“No. How can I say anything to her? If you were in her shoes, would you believe it’s a coincidence? Because I wouldn’t. I would immediately think the worst of the other person.”
“It’s a pretty big fucking development, isn’t it? You can’t just not tell her.”
“Yes, but I’m not going to just dump this on her. She struggles with her brother’s death enough as it is. I can’t just lay myself at her feet and let her know she fell in love with the man she blames for leaving him there.”
Caleb, who had been unusually silent, finally pipes in, “You have to tell her, Isaac. You can’t just hold something like that to the vest. That’s not okay, and eventually it will come out. The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be.”
“If I tell her, it could make everything implode... and... fuck. I don’t want to lose her because I really do love her.” I chuckle to myself and pull my cap back onto my head. “Jesus Christ.”
“Look, no one said you had to tell her today. Take a week, sit with it, figure out what you’re going to say then tell her, but you have to at some point. You know that,” Finn says.
They are right, and I know that. I know I can’t get away with not telling her. I wouldn’t want to because that’s a fucked-up move. I respect her too much for that, but I know how this story ends.
Once she finds out who I am, our time together, how we feel about each other, will be in her rearview mirror.
And I can’t blame her.
“Like I said, take a week, really plan out what you’re going to say then have a conversation with her over the weekend... after my birthday party, of course.” Caleb grins.
“Always going back to your damn birthday. Don’t worry, asshole, I didn’t forget. We’ll be there. I think she’s bringing Olivia too. I know you think the more the merrier.”
“Olivia Harper?” he says with wide eyes.
“Why do you sound so shocked? You see her every day and you knew they were friends. We’ve covered this,” Finn states.
“Just didn’t think about her coming,” he clears his throat, “Welp, I’m going to go get us another round.”
Caleb zips out of here like a bullet, heading up to the bar.
“What the hell was that about?” I ask Finn.
“Who knows with him?” He shrugs it off. “I agree with him, by the way. You have to tell her so make sure you’re ready for whatever outcome happens, because she’s a nice girl. She needs to be told the truth.”
A boulder has formed in my gut.
Fuck.
I’m going to lose her.
Chapter 22
Sawyer
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Olivia says, as she hooks her arm through mine.
We step into the karaoke bar just outside of town and are immediately overtaken by the sound of someone very loudly and aggressively singing “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang on the stage.
I lean over closer as we walk so she can hear me. “You needed a night out, plus I wanted you to meet Isaac’s friends.”
“I already know Caleb. I don’t need to meet him again.”
I scan the surprisingly large crowd, looking for Isaac, but I’m not seeing him yet. Caleb has rented out the entire bar for the evening so there are party decorations everywhere, drinks decorate every hand, and everyone seems to be having a great time.
“I didn’t realize he was so well-liked. What’s your problem with him anyway?”
“Ancient history.” She waves me off.
We turn when we hear someone tapping on the microphone and see that Caleb has taken the stage with a drink in his hand and everyone explodes into loud applause and cheers.
I had no idea Caleb was so... popular. Wow.
“Thank you, thank you,” he laughs. “All right, I just wanted to get up here while the night was still young to say thanks for coming to the annual celebration that is the day the world became a better place, all thanks to my birth.” He pauses because the crowd once again erupts in cheers, and I can’t help but laugh. I’ve never seen anything like this before. “So, as always, the entire bar is ours until two. Drink up, sing away, let the worries of the world slip away, and have fucking fun. Cheers!” He raises his glass then downs a large gulp of it.
“Not that he’s not a nice guy, but I don’t understand how one person can be so liked,” I say to Olivia.
“They are sheep,” she says plainly. “I need a drink. Go find Isaac. I’ll be along soon.”
She unloops her arm from mine, and heads back toward the bar, leaving me to traverse the crowd alone in search of a familiar face.
The variety of people in this bar is staggering and beautiful.
Young, old, white, black, brown, big, small, and everything in between. I’m impressed by the fact Caleb has been able to positively affect so many types of people, but it makes me wonder what has happened in his life that makes him want to surround himself with so many.
The interior of the bar is dark with nearly black walls and neon signs hung all across them. There are red, leather U-shaped couches with long tables in the middle that line a back wall, all of which are packed to the brim with people.
I weave through the standing tables that reside just in front of the stage and then I see Isaac leaning against the wall by one of the sofas, bottle of beer in his hand, looking as incredible as ever. He’s talking to a man I’ve never met before very animatedly. He must be telling a story. That’s something I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten to know him. When he talks normally, he doesn’t really move his hands, but when he goes off on a tangent and starts storytelling, his hands become necessary components of the story. He’s even told me I
