“You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
He shrugs.
“Go get some sleep. I’ll see you soon.”
He lingers a few minutes, holding me in his arms, before he kisses me on my forehead and leaves.
I have never lied to him. I have left huge gaping holes in the truth that are so big he could drive a semitruck through them. But I have never told him something that was not true. I wonder if I could get off on a technicality.
I hum a tune while I dust the dining room. Thinking of Theo makes my spirits soar and my step a little lighter. The last few weeks have been awesome, aside from the little disagreement we had on our date and the hiccup with Mallory. We’ve spent time together, and I’ve gotten to know him. He’s the person I knew he would be—funny, intelligent, kind, gentle.
A few more days, and Stella will be home. Then I won’t be able to keep them apart. I hope they are drawn to each other and that my shortcomings won’t ruin everything.
My cell phone rings, and I see Shelby is calling.
“Hey, you,” she says. “So, today’s the cookout. Are you ready?”
I nod, even though I know she can’t see me. I run a hand over the four gift bags sitting on my dining room table. “Yep. I’ve got my plan, and I hope he’s so distracted by my creativity that he won’t be too mad.” This could go extremely well, or I may never be invited back to another family gathering. Telling him there is a gamble, but time is running out. I hope I get extra points for making it a game.
“He’ll love it. Can’t wait to see his reaction.”
I stop, duster in midair. “What?”
“Don’t be mad, but when we were at Theo’s, I kinda, sorta slipped Tommy my number.”
I gasp. “Shelby, you sly dog.”
“We’re not dating or anything like that. I haven’t even seen him since that day. Only a few texts. Anyway, he invited me to the cookout. I can cancel if you think it will be weird.”
I plop down in a dining room chair. “No. You shouldn’t do that on my account. Do you like him?”
“I don’t know. He’s cute and smart as a whip. And damn, can that boy bake, but he’s still got two years left of graduate school in Boston.”
Wow. Shelby sure does work fast, but I hope she doesn’t forget all about Tommy when the next guy shows her attention. She gets a lot of attention, but she deserves a nice guy, someone who doesn’t crave the spotlight, like the last train wreck. Tommy might be exactly what Shelby needs.
“Tommy says Jennifer is home from her vacation today. You have got to tell him before she does.”
“I know. I have to do it today.”
“Listen, I have to go. I’ll see you later, but I do think your gift idea will help soften the blow.”
I exhale. “Let’s hope so.”
I lay the phone down on the table and proceed with my chores. Next on my list is the laundry. I’ve hardly had to do any since Stella has been out of town. While the machine fills up with water, I sort the darks from the lights. A pair of yoga pants is wadded into a ball, so I flop them out by the waistband. A folded piece of paper floats to the ground. I had forgotten that Theo dropped that a few days ago while I was working the night shift at the fitness center. That was about the time all hell broke loose, and I guess I forgot to throw it away.
I pick up the piece of paper and unfold it. It’s a printout of clues and a Hangman puzzle. No. This cannot be happening. Every time we hung out, he was rewarded with clues to a puzzle.
Tears well up. I am such an idiot. I feel so humiliated, so used, so played for a fool. All the time we spent together wasn’t real—the picnic, the late-night workout, the birthday plans, everything. Oh God, no. Please don’t tell me everything he said and did was to win a stupid game.
I rack my brain, trying to figure out who would have sent these clues to him. I need to confront Shelby and Isaac to see if they had anything to do with this. Or perhaps it was Tommy and his sister. They seem to understand his love of games. Shelby is the first to be on the witness stand. She loves this kind of cutesy stuff, and she knew my schedule. But if Jennifer put the truth together like Tommy thinks, she could have done it. But she wouldn’t have known about my work schedule. Isaac would have known that part, but he’s not very creative. I call Shelby, but it goes straight to voice mail. Dammit. I’m such a fool.
All those times when Theo happened to be right there at the right time, knowing my weaknesses, was too coincidental. He went right along with the game.
And now I have to meet his mother. I have to put on a smiley face and pretend I don’t know. Now, I’m not the only one that has some explaining to do.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Darla
The potted orchid wobbles as I balance it on my hip while shoving my keys into my jeans pocket. The handles of the four gift bags dangle from the elbow of my other arm.
I have put some serious thought into how I am going to announce my secret, but now, with the stupid Hangman clues I found, I feel all messed up inside. To think that Theo may have been playing me like a fiddle this whole time ticks me off, and I have half a mind to forget all about telling him.
But he’s Stella’s father.
Standing outside of the address Theo gave me makes me nauseated. My keys rattle as I try to shove them into my pocket. I should have faked a stomach virus. I could say that my car broke down. I could say that I got lost.
But I’m here now. It’s time to face the music. He has as much explaining to do as I do. And when I get my hands on the person who sent him those messages, they’ll wish they never messed in my love life. I run all this through my mind and still cannot come up with a logical answer to who it might be.
Before I can knock, Theo opens the door. His face lights up. Right now, I would like to knock that smirk off his face.
He scans down to my full arms. “Wow. Let me help you with this.”
