Page 92 of Lone Star Longing
Chapter Twenty Two
THE WHEEL HOUSE LOOKEDreally nice on Saturday. Hailey kept the place open to the public who might show up not for the party. But just to be clear, there was a huge homemade banner hung over the stage, proclaiming, “WELCOME HOME, DR. DRISCOLL.”
As expected, no one from town wanted to pitch in for a gift, but the seven of them had pitched in to buy him a defibrillator for his office. Beck had winced at the price, but not for himself. He was more worried about how the others could afford it.
Beck hadn’t seen Austin since he’d gotten back in town. He’d heard Poppy and Sofia had been on hand to greet him, along with Lacey’s dad and the other members of the town council who wanted to give him a tour of his new place. They’d furnished both the office and the apartment with the barest basics, from what Beck had heard. Maybe they shouldn’t have pooled their money, and just given him things he needed for his office and his apartment.
Beck almost didn't recognize the man who walked through the gate into the party. Austin had been a scrawny kid, wore glasses, pale, played in the marching band, the stereotypical nerd. Smarter than all of them put together, pushed by his mother to make the best use of his mind, to make something of himself.
The man who walked through the gate wearing Baylor colors was tall, fit and as tanned as if he’d been on the water with them last week. No more glasses—contacts, probably. But the smile was the same, tight, anticipating the worst.
Beck strode toward him, grinning, hand extended. “Austin, man, is it good to see you.”
Something in Austin’s eyes brightened as he looked up at Beck. “Hey, I didn't know you were in town. I thought you’d joined the military?”
“Did, went to college, worked for a bit on the race car circuit, came home to check on Mom and I’m staying a bit.” Involuntarily, his gaze drifted, looking for Lacey, who he’d seen around but couldn't find now. “Had to be on hand to welcome you back. How’s it looking over there?”
“Man, this place is worse than I expected,” Austin said.
“This place?” Hailey asked as she passed by, pointing to the ground, eyebrows disappearing in her hairline.
“The town,” Austin said. “So much has deteriorated since I left.”
“Lots of people moved north to work in the oil fields,” Beck said. “I’m working up there myself. But the town is, it’s good. It’s good to be back here, after going so far, so fast.” He wasn't just saying that to make Austin feel better, either. He liked it here. Not just Lacey, but he liked the pace, the rhythm that Broken Wheel kept, that they resisted breaking out of. “It’s comfortable.”
“For you, maybe.”
“We’ll get you transitioned back in.” Beck guided Austin to the table they’d set up with a tablecloth and paper plates, decorated with flowers from Poppy’s garden, the gift bag, and the cake that Marianne Skyler had made.
“Sounds like a cult,” Austin muttered as Poppy hugged him enthusiastically.
Con stepped forward, a little hesitantly. Con as a rule wasn't hesitant about anything, but the two hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, and the last time they had, well, Con’s dad was holding Austin’s mom accountable for his daughter’s death. Austin paused a moment, then offered his hand. Con smiled and took it as Javi and Ginny stepped forward to welcome him.
Beck turned to see Lacey carrying a foil pan, beside her dad who was carrying a grocery bag and trying to take the pan from Lacey, who of course wouldn't allow it. She wasn't going to admit she needed help even from her dad. Why did Beck think she’d take it from him?
He really liked how she dressed to accommodate her belly and the heat, cute little flowing halter tops that left her arms and shoulders bare and floated over her belly. She’d pinned her hair at the back of her neck, and damn, she just looked good.
And was here with her father, so he needed to dial back his reaction.
Her face brightened and she ran forward to throw her arms around Austin. Now her, Austin wrapped his arms around, dipped his head to her shoulder, held onto her long enough that Beck wanted to step in.
Then Austin stepped back and dropped his hand to Lacey’s belly. “When did this happen?” He looked past her, met Beck’s gaze. “Is this yours?”
“No, ah. No.” Lacey disentangled herself from him. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Am I going to be delivering it?”
“Not if I can help it,” she laughed. “We’ll talk later.”
He touched her face. “You look amazing, Lace.”
“You look pretty great yourself. Not the same at all.”
“Yeah, well. I could hardly get worse.”
She hugged him again. “I’ve missed you.”
