Page 130 of Bailey

Bryce swallowed and nodded, because Codi’s family reunion had been on the calendar before Bailey’s wedding. They hadn’t deliberately planned a trip over it.

“They brought a gift,” Reeves said. “And I’m trying to get them to stay for coffee.”

“You should,” Bailey said. “And I even stopped at the Sip and Stay and got croissants.” She looked at Reeves, a guilty look coming into her eyes. “But I left those in my car….”

He chuckled. “I’ll grab them,” he said and stepped out the side door.

Codi picked up the gift bag and smiled as she handed it to Bailey. “It’s nothing special.”

“It’s a date night pack,” Bryce blurted out.

Bailey looked at him, and pulled out the pale pink paper, her eyes only dropping to the bag after it had been removed. She lifted out the gift cards and pulled in a breath. “Wow,” she said. “This is more than one date night.”

“It’s a coffee date,” Bryce said, indicating the gift card to Daily Grind.

“And a lunch date,” Codi said. “We heard you guys liked Wild Thyme in town.”

“We do,” Bailey said as she looked at the second gift card.

“And a dinner date,” Bryce said. “Carvers out at Silver Sage. It’s a great steakhouse, and out of the way.” He cut his eyes over to the garage entrance as Reeves came back in with the pale blue pastry box from Sip and Stay.

Bailey turned toward him. “Look, hon. They got us a breakfast, lunch, and dinner date gift cards.”

“That’s great,” Reeves said. Bryce didn’t detect a single ounce of trepidation in him, though he knew he didn’t like being recognized while out in public. Bryce understood, and he and Codi spent a lot of time on their private ranch whenever possible. “Thank you so much,” Reeves said, and he turned to get coffee cups. “Is it just me and you, Bay, or are they staying?”

Codi looked at Bryce, and Bryce looked at Codi. She would defer to him on this, and the softness in her eyes told him that she wouldn’t mind staying. So he turned to Reeves and said, “We’ll stay for a minute, but we’ve got to get back to our boys real soon.”

Tex Young sat in the third row of chairs that had been set up for Bailey’s wedding. He and Abby had left their kids with Wade and Cheryl and driven the fifteen minutes around the corner to Reeves’s property for the nuptials. Apparently, the man didn’t have any family, but a friend of his had come in from Alaska.

They’d kept the affair small, and Bailey’s family took up both sides of the aisle in the front two rows, as well as part of the third across from him. From the Youngs, only he and Abby had been invited, along with Otis and Georgia and their children, Adam and Joey, Luke and Sterling, and Momma and Daddy.

Luke and Sterling had not brought their kids, and Tex was glad that Reeves and Luke had become friends. Something in the air shifted, and Tex turned to look over his shoulder at the same time Abby did.

Reeves stood on the deck, and a natural aisle had been created at the bottom of the stairs by the stepping stone path that went through his lawn and onto his farm. He grinned as wide as the sky above them and took a cowboy hat from Graham. He settled it on his head; Graham clapped him on the shoulder and faded into the background.

Tex scrambled to his feet along with everyone else, and Reeves gave the crowd several seconds to do so. Then he walked down the stairs, as calm and as casual as could be, though Tex expected the man had earthquakes happening inside him.

He nodded to those around him and even stopped to press his cheek to Abby’s, shake Tex’s hand, and then Luke’s, saying, “Thank you for coming.”

He pulled Otis and Georgia into a double hug on the other side of the aisle. He nodded down to Joey and Adam before he continued into the throng of Whittakers. They seemed to surround him, pulling him into the nucleus, where he only emerged a couple of minutes later.

He hugged his friend Shane at the altar, and then cleared his throat, tugged the sleeves on his jacket down, straightened his tie, and faced the deck again.

Bailey’s family already sat out in the rows, and the only person they needed to arrive now was the bride herself. Tex’s heart hammered the longer the deck stayed empty, and he looked over to Abby and saw the worry furrowing her brow as well. Feet shifted, though no noise rose into the air as they all stood on grass.

It had taken Tex a long time to work through his complicated feelings surrounding Bailey McAllister. He’d seen a counselor and done the hard work, and now he loved her as if she were his own daughter. Fine, maybe not that much, but he definitely held a soft spot of fondness for the woman.

He knew Graham and Laney had been praying over her for years, and that alone endeared Bailey to Tex—and of course they’d be forever connected through Bryce and OJ.

Dear Lord, he prayed when Bailey still had not made an appearance, and if he were Bryce, he’d have spoken the words out loud. We’ve all come so far in the past fifteen years….

Sixteen really, if he counted Bailey’s pregnancy.

This seems like the happily-ever-after we all need. Where is she?

The back sliding door opened, and Graham stepped out. Relief flooded Tex as the man turned back and offered his hand to someone. Bailey emerged from the house, wearing a gorgeous white gown that fell to her feet in luxurious waves of silk. She hadn’t even stepped into the sun yet, and Tex could see the shine on the fabric. She paused at her daddy’s side and leaned in as he kissed her on the cheek.

Three dogs piled out of the house after her, all of them wearing fancy canine wedding clothes. A smile touched Tex’s heart and filled him, body and soul, until it emerged onto his face.