Looking back at us, my father winked. “So what? The gangs all here.”
Jase and I jumped up and ran down into the living room, flopping to the floor in front of the tree. My mother laughed and started for the kitchen.
“Well, at least let me make our traditional hot chocolate before everyone digs in.”
Jase got up and followed her. His arm around her shoulders, he said, “I’ll help.”
The rest of the night was spent drinking hot chocolate, opening gifts, and laughing. Jase and I both say it was our favorite Christmas ever.
THE DOORBELL RANG, pulling me from my memory. I laughed and looked down at my stomach. “We’re going to have memories like that, too, little one.”
I headed to the door thinking it was probably a delivery from Amazon. I’d ordered some art for the baby’s room that was scheduled to arrive today. But when I opened the door, no one was there. When I looked down, I saw a flower box on the porch. I looked up and down the street. No one was walking away or driving off. That’s weird.
I picked up the box and headed back into the kitchen, where I set it down. When I opened it up, I gasped at the long-stem red roses. I took the card out and read the note:
My hands shook as I dropped the card. I grabbed my phone and texted Walker.
Me: I got another note. It was with a box of roses.
Not even a minute later, Walker texted back.
Walker: I’m on my way home.
WALKER AND DADDY stood in the kitchen. Walker handed the card to my father.
“There’s no way of telling where they came from. No florist, no nothing,” I said, pacing back and forth. “It’s Keith. It has to be Keith.”
My father and Walker exchanged a look.
Frowning, my father said, “Honey, you don’t know that it’s Keith. I mean, he’s in Dallas,”
I shook my head, remembering the night at the Omni and our run-in with Keith.
“No,” I said. “That night we ran into him he said to call him when I finally woke up and realized who I belonged with.”
Walker frowned. He was surely thinking about to that night as well. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “Liza, I just can’t see Keith driving down from Dallas to deliver notes and flowers. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s hours away, baby. Maybe these got delivered to the wrong house. I mean, your name isn’t even on the card.”
My father picked up the box and looked it over. “He’s right, Liza. They might have been delivered to the wrong person.”
I gnawed on my lower lip and I remembered our neighbor Christine talking about how she’d just broke up with her boyfriend of five years. “They…they could belong to Christine. She did mention a recent breakup.”
Walker and my father both smiled.
“See, that’s probably it, sweetheart. You can’t get yourself so worked up over things. Pregnancy hormones are a killer.”
I looked into Walker’s eyes. His smile wasn’t touching his eyes. He felt it, too. Something was off. My gut was telling me something wasn’t right.
“I’ll take these over to Christine right now. Visit with your dad for a bit, baby.”
I nodded and glanced over to my dad. He was looking around the kitchen with a smile on his face. I couldn’t help but smile. He was remembering something. Perhaps a stolen moment with mom?
Walker grabbed the roses and the card and headed next door. I looked back at my father. “Are you thinking of a moment with Mom in here, Dad?”
He gave me a funny look and laughed. “The first time I ever stayed in this house was with your mother. She was drunk out of her mind and I brought her home. I wanted to make sure she was okay, so I stayed with her. Before I knew it, morning came, and it hit me—I was falling for her.”
I smiled and wrapped my arms around myself. “So romantic,” I said.
My father laughed. “You’re going to make your own memories in this house, Liza. Please, baby, don’t read too much into all of this. It’s all just a coincidence.”
I nodded and whispered, “Yeah. Probably is.”
I PULLED UP outside of Rudy’s barbecue. I jumped out of the car and the smell hit immediately. The aroma of mesquite wood burning filled my nostrils and I softly moaned as my stomach growled. It had been two weeks since Thanksgiving. I was now fourteen weeks pregnant and craving Rudy’s brisket like all get-out.
I was meeting Walker in forty-five minutes to get our second ultrasound. We’d get to hear the heartbeat today, and I was giddy with excitement. Plus, the doctor would get an accurate measurement of the baby for age. Even though I knew without a doubt what day we’d conceived: Our first time together—the only time we’d forgotten to use a condom.
I smiled to myself as I placed my hand on my stomach and made my way up the steps to my heavenly barbeque. Rudy’s was one of my favorite places. You’d never know when you pulled into the gas station that behind its doors was some of the best barbecue in Texas. But then I ran smack into someone. I was about to apologize when my blood ran cold.
Keith.
I swallowed hard and took a step away from him, making him let go of my arms.
“Liza? How are you?”
My heart raced as I tried to avoid eye contact with Keith. Finally, I asked, “What are you doing in Austin? Why are you…why are you here?”
He gave me a funny look. “Um, I’m here with my father. We’re working on a project down here and staying for a couple weeks.”
Oh, God. I felt sick. Keith came closer. “Liza, honey, you don’t look so good.”
I held up my hands to stop him. “Don’t call me honey,” I said.
He made a face. “I’m sorry, it’s just an old habit. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
I swallowed hard and reached for my phone.
“Would you like to have lunch together?”
I snapped my head up. “What?”
“Lunch. I’m guessing that’s why you’re here. To get your barbecue fix.”
My mouth dropped open. He knows. He knows I’m pregnant.
