My entire family heads over to the barn, where the party is being held. Blake and Sierra’s house is too small to entertain this many people, and Wesley’s parents’ isn’t much bigger.
Sierra told me it was going to be just a little over thirty people total. Given that, it’s fairly noisy inside, voices ricocheting off the metal barn walls. Everyone’s sorta scattered, the majority huddled near the woodstove that I would imagine is lit, since there’s a slight chill to the air.
Sierra is standing at the food table with Joanna, Wesley’s mom, getting the food ready. Mom heads over to help. Cody, Dad, and Mason make a beeline for the woodstove area, and Jesse helps Ella get Cora situated in the stroller.
My eyes wander, looking for Wesley. He’s talking to some older guy that I don’t recognize. I think it might be Blake’s dad, a pastor. He looks like a pastor.
Blake is nearby, holding Caden while he’s talking to—oh my gosh—Kayce Warren.
I look away and force myself to walk in the opposite direction towards Sierra. She knows how excited I am to meet him. I’m sure she’ll introduce me at some point.
Of course, the second I glance back over to Wes, he’s looking at me. We both look away at the same time. My skin tingles, nausea building in my throat and sweat prickling under myarms. I don’t hesitate, I just head into the house to find the bathroom. I need a minute to calm my nerves.
I get my hands under the cold water and breathe. “God, please help me relax. Take this anxiety away from me, just for tonight, please,” I whisper.
I focus on my belly breathing and watch myself in the mirror.
After the anxiety subsides, I say one last prayer as I unlock the door and make my way back out. When I turn the corner, I almost collide with a pregnant belly.
“Oh, sorry!” I laugh.
“That’s okay!” she insists, and my heart thumps louder when I look up to see who it is.
“I’m Wrenley,” the blonde says. I knew that though, it just took a minute for me to recognize Kayce’s wife. She’s carrying a toddler, who I realize is their daughter, Holland.
Sierra appears behind her. “Oh yay, you guys ran into each other. Wren, this is Addison, the best babysitter in the entire world,” she says.
“Oh okay! Yeah!” Wrenley exclaims. “Sierra talks about you all the time. I’m always jealous I don’t have a babysitter like you. She’s always bragging.” She nudges Sierra.
I can’t help but laugh, feeling a blush creep up my neck. “Aw, well, if you guys lived closer, I would love that.”
Wrenley laughs and runs her hand over Holland’s brown hair. “I know. I wish Caden and Holland could grow up together, but it’s okay. Soon she’ll have a little brother to be with.”
I smile. “That’s so exciting, when are you due?”
“Not soon enough.” She laughs. “May 1st.”
“That’s exciting. Do you have a name picked out?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “Nash. We have this town thing going. Don’t ask me what we’ll come up with for a third.” She laughs.
“Nash, as in Nashville? I love that.”
“Yeah, we’re excited. Kayce’s really excited for a boy, obviously, but I’m terrified.”
“Aw, why?!”
Sierra jumps in. “Sometime when you’re bored, look up Kayce’srecord.”
We all laugh, and Wrenley lets out a sigh, as if it’s only alittlefunny.
“Well, I have three brothers,” I say. “They’re all pretty well-behaved. One’s a cop actually. And none of them ever got arrested!”
“Yeah, well—” Wrenley starts.
A deeper voice rounds the corner. “You talking about me, babe?”
Kayce appears and takes Holland from Wrenley’s arms. She laughs, but I start to sweat. Words are all of a sudden a foreign concept. I’ve never met anyone even close to famous, not that he is anymore, but tomehe is.
