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Glancing around, she nodded. “What about my car? It’s still parked in the drive of the hotel.”
“I’ll get it moved for you,” the clerk said as she handed Amelia her purse. She found her keys and handed them to the clerk
“What’s your last name, Amelia? I’ve wondered for months,” he said soft and low. “I’ve looked everywhere for you.”
“Miller,” she said as he took her hand and helped her lie back on the stretcher.
“I’m Ryan Allen,” he said. “Your friendly Santa paramedic.”
She smiled at him. “Why are you dressed that way?”
“We were on our way to a children’s Christmas party when dispatch told us they were backed up with all the accidents on the roads and we weren’t far from the hotel.”
Thank God they had answered this call. What if he’d never found her? What if he’d never learned about his sweet baby?
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I don’t want the children to miss out.”
They rolled the gurney through the lobby and finally out the door.
He shrugged. “It comes with the territory. We were going to just show up and hand out presents.”
His hands shook as they loaded her into the ambulance. Part of him was angry that she hadn’t contacted him. But he’d been searching for her and unable to locate her. Maybe it was the same for her. That night, had he told her where he lived?
Once they had her secured in the ambulance, the clerk handed him her purse and he crawled in beside her. There was no way he was going to let one of his guys handle this one.
“Good luck. Let me know if you have the baby,” she said.
They shut the ambulance doors, locked down the stretcher, and then Ryan hit the back of the wagon. “Let’s get this sled rolling to Missoula General.”
Once they were on the road, he took her hand. “I have to ask, is this child mine?”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “Yes. I tried to find you, but I had no luck.”
Just as he thought.
“I tried to find you as well,” he said. “That morning when I awoke, I ran up and down the third floor barefoot, barely dressed, screaming your name until the steward told me that everyone on that floor had already left.”
Now she was crying harder. “I’m sorry, Ryan. We used protection. And then I couldn’t find you.”
“We did use protection,” he said. “It’s kind of odd that you are the last stop my ambulance made today. It’s like the universe meant for us to find each other.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Hell no,” he said. “I’m thrilled. I’m excited. I just wish I’d been with you all nine months.”
She wiped her eyes with her free hand.
“But what in the hell were you doing out driving?”
“I wanted to go home for Christmas,” she said. “No one in my family knows I’m pregnant. I’ve been so alone.”
His heart wrenched at her words as he remembered Sandy’s pregnancy and how needy and hormonal she’d been. And yet, Amelia had done it all alone.
“Not anymore,” he said. “I’m going to be by your side.”
“Are you certain?” she said. “We only had the one night.”
“Only because you didn’t leave your last name and phone number,” he said.
