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She calmed down almost immediately.
“You’re gonna have to teach me that,” Banner said as he stared at me.
“I remember reading one of Ash’s pregnancy books. They said the loud noise right by their ear reminds them of their mother’s whooshing heartbeat,” I explained.
“Ahh,” Banner said just as he turned to Dad and pinned him with a serious look. “Tell us about this cancer you were trying to keep from us.”
Dad rolled his eyes and allowed Oakley to move when she wanted to see his face.
He placed his fingers in a steeple on top of the table and said, “I found an odd lump in my testicles early last month. Went to get it checked out, and they said that it was stage zero. It hasn’t spread to any other parts of my body. Over the last month they’ve watched it and they decided that it would be best just to remove my testicle. I’m scheduled to have the surgery at the end of next week.”
My mouth fell open. “You’re having a ball removed?”
“Yes,” he rolled his eyes. “The good thing is, I don’t need both of ’em anymore. I’ve already had all the kids I’m willing to have.”
I rubbed my fingers along Jett’s hair, massaging her scalp as I said, “What do they do with your empty sac?”
“They are replacing it with an implant,” he answered. “I requested to have the cancerous testicle saved so your mother can put it in a jar and carry it around in her purse. Since she already controls them anyway.”
Oakley made a gagging sound. “Gross, Dad.”
“Yeah, gross, Dad,” Banner concurred. “Are they worried about it at all?”
Dad shook his head, allowing a few knots in my stomach to loosen.
“What day is it?” Oakley asked. “We want to be there.”
“You most certainly will not be there,” Dad argued. “This is a private thing, darlin’. As much as I love you, the only one gettin’ a look at that area is my doctor and your mother.”
Everyone at the table laughed, including me.
“Now can I have Jett?” Dad asked.
I reluctantly handed her over.
Dad took her in his hands, just like the very first photo I could remember with Banner.
“You know, we should recreate that photo with Banner,” Oakley suggested, reading my thoughts.
“Which one?” Banner asked.
Oakley started to poke away at her phone, then smiled triumphantly before twisting her phone to show Banner.
It was the exact one I’d been thinking about.
Dad is on his ass at the kitchen table, arm extended across the table, as he took Banner from my arms. At the time, Banner couldn’t have been much more than two weeks old, and I’d been trying to feed him my Dr. Pepper.
Mom had been losing her shit at the oven where she’d been cooking our dinner, and yelling at Dad to grab me before I broke him.
He had, reaching out and picking him up lengthwise across his arm.
“I don’t think Dad could pull that off anymore,” Banner laughed. “I’m a bit heavier now.”
“That you fuckin’ are.” Dad laughed. “But I can do it with this one still.”
He did just that, and Oakley laughed as she started to take photos.
Banner was smiling by the time Dad and Oakley were done.
