I looked down at my finger. “Oh, I took it off yesterday after Courtney asked if I wanted to help her plant some things in the garden.”
My mother nodded. She pulled my necklace out from under my shirt until she held the double heart ring. “Walker gave this to you before y’all left for school, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he did.”
“You wear it around your neck every day, Liza.”
I narrowed one eye at my mother. “So?”
She dropped the ring and sighed. “I remember the first time I saw your father.”
The smile on her face made me smile. I pulled my knees up and got ready for a story. I loved when my mother talked about her and my father. Their love was so amazing.
“Was it love at first sight?” I asked as I wiggled my eyebrows.
She made a face and said, “Yes and no. I was attracted to him beyond belief. But he also annoyed the hell out of me.”
I giggled. “Daddy? Never!”
She nodded, walked over to my dresser, and leaned against it. “Oh, yes. Believe it. He was charming, but arrogant. All I really wanted to do was smack him upside his head. But something else started happening. When he was near me, it was as if all the air was being sucked out of the room. When he smiled at me…” She shook her head and laughed. “God, when he smiled at me, it felt as if all my troubles were gone.” She placed her fingers up to her lips. “His kiss…his kiss is like magic. It completely takes my breath away, yet fills my entire body with life. If that makes sense.”
I nodded quickly. My smile faded as I looked out the window and then back to my mother.
“Mom, how do you know if it’s…real?”
“What do you mean, Liza?”
I sucked in a deep breath. “How do you know if the love you feel for someone is real?” I felt tears building as I looked back out the window. “Keith wants to take me away from here. He wants me to give up everything I love and move to Dallas to make a life with him. I’m not sure I can do that.”
I swallowed as I felt my mother sit next to me and take my hand. “Liza, look at me.”
I met her gaze.
“How does Keith make you feel when he smiles at you? Or when he kisses you? When he tells you how beautiful you are?”
I thought back to the other day in the river with Walker. When he placed his hand on the side of my face and told me I was breathtaking, it had made my heart race. My stomach had felt like a million butterflies were dancing inside.
I felt a tear roll down my face. I knew why I was holding back with Keith. I didn’t feel the butterflies when he told me how pretty I was. His kiss didn’t fill my body with life, even though I did feel something.
My mother wiped my tear away. “Liza, if Keith makes you feel like your father makes me feel, then leaving to be with him should be the easiest decision of your life.”
I sucked in a breath.
She smiled and stood up. “Finish packing, sweetheart. Then let’s go for a walk.” I nodded as I looked down. My mother was about to round the corner when she stopped. I looked up when she said, “You might want to also ask yourself something else.”
I smiled and asked, “What’s that?”
“How do you feel when Walker smiles at you?”
My smile faded as she walked away and headed downstairs.
I SAT IN the back seat of Layton’s truck and stared at the laptop. I was trying to figure out the program Layton used to keep track of the horses information. Liza was sleeping up in the front, and her little noises were driving me insane. I couldn’t think. I closed the laptop and pulled out my phone.
I had a text from Jessica. I smiled as I opened it. I hadn’t even heard my phone go off.
Jessica: Seven tonight your time. I can sneak away. Can you Facetime me?
I stared at the text message. I started to type a response.