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Briar lifts her face and laughs. Then she glances at the nurse as if they have some inside joke I’m not privy to. “The only people allowed to stay in the room outside of visiting hours are parents and spouses.”
“So it’s a good thing y’all are married,” the nurse replies with a chuckle as she draws the curtains open, letting in the early morning light.
Briar bites her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile. “This angel lied for me so I could stay all night. I didn’t want you to wake up alone.”
“Thank you,” I say to the nurse as she comes over to check my vitals.
“I know love when I see it, and this girl was not leaving your side.”
My heart picks up speed in my chest, and I wonder if the nurse can see it on the monitor what hearing that does to me. Briar told me she loved me, and then she showed me. Honestly, there’s not an ounce of pain on this planet that could make me regret that.
“You’re a lifesaver…” I say, glancing at her name badge before adding, “Abigail.”
Present Day
It’s been a week since my father’s visit. I haven’t spoken to him since, and I don’t care to. Last I heard, he found a new lawyer who posted his bail, and his hearing has been moved up. Any chances of getting his charges dropped now are gone. The man can’t even help himself at this point.
Dean has hardly left his apartment. He’s putting distance between us because he thinks it’s what we need.
Abby started school again yesterday, and he at least came out in the morning to see her first day of school dress.
But as for us, things between us, I think it’s over. It feels like I’ve failed. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the heartbreak this has caused my family—all of us.
Briar is despondent. She drinks every night, crying alone in the bathtub, and there’s nothing I can do to fix this. If I tell her that I’ll get him back, she just argues that we can’t force him into this.
But that’s just not good enough for me. I know when to accept defeat, but this is so much more than that. This is my family. And I can’t lose my family.
Abby has asked about Dean every day since, but we just cover it up with him being busy, having to work, or needing rest. If this truly is the end, and he moves out, then will she forget him? Do I want her to?
Lying in bed, Briar is sleeping beside me, and I’m scrolling through Instagram again, looking for a distraction from the mess that is my own life.
And there he is—Theo Virgil.
He’s on tour, playing on a stage in some historic-looking venue with huge rustic chandeliers in what looks like some old speakeasy. The place appears packed, filled to the brim with people.
Let’s do this, Austin, it says in the caption.
My eyes nearly bug out of my head. I quickly glance at the date, realizing a moment too late that my brother’s show wastonight.
I don’t know why, but I immediately fly out of my bed. Briar doesn’t move as I run into our closet and grab the first pair of jeans I see. I’m not even sure what I’m doing. This is crazy. I’ve already missed the show, but that doesn’t matter because he’shere.
Isaac is in Austin, just a few miles away. I can’t just go to sleep knowing that.
In a frenzy, I slip on my shoes and tiptoe down the stairs. I’m in my SUV and driving down the road, still without a plan. I don’t need a plan. I just need totry.
It takes me about thirty minutes to get to the venue. Checking the time stamp on his last story, he started his set about an hour ago. It’s not likely he’s still playing, but if I’m lucky, I can try to catch him coming out.
Quickly, I park across the street and run toward the brick building squeezed into one of Austin’s more quaint and artistic districts. The vibes here are young and hip, with coffee shops and vintage clothing stores around the corner.
By the time I reach the building, it’s clear the show has ended, and very few stragglers are still coming out of the venue. I look around for a back entrance or a place where the artists might come and go. On the side of the building, there’s a tall fence to keep people from getting to the doorway in the back, but I know this has to be it.
A small black van is parked near the exit, and there are people coming and going, packing boxes and equipment into the trunk.
I check every face, looking for the familiar one, the one who shares my DNA. The eyes of my baby-face little brother. The sweet kid who once cried to our mother for hours after I kicked over an anthill.
My skin is buzzing, and my heart is pounding. He’s here.Isaac is here.
As I watch the band members and roadies come and go, a few girls congregate around me. They’re giggling and taking pics, clearly fans of Theo and just hoping for a glimpse.
