A host of unexpected emotions washed through Samuel. The first thought was that he had been right. The second was an image of Joey walking past him in the lobby. That led to a wash of anger.

Then came a stab of regret. He wanted to be the father of Danielle’s child.

He quickly set aside his own emotions and put his focus back on Danielle. Her face was blank.

“You knew.” Her voice was quiet.

He shrugged. “Sisters.” He drew her to him into a hug and tucked her head beneath his chin. He held her tightly, and she clung to him. They stood that way in silence as the seconds passed.

He had one week. One week before he had to move to Dallas. He had an apartment reserved with Air BNB for the next two weeks. He wasn’t ready to commit to a lease in Dallas. He knew nothing about the city – which area was best to live in. Which area would be a peaceful commute to the airport.

In one week, he would be leaving Danielle on her own, to face an unexpected pregnancy with a man she no longer wanted in her life. He needed to talk to her. To find out what she wanted.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He took her hand and led her out of her office, through the lobby to the elevator.

They went outside and got into his truck without talking. He didn’t ask, he just drove to Pappa’s. They were early, so they took a quiet booth in the back.

“How do you feel?” He asked, prepared to get crackers.

“I don’t feel sick at the moment. I haven’t all morning.”

“That’s got to be a good thing.”

“You have no idea how miserable it is. And humiliating.”

“Danielle.” He held out his hand and she put hers in his. Their fingers locked loosely. “What do you want to do?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean, do I want to have the baby?”

“Do you?” He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to carry the child of someone he didn’t love.

She took a deep breath. Looked around and squared her shoulders. “Yes.”

He nodded. “Okay then.” If she could deal with it, then he would learn to accept it. No matter the biological father, the baby would still be hers.

She pulled her hand away and pressed her fingertips against her forehead. “I have to tell my parents.”

He nodded.

“I may not survive that.”

He chuckled. “They’re your parents. Surely, they’ll understand.”

“My father, yes. My mother, not so much. Image is very important to her. I’m going to be a disappointment.” She was quiet for a moment. “Maybe I should have an abortion.”

“Danielle.” She looked at him. “Do not have an abortion because you might embarrass your parents.”

She shuddered out a breath. “You’re right. My mother is coming for a visit this week. I’ll get it over with. Actually, it’s really convenient that I live here. None of her associates in L.A. have to even know.”

“It’s hard to hide a child forever.”

“Not forever. Just long enough for them to get used to the idea.”

“It’s a lot for you to get used to, too.”

“Yeah. I never saw myself being a single mom.”

“You should meet my sister. She’s a single mom.”

“Your parents were okay with that?”

“They were a little worried at first, you know, but we pitched in to help her out until she got it figured out. She’s a great mom.”

“You seem very proud of her.”

“I am. I admire her.”

Their lunch came and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

“I don’t know anything about babies,” Danielle blurted.

“Nobody does until they have one.”

“No. I mean I know zero. I never babysat. No nieces or nephews.” She drew a horizontal line with her hand. “Nothing.”

“You can take a class or read online.” He sipped his soda. Then jumped in with both feet. “Or I can teach you.”

She was silent for a few minutes. He didn’t know what to expect. “Okay.”

He smiled. That meant she was willing to consider having him around after the baby was born.

He took her hand again. “I want to be there for you Danielle.”

“Why? Why would want to be there for me when I’m carrying another man’s baby?” She lowered her voice to a whisper and gripped his hand.

“Am I the only one feeling a connection here?”

Her lips turned up into a slow smile. “No.” Her voice was soft, and her eyes conveyed more than she could know.

“Good.” He pulled back and pushed his plate away. “Take a deep breath, Danielle. Everything is going to work out.” Even as he said the words, he knew they were for him.

He was going down a path he’d only been down once before. A path he had sworn he would never go down again. Last time, with Jessica, he’d had it all planned out. This time, he was taking it day by day.

He’d just committed to be there for Danielle when he was going to be in Dallas.

He was going to be doing a lot of flying.