Page 63 of Nashville Lights

Nate removes his arm from around me—slowly—so he can pick up Daisy. “Daisy, meet Vaughn and Travis Tucker. Miss Roxie’s brothers.”

My brothers aren’t shocked to see Daisy here. They heard about what happened from Kade, like I did. “You can call me Uncle Vaughn. Us and Nate are practically cousins.”

“We’renotcousins,” Nate and I say in unison.

“You have an earring,” Daisy says to Vaughn, in that blunt, observant way children have. He wears a little gold hoop in his left ear. With his wild black hair and blue eyes, it gives him an edge of a pirate-gypsy vibe.

“And you have chocolate on your face,” Vaughn says back. Vaughn has a natural way with kids—possibly because he acts like a child himself a lot of the time.

“That’s because Ilikechocolate,” she tells him.

“So do I,” he says, conspiratorially, like they’re sharing a secret.

Daisy eyes him up for a second. “We have some chocolate chips we’re putting in our Mickey Mouse pancakes. Do you want some?”

“That sounds fu—” Vaughn catches himself, his grin full of mischief, as always. “Fun. Andfantastic.”

“You can’t bring that in here, Vaughn.” Nate’s eyeing the joint above Vaughn’s ear.

Vaughn takes it and holds it up. “This? It’s plain tobacco. Which I don’t smoke.” He takes a swig from the whiskey flask he’s holding, then holds it out to me to taste. “Water. I like to stay hydrated.”

“Why don’t you just get a water bottle like a normal person?”

“This is more fun. Helps with the FOMO and all that. And it’s working,Rox. I’m sober as a fu—”—another glance at Daisy— “as a fun-loving judge. I’m high on life. I’m all in with clean living.”

It’s a relief. “That’s good, Vaughn.”

Nate opens the door a little wider. “Well, come on in, then. You two hungry?”

“Starving, man.”

Nate takes Daisy into the kitchen and sets her on the counter. There’s the distinct smell of burning pancakes.

“Shit,” I hear Nate curse.

“UncleNate,” a little voice scolds.

“Shoot,” he corrects himself, waving a dishtowel over the smoke and opening the window next to the stove. “I left this burner on.”

“Are the Mickey Mouses burned?”

“It’s okay. I’ve got plenty more batter. I’ll make some more.”

Travis touches his shoulder to mine. “Nate Boone, huh?”

“It’s always been him.”

My brothers both stare at me, not expecting that answer.

“Turn the music down some,” I tell Travis and he does, but barely.

“So,” Travis drawls, “It seems love is in the air all over Tennessee. Kade met someone new the other night.”

“What? Who?”

“He’s got some new girl in his bed and they haven’t left his apartment all weekend.”

“He does?” That’s the best news.

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