Love Wanted In Texas: Saving You Part 24

Grinning like a fool, just like his daddy had been earlier. "Awe man." Reaching his hand out to shake mine, I pulled Colt into a hug. "Congratulations, dude."

"Wait. What is going on?" Alex said as she threw up her hands.

"Libby and I are expecting a baby, Alex. November sixth."

Alex's mouth dropped open and tears quickly formed in her eyes. Alex walked over and pulled Libby into her arms. "I'm so happy for y'all!" Pushing Libby back to look at her, Alex smiled bigger. "We're totally going shopping for maternity clothes!"

Libby giggled and nodded her head.

"Does Will know yet?" Alex asked.

I walked up and took Libby into my arms. "Not yet. We wanted to tell our parents first."

Colt laughed. "Dude, please let me be there when you tell him. I want to see him kick your a.s.s."

I glared at Colt. Josh started laughing as Colt laughed harder.

It wasn't long before everyone started making their way over for the barbecue. The rest of the day was spent talking, planning, talking some more, and then eating. Grams and Gramps invited Libby and me over for lunch the next day. Josh took me outside and threatened my life if I didn't make Libby and the baby happy every day for the rest of their lives. My father insisted he wasn't to be called Pappy. My mother made plans to go to Paris to buy clothes for the baby, and Heather watched Libby's every move. I wasn't sure how to read Heather. I couldn't tell if she was happy or not. She said she was happy for us and even talked about Josh building the baby's furniture.

If only her eyes didn't tell another story.

MY MOTHER AND I walked arm in arm along the dirt trail. I was exhausted. Once everyone found out Luke and I were expecting a baby, everything got crazy. What plans were being made? Would I keep going to school? What about my degree? Where were going to live? It was endless. When my mother pulled me to the side and asked if I would take a walk with her, I was somewhat relieved.

We walked along in silence for a few minutes before I couldn't take it anymore. "You're upset aren't you, Mom?"

Turning to look at me with a stunned expression, she shook her head. "No, I'm not upset with you, Libby. I do have to ask you one thing though."

Inhaling a deep breath, I got ready for it. "Okay."

She stared straight ahead as we walked. "Did you use some form of birth control?"

I stopped walking. "Yes. Mom, I didn't purposely get pregnant. I was on birth control. I've been on birth control ever since you took me that one time."

Her eyebrows rose. I looked away embarra.s.sed for some reason. "Luke wore a condom any time we were together, up until Christmas break. We were together one night and it just felt right and magical. I feel so embarra.s.sed talking to you about this."

I turned away from her. She walked up and put her arm around me as we continued to walk. "Libby, you're a grown woman and I don't live with blinders on. Your father and I knew you and Luke were in a s.e.xually active relationship. I was your age once too, you know." She wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

"Gross mom, I just threw up in my mouth some."

She laughed as she moved her arm and we walked together holding hands now. "Libby, I'm not going to judge you or say you did something wrong. You used protection and you're not upset about being pregnant. I'm glad you're being honest. It's just, I would have rather you waited a few more years."

Nodding my head, I stopped and turned to my mom. "The day I found I was pregnant was the day we were leaving for our camping trip. I was scared, Mom. I knew you and Dad were going to be upset with me. I didn't want to disappoint either of you. I didn't know how Luke was going to react either. When Luke graduates, we had already decided he was going to get a job close to A&M, maybe at a ranch or something. Being apart wasn't an option."

"Did you ever talk about kids?"

I chuckled. "No. I mean sometimes we would talk about our future and we both wanted kids. The plan was to wait a year or so after I graduated. I would stop taking the pill. If it happened, it happened. Then, I started to feel sick. Like I was getting the flu. My period was a few days late, so I bought a test. I was positive I wasn't pregnant. I mean, I was on the pill. I took them every single day at the same time of the day."

Clearing her throat my mother asked, "Libby, did you ever talk to your doctor about being s.e.xually active?"

"I was planning on it when I went to her for my yearly. Why?"

"Were you still taking the same birth control pills? I mean your doctor hasn't changed the type of pills or anything has she?"

I shook my head. "No. It's been the same pills I've taken all along. Why?"

Stopping my mother looked at me with such a loving face. "Baby, you were on the lowest dose of birth control pills. You were supposed to talk to her before you became s.e.xually active."

Thinking back to that day in the doctor's office, I remembered the doctor telling me I would need a higher dose once I became s.e.xual active. My mouth dropped in horror as I slammed my hands over my mouth. "I'm so stupid! I totally forgot about her saying that, Mom."

Shaking her head she winked. "Well, what's meant to be will be."

"Luke says the baby is a miracle. That she saved his life."

Lacing her arm with mine, we began to head back toward Gunner and Ellie's house. "How so?"

"Mom, it was bad on that trail. Luke had lost so much blood and he kept going in and out of consciousness." I shuddered as if I could still feel the cold wind blowing on me. "A cold front had moved through and the temperature dropped so fast. I was beginning to think Luke wouldn't make it through the night. Then Mr. and Mrs. Lambert showed up."

My mother stopped walking. "Who?"

"It was this older couple. We had met them before we went hiking. They walked by our campsite and it was really weird because they even warned Luke to watch where he stepped when we went on a hike. And Mrs. Lambert even told me to bring my phone. I thought it was kind of ironic that their last name was the same as your maiden name."

