Chapter 21
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.”
“What are we going to do when she goes on the circuit?” Morris asked.
“I don’t know,” Tex said, because he really didn’t.
His oldest was only fourteen, and he and Abby sometimes left their two younger kids with Melissa if they were just running next door to Cheryl and Wade’s.
Otherwise, Tex wanted someone a little bit older, though Melissa had started to complain that she didn’t need a babysitter.
Pippa, on the other hand, had been born with spit and whiskey in her soul, and while he loved her fiery personality, she could be a lot to handle sometimes.
Morris’s phone rang, and he dove back into it. “That’s Leigh now.” He swiped it on and said, “Hey, baby. Tex just said he didn’t think they were going to be finalizing anything, so I’m going to come home early.”
Tex had started to turn back toward the studio, but he stopped when he heard Leigh talking a mile a minute. He glanced over to Morris and found his face white and turning slack.
“How far apart?” he asked. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m coming right now.”
With that, he headed for the door, and Tex sincerely hoped he already had his keys and wallet in his pocket.
Tex had just finished with the morning feeding when his phone chimed with the special notification he’d given to the family text.
Sometimes the messages flew so fast he had to silence it, but it was still fairly early, and he leaned up against the fence of his northern paddock where he’d just put his horses to feed and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Morris had texted, It’s a girl! and joy filled Tex’s whole heart.
He and Leigh now had three boys and three girls to match, as they hadn’t found out the gender of this newest baby before now.
Morris: She’s beautiful, and came at about four-thirty this morning. A picture followed of him, Leigh, and the darling little girl, all crowded into Leigh’s hospital bed. Momma and daughter are both doing well, but we’ve had the hardest time coming up with a name for her.
He expected Blaze to make some joke about the number of kids they had in their family, and how all the good names had been taken, but it was probably still too early for his brother to be awake.
Gabe: So you don’t have a name for her yet?
Tex wasn’t surprised at all that he was up. In fact, because Gabe was Morris’s twin, he may have already been over to the hospital to see the baby.
We finally decided on Daphne Cecily, Morris said.
Tex drew in a breath, his spirit soaring now. “Momma will like that,” he said aloud to himself. Congratulations, you guys. She’s beautiful, he typed into the family chat.
Off the brothers’ thread, he quickly sent a text to Morris. Abby will want to bring a gift and come see the baby. How long are you going to be in the hospital?
At least through tomorrow, Morris said. I’m sure you guys can come this afternoon, if you’d like.
I’ll talk to her, Tex said. And I’ll text you before we come.
After all, if Leigh or their new baby didn’t have a good day, he and Abby could postpone their visit.
Texts continued to come in as the morning wore on, and Tex kept up with them as he sipped a cup of coffee and ate a bowl of cereal.
Abby got the kids ready for school, and Tex went out to the truck to drive them.
He waited for Wade and Cheryl’s three kids, and when he had everyone, he started the drive toward town.
He dropped off the kids, and then pulled out his phone as it had been beeping for several minutes now.
He backed up to the conversations he’d missed and saw that Bryce had started this round of texting with, I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell everyone that Codi and I are going to have another boy.
Tex’s whole heart expanded with more love than he thought possible. He’d felt such loss at being unable to be OJ’s grandfather, but the Lord in His infinite goodness and wisdom, continued to bless Bryce with more boys, and Tex knew he hadn’t missed out on anything.
That’s wonderful news, Momma texted. I’m so excited for your new baby girl, Morris, and of course Harry and Belle’s too.
But we’ll take boy babies as well.
Tex smiled at his mother’s message, because Momma and Daddy had tried and tried to have girls, and they’d ended up with nine boys. Thankfully, they all had good wives now, and she had plenty of female grandchildren to spoil rotten.
He read through the other congratulations, and just when he was about to put his truck in gear and head home, another text came in from Joey.
We told our parents last night, she said. So I suppose I can add this to the family group chat, especially with all the baby talk.
Tex pulled in a breath, and it seemed to take forever before another message from Joey popped up.
Adam and I are going to have a baby in September, but we won’t find out the gender for another couple of months.
Tex’s thumbs flew across the screen as he typed out his congratulations and love for Joey and Adam, and then he silenced his phone so he could make the drive back to the farm with just his thoughts.
Sometimes he needed the silence to be able to hear the voice of the Lord and feel the spirit. He wanted to be able to do both right now, because God was so, so good, and Tex wanted to express his gratitude for the love and blessings He had poured out, and continued to pour out, over the Youngs.