He had brought me hot chocolate and said, “Traffic happens.”
He had never said, “They forgot you.”
“I thought you didn’t notice,” I whispered.
“I noticed everything.”
The room blurred again.
Evelyn reached over and brushed Noah’s blanket smooth. “We both did.”
Before I could speak, a knock sounded at the door.
It was too hesitant to be a nurse.
Richard’s posture changed immediately. Not dramatic, not threatening. Just alert.
Melissa glanced toward the hallway, then back at me. “Are you expecting anyone else?”
“No,” I said.
The door opened a few inches.
Daniel stood outside in a navy overcoat, his hair damp from the rain, one hand tucked uncertainly around a bouquet of white tulips wrapped in brown paper. He looked younger than he had at the engagement dinner photos Whitney had posted earlier that evening. Less polished. More human.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know it’s late. The front desk said I could come up for a few minutes.”
