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.