Page 20 of With You Forever

“A week. Or two.”

Alabama reaches out to squeeze her hand. “I’d be a mess.”

Lacey inhales a stubborn breath. “I have a good doctor. I have Seth and Sal.”

Alabama nods. “Yeah, you do.” She gives a small smile. “You have us too, okay? You call if you or Seth need anything. I mean it. I can cook a mean casserole. And Griff, he can ... well, he can rant at the world if ya want.”

The kind offer fells Lacey and in spite of her nerves, she lets out a sob-laugh. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Y’all okay?”

Griff, appearing in the kitchen, splits a concerned look between them.

Turning away to wipe her tears, Lacey closes her iPad. “Just finishing up.”

Griff whisks his hands together. “Hell, I’m excited. No more ladders and hammers.” He steps close to Alabama, curling his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “Just party time.”

Alabama smiles up at him. “Betcha I could still get you on a ladder, Greyson.”

“Sweetheart, you just tell me the time and place.” With a glance at Lacey, he says, “You think we could get a tailgate goin’ an hour before the party?”

Her eyes narrow at the request. “That’s undignified even for you, Griff.”

He barks a laugh, his tawny eyes all mischief.

“It’s going to be fabulous,” Lacey says, plastering a smile on her face and meaning it. Whiskey and sunshine and fabulous friends. Here and now, she’s resolved to take a lesson from Seth—not to worry until she has to.

Fabulous, she thinks as she looks out the window.It’ll all be fabulous.

And so will her test results.

Ten days.

Lacey’s spent ten torturous glacier-paced days waiting on her results. Each day she’s put one foot in front of the other, burying herself in work, in wedding plans, Googling symptoms and then telling Seth to hide her phone, drinking copious amounts of wine with Seth late at night after they tried to fall asleep and failed miserably. Yes, her coping skills are shit, but finally, here she is.

Now, her hands clasped in theirs, Seth and Sal sit beside her on the long tan couch in Dr. Mayr’s office. The room’s a ticking time bomb of nerves as they wait on the doctor. She can feel Seth’s pulse in his palm, his jaw rigid and unmoving.

Lacey steels her spine. She’s ready for this. No matter what it is, she needs to know. Her heart, her sanity, needs this.

Reality.

Sal’s soft voice sounds. “Good or bad, they never tell results over the phone,” she says, leaning forward to look at Seth, her sister doing her damndest to be their ever-steadying calm.

Seth exhales. “Wish I had a goddamn drink right now.”

Lacey arches a brow. “Whiskey?”

His face softens with love. “You know it, princess.”

The door opens. Closes. Dr. Mayr crosses the floor and settles behind his desk. The doctor’s face is unreadable as he clears his throat and says his hellos.

Sal’s worried eyes flit to hers. “It’ll be okay.”

Lacey’s heart begins to crash around in her chest.

She knows.

Sheknows.

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