Page 68 of About That Night

“That’s wonderful. My kids are the best thing to happen to me. Beyond Dave, that is. I do love that man.”

Right then, Mr. Young walks by and slaps her on the butt. She waves him away, but she looks pleased. “Behave.”

“No,” he says, and gives her a smacking kiss on her cheek.

I can’t help but smile. They’ve been married for over thirty years, and they still have passion and love for each other.

“You’re very fortunate to have such a great marriage for all these years.”

Mrs. Young isn’t looking at me, but her tone is conspiratorial. “The men in the Young family stick. Land one, and you’ve got him for life.”

Nothing could possibly be better than that.

I let out a dreamy heartfelt sigh.

“How do I land one?” I ask. I mean it as a joke. A way to distance myself from Hank and the entire situation.

But it sounds more wistful than anything else.

Mrs. Young rubs my arm. “You already have landed one, sweetheart. Just let it happen.”

Then she pulls her phone out of her pocket. “Who is calling me? Almost everyone we know is here. Oh, it’s Miles, Cash’s friend! Miles is calling, you know what that means.”

I have no idea what that means.

“Hello? Oh, my God, oh, my God, okay, thank you. Yes, yes, I’ll call Faith, and she and MacKay can come down. Oh, Lord, this is just amazing. Tell Cash to call me as soon as he can.”

She ends the call. “Sera is in labor. It’s moving really fast.” She throws her arms out. “Ahhh!!! We’re having a grand-baby!”

I’m thrilled for Cash and his wife.

And grateful they’ve taken the heat off of me.

You already have landed one.

If only that were true.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Hank

“I have a problem,” I tell my brothers.

We’re out on the front porch at my parents’ house after everyone else has gone home. We have drinks and cigars to celebrate the arrival of Cash’s son, Nelson, who just made his entrance into the world about twenty minutes ago. He’s sent us a dozen pictures of a red-faced, wrinkly baby, and I’m amazed at how much I already love my nephew. Cash’s step kids were older when he and Sera got together, so this is the first newborn in the Young family and I’m in awe. Haven’t even met the kid, but I look at those images and feel like I’d move mountains for him.

If I feel this way over my nephew, I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel having my own baby. Which has circled me back around to a certain single mom who makes me understand why I've been dragging my feet all these years with every other woman I’ve dated.

None of them were her.

“Yeah, what’s up?” George asks.

“I like Chastity. I do.”

“But you need to know how to dump her?” George asks. “Don’t do it in text. I’ve seen that so many times at work. Angry or sobbing women because some guy pussied out and broke up over text.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Chastity and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends. But I think I want more. No. I know I want more. But I’m trying to be a good friend to her and not want more. Does that make sense?”

“I don’t understand,” Toby says to me. “You’re not actually dating Chastity? Then why does it look like y’all are dating?”

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