Page 94 of The Geography of Happiness

“Thanks, Dad,” Hannah said thickly, her eyes welling.

“Right, I’ll get it organised.” Pauline started typing on her keyboard.

I dropped to my knees at Hannah’s side and enveloped her in my arms. “I am so proud of you, baby girl. I love you so much. I have a good feeling about this.”

She held me just as tight but I could feel her trembling. “I love you too.”

We were both quiet on the way back to the car, but as we were pulling out of the parking building, Hannah turned to me.

“Can I tell Judah and Spencer?”

I blinked but kept my eyes glued to the busy road. Telling Judah, I understood, but wanting to tell Spencer? “I’ll be talking with Spencer later,” I offered.

“But I want to be the one to tell him,” Hannah countered. “He’s my friend too, Dad.”

I turned to find her wearing a cheeky smile.

I would’ve laughed if I hadn’t been too busy trying not to cry.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Monday, Adelaide

Spencer

I glaredat the almost empty baggage belt, willing my luggage to make an appearance. Everyone, bar three or four irritated stragglers like me, had already collected theirs. Dammit. I quashed my frustration and took a calming breath. My pissy mood really wasn’t about the luggage at all, and I knew it.

I checked my phone for the millionth time but still no text or missed calls.Fuck.Terry and Hannah were overnighting at the same hotel they’d stayed the week before since Hannah had to be at the hospital by eight the next morning for the afternoon surgical list. I’d asked Terry to let me know when they arrived so I could stop worrying, but he’d seemed cool about the idea. His mood had been cool full-stop ever since the doctor’s appointment the previous week.

The fact it was Hannah who’d first broken the news both pleased and surprised me. I’d been on my way back from a difficult case of bloat in one of Jules’ heifers and had to pull over.I knew just how hard the news must’ve hit Terry, but I had to wait another hour before he’d settled Hannah with room service and a movie and found somewhere quiet to talk.

When I finally saw him on camera, I’d swallowed a cry. He’d looked... devastated and more exhausted than I’d ever seen him. I wanted to crawl right through the phone and hold him, tell him everything would be okay. His worst fear was coming to fruition and I could see it was killing him.

Ten years Terry had been doing the parenting thing on his own and I wanted nothing more than to help him bear that weight for a little while. To support him and look after him, look after them both. But those protective walls he’d lived behind for so long were already firming up. He struggled to meet my gaze. His answers rang curt and crisp, his expression guarded.

Terry was locking down. He was going into survival mode. And I wasn’t being invited inside. It stung and I didn’t know how to break through.

“I’m so fucking sorry, sweetheart,” I’d said when he explained the risks, the endearment accidentally tumbling out.

Terry’s gaze shot to mine but he’d let it go.

“I’ll change my plans. I want to be there.” I did. I so fucking did. “Especially since your mum and dad are staying back to look after the store and Gabby. I don’t want you there on your own.”

“No.” He’d quickly shut me down. “Youneedto go to Adelaide. It’s important. I’mfine.We’refine,” he lied straight to my damn face. He was so obviouslynotfine that his insistence to the contrary was just plain laughable. “There’s nothing you can do here,” he continued. “The surgery will go fine, and then it’s just a time thing while we wait for Hannah to recover.”

That made three fines, and my hackles rose.

But he wasn’t done. “And Judah and Morgan will be here for the first two days, so I’m covered. They’ll look after me.”

Words that had set my teeth on edge. I didn’t care a jot about Judah and Morgan.Iwanted to be there. And I believed Terry wanted that too. But he was too damn stubborn to admit it. Too stubborn to let me in. There had been little point in arguing, but I didn’t let that stop me and we’d gone back and forth until I’d finally thrown up my hands in defeat and hung up on him, angry as all hell.

Fifteen minutes later, when I’d got over myself and remembered this was about what Terry wanted,notme—go figure—I tried to call him back. He didn’t answer, because of course he fucking didn’t. I’d had to settle for texting an apology and said I’d be there for whatever he needed. That I cared about them both and that I was sorry for being an arsehole.

Two hours later I got a reply.You’re not an arsehole but thank you. Please understand things are stressful right now. I have to focus on next Tuesday. I’ll let you know when we arrive in Auckland on Monday. Have a good flight.

In other words,don’t call me, I’ll call you, along with zero mention that he might care for me too. And he clearly wasn’t too stressed to lean on Judah and Morgan. At which point I’d thrown my phone at the wall and cursed my stupidity.

But I respected Terry’s wishes and left him alone, focusing on the chaos of my own house and the four brothers it contained. Thankfully, Hannah kept me up with the play by dropping a few texts my way over the weekend. She mentioned nothing of Terry other than to say he was holding things together. Which wasn’t nearly enough.

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