Page 16 of Take This Heart
“But it’s cancer.” Tully’s voice is flat.
Dad nods. “Yes.”
Dylan swears under his breath, a sharp sound in the silence.
Noah crosses his arms over his chest, his face working through a dozen emotions at once.
Even Milo looks shaken.
And I just stand there, staring at Dad like he might break before my very eyes.
“When were you going to tell us?” I croak out.
Dad’s eyes, so much like Noah’s and Camden’s, flick to me. I see it then—the weight he’s been carrying alone.
“I didn’t want to ruin the weekend. I wanted to talk to you about the land. About dreams, not…” His voice breaks and he clears his throat. “Not about hospitals and treatment plans.”
“But we want to know what’s going on with you, Dad,” Camden says. His voice cracks halfway through. “Weneedto know.”
“I know,” Dad says, closing his eyes for a second. “I just…I needed to hold onto normal for a little while longer. And your grandmothers have been through too much the past couple of years. I’ll tell them eventually. Just give me some time.”
The clock ticks too loudly on the mantel. Someone’s breathing raggedly. I think it’s me. I step into Dad’s space and wrap my arms around him. His hands come up slowly, pulling me in tight.
One by one, my brothers close in. We crush Dad between us, Whitman hearts banding together without a word.
I’mterrified. Already lost justimagininga world without my dad.
No, don’t go there. Donotgo there.
“I’ll do whatever you want, Dad,” Camden says, voice broken. “It may take a few months, but I’ll visit…and I’ll work on handing things over to my manager so I can get here as soon as possible.”
“Same,” Dylan says.
Noah nods. “I’m not sure how long it’ll take me, but I’ll come every chance I get.”
“Me too,” I say, wiping my face.
Tully takes a deep breath and his fingers grip my shoulder and Noah’s as he stares at Dad. “I’ll hold off on signing any new contracts. May as well go out on a high note.”
“Absolutely not,” Dad says to Tully. “You’re not quitting hockey. I can’t ask any of you to do this,” Dad says, his face streaming with tears. “It was different when I was trying to get you here to work on this project. That would’ve been your choice because you wanted this opportunity and were excited about the possibilities, not because you feel obligated to be with me.”
“We’re not leaving you to go through this alone,” Noah says. “And the project will be a bonus. Something to get our minds off of what’s going on with you.”
My dad still looks distraught.
“Ultimately, it could be a huge addition to each of our careers, if we all put our skills toward this one endeavor,” Camden says. “You’ll need a Michelin-star level restaurant with this new resort, right?”
Dad snorts out a laugh, wiping his cheeks. “Right.”
“We’ll get through this, Dad,” I tell him. “Together.”
CHAPTER SIX
FAMILY TIES
MILO
Fuck. I can’t believe Everett has cancer. Why does it always happen to the good ones?