“How did you know? How did you find out?” I shouted.
Keith gave me a suspicious look as his eyes ran over my body. “How did I found out what? What the hell are you talking about, Liza? Why are you acting like this?”
I was frozen. I couldn’t move or talk. “I’m…I just…I’m having kind of a rough day. So I’d rather be alone. But it was nice seeing you.”
I walked past him and didn’t look back. In the restaurant, I went right to the counter. My breathing was erratic and my heart pounded loud enough to feel it in my ears.
“Is everything okay, miss?” The young girl behind the counter asked. She had bleach-blonde pigtails and an adorable, tiny nose piercing. She smiled sweetly.
“Yes. I just saw an old boyfriend, that’s all.”
She frowned and nodded. “I hear ya. You stay here as long as you need to.”
I smiled and whispered, “Thank you.”
I turned back to watch Keith. He was wearing beige dress pants and a polo shirt. Typical attire for him. He was on the phone with someone and he seemed agitated as he looked back at the door I’d just walked through. Shaking his head he turned and heading out to the parking lot. I turned around and leaned against the counter.
Keith was here. In Austin. My phone buzzed and Keith’s name flashed on the screen.
Keith: You seemed upset. If you finally wised up and broke up with Walker, call me Liza. We can go for drinks or something. I miss you.
I called Walker. It went to voice mail. I took a deep breath and made my way over to the line to order. I would get my brisket sandwich and head to the doctor’s office.
Calm down, Liza. I told myself. Deep breaths. It’s all just a coincidence.
I SAT IN the waiting room of Dr. Monroe’s office waiting for Liza. When the door opened and I saw her walk in, I smiled, but it quickly faded. Something was wrong. I jumped up and went over to her.
“What’s wrong?”
She handed me her phone and I read a text from Keith. I was confused at first, but then it hit me.
“You saw Keith? Where?”
She swallowed hard. “Rudy’s. I walked right into him. He seemed surprised to see me, but I’m not sure.”
Liza was hell-bent on believing that Keith was following her. At first, I didn’t want to believe her. But when Christine told me that her ex-boyfriend didn’t send her those flowers, I started having doubts.
I pulled Liza to me and ran my hand up and down and her back. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to find out once and for all whether Keith is behind this.” She pulled away and looked into my eyes. I reached up and wiped her tears away. “Please don’t worry.”
She nodded. “I’m trying not to.”
I smiled. “Good. ’Cause it’s not good for the baby. Or you.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
The door opened and a nurse called Liza’s name. I took her hand and guided her to the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Liza was smiling and tears were streaming down both of our faces as we listened to our baby’s heartbeat.
“Nice and strong at one hundred fifty-five beats per minute.” Dr. Monroe said with a smile.
The gel-covered wand moved on Liza’s stomach. Dr. Monroe clicked here and there.
“By the measurements, we are right were we should be. The baby looks to be about fourteen to fifteen weeks.”
The sound of the heartbeat reminded me of the thundering noise of galloping horses.
Liza let out a small sob and looked up at me. “Sounds like horses galloping.”
My heart slammed. I laughed and kissed her. “I was thinking the same exact thing the moment you said that.”
She giggled and looked back at the screen. “When can we find out the sex?”
Dr. Monroe clicked once more, then faced us. “We should be able to tell next month. You’ll be about eighteen weeks, so if the baby is in the right position, we can tell. Next month we’ll do a 3-D ultrasound so you’ll really see your baby. How does that sound?”
Liza wiped away her tears as she looked back up to me. I leaned down and gently kissed her. I pulled back as Liza said, “That sounds amazing.”
“I NEED TO run some reports for Dad so I’m heading back to the ranch,” Liza said. “What about you?”
We stopped in front of her 4Runner. I pushed a piece of her hair back behind her ear.
“My Dad asked me to stop by and pick up the contract for Wild Fire. Looks like he’s going to a new owner.”
Liza pouted. “I loved that horse. He was a money maker.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, well, Dad sold him for six hundred thousand. So I’d say he made some money.”
My dad, Layton, and I were all heading to Tennessee to check out a horse Layton was interested in. I didn’t really want to leave Liza, but it was going to be a quick, three-day trip. Liza, Whitley, and my mom were planning on painting the baby’s room while the guys were gone. Liza kept saying it was going to be a big slumber party.
I took Liza into my arms and kissed her. We quickly got lost in the kiss as she pushed her hands through my hair. We kissed until we both needed air.
Pulling back, I smiled against her lips. “We’re having a baby.”
She giggled and said, “I know. It seems so unreal.”
“Do you think he’ll know his dad is a famous country singer?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
Liza slapped my chest. “You are so bad, Mr. Moore,” she said, taking a step back.
“I have to get back to work. Dr. Monroe said we can start going to the Fredericksburg office, so I made our next appointment for there.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. Driving to Austin was insane.”
She nodded in agreement. One quick peck and she was getting into her 4Runner.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
She smiled. “Today’s a good day.”
I put my hand behind her neck and pulled her back to me. I rested my forehead on hers. “You’re my everything, Liza.”
She smiled and caressed my cheek. “And you’re mine. I love you, Walker.”
