Page 4

The girls suddenly whizzed by in fits of laughter as Jenna chased Aubrey in a lively game of tag. Birds chirped in the tree in the corner of the yard, the food on the grill sizzled, and the scent of burgers wafted their way.
“So, Duncan from Michigan, what else do you like to do?”
“I like being outdoors. I went hiking at St. Mary’s Lake last Sunday. It’s beautiful there.”
“You should hike the Sky Pond Trail sometime. Breathtaking views. That is if you’re up for a longer hike.”
“I’m game.”
“How about I take you there next Saturday.”
His mouth dropped open, a little taken aback, but in a good way.
She chuckled at his expression. “Was that too forward?”
“Not at all. I’d love that.” He grinned.
“Great.” She looked pleased with herself. “It’s a couple hours from here, so we’ll want to leave early. Can I get your number? I’ll text you my address.”
“Sure.” He rattled off the numbers, and she entered them into her phone.
The girls ran across in front of them again, burping and giggling.
“Girls!” Kyle cried. “We have a guest.”
Duncan and Dréa laughed at the girls’ antics. Her laughter, like her voice, enveloped him like a warm blanket, soothing and comforting. He could listen to her all day.
“Sorry, Duncan.” Kyle shook his head as he removed the burgers from the grill and walked into the house.
“No problem.” The phone in Duncan’s back pocket vibrated, and he pulled it out.
“There. Now you have my number.” Dréa winked at him. “I’m going to see if Melissa needs any help.”
He nodded and looked at the phone. Besides the text from Dréa, there was another he had missed.
I won’t bother you anymore, Duncan. Just know I’m thinking about you, and I hope you’re happy in Denver.
His heart sank.
Jamie.
Chapter 3
Seven weeks later
Jamie’s hands trembled as she set the pregnancy test on the edge of the sink and eyed it. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Last night while helping Shannon photograph a wedding rehearsal, she had gotten sick, but she’d assumed it was food poisoning from the rehearsal dinner. It never crossed her mind that this might be the actual reason she lost her meal until today when she’d photographed a wedding. She’d felt queasy all morning and thought it was residual effects from the food poisoning, but one of the bridesmaids was pregnant, and it occurred to her that she hadn’t started her period. In fact, she couldn’t remember the date of her last period. Early April? Before she and Duncan …
A wave of nausea hit her, and she took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.
Oh, man, is this morning sickness?
Unable to stay in the bathroom with the test staring her down, she moved toward the door, glancing back at the last minute to give it the evil eye. “You better be negative.”
She moved to the living room couch and plopped down. It wasn’t uncommon for her to be late during the busy wedding photography season. She was often a week or two off when she was constantly working and overly stressed. But she couldn’t remember if she’d had a period in May, which was the reason she’d bought the test.
After a few minutes, she glanced at her phone. Enough time had passed that the result was inevitably waiting. She stood and headed toward the bathroom, but stopped halfway, terrified of what she’d find.
“I can’t be pregnant.”