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“Wow, that’s a lot of cars.”
I blew out a breath. “You know how I told you we were close to the Youngs? Well, it looks like they are here too.”
“Oh, does that mean that Riley will be here?”
I glanced over the cars and pointed to one near the house. “Yeah, that’s her SUV.”
“How do you want to play this?”
“What do you mean?” I asked her as I parked.
“Do you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend or a friend that’s a girl?”
I chuckled. “How about we just be us. Don’t try to be different. Riley’s a big girl; she has seen me with other women, and I have seen her with a ton of men, so it’s no big deal.”
“Sounds good,” she said with a laugh, and we climbed out and took the steps up to the front door.
I expected there to be a lot of noise when we stepped in, but it was oddly quiet for the number of people in the room. My eyes skimmed the room, and I saw nothing but somber faces.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked as I stopped at the edge of the room. “You all look like someone died.”
Cara was the first to approach me, and she threw her arms around my neck and started to cry. “Cara, what is going on?”
I scanned the room, my siblings and father were seated around the room. Huntley, Wesley, Patricia, David, and even Kayley were here. Where were my mom, Riley, and Henley?
“It’s Mom,” Candy said as she stood beside me, tears filling her eyes and sliding down.
“What’s wrong with Mom?”
“Ethan,” Evan started to speak, but he winced and looked away, turning to Carmen, whose eyes were completely bloodshot.
“Mom died this morning,” Candy finally said.
On the other side of the room, Wesley and Hunt sat on either side of their parents. Brad stood in the corner, and they all looked almost as torn to shreds as my siblings. I searched for my father. He was sitting in his favorite chair, staring at the floor.
“Dad?” I pushed away from my sister and went to him. “Dad.” I dropped to my knees in front of him.
His eyes were watery, but somehow he held the tears back. “We were gonna tell you all tonight that your momma was sick.” He swallowed as if he were struggling. “Her poor body was riddled with cancer, but she didn’t even make it for you all to say goodbye. I’m so sorry, son.”
I pulled my father into my arms, and the tears began to slide down. How could my momma be dead? It wasn’t possible. My father cried with me, and when I pulled back, I saw Riley and Henley standing in the corner. Hen had his arm over her shoulders, and she looked like she had been crying—a lot.
I wanted to go to her, wanted to throw myself into her arms, but I didn’t. Suddenly, I remembered Sam had come with me, and I looked back at the door, searching for Sam. Candy said softly that she had gone outside.
I hugged my siblings, taking little comfort in it at the moment. I was numb, unsure of what I should be doing or saying, or fucking feeling! Wes got up and hugged me tightly, and I fought to keep control. My eyes shot to where Riley had been standing, but she was gone. Henley approached me. “She went fast.” For a second, I wasn’t sure who he was talking about. “Riley was with her, well, sort of. She had been with her, and your mom asked her to get your father. While Riley was gone to get him, she slipped away.”
I put my arms around him and cried for a moment as I absorbed the story. Why had Riley been here?
Finally, I pulled back from Henley, and Patricia Young came to me. “My dear son, I am so very sorry, sweetheart. Your mother was such a wonderful person.”
I bent down to hug her, and suddenly, I wanted to run from the room. I had come home to take a break from stress and a challenging class. I thought it would be a fun weekend, but it was going to be anything but.
“When did this happen?” I asked anyone who would speak to me.
Henley spoke up. “Around eleven this morning.”
Cara had called me at eleven-thirty. She had already known. She should have told me, but maybe it was better that she hadn’t. I couldn’t imagine traveling all day after just hearing the news.
I stared at a picture of my parents on the piano and wanted to pinch myself. This couldn’t be happening. I turned to my father. “How long have you known she was sick?”
