Dylan lied. “We’re not. Just because she wants to get back together doesn’t mean I do.”
“What about after the baby gets here? You’re probably going to change your mind. I’ll wait to ask for my divorce until I know for sure.” Dylan wasn’t going to leave Haven, and Jocelyn had no intention of asking for a divorce, but this was the game he wanted to play.
“I can be a father to my child and not be with the mother.”
Jocelyn ran her fingers down his chest. “Mmmhmm . . . okay. We’ll see.”
Dylan stood. “Look, I gotta go. It’s getting late, and I’ve got to go to work tomorrow. Don’t go calling my phone when I leave. Haven’s hormones are all over the place.”
“Again, sounds like a man who is still in a relationship to me.”
“No. It sounds like a man who cares about his child. I’ll call you later.”
When Dylan got in his car, he called Haven’s phone. The call went to voicemail. He scrolled down his text messages and found one from her. “At Condell Emergency. Having the baby.”
He yelled out into the car. “Shit! It’s too soon!”
*****
By the time Dylan arrived at the hospital, Haven had delivered—the baby was stillborn. She was inconsolable, and the nurses had to give her something to sleep. He knew she was devastated. Even though it took him awhile to warm up to the idea of having a baby, Haven was over the moon.
For two days, she didn’t do anything but cry. She wouldn’t look at him, talk to him, or allow him to comfort her. Haven just lay on her side with her back turned away from him.
“Baby.” He tried to touch her shoulder, but she moved away from his touch.
He swallowed down the hurt and guilt. “I’m going to run home, shower, and change. I’ll be back.”
He didn’t get a response from her. Not only was Dylan grieving too, but he felt like shit knowing where he was and what he was doing while Haven was delivering their daughter, Danielle. It was a name they had picked out together.
On the third morning, he’d come to the hospital with balloons. He panicked when he found that she wasn’t in her room. Quickly, Dylan went out to the nurse’s station.
“Ms. Shaw, the young woman in room 205. Where is she?”
They could see the worry on his face. “She’s fine, Mr. Shaw.”
He responded dryly. “Carpenter.”
The nurse nodded. “My apologies. She’s in our chapel. It’s on the first floor.”
Dylan wasted no time getting there. Haven hadn’t been out of bed since she’d had the baby. Had she waited, he would have gone with her.
He heard her muffled cry before entering the chapel. She was talking to someone.
“I lost my baby. She’s just gone.” The tears rolled down her face as Haven spoke through choked tears.
A white-haired lady in a wheelchair embraced Haven as she leaned over onto the woman’s shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.
All Dylan could do was watch the scene unfold before him. He wasn’t sure how long the lady held her, but it was a long time.
It should have been him comforting Haven, but she wouldn’t let him. Instead, he was rooted to where he stood as his own tears started to fall silently.
Finally, Haven pulled back. “I-I’m sorry.” She wiped her tears way with her hands. “You obviously didn’t come here for this. You have your own problems.”
“It’s okay dear. It’s good for my heart to pump with emotion. A couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t pumping at all.”
Haven looked at her chest. “Oh! I’m sorry!”
“Don’t be. For the first time in a long time, I feel useful. I’m here rehabbing from heart surgery and thought I’d come down and talk to my late husband, Charles. This is the anniversary of his death. I usually go to his grave, but I’m here, so this is the best I can do.”
Dylan cleared his voice to announce his presence. “Haven?”
Watery eyes looked up at him then quickly lowered. She couldn’t hold his gaze. They hadn’t spoken since she’d lost the baby.
Dylan had said an emergency kept him away from her, but there was a part of him that felt Haven was angry he wasn’t there. He’d told her his phone had died, and he was stuck with his boss in another city for work. That was his story, and he would take it to the grave.
That was a year ago. Dylan was just glad Haven never found out the truth. They’d broken up a few months later when she found out about Jocelyn, but Dylan led her to believe that was a one-time thing. Fortunately, Jocelyn was married, so she kept her mouth shut. If Haven had known what was really up, they probably would have never gotten back together.
Finally, one of the three bench-press machines opened up. As soon as he got off the treadmill, and made his way over to the machines, the woman who had been staring at him waltzed over.
She smiled. “Hi.”
Who was Dylan to resist an attractive woman with a sexy smile, especially now that he was single? “What’s up.”
“You look familiar?”
His smile evaporated. That was never a good sign. He’d had enough of women coming back to him after a one-night stand talking about, “Surprise!” Hell no. “Nah, you don’t know me.”
She batted her long lashes at him. “Right. Bad pick up line. I’m no good
