What if he's with someone when I show up?

No. James assured me that he hasn't talked about anyone else but me since he left. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have needs that need to be fulfilled. Maybe he has a booty call. I shake the thought of Luke with another woman from my mind and put my phone away.

Felicity finally comes back out. She looks the same but somehow different. She tips her head toward the front door and I follow her out to the car. I wait for her to tell me what's going on, but she's silent the entire drive home. It's killing me, the not knowing what's happening. Is she okay?

Turning off the alarm, I close the front door behind us. Felicity has already disappeared into the kitchen. She hands me a bottle of water and motions for me to take a seat at the counter. I give her a questioning look, but she pleads with me using only her eyes. This is serious.

I take a seat and Felicity starts to pace the length of the kitchen. She opens her water and takes a sip before replacing the cap and setting it on the counter. I think she's going to tell me what's going on, but she doesn't. She starts pacing again, this time biting her bottom lip.

"I'm going crazy over here. Please tell me what the doctor said. Are you okay?"

She stops walking and turns toward me. "Yes. I'm fine. We're fine."

Felicity places her hands over her growing belly and her words sink in. "What?"

"I'm pregnant, Reagan. Sixteen weeks to be exact."

I do the math and know for sure that it's Elliot's. Not that there's been anyone since Elliot. It must have happened just before the accident.

"Oh. I don't know what to say. Are you okay? Is this okay?" I point to her belly, not knowing what to do or say at the moment. If the situation were reversed I would be scared to death. She doesn't look scared at all.

"I'm fine and yes, I'm happy about this."

"Really?"

"I was freaked out at first. I had no idea. We were always careful and with as many doctors as I've seen lately, you would think one of them would have caught it. He said that it may have been too early to detect anything while I was in the hospital. What's important is that I have a part of Elliot growing inside me. He may not be here, but a piece of him always will be."

When you look at it that way...

"Congratulations are in order then. You should call your parents." I try to sound excited for her, but I can't muster the right emotions as I speak. For the first time in weeks, I feel sad. I feel Elliot's loss in my heart again and it aches down deep.

"I know how you're feeling right now, Reagan. Give it time. I never thought I would be able to share my heart with another person after Elliot. Now I have a tiny human growing inside my body and my heart couldn't feel any fuller. It's a weird feeling. I love it already and I just found out it was in there."

I nod my head as if I understand what she's saying. I get the concept, but I don't think I'll fully understand the impact being pregnant has on a person until I am that person. One day I'll think back on this conversation and it'll make perfect sense. Until then, I'll pretend to understand and be happy that my best friend is out of the dark hole she's been hiding in. She's lighting up the room with her smile again. That's enough to make me happy.

I head to my room to finish packing while Felicity calls to tell her parents. She plans to call the Evans next. I hope the news helps them the same way it's helping her. They've put on a brave front recently, but I've known them long enough to know that it's just that. A brave front and nothing more.

MY FLIGHT LANDS in Raleigh just after five o'clock local time. With the time difference, I'm getting in later than I originally planned. I should have booked an earlier flight. I'll have to remember that next time I fly east. I pick up my luggage and rental car in record time. It's almost six by the time I leave the airport and head to my hotel to check in.

I'm back on the road as quickly as the elevator ride allows. I follow the turn by turn directions my phone is giving me and pull up in front of a small blue house only five minutes outside the city. It's a cute little cottage-style house with a bay window in the front and white shutters. It doesn't look anything like the houses we grew up around. It's quaint and fresh. I love it. It fits Luke's personality perfectly.

I slowly get out of the car, grabbing the white envelope out of my purse in case he's not here. I make my way up the sidewalk and then the front steps. They creak and give away the houses age. The front porch has character. There are two white wicker rocking chairs and a small table between them. I picture Luke sitting in one of those chairs, a beer in his hand, as he watches the sun set below the tree line.

The thought makes me smile. I would love to sit in the other chair and watch with him.

I take a deep breath and open the screen door. I knock twice and close the screen. It clatters against the frame as it slips out of my hand. I cringe at the loud noise until I realize that no one is here to hear it but me. I peek into the front window to make sure that he's not inside. I don't see movement inside the house so I put plan B into motion. I open the screen door back up and this time I close it slowly, trapping the envelope in the frame. It'll be the first thing he sees when he comes home.

Now it's a waiting game.

I make my way back to the hotel and sit in my room staring at my phone. I watch as the time passes by. The seconds feel like minutes. The minutes like hours. After two hours, I can't take the waiting any longer. I pick up my phone and dial his number. It goes straight to voicemail. Shit!

I didn't make a plan C. I didn't think I would need it. I didn't think beyond him either being home or not being home. He has to come home eventually, right? Maybe surprising him wasn't such a good idea.

I change my clothes and put on my running shoes. I need air. I need to get out of this hotel room and clear my mind. There's a park down the block. I'll run there and back. I stretch my arms and legs in the elevator on the way down.

The cooling night air hits my face and I smile. Yes, this is exactly what I need. I set off in the direction of the park. I passed it on my way back from Luke's house. I see it coming into view and let my mind start to wonder.

If he's not home, where is he? Maybe he went out. It is Saturday night. Maybe he had a date?

No. His final letter to me basically said that he would be here waiting for me. Well, I'm here. If he's waiting for me, I'd like to know where he's waiting. It doesn't matter. I'm not leaving without seeing him. He needs to know I'm here. He needs to read my letter. I won't give up just because he's not home. I waited ten years for him the first time. I can wait a little longer.

I turn into the park and keep going. It's beautiful. The trees are tall and in full bloom. In a few months, the leaves will start to change colors and eventually fall. I'm sure it's beautiful here when that happens. There's a water fountain up headed. Two mermaids standing tall, water flowing from their mouths. Just past that there looks like a small pond. I see geese roaming the lawn.

I take a left when the path split and head farther away from the hotel. The park is much bigger than it looked when I drove past. There's a playground coming into view now. The swings sit empty, moving slightly from the breeze. The glare of the setting sun bounces off the metal of the slide and temporarily blinds me. The parents have all taken their children home for the night. It has to be getting close to eight by now. I'm sure some of those children are laying their heads on their pillows right now and closing their eyes as sweet dreams invade their heads.