"I wish you would change your mind. I want our kids to grow up together."

"Dani, slow down," I said with a laugh. "Nothing would happen that fast, even if I keep dating Jeff."

"I know. I just like it when we're both happy. And it doesn't feel like you've been that happy lately."

Her words seemed like the perfect opening to say I'd found a way to make myself happy. But then Steve walked through the front door. Dani's husband was an attractive man with blond hair and blue eyes. Steve was dressed in a navy-blue suit. His glasses framed a pair of tired brown eyes. Dani had told me earlier that he'd been putting in long hours at the office and in court as a trial was just getting underway.

He gave me a friendly smile, then walked over to Dani to give her a kiss. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am," she said. "I'm a little nervous."

"It's going to be fine," he told her.

"Just what I wanted to hear you say."

I envied the look of intimacy that passed between them. They'd been through a lot of heartache since their wedding, but they seemed to have grown stronger because of it. I hoped today's exam would provide nothing but good news. They deserved a break.

"I'm going to grab my purse. I'll be right back," Dani told Steve.

As she went into the back room, Steve moved over to the counter. "Have you talked to your dad lately, Brynn?"

"No. Why?" I asked curiously.

"Vicky just called me. She wanted to know if I knew where Ross had gone on his business trip. His assistant told her he'd gone to Portland, but he's not staying at his usual hotel there. Nor is he returning her calls."

"Why would she call you?"

"Ross and I are supposed to play golf on Sunday."

"Oh. Well, my father doesn't check in with me. Dani would hear from him before I would."

"I'll talk to her about it." He paused. "Don't say anything about your dad right now. Dani might worry, and I want her to go into this appointment with a relaxed, positive attitude."

I could see by the tension in his eyes that he wasn't feeling at all relaxed. "I won't say anything, and I hope it goes well today."

"Me, too. It has been a lot to get to this point."

"It's all going to be good from here on," I assured him. "I wouldn't worry about Dad or Vicky. She lives for drama. She has always been insecure, imagining the worst whenever Dad isn't giving her a hundred percent of his attention. But he gets distracted by work, and he doesn't always check his phone when he's with clients. I'm sure he's fine."

"I hope so. I don't want Dani to be stressed about anything right now. Whatever you can do to take pressure off her, I'd really appreciate."