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“Admit it, Millie Sue. We just created magic up there.”
“Magic.”
He nodded, watching her closely.
“There’s a problem with our kind of magic, Cal. It only lasts as long as the stage lights are on us.” She stepped away. “I’m not doing this with you.”
“You guys need to get a room or find your way to a boxing ring. Seriously. It feels like I’ve walked back in time.”
Chest heaving, Millie Sue tore her eyes from Cal. Standing a few inches away was a woman. Her cheeks were red from the cold. Snow clung to dark lashes, which in turn framed a pair of Bridgestone blue eyes that seemed luminescent. Hair the color of rust spilled over her shoulders, the waves anchored beneath a thick blue wool hat, as she stamped excess snow from her boot-covered feet. At five foot three inches, she was the smallest of the Bridgestones, though her stature did nothing to diminish her personality. She was a firecracker, a blinding ray of energy, and someone Millie loved with all her heart. It had been too long.
“Scarlett,” Cal said softly.
“Hey, big brother.”
“You’re back,” Millie said, unable to hide her smile.
“I am. I came as soon as I heard about Bent, but I was in Florence and there was a problem with the train and booking tickets and…” Her voice trailed off with a shrug. “It took longer than I expected.”
“Benton will be so happy to see you. I hope you’re staying longer than last time?”
Scarlett opened her mouth to reply, but Cal’s shocked voice stopped her cold.
“You’re pregnant.”
Millie’s gaze dropped, and for the first time, she noticed an unmistakable baby bump.
“Sure can’t get nothing past you,” Scarlett replied, chin thrust forward. “Europe was a hoot.” There was a thickness to her voice, a slight tremble to her chin. “I brought a little of it back with me.”
For a few seconds, no one said anything, and then Cal stepped forward. He enveloped his little sister in his arms, and as Scarlett began to cry, Millie moved away. The two of them needed time to themselves. There was a lot for the Bridgestones to process.
And as for her and Cal? Something had just shifted between them. It was big and emotional and hard. But what did it mean? Was he firmly in her past, or tangled up in an uncertain future?
Future?Where the hell had that thought come from?Was she crazy? There was no future here.
She glanced back at the two of them, her heart squeezing as she watched Cal cradle his sister like she was breakable. No one could ever question his love for his family. He just had a hard time showing up for them.
Cal glanced over to her just then, his expression shuttered, eyes unreadable. She held his gaze until he turned away and headed for the exit, his sister at his side.
Millie swore under her breath and tossed her rag in frustration.
“You okay?” Taz sidled up beside her. “That looked intense.”
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “He drives me crazy. Just when I think I can deal with him, with all of him, with all of us, or at least what used to be us, the world tilts and the ground shifts and I don’t know what any of it means.”
“You don’t need to figure it out tonight.” When she said nothing, Taz pushed away from the bar and gave her a hug. “You know where I am if you need anything.” He kissed the top of her head and disappeared into the night.
Mike Paul slid his arm across her shoulders. “Never thought I’d see you two on stage together again.”
“I guess hell froze over.” Her words were light, but her friend knew the weight behind them.
“I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear, but damn, you guys sounded great.” He paused as she stepped out of his embrace. “I think he’s changed, Mills, but I don’t know if he’s changed enough. You need to be careful.”
“Don’t worry about me. I know how this ends. Cal will be here until his brother is released from the hospital. He’ll dive back into our lives because a part of him truly feels bad for leaving like he did. For not checking in. But when he needs to get back on the road, when he needs to hear those thousands of fans screaming his name and lifting him up with whatever superpower they have, he’ll be gone, probably in the middle of the night when he doesn’t have to face any of us. He needs to be away from here to forget about everything that would make him stay.”
Mike Paul didn’t answer because he probably knew Millie Sue was right. He tipped his head and left.
Outside, the snow had stopped falling, a blanket of white that glistened like diamonds underneath a November moon. Millie locked up and five minutes later was heading down the road, her headlights the only things to cut through the darkness.
