Bailey had a very hard time telling OJ no, and so she’d made the drive from her family ranch up the canyon from town all the way up the Apple Highway to Rising Sun Ranch.
She leaned in close to the door, hoping to hear a loud party environment beyond, then she could disappear into the sidelines, and it wouldn’t be a big deal that she’d come. She didn’t have to hold the baby. She could smile and coo at him from afar and then get her favorite soda on the way home.
She opened the door, and while she could hear sometalking coming from the back of the house, where Bryce had a big living room, a dining table and chairs, and a kitchen, she didn’t hear the rowdiness she normally did when the Youngs got together.
He’d told her that they were expecting a lot of people that day. Apparently, Joey’s new boyfriend, Adam, had arranged for horseback riding for him and Joey, and several of Bryce’s uncles had attached themselves to that party. They’d gone over to Kassie’s, but Bryce said they’d be back for lunch, and they all wanted to see the baby too. He said his parents would be there, as well as Otis and Georgia, Harry and Belle, and Kassie and Reggie.
She stepped up into the house and found Kassie sitting on the couch. “Oh, hey, Bailey,” Kassie said. She’d balanced a plate with a slice of pizza on her very pregnant belly, and Bailey blinked.
Her vision changed from Kassie on the couch to herself in that same position. So, so pregnant, barely able to get on and off the couch, and so miserable. She’d lived in her parents’ basement for the last few months of her pregnancy, the weight of so many lives and so many decisions and so many consequences on her shoulders.
“Hey, Kassie,” she managed to rasp out.
“Baby, you want a cola?” Reggie asked as he poked his head into the living room. “Or lemonade?”
Kassie made a face and shook her head. “Neither. Both of those will give me heartburn; just water is fine.”
Bailey smiled at her. “Everything I ate or drank in the last trimester gave me heartburn.”
Kassie’s face brightened. “Really?”
“Totally.”
“Codi never got heartburn,” Kassie said. “I swear she’s kind of like a robot.” She laughed, and Bailey smiled.
Harry and Belle came around the corner with their pizza, and Harry said, “Oh, Bailey’s here,” and moved right over to her and hugged her as if they were old friends. She clung to him for a moment, because Harry Young had been instrumental in a huge part of Bailey’s healing. He hadn’t known it at the time, but he’d taken one of the most significant pictures of Bailey’s life, and she loved him for it.
“How are you?” she asked. “Done with your concert series?”
“Done with everything,” Harry said. “Belle and I are getting married in a month or so, and we’re writing songs for Nashville.”
“Of course you are.”
Bailey glanced over to Belle. “I’m not sure we met at Bryce’s wedding.”
“I don’t think we did,” Belle said, casting a quick glance to Harry. “It’s great to meet you.”
“You too.”
“There’s pizza and salad in the kitchen,” Harry said. “They’ve got heaters out on the deck, but I guess I’m more of a diva than I thought, because that’s too cold for me.” He chuckled and moved over to the couch in front of the window that faced Kassie.
Bailey nodded and continued her solo journey into the kitchen, where she found the dining room table full ofuncles eating pizza. “Bryce,” Otis said when he saw her. “Bailey’s here.”
She found Bryce in the kitchen with Joey, Adam, and Anaya. He handed the plate to the little girl, and then lifted his eyes to Bailey. “Hey, you made it.” He moved over to her and gave her a quick one-arm tug. “Codi is feeding Matthew right now and then she’ll bring him out. Come eat.”
He made it seem so natural that she was there, though she wasn’t part of this family.
“Hey, buddy,” she said to OJ, and he grinned at her, pure glee radiating from him.
“Momma thinks that she might have to go pick up another cat.”
Bailey smiled and shook her head as Georgia called, “I told you that was a maybe,” from somewhere behind her.
OJ picked up a piece of cheese pizza. “I know, but I can still be excited about it.”
She loved that he loved animals and that he’d been given a mother who did too. She collected a piece of pizza and turned to face the rest of the house, wondering where in the world she should sit.
“Over here, Bailey,” Joey called, and she and Adam had gone into the living room and sat on two-thirds of the couch. She nodded to the place next to her. “I saved you a spot.”
