Thinking back to that moment I got a chill. Inhaling a deep breath, I slowly blew it out. “Mr. Lambert told me I had to give Luke hope because he was giving up. I cried and told them I didn’t know how. Mr. Lambert smiled and told me I did know how, I needed to tell Luke my news. Luke had let out a moan and I turned toward him. When I turned around—they were gone.”
My mother let out a gasp. The look on her face was like none I had seen before. I couldn’t tell if she was shocked, scared, or just plain confused. The color in her face had drained as she continued to stare at me. “Go on, Libby. Keep talking,” she whispered.
“Then the paramedics came. When I asked them if the Lambert’s had told them where to find us, he said they had received a call saying someone was badly injured on the falls trail so they immediately came looking for us.”
Standing there, I stared at my mother. She wasn’t moving, talking, and I wondered if she was even breathing. “Mom?”
Wiping the tears from her eyes before they could fall she let out a small laugh. “Do remember when you were little, Libby, and I used to tell you stories about how your grandparents were watching out for all of us?”
Tingles moved through my body. “Mom! I knew there was something special about them. I told Luke Mrs. Lambert kind of looked like you.”
Pulling me into her arms, she held me for the longest time before she pushed me back and moved her eyes up and down me. “I have to agree with, Luke. I’m pretty sure this little baby was your miracle, hand delivered by your grandparents.”
Breaking down into tears, I stood there as sobs rolled through my body. “I don’t know why I cry all the time, Mom!”
She giggled and said, “Welcome to motherhood.”
“I HATE THE month of July,” Grace said as we walked into the mall. I breathed out a sigh of relief when the cold air hit my face.
Placing my hand on my stomach, I smiled. “She kicked again!” I said as I stopped walking. Grace fell to her knees and began talking to my stomach. The first few times she did this in public I wanted to crawl under a rock. Now, I just laughed.
“Kick again for Auntie Grace. Come on, baby girl. Give mommy a giant kick so Auntie Grace can feel you. I’ll sing to you. The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout.”
I looked up and drew in a breath of air. Noah. He was smiling as he walked toward us. “Shit,” I whispered.
Grace told Luke and me how she had seen Noah with another girl and they were talking about their wedding. It was the day Luke was picking out my engagement ring. I tapped Grace on the top of the head. “Grace,” I said as I smiled at Noah. He stopped and smiled back at me warmly. Then he looked at Grace on her knees with her mouth up to my stomach.
“Out came the sun and dried up all the water and the itsy bitsy spider—”
Leaning down, I hit Grace harder. “Holy hell, bitch! I’m just trying to bond with my niece.” Grace jumped and spun around, slamming right into Noah. Noah quickly reached out and took a hold of Grace.
The way his eyes lit up holding her, had me questioning if he was still getting married to someone.
“Noah,” Grace said, barely above a whisper.
Noah’s eyes roamed Grace’s face as if he was trying to memorize this moment. “We have to keep running into each other more often Grace. I’ve missed seeing you.”
Taking a step back, Noah dropped his hands from Grace’s arms. “Um, what are you doing in Austin?”
He looked surprised by her response. “My parents live here. It’s summer break. What are you doing in Austin?”
Grace turned and looked at me with pleading eyes. I knew her mind had gone to jelly.
“Baby clothes.” I pointed to my stomach. “I’m due in November and well, the mall in College Station doesn’t have … the um … the um …” I snapped my head over to Grace. She was staring at Noah. Glancing back to Noah I laughed. “Well, hell. Pregnancy brain already. I can’t remember what I was saying.”
Noah laughed. Grace snapped out of it and chuckled, about thirty-seconds too late. “Yeah, we’re here buying some stuff for the baby.”
“Congratulations, Libby,” Noah said as he smiled that knock-me-over smile of his.
“You,” Grace blurted out. Noah and I both turned and looked at her. She chuckled nervously. “I mean, what are you doing at the mall?”
“There you are, Boo Bear.”
Noah’s face instantly blushed.
A beautiful, tall dark-haired woman grabbed Noah’s arm. She had on a tight, thin, white sweater that hugged her breasts and accented her thin waist. Her black skirt hugged her perfect hips and stopped just short of her knees. Her sky-high black leather boots rounded out the whole outfit. “I’m sorry, we’re going to be late. I need to make my appointment to get registered for the wedding or they will bump us.”
Glancing to Grace, she attempted a smile.