The Memory Keeper: A Heartwarming, Feel-Good Romance(26)

“When will your son get there?”

“Not sure. They’re flying home sometime tomorrow,” he replied. “My mother watches him for me a lot when I travel for more than a night or so. He keeps her busy, which is good. She’s been alone a lot since my dad died.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s been a dark time for my family,” he said. Then he stopped walking. Jerry sniffed around by their feet. “Can I admit something to you?”

“Sure.”

“My attention went right to you yesterday at the baggage claim. You floated in with that big smile, a flower in your hair, as if you’d brought the light in when you came… It sort of made me notice the cloud I’ve been walking under.”

Both their lives seemed to be full of obstacles at the moment, and they’d probably be terrible for each other, but Hannah was beginning to feel something for him. She wanted to be careful with her next steps, but there was something pulling her toward him. She couldn’t put her finger on it. The two of them walked the path around the yard.

“I couldn’t help but see you,” he added. “You make things seem better just being there.”

“Wow,” she said, shocked that he was voicing these kind things to her. “I’ve never had anyone in my life tell me something like that before.”

He turned to her, his face serious. “You should.” The affection in his eyes was intoxicating.

While she knew they both had a lot on their plates and should probably go their separate ways, she found herself saying, “You don’t have to stay in a hotel when we get to town.”

“What do you mean?”

“You could stay at my gran’s house with my parents and me until your mom gets back.” She wanted to return the kindness Liam had shown her by giving her a ride home. “She has a third bedroom that won’t be used. You’re more than welcome.”

“I’d hate to impose on your family,” he said, shaking his head.

“You wouldn’t. I’m sure they’ll be fine with it. And you’ll have your own bathroom and everything. I usually sleep in that room, but I can sleep in Gran’s room, so you can have it. It’s really fine.”

“What if your grandmother gets better suddenly and needs her room?”

“Well, by the sound of my mother’s worry on the phone, I doubt it would happen that soon,” she said. “But if by some miracle she does, I can always take the sofa.”

“That’s really nice of you to offer.” He seemed to be deliberating.

Hannah knew that getting involved in Liam’s life might not be a good move for her, yet a buzz vibrated between them that she couldn’t ignore. “There will probably be a heart-shaped birthday cake… Just saying.”

“All right,” he said. “You twisted my arm.”

And suddenly, Hannah could see exactly what Georgia had described in the hotel room earlier. She couldn’t deny the happiness she felt when she saw it.



Liam’s phone pulsed in the car’s cup holder between them. “Do you mind answering that for me while I drive? It’s Noah,” he said with his eyes on the road, focused on the navigation as the weather shifted again and they moved through the traffic in the falling snow.

Without a lot of time to think it over, Hannah accepted the video call and Noah’s adorable face popped up.

“Hi,” he said, with a big grin that stretched to his dimples on each cheek. “Did you have to give back your hat?”

“Sadly, yes,” she replied.

“Oh. I wanted to try it on.”

Hannah laughed. “If I see another one, I’ll be sure to tell your dad where to get it.”

“Okay,” he said. “Where’s my daddy?”

“He’s driving in the snow and he has to concentrate. What are you doing right now?”

“I’m on the deck of the beach.”

Noah wobbled the phone to reveal the glistening, turquoise waters behind him, giving Hannah a pang of wistfulness, as the reality of where she was compared to where she originally thought she’d be at this moment pushed its way into the front of her mind.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, lost in thought for a second.

Hannah had barely traveled anywhere, spending every minute of her time working. She’d wanted to change that, starting with the trip to Barbados she’d planned for this week, but it had all gone so horribly wrong…

“Grandma is behind me in the chair,” Noah said. The picture on the phone pixelated and then the image of a woman, waving at the screen, became clear.

“Hello,” Hannah called.

Noah came back onto the screen. “I was bored, and Grandma needed a rest, so she said to call Daddy.”

“You’re bored?” Hannah asked. If she were there, she’d be able to come up with a million things to keep him busy. “You know, there’s a spot by the river in Franklin with a tire swing, and you can swing way out. So far that you can see the river. Maybe, if it’s still there, I can show your daddy where it is, and he can take you to it when the weather gets warmer.”

Liam glanced over at her with interest.

“Could you take me?” Noah asked.