He nodded. “Yes.”
I stared at him. “I figured out that you’d given Liza the address to the bed and breakfast. Did you know we’d get lost?”
He let chuckled. “I know you two. I knew you’d argue about getting lost. I also knew where you were, because the truck wasn’t really a rental. It was a friend of mine’s truck, and he has a GPS tracker on it to keep track of his sixteen-year-old son.”
I laughed. “No shit. Mrs. Jenkins?”
“Told her where to find y’all.”
I shook my head. A million different things were running through my head. “What if Liza and I had ended up sleeping together that night?”
I saw the muscles in Layton’s jaw tighten. “I was willing to take that chance. There’s one thing I know for certain about you, Walker. You’re a gentleman. I don’t think you’d allow yourself or Liza to become cheaters. When I saw the two of you dancing together, I knew for certain. I wasn’t sure if you’d stop yourselves or not, so I stepped in.”
I looked down as my heart beat faster. “I’m glad you did. I wish I was that sure of myself, sir. I love her. Just being around her can be a struggle. I’ve had to stop myself a million times from telling her I love her and…well, um…from telling her I—”
He held up his hand. “I get what you’re saying. Stop torturing yourselves—and me.”
I pushed out a breath and said, “I can’t stand the thought of her being with another man. But if she truly loves him, and that is what she wants, I’ll stand back and let her live the life she wants.”
Layton didn’t respond for a few minutes. “What are you going to do son?”
I closed my eyes. “Well, one thing I know is that I have to talk to Jessica.”
Layton nodded. “Walker, I brought you here because a lot of memories—good and bad—happened in this very spot. You can’t go back to the night that you decided to break up. Everything happens for a reason, son. Every road you travel down is because of a decision you made. Some decisions are good, some are bad. Learn from each one. But don’t look back in regret. Always look forward in anticipation of what could still be.”
I smiled at the man who was like a second father to me. I stood and Layton followed.
“Thank you, sir. Thank you for helping to guide me down the right road.”
“I’m always here for you, Walker. I love you like a son.”
I checked the time on my phone. “Jessica should be home by the time I get to her house. I’m going to just head on into Austin and talk to her.”
“I think that is the best thing to do.” Layton shook my hand and pulled me in for a hug. When he pulled back, he winked at me. “Just remember one thing. Don’t sit back and let Liza walk away because you think you’re doing what’s best for her.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll remember that.”
Layton smiled and slapped me on the back. He and my father liked doing that. Sometimes, I swear, they hit a hell of a lot harder than need be.
“Come on, son. Let’s head on back and fix that fence so you can head to Austin.”
I PULLED UP and parked in front of Jessica’s house. I was about to text her when I noticed a BMW parked in the driveway. I stared at it for the longest time. Why did it look so familiar?
Me: Hey. What are you doing?
A good two minutes passed before she responded.
Jessica: Just about to lay down and take a nap. I’m wiped out. All that traveling just sucked.
Me: Are your parents’ home?
Jessica: No. Just little ol’ me wishing I had your body close.
Me: Is that right?
Jessica: I can’t wait to see you. I’m excited about the adventure we’re about to take. I’m tired of getting myself off and being alone. I want you, baby.
Opening the door to my truck, I got out and made my way up the driveway. I glanced at the BMW and shook my head. I knew where Jessica’s parents kept the spare key. I made my way around the side of the house to the small potted plant that held the ugliest plant I’d ever seen. Jessica’s dad said no one in their right mind would even think to look under that plant for a key. Lifting the pot I stuck my hand under it until I felt the cool metal of the key.
I walked back to the front of the house and prayed like hell that she hadn’t set the alarm as I unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Closing it quietly behind me, I made my way up the stairs and to Jessica’s bedroom. It didn’t take long to hear her moaning. Then she started calling out.
“Yes. Oh, God! Harder. Give it to me harder!”
