Page 128 of Need You Now

“Oh Lord, Griff,” Alabama drawls, raising her hands to reveal a pair of star-shaped diamond earrings. “You’re spoilin’ me.”

“Always, sweetheart,” Griff says back, giving his wife a big, broad grin as everyone oohs and ahhs.

Sal bends to pick up a gift wrapped in pearly white paper. She turns to Lacey, pressing it into her hands. “This is for you.”

Smiling, Lacey lifts away the wrapping to pull out an exquisite silk scarf with a faint pink paisley pattern.

Sal peers close. “I hope you like it.”

“Sal,” Lacey breathes. “It’s beautiful. I love it. Thank you.”

When she looks down, another present has settled in her lap. A small, messily wrapped square about the size of a Post-it. Seth’s grinning at her, his blue eyes bright, eager.

She narrows her gaze. “When did you get this?”

He shrugs. “I have my ways.”

“Sneak,” she hisses. She turns the present over in her hand, having no idea what to expect. Though they spent many Christmases together, they never exchanged serious gifts. She gave him something practical, like a hairbrush for his unruly hair, and Seth usually gave her some gag gift that had her blushing in embarrassment.

She opens the present, wondering, and gasps at what it reveals. Her favorite place in the world—pocket-sized. A small painting of the ocean. A stunning abstract square of blue, white and green depicting the graceful roll of waves.

“Oh, Seth,” Lacey whispers, running the tips of her fingers along the side of the painting.

“I found it at an art gallery in town,” he says, his voice husky. “For when you need to take the ocean with you.”

She looks at him, feeling like the sun is charging up inside her heart. “It’s too much.”

“Not for you.” He leans in, his breath a whisper against her hair. “I got another one for you, but you gotta wait till later.”

She smiles, delighted, but before she can pry, a laugh rolls out of Luke. He’s holding up a six-pack of beer called Hillbilly Stout. “Think this is the name of our next album.”

“Can’t stop tradition now,” Seth counters with a wicked grin.

Lacey turns to Seth. He has an assortment of gifts at his feet, but she pulls hers from the pile. “Open mine next.”

“Should I be worried?” He grins, his eyes on hers, his long fingers pulling back a corner of the wrapping paper. “It ain’t another toothbrush, is it?”

“Maybe,” Lacey teases, eyeing him as he unwraps it.

Suddenly, the tight twist of her stomach has her in knots. What if he doesn’t like it? What if it’s not Seth? What if—

“Oh man.” Seth’s staring at the leather-bound book in his hands. He looks up at her, his throat working. “Where’d you find this?”

Her face heats at the warm stare he’s giving her. But she settles for a one-shouldered shrug. “At a bookstore in town.” She reaches out, tracing the gold-leaf cowboy on the front cover. “It’s about the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. I thought you’d like it.”

“This is ... amazin’, Lace.” Holding the book like it’s some precious artifact she personally dug up from the earth, Seth flips through it, then lifts his gaze to her. His eyes crinkle as he smiles. “I goddamn love it.”

He leans in to kiss her, sweeping his mouth against hers.

Silence falls, only the sound of the crackling fire.

Wrapping his arm around her, Seth chuckles, kisses her quick, and then growls at the room. “Y’all wanna take a damn picture?”

Her cheeks warming, Lacey laughs and buries her face in his chest.

Luke, thankfully, stands and hands Sal her present, taking the attention away from Lacey and Seth.

Untangling from Seth, Lacey leans against him, watching as Sal opens her present from Luke, a loopy in-love smile on her face. “Oh, Luke,” she sighs as she unveils a pair of tiny ear protectors for the baby to wear at future concerts.

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