“I’m pregnant,” Katherine Cruz whispered into her cell phone, tears in her eyes.

There was a pause, and Katherine knew her husband was tearing up. This had been a long, hard fought battle. Four years of trying to get pregnant, including two full rounds of IVF treatments.

“Re-ally?” Cam’s voice broke, and she could imagine him standing at his desk and staring out at Storm Stadium.

“Yeah.” She sniffed as she walked out of the clinic and toward her car. It’d been such a long process that they’d promised each other they wouldn’t get excited today. They wouldn’t make a big deal of today.

“Kat,” he whispered. “That’s amazing.”

A laugh escaped from somewhere deep inside of her. From a place that had been so afraid she hadn’t been able to hope for it.

Cam laughed too. “Whoop!”

She laughed harder. “Go Storm!” she yelled, putting her fist into the air.

Another full laugh came from him. “That’s right, baby. Go Storm!” It was something they always did when they got good news. After all, Cameron was the owner of the Denver Storm.

Warmth filled her, and she found herself doing a little leap to the car. “Meet me downtown for dinner. Francesca’s!”

It was their go-to Italian place next to their downtown high-rise apartment.

“Ah, you’re craving carbs. You must be in a good mood.”

She laughed again. “It’s carbs for nine months, baby! I’m going to get so big you won’t recognize me. I’ll be as big as a house! You’ll be embarrassed to say I’m yours.”

Another whoop came from his end of the phone. “Never, Katherine Foster Cruz. You’re mine forever! I’ll just get as big as a house with you!”

More tears filled her eyes, but she laughed, opening her car door. “Love you! See you in a couple of minutes.”

“Coming now. Love you. Be safe.”

She clicked off the phone and got in, buckling her seatbelt. She glanced in the rearview mirror, haphazardly blotting the tears under her eyes. They were having a baby! Joy filled her as she drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the freeway. She turned on the radio and sang the popular Sloane Kent song at the top of her lungs, “Make it rain, baby! Make it rain!”

Thoughts of when she’d first met Cam in Jackson played through her mind. How she hadn’t even known who he was and how she’d told him she was engaged when she wasn’t. The love story had been epic and she was ready to move on to this next chapter of having a family.

Too many emotions filled her as she thought about how happy her mother would be. They had the best relationship now. She would call her father too, even though he’d been absent from her life for a couple of years. He was holed up somewhere on the Maine coast writing the next great American novel. Another rippling laugh came out of her. She didn’t even feel sad thinking about her dad. Nothing could touch her!

She thought of Cam’s sister, Alicia, and her husband and their two boys. They lived in Cheyenne, and she and Cam saw them all the time. Often, they would go down to the ranch and ride horses. She loved his sister. They would have to call her and let her know the good news later tonight.

Her exit came, and she took it, feeling suddenly voraciously hungry. The truth was that she’d gone completely off carbs, trying to be thinner, but not now. No way. Sure, she’d take care of herself, but tonight, they would enjoy. Pasta. Cheesecake! Francesca’s had the best cheesecake.

Turning onto her street, she pulled into their garage and parked in her spot. She texted Cam. I’ll meet you at Francesca’s. I’m ordering the garlic bread to start.

Getting out of the car, she went through the exit that led to the street and felt so grateful. She waited at the stoplight to cross the street and muttered a prayer of gratitude. “Thank you, Lord, for the strength to carry a baby. Thank you, Lord, for the man I married and his love and care. Thank you, Lord, for all things.”

The light for pedestrians sounded, and she walked across the street, noting it wasn’t busy right now. There really wasn’t anyone on the roads because it was only three-thirty in the afternoon.

The last thing she heard was a horn blaring before she felt the truck hit her and throw her. She barely registered a crunching sound from somewhere nearby, and then it went dark.