My mother was just staring at me. "Keep going, Libby."

I continued. "I don't even know what time it was, but it was dark. I heard someone talking and I looked up to see Mr. and Mrs. Lambert. I was shocked they were out late and in the cold. I was panicked and asked for them to go get help. I didn't want to leave, Luke. That's when the really strange thing happened."

"What?" my mother asked in a whisper.

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. "s.h.i.t," 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 h.e.l.l, b.i.t.c.h! 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, h.e.l.l. 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 b.r.e.a.s.t.s 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 b.u.mp us."

Glancing to Grace, she attempted a smile.

The girl pulled Noah away. "Sorry gotta run. I hope I see you around, Grace."

I b.u.mped Grace's arm. She turned and walked away. I quickly followed. She was mumbling something as we made our way to the MAC store to buy more make-up. "What are you saying, Grace? I can't hear you."

I was rushing to keep up with her, when I reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. "Grace! Stop and talk to me. Are you okay?"

"Boo Bear? What the f.u.c.k kind of pet name is that? What, do they play footsies also while they're f.u.c.king in bed?"

"Grace!" I said as I looked all around us. "Keep your voice down for Pete's sake."

Grace threw up her hands. "I give up. I hereby announce to the world that I give up on men. I mean he's going off to register for his wedding and not two seconds earlier he had his hands on me like he wanted me. What kind of an a.s.shole does that sort of thing?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, but he's a cute a.s.shole."

Rolling her eyes, Grace sighed. "And he's good in bed. b.a.s.t.a.r.d." Turning on her heels, Grace marched into the MAC store and proceeded to buy over one-hundred dollars of make-up.

LUKE REACHED AND took my hand in his. I couldn't wait to get out of the truck. We were heading back to College Station for Luke's last semester of school. It had to be one of the hottest Augusts on record. The further along I got, the more miserable pregnancy was.

"What are you thinking about?" Luke asked.

I had been staring out the window when I turned and smiled at him. "I can't wait to get back to the house. I'm ready to be alone with you."

Will and Alex were in Mason this weekend talking about wedding plans with my parents. Grace and Lauren were planning on going out tonight so the house was all ours.

Luke lifted his eyebrow and ran his tongue along his bottom lip. My body hummed with the idea of him kissing me between my legs.

I jumped and started laughing as I placed my hand on my stomach. "That was a big kick."

Dropping my other hand, Luke placed his hand on my stomach. I moved it to where the baby was kicking. His hand jumped when the baby gave another good kick. Looking at me, Luke laughed. "d.a.m.n, it might be a boy. That was a good strong kick."

Biting my lip, I nodded. "I can't believe we have less than three more months to go."

"I know. I can't wait to see if it's a boy or a girl," Luke said with that panty-melting smile of his.

Nodding my head, I looked down at my stomach. "We're going to be a family soon." Luke took my hand in his and squeezed it. I thought back to our conversation last night with our parents.

LUKE AND I sat on the sofa in my parents' living room. Four sets of eyes watched our every move. I began chewing on my lip, but knew what I was about to do was the right thing. I took in a deep breath and blew it out.

"Mom, Dad, you've always told me to follow my heart. I made a decision about school." My mother sat a little straighter. I knew getting my college degree was a huge deal for my parents.

"Okay," my mother said as she smiled gently. I glanced around the room and looked at our parents. When Ari winked at me I instantly felt at ease.

"Luke and I have talked a lot about what we thought was the best thing to do for us. Luke wanted to stay in College Station after the baby was born so that I could finish school. I'd have to take a full load and I don't see doing that with a newborn baby. I don't want to live in an apartment and have Luke working and doing something he doesn't want to do. He wants to be here. Learning and taking on more things with the ranch."

Jeff smiled as he looked at Luke.

I took in another breath and went for it. "I talked to Ellie yesterday about learning more things on the business side of the ranch. She's been handling it with the help of Gunner's mother, Grace. With Grace and Jack now leaving and going out of town more often, and the cattle ranch growing bigger, Ellie needs help. Gunner and Ellie have agreed to pay me a salary to be Ellie's a.s.sistant, with the expectation that I'll be training to take on more things."

Glancing over to Ari, she gave me a huge grin. She had been so supportive of my decision. I had talked to her about it first to feel her out on how my mother would react. I didn't think my mother would be supportive, but Ari a.s.sured me she would.

Luke took my hand in his. "Once I graduate, we'll be moving back to, Mason. I'll be working full time on the ranch. Libby will be starting off part-time and increasing her hours. I talked to Aaron and Jenny yesterday, also. With them building a new house, their place will be empty come December. They've agreed to rent it out to Libby and me."

Aaron used to work for Alex and Will's father, Gunner on the ranch. He and his brother Dewy started a construction business that ended up being very successful.

I watched my parents' faces closely. My father would nod every so often and smile softly. It was my mother I couldn't read.

"I'm going to also be taking distance courses. I have every intention of finishing my degree. It will just take a bit longer than I had planned," I blurted out as I looked at my mother.

Luke and I looked at each and then back to our parents. My mother smiled as she took my father's hand and said, "I think the big question on the table here guys is-what is the baby gonna call us?"

LUKE AND I walked into a quiet house. "Grace? Lauren?" Luke called out.