“See? We’ve got a band already.”
“Band,” he repeats proudly.
Tilda laughs softly.
“God help us.”
I look at her.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“If I try this again…”
She waits.
“Not the old way,” I say. “Not the reckless, burn-everything-down way.”
“Good,” she says.
“But the… responsible version.”
She tilts her head.
“Responsible musician,” she repeats. “That’s a bold rebrand.”
“I know.”
“I support it.”
I smile.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She steps closer, resting a hand lightly on my shoulder.
“We’ll figure it out,” she says.
I nod.
Because that’s what we do now.
We figure it out.
Together.
I look down at Jesse.
At the guitar.
At the life that’s starting to take shape in front of me.
And for the first time?—
The idea of building something instead of burning it down doesn’t scare the hell out of me.
