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“It’s me,” I mutter as I take one single step toward him.
Our eyes meet. One city street and nine years between us. Time slows as I take another step.
“Did you come to my show?” he asks.
Shamefully, I shake my head. “I missed it. But I thought if I hurried, I could at least see you.”
His eyes dart around, looking behind me as he asks, “Are you alone?”
I nod.
Then silence settles between us. His smile fades and in its place is a tense, flat-lipped expression. He should yell at me, tell me to never come back, leave him alone. He should swear me to secrecy and be furious at me for even showing up.
Instead, he shrugs. “Wanna grab a beer?”
I could cry as a laugh slips through my lips. Without letting the emotion brewing inside me bubble over the top, I clear my throat and stare at the pavement. “Yeah. I’d like that a lot.”
“I’ll meet you around the front. There’s a bar next door.”
“Okay,” I say, my voice cracking.
As he disappears, I blow out a heavy breath.
Get it together, Caleb.
With my hands in my pockets, feigning calmness, I walk to the front of the venue. And then Isaac is standing right in front of me. I nearly forgot how tall he was, probably a few inches taller than me.
He traded his cowboy hat for a trucker hat and his jean jacket for a hoodie.
And now we’re just staring like two old friends who ran into each other. I want to break down, grab him, and haul him into a hug as I sob into his shoulder. But I don’t. I keep my cool.
His eyes are glued to my face. “You look good,” he mumbles. “You’re so grown up.”
“So are you,” I reply, struggling to keep it together.
We’re strangers. My little brother and I are strangers, and it hurts so much I don’t know if I can get down a beer without sobbing.
“Come on,” he replies, leading the way to the hole-in-the-wall bar next door. As we enter, Isaac walks directly to the bar, grabbing a stool as I take the one next to him. We order a couple of beers like this is just a casual drink.
I’m practically shaking inside.
The bartender hands us two longneck bottles and I hold it up to my brother. “Cheers,” I say.
He taps his against mine. “Cheers.”
When we drink, we keep our eyes on each other, and I decide that I want this entire encounter to be about him. I want to hear everything. And I don’t want him to know about Dad or Adam or any of that bullshit.
“So, Theo Virgil,” I say with a smile as I turn toward him. “How did this happen?”
He laughs to himself bashfully. “I moved out to Nashville with a friend. I started bartending at a place with live music, and after a while, I started writing my own songs, and a few years back, I got on stage for the first time and started playing them.”
I can’t stop smiling. “That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
He tips his bottle toward me before taking a swig. “And how did you find me?”
It’s my turn to look bashful. “I’m a lawyer now. I find out everything.”
He nods with a laugh. “You and Briar are still together?”
