Page 89 of Until the Storm Breaks

A half-laugh escapes him, and he raises his beer slightly. “That’s putting it mildly.”

We stand there. The silence is still uncomfortable but it feels different now. Less hostile. More like two people who don’t know how to fix something but are trying anyway.

He clears his throat. “I should check on the others. Make sure Jack’s not promising Lark a ride on his bike or something equally stupid.”

I watch him walk away, feeling like maybe, eventually, we might actually figure out how to be brothers again. Then I find Theo in a corner booth, nursing a beer. When I slide in across from him, he studies my face for a moment.

“You talk to Dom?” he asks.

“Yeah.” I take a drink, not sure how much I want to get into it.

“How’d that go?”

“Better than expected,” I admit. “Still a lot to work through, but it’s a start.”

Theo nods slowly, and there’s something pleased in his expression. “Good. That’s really good, Cal.”

I shrug, uncomfortable with the approval. “We’ll see.”

“Still counts.” A small smile crosses his face. “You actually talking to each other instead of just being pissed off in silence. That’s progress.”

“Yeah, well.” I shake my head, but I’m smiling a little too. “Don’t make a big deal out ofit.”

“Too late.” He takes a drink, clearly satisfied.

We sit in comfortable silence after that, watching the bar fill with noise and warmth. All these people who loved Mom, who showed up today to remember her. At the bar, Alex is fussing over platters of food, laughing with Maren as she plates up dishes, both of them making sure everyone eats. Someone’s put on “My Girl” and there’s terrible singing near the jukebox.

Maren makes her way over to our table with plates in hand. “You two need to eat. Alex’s orders.”

“Thanks, Maren,” Theo says, standing to hug her briefly. “For everything today. Mom would have been grateful.”

“She was family to me too,” Maren says simply.

Theo smiles, picking up the plate of food Maren brought. “I should go check that Chloe hasn’t talked Alex into letting her eat all the brownies.”

“Oh, Theo,” Maren says, fishing in her pocket. “Here’s my spare key for the cabins. For when you guys head out later to get Laila for the night.”

“Thanks,” Theo says, pocketing it. “Chloe hasn’t stopped talking about their sleepover.”

“I’ll probably be here late helping clean up anyway,” Maren adds, glancing around at the packed bar.

After Theo leaves, Maren slides into the booth beside me. The vinyl squeaks under her weight, and she presses against my side, her warmth welcome after the long day.

“You okay?” she asks quietly, her hand finding mine under the table.

“Getting there,” I say, putting my arm around her shoulders. The bar noise continues around us, Eddie’s voice carrying over the crowd, glasses clinking. “This is good. All thesepeople who loved her.”

She leans into me, tracing patterns on the wooden table with her free hand. We sit like that for a moment, just breathing.

“Maren,” I say, the words coming before I can stop them. “I don’t think I want to go back to Seattle.”

She lifts her head to look at me, and I can see she’s not surprised. “Calvin...”

“I know it’s fast. But being here with you, it’s the first time I’ve felt like myself in years.” I turn to face her more fully, taking both her hands. “I love you.”

She inhales sharply, her eyes widening.

“I know that’s crazy to say already,” I continue, needing her to understand. “But I do. I love you, Maren.”