Page 41 of With You Forever

Sal leans forward on Luke’s lap. “That’s what I want to know too.”

Thinking on it, Jace holds up a finger. “Somethin’ with a T, wasn’t it?”

“Tyson,” Seth says, kicking his boot up on his knee. “Tyson Feathers.”

Alabama gasps. “Oh Lord, you didn’t.”

“Tell her about the date with the cop,” Jace says. “That’s the best part.”

Seth glares at Jace, but there’s laughter in his eyes. “Listen,” he says to Lacey, his handsome face pained. “I was forced into it, okay? I ain’t responsible for the actions of an eighteen-year-old Seth when we were just down-on-our-luck country boys. The girl literally begged me to go out with her.”

A snort from Griff.

“Uh-huh,” Lacey says, her expression stern as she tries to keep herself from laughing. Her lips twitch. It’s no secret that Seth was a playboy back in the day.

“I take her on this date, some dive Mexican restaurant in Nashville, have a few margaritas, make small talk, and after ...” A guilty expression sweeps over Seth’s face, his eyes flicking to Lacey, and he clears his throat. “She wanted to go back to her place. But only if ...”

Jace already has his hand over his face, cackling.

Eyes glowing eagerly, Emmy Lou leans forward. “If what? C’mon, sugar, spill it.”

Seth’s cheeks flame red. Then he says, “Only if I still had the chicken costume.”

“No!” Sal gasps and Alabama lets out a scream of laughter.

“Man, fuck y’all,” Seth laughs as Luke and Griff crow mercilessly.

Luke slaps his knee. “We made twenty bucks that day and were in the red for two damn months because of that costume, but the real prize was seeing Seth dressed as a chicken.”

Seth holds up his middle finger, but he’s laughing. “Worth every dime I spent.”

The room erupts into laughter. Lacey holds her stomach, the happy sensation going straight to her soul. She’s never laughed as hard as she has tonight.

She doesn’t want this night to end.

Only as her gaze drifts to her friends, to her family, the weight of reality settles, throwing her off balance.

But it will end.

In ten days, she’ll have her surgery. Then radiation. Drugs with side effects.

Her life will change.

Good, bad, it will never be the same.

Her eyes drop to the bandage on Seth’s hand.

Not herself, not Seth. Nothing.

Suddenly, everything feels too heavy. Her worries bubble up like a dark cloud thwarting her blue skies.

She’s never been this scared, because she has everything to lose.

Everything she’s worked so hard for in her life. Gone. It could be gone. Her business. Her health. Seth.

Tears fill her eyes.

“Excuse me,” she whispers, getting off the couch.

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