“Please,” Danielle pleaded. “Just tell me if he’s even here. I just drove in from Auburn. And we’re from Houston.” She didn’t fight the tears that filled her eyes. Crying on demand was a talent that she’d never mastered… until becoming pregnant. Now, the pregnancy hormones had opened up a whole new world.

The clerk tapped on her computer keys. “He’s in room 532,” she said.

“Thank you,” Danielle said and took off toward the elevators.

When she got off the elevator and approached his room, she stopped. What was she supposed to say? Hi. I know I broke up with you. But I was so worried.

Maybe it was best if she didn’t say anything.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she put one foot in front of the other. Now that she was here, it took every ounce of strength to keep moving forward.

She heard female laughter as she approached his room. Probably a nurse trying to cheer him up. She put a hand on the doorknob and turned it. As the door opened, she wondered if she was supposed to knock first. Danielle had no experience with hospitals. She’d gone with her mother once to visit her grandmother, but that was it.

As the door swung open, Samuel smiled. With a two-second sweep, she took in the situation. Definitely not a nurse.

Samuel sat propped on pillows in the bed. His attention was on a young lady standing at his bedside. Definitely not a nurse. As she drew closer, she saw that he was holding the girl’s hand. She took another step, though her brain was frozen. She stopped just inside the door and heard Samuel’s words. “I’m so happy you’re here. I’ve missed you more than you can ever know.” It barely registered that his eyes were half closed.

The girl saw Danielle first and turned, concern and confusion shadowing her face. Samuel followed her gaze. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Danielle,” he breathed. He looked back at the girl standing next to his bed, holding his hand.

Danielle felt a wave of heat setting her blood to boil. This. This was exactly why she would never marry a pilot.

“You’re here.” He murmured, looking back at the other girl. “How?” Then turned his gaze back to Danielle.

“I drove.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but her heart was in her throat.

“Wait.”

Danielle turned around and quietly walked back down the hall. Never make a scene, her mother had told her a million times.

Once she was in the parking lot and inside the vehicle, she locked the door and the tears wracked her body. She cried harder than she had ever cried before. Even harder than the time she had taken her mother’s Xanax with her father’s alcohol.

That had been years ago, and she had never felt that way since.

Not until now. Now she felt like her world had crashed at her feet in a thousand pieces. Even as she’d broken up with Samuel, she’d clung to the belief in her heart that he was different. That he would never hurt her.

He had no idea what it had taken for her to drive to this hospital. Not only the drive itself, but to take the risk that he might want to see her.

He hadn’t needed her after all. He’d moved on. Without her. Just like she’d known he would.

It will pass. Years of therapy coalesced in that moment to give her strength. She wiped away the tears and lifted her head. It was raining now. She watched the raindrops slide down the windshield and let them wash away her pain along with it.

Maybe it was the hormones, but whatever it was, it was too much. Samuel deserved better.

I need to get myself together.

Every instinct had her going back up to his room. It was a misunderstanding. She could straighten it out in a minute.

Samuel deserves someone he can make a baby with. His own baby.

I love him too much. I have to let him go.

She put on her seatbelt and put the SUV in reverse.

She needed to get Emily’s car back to her. Then she needed to get back to L.A. and back to work. Authors were waiting on their covers, and she had to design them.

And more importantly, she had to get ready to bring home a baby.