Relief flooded my system as we exchanged numbers. He left with a quick goodbye, taking off to rip Paul a new one—at least I hoped he would. The more I thought about it, the more I was certain Paul knew about the kid. I finished my tacos and Julian’s, thinking it was best not to let food go to waste. I decided I would try the hotel one more time and then figure out what to do next with the guys. Since I was downtown already, it wasn’t a long walk. It was still a little warm, but I appreciated the hustle and bustle of downtown Dallas.

I saw the hotel a block away, feeling butterflies in my stomach, trying to figure out a way to find out if she was here. I knew she had to be here under a different name because last time we were here; they told us she had checked out. Maybe she had checked back in? I walked a little faster when I noticed a familiar hair thrown up in a bun. My heart leaped at seeing Jane. She was walking through the front door, and I almost ran to catch up to her. I walked in, seeing her going to the elevator. I didn’t want to spook her, so I went for something that wouldn’t give me away.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” I got into the elevator with her before it closed. She was looking down at her phone, unaware that I was here with her. It shocked me to see how much she had changed in two weeks. She looked haggard behind her puffy eyes. She looked like she had lost weight, and her complexion lacked the usual luster. I clenched my jaw, upset that she had to go through all of this by herself, with no one to comfort her.

“Jane?”

Her head snapped up to me, and her eyes widened in shock.

“Nathan?” she said, with disbelief in her voice. “What … what are you doing here?”

“I came here for you. We’ve been worried since you haven’t been answering our texts and calls.” All I wanted to do was scoop her up and hold her close.

Her lip quivered. “I’ve had to deal with some stuff.”

“I’m so sorry Jane, I heard what happened,” I said, figuring it was best I didn’t beat around the bush.

“How did you find out?” she asked, barely keeping it together.

“I actually ran into Julian at a food truck close to here. He said you were here, and he mentioned what had happened.” The elevator dinged signaling we had arrived at what I assumed was her floor. The doors opened as she continued to stare at me.

She couldn’t contain her tears anymore. They cascaded down her face while a sob escaped her. I rushed to her, dying to hold her, and was glad when she didn’t pull away.