I closed my eyes and reached for the door. Slowly, I pushed it open and was stunned by what I saw. I was watching Mitchell Cunningham fuck my girlfriend. I cleared my throat, but with the two of them moaning and going at it like wild animals, they couldn’t hear me. I saw one of Jessica’s flip-flops nearby. She always wore flip-flops. Everywhere. It drove me fucking nuts. I picked it up and threw it as hard as I could, hitting Mitchell in the head.
“What the fuck? What’s going…” He turned and saw me leaning on the doorjamb. “Fuck!” He yelled as he jumped up, covered his dick, and searched for his pants.
“Baby what’s wrong?” Jessica turned to see what Mitchell was seeing. The second she saw me, she flew up. “Oh my God. Walker? What…I mean…how did you get in here? I mean…why are you here?”
I raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.
“It’s not what you think,” she said.
I chuckled. “Really, Jessica? ’Cause I’m thinking my girlfriend is fucking another man. How long has it been going on?”
Mitchell looked to Jess, waiting for her to lead him in the lies they were about to tell.
“Walker, baby, can we just talk in private? I swear to you, Mitchell doesn’t mean anything to me. He’s just a fuck. That’s it.”
I glanced at Mitchell. “The night we saw each other at Lunckenbach, you’d been with her that day, hadn’t you?”
Jessica spun around and looked at Mitchell. “What? What day? What night are you talking about?”
Mitchell looked away as he barely said, “Yes.”
I turned back to Jessica. “How long have you been cheating on me?”
She swallowed hard. Then I saw the tears sliding down her face. “I don’t love him. I love you. But, being with him feels right. I’ve been so freaked out about moving to the country and starting this whole new life and…”
I closed my eyes and said, “How. Long. Have. You. Cheated. On. Me?”
“About ten months,” she said.
My heart dropped. I shook my head. “Okay.”
She cocked her head and let out a nervous giggle. “Okay?”
I looked at Mitchell and then back to her. “Yeah. Okay.”
She smiled. “So you…you forgive me?”
I laughed. “Fuck, no! But it just makes my decision so much easier. I was so worried I was about to hurt you. And here you’ve been cheating on me for ten months.”
Her lower lip jutted out and she stumbled on her words. “Wh…what decision?”
“I came here to break it off with you.”
Her eyes widened. “What? Why?” It must have all clicked in that brief moment our eyes locked. “It’s because of her isn’t it? You’ve never stopped loving her have you?”
I shook my head. “No, I never did. In a way, I guess that doesn’t make me any better than you.”
I turned and began walking out into the hallway. I felt her grab my arm.
“Wait, Walker. We can work this out. Maybe you could move to Austin and work for Daddy. I know we can work this out.”
I pushed her off of me. “No. I don’t love you, Jessica. I thought I did, but I realize now that I never loved you. I settled for you.”
Her jaw dropped and she went to slap me but I stepped back. Mitchell was standing in the doorway, watching. I turned to him and said, “Good luck dude, you’re gonna need it.”
As I made my way out of the house, I tossed the spare key on the tabl
e by the front door. It felt like the weight of a hundred elephants had been lifted from my shoulders.
On my drive back to Llano, I tried to figure out what to do next. I wasn’t sure if I should tell Liza I loved her or not. I wasn’t sure what she’d do about Keith. I knew she didn’t love him enough to leave her family. I knew that, deep in her heart, there were so many reasons she wanted to stay in Llano. I prayed to God I was one of those reasons.
A MONTH HAD passed since I’d talked to Walker. I’d seen him plenty of times, but he didn’t know I was there. It was a bit pathetic on my part, really—sneaking around to get a glimpse of him. My father kept asking me if I’d talked to Walker about my true feelings. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew he was with Jessica. And I had Keith.
Leaning against the barn stall, I sighed. Keith hadn’t texted or called in almost a week. I wasn’t worried but, then again, I was. I knew he’d be back next week, and I’d have to give him an answer. I wasn’t ready. I needed more time to think. To understand my feelings. I stood up and walked back to the tack room. What I needed was a ride.
