Page 5 of With You Forever

“You’re thinkin’ too much,” Seth says as Luke checks his phone for about the eighth time today. His brother’s worrying about Sal. It’s classic Luke. A goner over Sal and she ain’t even in the room.

Luke exhales. “I hate this. Every fuckin’ year ...” He trails off, drowning the rest of his sentence with a long sip of his beer.

Seth hates it too.

Ever since Sal and Lacey’s mother died from breast cancer at the early age of thirty-eight, the girls have been diligent with their health and checkups. It also has his brother in knots whenever Sal goes to the doctor.

It’s got Seth in knots too.

Jesus, he still feels like an asshole he forgot about Lacey’s doctor appointment, now Luke’s driving him to drink. Still, Seth tells himself it’s routine. It’s every year. They’ll be okay.

“You ain’t drinkin’ enough.” With a lift of his hand, Seth orders Luke another beer. “We both ain’t.” He claps his brother on the shoulder giving him a reassuring squeeze.

Luke grunts, his dark eyes faraway.

“Think I’ll stop by and see the kid tonight if it ain’t too late,” Seth says, wanting to take his brother’s mind off his worries.

At the mention of his fourteen-month-old son, Cash, Luke breaks into a broad grin. “Nah. He’ll be up. He’d love to see you.”

Though Seth sees his nephew every Sunday supper, any chance he gets to see him, he’ll take it. He loves that kid. Cash is the best combination of all of them—steady and stoic, wild and rebellious. Seth can’t wait until the kid is older so he can tell him about all the shit him and Luke got up to as kids.

Damn right he’ll be the best bad influence on his nephew.

The clatter of the beer can chimes over the door has Luke twisting on his barstool.

“Everything okay?” he asks as a flustered-looking Jace hustles in, cell phone in hand.

“Emmy Lou’s on a tear.” Jace chuckles, perching on a stool. “Think she’s cooked everything in the damn house by now.” He looks down the bar at Seth. “Y’all need a casserole? Or ten?”

“You’re gonna need a new fridge.” Luke laughs. “You still got five months to go.”

Jace rubs his face, signaling for a beer. “Tell me about it.”

Seth snickers, taking the opportunity to rib his friend. “Shit, you can’t handle one woman. How you gonna handle two more?”

It was only recently that Jace and Emmy Lou found out they were having twin girls. He and Luke had never seen their friend look so shellshocked. Not to mention goddamn ecstatic.

They all are.

Adding two more to their country music family has Seth seeing how goddamn good this life of his is. How damn proud he is that the Brothers Kincaid are living out the songs they write. Women. Whiskey. Family. Friends. Now babies. It’d blow Seth’s mind if he wasn’t right there with Jace and Luke. In love and sinking.

Jace smirks. “You want to place bets on which one will happen first? Your wedding or the twins?”

Seth scowls. Asshole.

Jace swigs down his beer, glances at Seth. “Could always do what we did and go down to city hall.”

Luke laughs, long and loud.

Two months ago, Emmy Lou and Jace found out they were divorced and rustled up a quick wedding courtesy of Lacey that had everyone celebrating long and loud into the night.

Seth shakes his head. “It’d be damn near suicidal telling Lacey to skip the weddin’ and go straight to the courthouse. Hell, she’d end my life with just a high heel.”

“It’s you, Lacey, and a wedding,” Luke says. “You ain’t got no chance.”

“I just want to marry her, and damn fast too,” Seth grumbles.

Jace grins. “Y’all got lots of time.”

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