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Brynn’s shoulders slumped. “I forgot about New York.” A wistful look crossed her face. “Do you have to go? I would think River will need all of us to heal. Just … don’t go yet. Please.”
What Brynn said made sense. River would need to be around people who loved her. “You can always come to New York with us. I’ll hire you and pay for an apartment.”
Brynn held up her hand, interrupting me. “I can pay for a place to live.” She gave me an exhausted smile. “I’ll think about it. It would be nice to help and have a goal other than shopping. Plus, I’d have my best friends.” Brynn’s face fell, a grim expression clouding her features.
“What is it?”
My earlier conversation with Zayne popped into my head. This was as good a time as any to find out what was going on. I shifted on the edge of the bed, and our gazes locked.
“What’s wrong, Brynn? Why have you not been feeling well? And no bullshit story, either.”
Chapter Eighteen
Brynn stared at the floor, unwilling to look at me. “I can’t,” Brynn whispered, her words weighing heavily on my heart.
“Can’t? Or won’t?” I tilted her chin up, forcing her to look me in the eyes. “I don’t know if Chance or Jace has noticed, but you’re pale, you’re exhausted, and you’ve lost weight. Brynn, you don’t have weight to lose. I understand that the situation with River is fucking with all of us, but there’s something else going on. Tell me.”
Brynn shuddered and rubbed her arms as she nervously peeked at the open bedroom door. “You can’t tell anyone. Not Chance, Jace, Zayne, your parents … no one. Promise me.”
Fuck. This had to be really bad if she didn’t want the others to know.
“You have my word. Out with it already.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could handle anything else. My emotional plate was overflowing already. Then, I considered how Brynn was feeling. Her best friend was missing, and she was keeping a secret from us, pretending to be strong. She needed me.
“I’m sick,” she said, hiccupping through her cries.
I shook my head. There was no way that I’d understood her correctly. “Like the flu?” Before the words even left my lips, I instinctively knew it wasn’t.
Her chin quivered. “No. I have ...” She shook her head and covered her face with her hands, hiding her tears. She glanced up at me and chewed on her bottom lip. “Cancer,” she said, choking on the word.
Goosebumps erupted all over my body. I’d never felt so powerless, so stripped of choice until River was stolen from me … and now Brynn.
I crushed her petite frame against me. Desperation and pain whipped through the air as we clung to each other. This was more than I could handle. She had to bring the guys into the situation. “Where? What kind?” I tried to mask the panic in my tone.
“B-Cell Lymphoma. It’s in my stomach right now.” She pulled away from me, fear rolling off her in waves. “It’s stage three.”
“What’s stage three?” