Page 129 of Need You Now

“Get him started early,” Seth crows with a proud chuckle.

“Her,” Lacey shoots back, and a laugh goes up around the room.

Lacey looks to the mountain peaks, the lake glittering through the great windows, Seth’s laughter lighting her very soul on fire.

Everyone she loves all in one place.

Her eyes settle on Seth as he tears open a gift from Sal.

Now he just needs to know that.

After a hearty breakfast of homemade buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy and blackberry jam, everyone breaks to get ready for the day. Lacey goes back to her room, showers and changes into a ruby-red gown with a deep V-neck and a full, sweeping maxi skirt. She’s Christmas with ruffles. Standing in front of the mirror, she combs her glossy hair. She can hear commotion going downstairs. Doors slamming. Griff’s bark of a laugh. Alabama and Emmy Lou in the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner. Lacey chuckles. She and Seth have strict instructions to keep Sal out.

A knock on the door has her turning.

Seth.

He whistles, low, wolf-style, and presses a hand to his heart. “Good Lord almighty. You’re lookin’ fine as hell, Lace.”

She flushes. His appreciative grin, the drop of his jaw, has her toes curling. Not to mention Seth himself. The entire room started spinning the second he walked in. In black faded jeans and a classic plaid shirt with the cuffs rolled up to expose corded tan muscles, he looks smooth as hell.

She gives a quick spin, flashing her teeth, her dress. “Oh, this old thing?”

“Yeah, right,” he says back with a grin. “We both know that cost you an arm and a leg.”

She laughs, loving how he knows her. “It’s Christmas. I have to be unreasonably glamorous.”

He walks over, hooking his hands around her waist and kissing her. “Well, I ain’t complain’. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she says, taking his handsome face in her hands. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“So, listen,” he begins, his expression turning anxious. Serious. “I got you somethin’ else. It ain’t a present exactly, and I wanted to give it to you without everyone gawkin’.”

“Okaaaay,” she says carefully, curious.

From out of his back pocket, Seth brings an elongated box. Unwrapped. “Jewelry?” she asks, tilting her head.

He holds it out to her. “You’ll see.”

Lacey takes it, Seth watching closely as she snaps open the case.

“Oh my God,” she breathes. “My locket.”

Almost hesitantly, like it’s some kind of mirage, Lacey runs a finger over the heart-shaped charm. The gold polished shiny. She sticks a nail into the groove and it opens. Inside are her and Sal’s names in cursive script. Eyes brimming with tears, she stares up at Seth. “Where did you get this?”

“I went to a pawnshop back in LA,” Seth says, his eyes locked to hers. “I talked to a kid, told him what to look for in case it came in, and it did.” His voice goes husky. “I wanted to get it back to you. I know how much you loved it.”

Lacey stares at Seth, amazed. Thankful. She has no words for this. Seth found her locket, brought her back her most precious belonging—the memory of her mother. The necklace, the lengths he went to to get it, has her heart aglow.

A lone tear slips down her cheek. “Thank you. I ...” She stares at the necklace. Her voice wobbles. “This means so much to me. You don’t even know.”

“Here,” he says, reaching for the necklace. Gently, he untangles it from the box and Lacey turns to face the mirror. He slips it around her neck and fastens it. With a smile, Seth wraps his arms around her waist, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. She reaches up, covering the locket with her palm.

Lacey stares at them in the mirror, her heart burning in her chest, love swelling in her. Bravery, too.

She spins around to face him, his arms still holding her tight around the waist. She presses into him, to cup his cheek, to meet his eyes. “Thank you so much, Seth.” She bites her lip. “You’re such a good man, a good person. Whenever I need you, you’re there. You keep me together.” Tears sparkle in her eyes. “I just ... I—” An inhale. “I love you. I really love you.”

He freezes, his expression going stunned. Caught off guard.

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