With one final wave to Leighton, I head out to my truck to meet my mom and my brother.Today is going to be a long and emotional day, but that’s okay.We’re going to get through this.
When I drive up to Mom’s, Macie’s SUV is already there.Pulling in a breath, I slowly exhale before climbing out of my truck and making my way to the front door.My mom meets me at the door with a warm smile on her face.“We’re ready if you are,” she says, trying to hide her worry.
“Mom,” I breathe and open my arms.She steps into my embrace, and I hold her.I fucking hate every minute of this.Pulling away, she wipes at her eyes, but she’s still smiling.
“We’re all going to be just fine,” she assures me, tapping her hands against my chest.
“Because you’re going to kick cancer’s ass,” Chandler says, stepping out of the house and pulling the door closed behind him.“Let’s get on the road,” he says, walking past us and down the steps to the SUV.
“We’re going to be really early,” I tell Mom, watching Chandler as he walks away.
“They called and had a cancellation.They can see me at eight thirty, and well, we might as well get it over with.”She links her arm with mine, and I lead her to the passenger side of the SUV.
“I can sit in the back,” she says when I pull open the front door.“Your legs are too long for the back seat.”
“I’ll have plenty of room to stretch out with the entire back seat to myself.”I wink and nod toward the door.Mom smiles and shakes her head before climbing into her seat.I wait until she’s all buckled in before closing the door and climbing into the back.
“Have you eaten?”she asks, turning to face me.
“I ate at the Manor.You all?”I ask.
“I ate with the kids before school, and this one had some toast.”Chandler nods toward our mom, keeping his eyes on the road.
“I wasn’t hungry,” she defends, but we all know it’s her nerves.Not that I blame her.I barely tasted my food.“How were my grandkids this morning?”Mom asks.
Chandler chuckles.“Colter was trying to convince us he needed a mental health day because he aced his spelling test yesterday, and Maeve was crying because the braid in her hair was too tight.”
“Ah, so a normal day, then.”Mom laughs.
“Pretty much,” Chandler agrees.
The drive is long, but there’s so much for us to catch up on.The conversation flows easily.Chandler and Mom tell me all kinds of stories about his kids, while Chandler tells us he’s thinking about getting them a dog, now that they’re both old enough to help take care of it.Colter is ten, and Maeve is eight, and I’ve missed out on a lot of uncle time with them.
I’m looking forward to spoiling them and building that relationship now that I’m home for good.My brother and sister-in-law could use some adult time, I’m sure.I know Mom helps them out, but I’m here, and I want to be a part of their lives, as well.
I try not to think about the fact that they should have a few cousins by now—at least that was always the plan—but life knocked the wind from my sails.I always assumed that Ellison had moved on.Now that I know she’s still single, maybe there’s a chance, even all these years later, that we’ll get our happy ending.
There’s so much we’d have to work through, but damn if the thought isn’t the first thing to light me up inside since… well, the last day I was with her, if I’m being honest.
“Do you have any further questions?”Dr.Benson asks.
Chandler and I are on either side of our mother, each of us holding one of her hands, as we sit across from the doctor who just spelled out her treatment plan options and a ton of information that we’re all trying to process.
“So, the PET scan will help determine the best way to approach this?”Mom asks.
“That’s correct.”Dr.Benson nods.
“Okay.”Mom bobs her head.“Let’s do that.”
“Great.We’ll schedule that, and once we have the results, we’ll have a better understanding of what we’re dealing with, and we’ll be able to ensure the cancer hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes.”
“Okay,” Mom says, her voice calm.
“You’re not experiencing any other symptoms, and had your mammogram not detected the lump, you could have gone on longer without knowing.That’s a good sign.”Dr.Benson looks at me and then at Chandler.“Do either of you have questions or concerns?Is there anything that I can explain that you might not be understanding?”she asks, her tone soft.
I clear my throat.“No, ma’am,” I say.
“No,” Chandler says, his voice raspy.
