“Room 314,” Daniel says as the elevator doors close. “We should head back to the apartment in the morning to regroup.”

Lynell just nods. She can still feel the weight of her daughter in her arms and can’t pull her mind off Anna’s soft face staring at her.

When they reach their room, both go straight for the bed. Lynell stares at the ceiling for a long while before Daniel reaches out and pulls her against his chest.

“They’ll be okay,” he whispers. “She’s safe.”

She falls asleep believing him.

It takes the front desk three calls before Lynell is awake enough to know it’s not in her dream.

“Hello?” she mumbles into the phone.

“Hello, Mrs. Hunter. This is your wake-up call. Your checkout is in fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks,” Lynell says, setting the phone back and dropping onto the mattress again. Her head is muddled and filled with memories of the night before. Her skin is warm from lying close to Daniel all night, who’s still fast asleep next to her, arm thrown over his eyes and shirt long discarded. She sees the stubble returning on his chin and knows it must be driving him mad.

“Almost noon?” Danny mutters.

She grunts in affirmation and they both lie still for a few more minutes before she groans and sits up. “We should get going.”

The hotel is quiet while Lynell checks them out. When she’s done, she walks over to Daniel, who’s staring at the empty breakfast display with a frown.

“At least they still have coffee,” she says, accepting the cup he hands her.

Rested, filled with cheap coffee, and munching on gas station breakfast bars, they start the drive back to Dallas. They only manage a few minutes of driving without bringing up Anna.

“She looks like you.”

Lynell laughs. “Yeah, right. Her eyes are carbon copies of yours.”

“But the rest of her, the hair and everything, is you. Remember that photo you showed me of your third Christmas? You could be twins.”

“She’s cuter.” Lynell smiles.

“She’s perfect,” Daniel says. “The best of both of us.”

“Yes, she is. Zoe and Josh are everything I wanted them to be.”

Daniel nods, and instead of looking sad about seeing the daughter he never got to know, he mirrors Lynell’s smile. “They seem like great parents. Exactly what Anna deserves.”

Lynell picks at a hangnail on her thumb. Before she can overthink it, Lynell says, “They’re a good family.” She meets Daniel’s eyes. “I want that.”

She doesn’t miss the almost imperceptible widening of his eyes. “You do?”

“I only have two more days to survive. And if we can figure out what to do about Eric, maybe I, and any other children I have, can be safe.” The hangnail comes free and she holds her hand out, palm up in an invitation.

Daniel accepts it. He grabs her hand and his smile widens. “We already know that we make super cute babies.”