I hear Hank Junior hop off the couch even as I’m turning the key in the lock. He’s there to greet me, tail wagging hard.“Hey.” I keep my voice low in an effort not to wake up Holden and Thomas if they’ve already gone to bed. “Shh, come on boy.” I pat my leg for him to follow me to the kitchen.But I stop short at the sight of Holden sitting in a living room chair.“Hi,” I say, startled.“Hey,” he says. “How’d the demo session go?”I shrug. “Long, but good songs. I think I’ll head on to bed. I’m pretty tired.”“Could we talk for a minute, CeCe?”My stomach drops with the question. It’s been months since we’ve talked alone, been alone. “Now’s not a good time, Holden.”He looks up at me, anger flashing across his face. “When will it be a good time, CeCe? You don’t look at me, much less talk to me. I know you have your reasons, and I’m not questioning them. We’ve each had to do what we had to do to get through this. Cutting you out of my life wouldn’t have been my method, but it’s yours, so I’m respecting that.