Pulling away so I could look into her blue eyes, I winked at her. “I love you too.”
I took a step back as Liza backed out of the parking lot. My heart couldn’t feel any more love for that woman. I turned toward my truck, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my front-left tire. It was flat. Coming closer, I saw a giant slash across it. I stood up straight, looking around. “Fucking son of a bitch,” I mumbled under my breath. I grabbed my phone and called my father, silently thanking God that Liza hadn’t seen the tire.
After talking to my father about my concerns, he said he was going to call Layton and fill him in. I changed the flat with the spare and was about to get into my truck when I heard a familiar voice call my name. Turning around I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Jessica.
She was walking up, dressed to the nines. Her pencil skirt was probably a bit tighter than it needed to be, and I knew her white button-down was for sure too tight. She had it damn near unbuttoned, and her tits were spilling out everywhere. Keeping my eyes focused on her face, I forced a smile.
“Hey, how are you Jessica?” I asked.
“Airports and now doctor complexes. I’m here to get my flu shot. What about you?”
Liza and I had started telling people about the baby so I didn’t think it would be a problem to tell Jessica. I smiled bigger. What I really wanted to do was stand on the tallest mountain and scream that I was going to be a father.
“Just left a doctor’s appointment with Liza.”
Jessica looked in my truck. “Where is Liza?” She asked.
“She left. Headed back to Llano. She needed to get back to work.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “Is everyone okay? I mean, you don’t look sick. I hope Liza’s all right.”
I let a nervous laugh escape my throat. “Liza is feeling…different.”
Jessica pursed her lips and looked at me. “Different? How so?”
“We’re um…we’re expecting a baby.”
Her smile faded as her eyes filled with regret. “Really? Y’all are having a baby? So soon? Don’t you think you’re rushing things, Walker?”
I looked straight into her eyes. “No. I don’t. How are you and Mitch doing?”
Her posture straightened a bit as she let out a gruff laugh. “On again. Off again. That’s how we like it.”
I looked over to the main entrance of the building when I heard the doors open. A nurse came walking out wearing pale blue scrubs. “Oh hey, Jessica,” she said. “Forgot my cell in my car. I’ll meet you inside.”
I nodded at the nurse as Jessica lifted her hand and called out, “Okay.”
I glanced back at Jessica. “Well, listen, Jessica, it was great seeing you, but I’ve gotta run. Some asshole slit my tire and now I’m running late.”
Jessica covered her mouth and gasped. “Oh, God, Walker. They slit your tire? Why?”
I looked around. “Probably kids. Liza’s car got the shit banged out of it a few weeks back. I’ll just be glad to start going to the Fredericksburg office soon. It’s closer.”
“Oh, I bet. Hey I know this is kind of out there, but if you still wanted those tickets for your mom for the nutcracker, I can get them. It’s next weekend.”
I blinked slowly and mumbled, “Shit.” I’d have loved to take my mom but we were heading to Tennessee. “Damn it, I wish I could. I’m heading out of town for work, so I’ll have to pass. But thanks!”
I jumped into my truck as she called out, “Sure. Maybe next year.”
I turned and gave her a funny look. One nod of my head and I was pulling off.
“STOP POUTING.”
I turned to my father. “I’m not pouting.”
Layton laughed. “Walker, you’re pouting. You have been since you climbed into my truck to head to the airport.” br />
I rolled my eyes, sank into my seat, and looked out the window. My father reached across and hit me on the shoulder.
“It’s still hard for me to leave your mother. She’s going to be fine. The private investigator I hired reported in before we boarded the plane. Keith is in Dallas. If he makes a move to head toward Llano, he’ll be on the phone with us. Stop worrying.”
I nodded and turned to look out the window. I hadn’t told Liza about my slashed tire. She was already freaked out. With Keith being in Austin that day, the slashed tire, his text, the flowers…shit. All signs were pointing at him, and I could no longer deny that it wasn’t a coincidence. My father and Layton agreed with me. We’d hired a P.I. to follow Keith for a bit. If something strange happened, we’d know where Keith was.
I rested my head on the seat and remembered making love to Liza this morning. I could still smell her sweet vanilla scent. Hear her soft moans of pleasure as she called my name. I tried to shake the uneasy feeling in my gut. Sitting up, I grabbed my cell phone and texted Liza.
Me: Getting ready to take off. Have fun with our moms! I love you and the baby!
I put the phone in my carry-on, I leaned my head back, and closed my eyes. The sooner this trip was over, and I had Liza back in my arms, the better.
I STOOD BACK, evaluating the room. I smiled at my mother, giggling when I saw she had a splat of paint on her cheek. She winked at me and scrunched up her nose.
“We did good, ladies,” Courtney said. “We knocked this out faster than I thought we would.”
I nodded. “I’m so glad y’all are here. This has been so much fun!”
My mother took me into her arms. “My baby is having a baby.”
I held her tighter as she smiled sweetly. “How about we go cook up something to eat?”
We spent the next few hours making tacos and drinking. Well, my mother and Courtney were drinking wine—I had orange juice and water. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. I looked over at my phone. I reached for it and saw Walker’s text.