“Thanks.” I hand over the plant when he reduces the distance between us. He leans down to kiss me, but I jerk my face away from him, and his lips land on my ear.
He stares at me with confusion. “What’s up?”
Don’t play dumb with me.
He eyes the gift bags on my arm. “What’s in the bags?”
I can’t help but grin. “Oh, a few things for the birthday boy.” But I might exchange them for switches if he tries to weasel out of knowing about this stupid Hangman game.
He groans. “I told you I had everything I need.”
Here goes nothing. “Can I talk to you a minute in private?”
“Sure.” He escorts me through the house he grew up in.
Photos documenting four children in various stages of life cover both walls of the main hallway. My eyes zone in on the baby pictures. One in particular is a carbon copy of Stella when she was a baby.
We step into the kitchen, which smells like apple pie and love.
“Mom, this is Darla.”
His mother, I’m assuming Stella, turns around. Sure enough, she looks like the intelligent, educated hippie that Theo described. A braid of long grayish-blond hair lies down her back. She wears a long skirt with flip-flops. Theo looks so much like his mother, I could have picked her out in a crowd. Any other day, I would have loved this woman. Today, the introductions only postpone my confrontation with Theo.
She pulls me into a giant hug then leans back and stares at me. I am staring into the eyes of my daughter’s grandmother, and this lady doesn’t even know it. My throat clamps shut, and I force down the desire to cry. There’s so much love in this house that my Stella should have known since she was born. At this point, I don’t care about the Hangman game. My daughter is part of this family, and because of stupid mistakes and misunderstandings, she was left out of all this love.
I swallow my emotio
ns and bite my lip to keep from crying. Maybe coming here wasn’t a good idea. I should have told Theo in private and definitely way before now. Yep, I should have faked the stomach virus.
“I’ve heard so much about you.”
I can’t help but smile. “Not sure that’s a good thing.”
She squeezes my shoulders. “It’s all good. Now you two go out back and chillax. Roman’s out there firing up the grill.”
I point at the plant Theo holds. “This is for you.”
She takes the plant from Theo, and her eyes twinkle. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to thank you for inviting me.”
She pats my cheek. Oh dear, I already like this lady. I hope I don’t hurt her son. She might fling the plant at me ten minutes from now. The best I can hope for is that she’ll be thrilled she has a grandchild and that it will lessen the shock Theo will probably feel when he realizes what I’ve been keeping from him.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Even as I ask, I know I’m stalling.
“Nope. Today, you’re a guest. Next time, you’re family.”
I’m not sure if there will be a next time. Theo takes my hand and leads me to the back door.
“Nice to meet you,” I throw over my shoulder.
We step out onto the deck, which shows the wear and tear of four rowdy children. I imagine Theo and Tommy tossing a football back here or Jennifer lounging in the hammock, reading a romance novel. The backyard is so picturesque. I bet there were lots of family game nights on the big picnic table and lots of laughter.
Theo’s dad mans the grill. His apron reads, “I’m a holy smoker.” He waves the smoke away from his face.
“Dad, this is Darla.”
The Reverend shakes my hand, and the corners of his eyes crinkle when he grins. “Nice to finally meet you. Relax and enjoy the quiet while it lasts.”
Truer words were never spoken. I give Theo the evil eye as he points me toward a lounge chair.
“Did your mom say your dad’s name was Roman?”
“I was wondering if you caught that.”
“Yes, I did… Romeo.”
He lies down on the lounge chair, and I perch on the edge, ready to scram if I need to. Theo’s dad waves at us through the smoke at the grill, and Theo waves back.
“So, what’s up? You seem really nervous.”
“I am, a little. But first…” I hand him the yellow bag. “Happy birthday.”
He takes the bag from me. “You shouldn’t have.”
I snatch the bag away from him. “Okay, I’ll return it.”
He grabs it back from me and tears into the bag, tissue paper flying all over the backyard. He cocks his head to the side as he pulls out the game.
“It’s the game Operation,” I explain. “You know, in case you need some practice.”
He cracks a wide grin. I hand him the blue bag, and he doesn’t waste time with protests. He drags out the game Sorry.
He laughs. “I love this game.”
“I figured you might be ‘sorry’ you ever met me.”
He leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “Not a chance.”
I clear my throat and hand him the green bag.
He cocks one eyebrow as he pulls out the next game. “Twister?”
My face heats up, and I’m sure my neck is completely covered with a blotchy blush. “Maybe we can play that one… just you and me.” I cover my mouth. I have never been so forward with a guy. At this point, I have nothing to lose.
He winks at me. “You bet.”
I let out a deep breath. Here goes nothing. I pat my jeans pocket to make sure my keys are still there in case I have to make a quick getaway. I can do this. It’s now or never. I’m glad Theo’s father is nearby but out of earshot. At least I have someone close in case I need backup. Maybe Theo will be so impressed with how clever I am, he won’t be too mad about the bomb I’m about to drop on him.
I practically throw the pink bag at him as I bite my lip in anticipation.
