When he came out, he paused at the edge of the hallway, his hands on his hips. Tipping his head back, he took a long cleansing breath and let it out, smiling as he did. He hadn't noticed her yet.

He looked as if he was measuring himself against the responsibility of fatherhood. She understood that. The day she'd learned she was pregnant with his child, she had done the same thing.

He met her gaze, like an arrow shooting straight toward a target. "Hi."

"Hey," she said. Lord, he was ...