I WAS WALKING Tiny out of the barn when I stopped suddenly. Walker was headed straight for me. Shit. Shit. Shit. I turned Tiny and began walking him the opposite way.
“Liza!”
“No,” I said under my breath as I walked faster. “I’m not ready to see you.”
“Liza!” Walker called out. He whistled and Tiny stopped on a dime, about pulling my arm out of its socket. “Traitor,” I whispered as Tiny jerked his head.
Walker ran up. “Hey! Long time, no see.”
I smiled politely and nodded. “I was about to go for a ride, so…”
“Want some company?”
I stepped back and said, “No.” What I wanted to tell him was that I couldn’t think straight when I was around him.
His eyes filled with hurt. “Oh, um, okay. We just haven’t seen each other and—”
“I can’t…I can’t keep doing this.”
His eyes became something I’d never seen before. “Doing what?”
I pointed to the space between us. “This. Us, I mean. Keith deserves more than this. I’m…I’m…well, I’m going to be moving to Dallas with him.”
I watched as Walker’s face dropped. “Why?”
I laughed. “Why? Well, because we’re going to get married. Maybe. And that’s what couples do. I need you stay away because when we’re together I...”
I watched as the muscles in his neck flexed. He took a step closer to me, making me take a step back, smacking into Tiny’s side.
“I need to stay away from you…why?”
I swallowed hard. “You know why.” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
Walker took another step toward me. “No, Liza, I don’t know why.”
He was inches away and I could feel the heat between us. “I can’t do this, Walker. Please don’t make me do this.”
“Do what, Liza?”
“Walk away from us again.”
He took another step closer and put his lips to my ear. “Don’t walk away, then. Stay.”
Stay.
I closed my eyes and put my hands on his chest. His warmth raced through my body.
“Walker, I—”
The moment his lips smashed against mine, something happened. I lost all sense of reality and let my heart take the lead. My hands moved up and around his neck. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him as our tongues explored each other. It had been forever since I’d been kissed like this—since the last time Walker kissed me.
“Oh, God,” I whispered as we broke for air.
My hands were in his hair as I pulled him to my lips. Walker walked us to the barn and into an empty stall. He pushed me up against the wood and the pain both excited and scared me. He reached a side of me that I didn’t understand. He slipped his hand into my shirt, pushing up my bra. He twisted and pulled my nipple as I moaned into his mouth.
“Liza, I need you,” Walker whispered behind my ear. “Please, stay.”
The engagement ring caught my eye. Oh. God. What was I doing?
Walker set me down and began pushing his hand into my riding pants. Stop this Liza. Keith. Think about Keith.
But maybe I could have just one touch. I only needed one touch to sooth the ache.
His hand slipped into my panties and I let out whimper. I needed him to touch me just once more. His fingers moved across my sensitive skin until they finally found where I needed relief. I lifted my leg as Walker pushed two fingers inside of me and let out a moan. Then he stopped. He pulled his hand out and took a step back. I shook my head.
“Wait…what are you doing? Don’t stop!” I said.
“I need to know what you’re going to do, Liza, before we continue this.”
My head was spinning and I longed for his touch. My head slowly started to take control back from my heart.
I reached under my shirt and adjusted my bra. “This is what I mean. I lose all control when you’re around. I can’t tell you no.” I pushed him.
He was stunned. “What are you saying, Liza?”
I felt tears building in my eyes. “I’ve made a promise to someone, Walker. I’m wearing the ring he gave me.”
Walker pulled my necklace out from under my shirt. “What about this ring, Liza?”
I swallowed. My heart was breaking in two and I didn’t know what to do. “Walker, please. Please don’t do this to me. I’m begging you. What about Jessica?”
Walker dropped the ring and it fell against my chest. “I’m not with Jessica.”
I sucked in a breath of air. “Why?”
Walker backed away. “I broke up with her.”
I shook my head and looked into his eyes. “Walker, why?”