He takes out the dry-erase board and markers. “Uh… I’m not getting this one.”
I take it from him and draw the Hangman scaffold. “I didn’t think you wanted lipstick, so dry-erase markers were the next best thing.”
He beams. “I love it. Best gift ever.”
“Let’s play a game.” I draw sixteen lines, one for each letter of the sentence “You have a daughter.”
He rubs his hands together in anticipation. This may be the last moment he likes me, but the truth has to come out. No more stalling.
“’Sup, bro?” Tommy asks Theo, making me drop the dry-erase board in the grass. Shelby stands next to him, her fingers threaded through his. Tommy’s timing sucks.
“We were enjoying some peace and quiet until you showed up,” Theo says with obvious annoyance.
“That’s my job.” Tommy stands straighter and stares at me.
Shelby tugs him toward a swing in the corner of the yard. “Tommy, you need to finish telling me about that 3-D printer thingy.”
“Huh? Oh… yeah.”
He swings an arm over her shoulders, and they slip away from us. Shelby had better not go too far, because she’s next in the hot seat.
Then, in an instant, the moment is lost. Jennifer enters the backyard.
Dang it.
Theo pats my arm. “I’ll be right back.” He rushes over to Jennifer and gives her a big hug. Shelby has an “oh shit” expression on her face. Jennifer gapes at me then at Theo. I take one step toward them, when my phone rings.
I go to hit ignore but answer when I see it’s my sister. “Hey, Diane, what’s up?”
Diane sounds as if she has recently finished running a marathon. My sister doesn’t exercise at all. Maybe Stella has instilled some good habits in her. She sure could use some.
“Darla, don’t panic,” she says.
I stop dead still.
“I wasn’t until you said that. Is Stella all right?” My words end in a high-pitched shrill, causing everyone in the backyard to stare at me.
Shelby and Jennifer rush up to me with Theo following closely.
He studies me. “What’s going on?”
“Stella’s sick,” Diane says. “She was fine one minute, then all of a sudden… It’s real bad.”
I drop my cell phone.
Shelby takes me by the shoulders. “Talk to me,” Shelby yells. “What is going on?”
I know she screams more words at me, but I feel as if I’m underwater. I see her mouth moving, but her voice is muffled. The ground tilts, and suddenly, it’s a lot closer to my head. The cool grass cushions my fall. I blink a few times, feeling as though I have driven through the high elevation of Monteagle, when all of a sudden, my ears pop and I am able to hear again. Unfortunately, everything seems all too clear now.
Shelby is yelling into my phone. Theo has his fingers around my wrist, counting my pulse. Tommy tosses him a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. He stuffs the earpieces into his ears and wraps the cuff around my arm.
Jennifer strokes my back. “It’s going to be okay,” she says, her eyes holding my gaze.
“We’ve got to get Darla to the pediatric hospital,” Shelby says. “They’re airlifting Stella from the airport.”
Theo rips the stethoscope from his ears. “What happened?”
Shelby nibbles on a fingernail. “I don’t know. Diane was hysterical. Something about Stella cutting her foot a few days ago, but it got worse, so they decided to come home early. She was limping this morning but became unresponsive on the plane.”
“Get me out of here,” I mumble as I try to stand.
Theo grabs my arms and yanks me up. “Come on, let’s go.”
I blink a f
ew more times and nod. We rush out of the house, and Theo throws me into the backseat of somebody’s car. He climbs in next to me, and Shelby scrambles into the front seat.
Jennifer, in her calm, teacher-like voice, points Tommy toward his car. “Go, I’ll be right behind you.”
Tommy slides behind the wheel next to Shelby and peels away from his family’s home.
Theo pulls me into a hug and wipes a tear off my face. “Are you cold?”
I didn’t realize I was shivering. Theo runs a hand through my hair, and I sob until the front of his shirt is soaked.
“So much to tell you,” I whisper brokenly.
He kisses my cheek. “Focus on your baby right now.”
I nod. I don’t think I have the energy to explain or the ability to form complete sentences, anyway. Shelby and Tommy debate about the quickest route to the hospital.
“No, there’s construction on that road,” Shelby says. “It’s a snail’s pace. Take Woodlawn instead.”
The car makes a sharp turn and suddenly picks up speed again. It feels as though we are going in circles. My baby could be dead.
Please, please, Stella, please be all right.
“Come on! Would you move if you’re going to?” Tommy yells at the car in front of him. Then he speeds up. “’Bout time.”
The car comes to a screeching halt. Theo drags me out of the car, toward the automatic doors of the emergency room. We rush up to the front desk, while Tommy and Shelby speed off in search of a parking place.
“I’m Dr. Edwards. This is Darla Battle. Her daughter is being airlifted here from the airport.”
The clerk checks the radio communication. “Life Flight is on its way. Have a seat here, miss.”
Theo sits me down in the chair next to the desk.
I stare at the clerk as she continues talking. I know she’s speaking English, but I have no idea what she’s saying. I plead with my eyes for Theo’s help.
“Darla, she needs Stella’s history.”
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