“I need you to tell me what you’re thinking and feeling first, Renie. If you can’t do that, I’m not sure we’re gonna get much talking done.”
“No, I can.” She stood up and got her cell phone out. “I should call my mom first though. I need her to check on Pooh, which she probably already has, along with totally freaking out.”
He was sure Liv was freaking out, and he wanted to laugh, but Renie left him stunned. He couldn’t get past what she said, that she was going to talk. Part of him couldn’t wait to finally know what she was thinking, the other part of him was scared shitless.
When she said she needed to call her mom, it reminded him he need to call his too, check on his baby girl. That scared him shitless too. What if that made Renie freak out?
“I need to call home too, Renie,” he said, grabbing her wrist so she’d look at him. “I need to check on Willow.”
“I know you do, Billy.” He let her go, and she walked into the other room while she punched the speed dial on her phone.
“Hey, Mom,” Renie said when her mom answered the phone.
“Hey, Renie. Everything okay?”
“I’m with Billy. As far as everything being okay, it is for now anyway.”
“Do you need anything?”
“Pooh’s in the barn.”
“Yes I know. I went and said hello. She looks good. And Micah’s happy.”
“Good. Um, I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
“That’s fine. Text me so I don’t worry.”
“It won’t be tonight.”
“I figured that, Renie.” She laughed. “You’re welcome to bring him around here in the morning.”
“He has to bring me home,” Renie said wistfully. “Okay, gotta go, Mom. Bye.”
“Bye, Renie. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
“That’d be great, Mom. Thanks. Yep, talk to you later,” she heard Billy say when she walked back in the room.
“Willow’s sleeping. She’s gonna call me when she’s awake.”
Renie didn’t know where to start. They had a lot to talk about—the changes in her life as much as the changes in his. It wouldn’t be easy for her to tell Billy about Jace. And listening to Billy talk about his baby? She wasn’t sure she could bear it.
“Do you have a picture of her?”
“Come here and I’ll show you some.”
Billy held his phone out to her. “Swipe your finger if you want to see more. There are hundreds.” He laughed.
Renie swiped her finger several times. He couldn’t read her expression.
“She’s beautiful,” Renie whispered. “She looks so much like you.”
“You’re gonna think this is crazy, but…”
“But what?”
“God, Renie.” He put his arms around her and kissed her neck. “I think she looks like you. Maybe it’s because you’re the two people I love most in the world, so when I look at her, I see love, and love is you.”