Page 49 of Bailey

Bryce hadn’t heard that, but it didn’t surprise him. Harry and Belle were a powerful country-music writing duo, and they’d been selling songs by the armload to artists all over the music charts.

“Dad-Dad-Dad-Daddy,” Matty babbled, his fingers in his mouth. “Mom-Ma-Ma-Mama.”

“Yeah, we’re going to go find Momma, bud,” Bryce said, and he curled one arm around his mother. “Thanks for taking him.”

“Oh, I’ll take that boy anytime,” she said, and Bryce knew she wasn’t lying.

He glanced around and didn’t see his father, so he said, “Say good-bye to Daddy for me, and tell him I’ll have the horses out tomorrow after five-thirty.”

Momma nodded, and Bryce turned back to find his wife and head home. As he did, he saw Bailey over at the hot chocolate bar, Reeves with her now, and he prayed that they would be able to make their exit swiftly and easily, the same way he hoped to do with Codi.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Tex Young let the strap hold his guitar as he reached for a bottle of water he’d balanced on the music stand in front of him.

“I’m just saying,” Trace said. “It sounds like blasted Neil Diamond.”

“It’s not great,” Otis admitted, while Tex and Luke remained silent.

Harry had joined them in the studio that day to go over some of the new arrangements he and Belle had been working on for Country Quad’s Christmas album.

Morris sat out in the recording booth, though they wouldn’t be using any of the equipment today. They were still in writing and practicing mode, and while this was Tex’s twelfth album, and he knew this was the process, a bit of frustration still moved through him.

He drained the rest of his water, crunched the bottle up, and walked over to the garbage can to toss it. Harry, Trace, and Otis collaborated around a notebook, and then Harry picked up his guitar again and started to pluck.

“It sounds better,” Trace said. “Though I don’t think it’s quite right yet.”

“Let’s try it,” Harry said. “And I’ll record it for Belle.”

She hadn’t come with him to the studio today. She only had four weeks left of her pregnancy, and she’d reached the point where she couldn’t bend over and tie her own shoes, and her feet and ankles had been swelling, causing discomfort bad enough for her to stay home while Harry came out to the white-barn-studio in Tex’s backyard.

He stepped out of the recording studio to get another bottle of water, where they practiced and kept all their instruments, his mind already on something else: Bryce and Codi’s baby, or maybe Morris and Leigh’s, or texting Cole and asking him how things had been going up at Whispering Pines. Boston and Cora had spent a couple of days in Miami and had been on their ship for a few days now, and he’d been sending pictures of the Caribbean and a country even Tex had never been to—Colombia.

He loved keeping up with everybody on the big family group text, and tonight after band practice he needed to call his momma and get an update on his dad’s doctor’s appointment that day. Keeping everyone updated about Daddy’s health problems, conditions, and doctor’s appointments had fallen to him. He didn’t mind a bit, though it was an extra worry and task he kept in the back of his mind all the time.

He’d also seen Bailey with her new boyfriend at Boston’s wedding, and since Otis brought OJ out to the studio a lot, he’d learned from the boy that he was some kind of online celebrity that OJ and Luke liked to watch build survival shelters, and go hiking in the mountains.

Tex himself didn’t have much time or patience for such things, and he hadn’t recognized the name that OJ had gushed over. He also hadn’t had time to text Bryce about it, though he wasn’t sure what his son had to do with any of it. He and Bailey hadn’t been together for a long time now, and she could certainly date whoever she wanted.

“You want something to drink?” he asked Morris, who seemed solely focused on his phone.

“No,” he said, without looking up. “Thanks, though.”

Tex pulled another bottle of water out of the fridge and twisted the cap. “You probably don’t need to be here.”

Morris looked up. “I wanted to see if they were going to finalize God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

“It’ll be a miracle if we finalize anything today,” Tex said. “Or this month.”

“You’re probably right.” Morris sighed and got to his feet. His wife was due with their sixth child any day now, and Tex grinned at him. “Seriously, go on home to Leigh. Or did you bring her with you today?”

He’d talked about doing that, so if she went into labor, he wouldn’t have to make the drive back to their new house in Dog Valley.

“No, the twins had a playdate,” he said. “She had to pick them up, and Eric does a decent job of babysitting for a couple of hours, but he’s no Rosie.”

Tex chuckled. “Well, no one’s as good of a babysitter as Rosie.”