Two weeks later…

Danielle now remembered why she avoided commercial flying when at all possible. The hassle had gotten out of hand. Especially at this time of year, just days before Christmas. She sighed as the older woman sitting next to her pulled a tote bag of merrily-wrapped presents from under the seat in front of her. Yes, she should have taken her father up on that offer.

She walked through the gate at the airport in Fort Worth. Her pulse rate was a little too high. Maybe it was from flying commercial. Her father had offered to send someone to pick her up, but she’d said she needed some time alone. To think.

Fortunately, the expense of booking a flight over and back the same day was so ridiculously outrageous that she had booked a one-way ticket. She had made a good decision in counting on her father getting her back to California.

Or Samuel.

She had come to Fort Worth under the guise of visiting her father, but in truth, she wanted to see Samuel. Maybe it was the sentiment of the holiday season, but she wanted to make things right with him. She hadn’t given him a chance to explain himself either time before running away. Something nagged at the back of her brain about the two incidents. Maybe it was his bewildered expression. And that it just didn’t fit with what she knew about him. Whatever it was, she wanted to see him. To talk to him.

Her father stood waiting for her just outside the door. It was one of the perks of being a pilot that he had free reign at the airport. He greeted her with a big bear hug, as always.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” It was the first time she’d seen him since he was in the hospital, and she had to blink back tears.

“So am I. It’s good to see you, too. No luggage?”

“Nah. I’m just here for the day.”

“Alright. Let’s get lunch.” Together, they walked through the airport, then outside to his car. “Are you craving anything in particular?”

“Pizza.” She’d run through seafood, then Mexican, now anything with cheese.

“Pizza it is.” Driving away from the airport, he took them straight to a small pizzeria.

“You knew just where to go.” Danielle said.

Noah looked a little sheepish. “You know pizza is my weakness. I eat here whenever I can come up with an excuse. Just don’t tell Savannah.”

Danielle laughed. She loved that she and her father were close enough that they had things they did. Things that neither her mom nor Noah’s current wife, Savannah would need to know about. Like eating pizza.

After they ordered, while they waited on their pizza, Noah peered at his daughter. “I know you didn’t fly all the way over here to eat pizza. Although I have to admit I’ve done it myself.”

“Yeah.” She looked away. There was nothing she couldn’t tell her father. That didn’t mean it was always an easy thing to do. “I was hoping I could see Samuel.”

Noah’s eyes widened. Danielle’s heart tripped. Surely, if something had happened to him, someone would have told her.

“You didn’t try calling him?”

“Dad. I deleted his phone number.”

“Pumpkin, you probably shouldn’t do things like that.”

“I know. But is he here today?”

“He has a mandatory one hundred twenty days off after a concussion.”

“So… is he coming back?”

Noah shrugged. “I don’t know.”

The only way Danielle had communicated with Samuel was through his cell phone. “Daddy, does he still have the company cell phone?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t answer it.”

Danielle stared into space. There had to be a way.

“Danielle.” Noah pulled her attention back to him. “What happened with him?”

“I saw him. In Houston. At the airport. With another woman.”

“When?”

Their pizza arrived, giving Danielle time to think back to enough details to answer her father’s question. “It was the day he had me bring him his birth certificate.”

Noah gaped at her. “I remember. He came back so obviously upset, but he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. He’d just taken Annabelle to Houston to see her dying grandfather.”

“Annabelle?” Danielle didn’t feel so good.

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “A client.”

“Daddy. I think I messed up.”

She told him about how she’d seen Samuel at the airport and stormed off. She also told him about seeing him with the girl at the hospital. “He’d just had a concussion. I think he might have been confused.” She blinked back tears. “What should I do Daddy? What would you do?”