Page 65 of Love and Memories

The woman grinned and held out a hand to Bella. “I’m Stacy.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“I wish we were meeting under different circumstances,” Stacy said.

“Well, it’s not as bad as the way Travis and I met. He’s a paramedic, and he saved my life after I was hit by a car.”

Stacy gasped and covered her mouth. “Hit by a car? Are you okay?”

“I am now. They said I must have gotten out of the way and missed being hit directly. I had a head injury and lost a lot of blood.”

Bella glanced at Travis as he worked to loosen the lug nuts on the wheel. Bringing up her memory loss still seemed weird. Her life here in Blackwater was the only one she knew.

“That’s such a wild story! I’m so glad you’re okay… and that Travis was there to help us both.”

Bella blinked through tears that somehow kept sneaking up on her. “Yeah. I thank God for him every day.”

He could hear her, but she didn’t care. He needed to know how much she valued his friendship. How different would her life be if he hadn’t stuck around to help her when he had no reason to? Where would she be now if he hadn’t slowly picked her up and put her back on her feet?

Stacy bounced the baby a little more as the crying started up again. “Shh. It’s okay.”

“Can I see him?” Bella asked.

Stacy turned the baby around, and a pink face with a trembling lip looked up at Bella.

“Aww. He’s so cute. What’s his name?”

“Saul. He’s five months old and quite a handful. This was the first time I’ve been without my husband for more than a day, and let’s just say I’m so grateful for how much he does for Saul and me.”

“I’m sure you’re missing him a lot,” Bella said as she smiled at baby Saul.

“Do you want to hold him?” Stacy asked.

Bella’s eyes widened. “Can I?”

Stacy passed Saul to Bella and his gaze stayed locked on her face as she propped him on her hip. His dark-blue eyes relaxed as she smiled at him.

“Hey,” Bella whispered, unsure how to talk to a baby or even how to act. “I’m Bella.”

“She’s a good one, buddy. We like her,” Travis said without looking up from his work.

Saul’s little hand gripped Bella’s collar as he settled into her arms. Had she ever held a baby? Surely she had, but she couldn’t recall a single time at the moment.

It wouldn’t be too long until the baby growing inside her would one day rest on her hip. This would be a common part of her life.

There were so many things she still didn’t know. The fear of the unknown racing toward her threatened to choke her. All thoughts of her pregnancy came in waves of excitement and panic.

Minutes later, Travis stood with one arm wrapped around the ruined tire and the jack in the other hand. “You’re all set. If you’ll follow me and Bella to Blackwater Automotive, we’ll make sure you get a new tire and on your way home.”

Bella passed baby Saul back to Stacy and the two reluctantly separated.

Back in Travis’s truck, he started the engine and pulled out onto the road. “Thanks for that,” he said.

“For what?” She hadn’t done anything.

“I always try to stop and help people on the side of the road, but women are always terrified to see a stranger coming.”

It was probably a weird truth. Travis was a good man, and he would never hurt anyone. Still, how could he let a stranger know that?

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