More Than My Hometown

Hard To Forget

Jason's POV

I idly flipped the steaks on the grill taking a sip of my beer feeling a smile tug at my lips watching the kids play in the pool. Kaydence was standing off to the side of the tiki bar where Brit was mixing drinks typing on her phone. No doubt in my mind checking on Brax since he wasn't with her. It was good to see her because she'd been putting some distance between her and everybody lately with all she had going on in her life. I'd crawled her ass a while back over the lost weight from running herself ragged. She always took care of herself. I'd seen the change the last couple of months in that department and I am pretty sure I had Chase to thank for that.

Shocked was putting it mildly when he stopped by to see me to let me know he was planning on asking Kay out on a date. My initial reaction had truthfully been to make him spit teeth then I'd stopped to think. Maybe it was what was best for her. After BG had up and left then two months of bitter phone calls and arguments rocked on, it ironically had only been Chase she would let in when she shut down over it all. A hand landed on my shoulder making me look down meeting the eyes of my sister. She followed my gaze over to our cousin who was just as much as a sibling as we were.

"She looks better," Kasi said quietly taking a sip of the margarita in her hand. Lord if the girls were into the ritas it was going to be a handful tonight. I thought about the suspicion I had that Tyler had already hit the moonshine and wondered if I was getting too old for this shit. I kissed the top of her head nodding and shooting my wife a wink across the pool as she walked around the bar handing Kaydence a drink taking her phone away. Good. She would drive PJ, Aaron, or Steve, whichever one of them that was on BG duty, crazy checking on Brax. She may not admit it but it was to check on Brantley too. Chase let out a booming laugh at something Chuck was telling him making Kaydence cut her eyes that way pulling a smile across her lips. "Almost healed in a way. Guess we need to thank Chase for that."

"He has been there for her I agree," I conceded still convinced deep down my cousin and her pain in the ass husband needed to get it together. After a year and a half of this shit, it was wearing on all of us. Because try as much as they could not to we all were drug into it. Then couple that with two of the most rabid fanbases in country music hellbent on tearing each other apart to defend their artist. Hell, it was days I didn't even want to get on social media, so I didn't have to see what the latest rumors were. "She was so broken sis. But what hurts the most is when she started shutting everyone out because of connections to Brantley."

"She did it to you worse than me or Britt," Kasi said with a sigh. "But I wonder if she will ever get over Brantley. I know they were apart a long time after their little fling, but I think she still always carried a torch for him. This isn't some fling flaming out Jase, this is a marriage ending with a kid involved who adores them both."

"Well, she won't talk to him," I sighed taking another drink of beer rolling my eyes. "I've tried. We all have. Luke got a whiskey bottle thrown at his head the last time he suggested to BG he talk to Kay. Caroline was gruffly told to fuck off. It is amazing that she hasn't killed him. And don't even get Miranda started on the subject. But you know what let's table this for tonight. We are supposed to be having fun."

"You're right," Kasi said with a shake of her head. She let out a chuckle pointing across the pool. Chase was running from Memphis who was chasing him with a water gun laughing like a loon. He dove behind Kaydence for protection making her scream when Mems blasted her in her face. Then it was like an evil plan was agreed upon as Chase said something we couldn't hear to Memphis who nodded his head. Chase passed Kay's drink over to Brittany before tossing her over his shoulder taking off to the pool with her over his shoulder yelling and beating his back playfully.

I made my way over to my laughing wife shaking my head while I wrapped my arms around her watching Kay surface pushing her hair out of her face and glaring. She got a playful one in return before a pair of arms scooped her up making her smile. Chase planted a quick kiss on her lips then dunked her again. Memphis took off running landing in the middle of them with a cannonball just about the time Tyler's drunk ass came down the slide with a Rebel yell.

"Our lives are chaos," Brittany said with a laugh lacing her fingers with mine shaking her head. "But it is our chaos."

"That it is," I laughed ruefully. I leaned closer to her ear. "She say anything?"

"Nope," she said shrugging her shoulders. "And you may just have to accept that BG is out of her life other than being Brax's father Jace. I know we all hoped that they would work it out, but I don't see it happening. At this point in her life, Kay very well may accept either being alone or settling for what is safe. And BG and she are more explosive than safe. They always have been."

"You are right," I muttered rolling my eyes when she grinned always eager to hear those words. "Don't get used to it woman."

Chase's POV

"I think she is out," Jason said with a quiet laugh grabbing the beer bottles and cups from the table in front of us. I snickered nodding my head at the sleeping blonde in my lap. It had taken a little time before they had gotten used to seeing Kaydence with me like this, but her family was coming around. That was what was most important. Exactly why I had gone to Jason before I'd ever asked her out on an actual date. It was the day after the first night I'd ever kissed her. Britt leaned down kissing my cheek before heading towards the house. "You got her?"

"Yea," I said quietly pushing to my feet trying to not wake a sleeping Kay. That could be the equivalent of waking a hibernating bear sometimes. I settled her better in my arms feeling her bury her face in my neck but never waking. Good because sleep, unless she was made too, had been a few hours here and there. I followed Jason around the side of the house laying her down on my front seat after he opened the door. Once he shut it he stepped back looking at me for a moment. I saw the questions there. "What?"

"I know I asked before, but just what are your intentions with her?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest studying me thoughtfully. "Yes she is my family but you are my friend too and I don't want to see you hurt either."

"I'm fine Jay," I reassured him. I knew the mess I was stepping into along with the potential for it all to not go my way. "As I told you, I am just here for her. I've always been her friend now it is as her boyfriend. Am I naïve enough to think she has washed her hands of Brantley, no I'm not. But right now he isn't even having anything to do with her. I have feelings for her that are anything but friendship, so I know it's going to be a slippery slope to navigate."

"At least you see the uphill battle you have," Jason said with a chuckle clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Y'all be careful heading in."

"Will do," I said walking around to climb in my truck. Kay was curled up across the bench seat sleeping soundly. I smoothed a hand over her hair before resting it on her side while I drove towards my house. It was closer than heading out to the other side of town where her house was out. I passed the turnoff for Luke's driveway unable to keep myself from tensing. That was probably the closest the pair of them had been in the vicinity of each other since before the whole cheating scandal. Like clockwork and instinct kicking I heard Kay mumble "B" in her sleep. My heart hurt for her. She was a tangled mess that some days it was amazing she climbed out of bed. If I could make her happy for now I was fine with that. Things were so delicate that I didn't even want to think further down the line.