He began to walk out of the stall, but looked back at me to say, “I couldn’t be with her when I was in love with someone else.”
My mouth fell open and I stood there, frozen in place.
“You’d better get Tiny,” Walker said. “He’s starting to wander off.”
Walker left the barn. I tried to call to him, but all that came out were sobs. I fell to the ground and whispered his name over and over. It had happened again. I watched as the only man I’d ever truly loved walked away, leaving me alone and broken.
I JUMPED UP when Reed walked in. “Any sign of him?” I asked.
Reed shook his head. “No, sweetheart. Nothing.”
I sat back down as Courtney wrapped an arm around me. “Liza, I’m sure Walker is fine. We just need to stay calm.”
I nodded as Ava walked up and handed me a hot chocolate. I smiled weakly at her.
“I know how much you love hot chocolate so…” she trailed off.
Ava sat down on the sofa opposite of her mother and me. Her phone pinged and she grabbed it, quickly typing back to someone. She stood up and walked to the kitchen.
I took a sip of the hot chocolate and turned to Courtney. “I’m sorry, I’m the reason he left without telling anyone. This is all my fault.”
Courtney shook her head and gave me that sweet smile of hers. “No, don’t say that, Liza. Whatever happened between you and Walker is between you—”
“He’s okay.”
Reed, Courtney, and I all turned to Ava.
“What?” I asked, my hands shaking. Ava had been texting Walker.
“That was Walker. He just sent me a text. He’s with Jase.”
I stood up. Jase? “What do you mean?”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Jase has that internship in Austin, remember? I guess Walker went to stay a few days with him. Told me to tell Layton and Dad that he was sorry he left without saying anything, and that he’d be home tomorrow.”
I let out the breath I had been holding in. “He’s coming home? Tomorrow?”
Ava nodded. “Um, Liza, he didn’t want me to tell you, but I couldn’t do that to you.”
Courtney stood and kissed Ava on the cheek. “You did right, telling Liza.” Courtney turne
d to me, taking my mug. “Let’s take you home sweetheart, you looked exhausted.”
As I walked to my car, everything was muffled. Courtney and Reed were talking. Courtney would drive me, and Reed would follow. I sat in the passenger seat with my eyes closed until Courtney said we’d arrived. In the house, I made my way upstairs to my room. Collapsing on my bed, I stared at the ceiling with no tears left to cry. When I heard a knock at the door, I didn’t even have the energy to tell whoever it was to come in. The door opened and my mother came in. From the corner of my eye I saw something in her hand—my phone. I must have left it at home when I’d rushed over to Walker’s house.
“Uh, honey? Keith has been trying to call you for the last hour.”
I groaned and rolled over. My mother set the phone on the bedside table. I closed my eyes and thought about the night in Kentucky when Walker had held me so I could sleep.
“Walker…” I whispered as exhaustion finally took over.
I LIFTED MY arm and ran it across my forehead, wiping away the sweat that was threatening to burn my eyes again. “Mom, it’s so hot out here. Why do y’all do this?”
Courtney laughed.
“Oh, wait. Do you have your handy-dandy snake shotgun nearby, Court?” My mother asked.
Courtney walked over to the porch and pulled a shotgun down. “Hell, yes, I do.”
We all giggled and I rolled my eyes. My mother and I had gone over to Walker’s parents’ house to help Courtney with her overly extravagant garden.
“I thought the garden was Reed’s deal.” I said, as I sat on my ass and sighed.
Courtney smiled at me. “I thought you loved working in the garden, Liza. Enjoy this now, because I’m sure you won’t have it in Dallas.”
Her words stung instantly and her smiled dropped.
“Oh, honey. I wasn’t meaning anything…”
I held up my hand and gave her a smile. Looking around, my heart dropped when I saw the tree house. I thought about the countless hours Walker and I had spent up there. First as best friends, then as something more. I closed my eyes and thought about the time we’d almost made love. Maybe if we had, we’d never have walked away from each other.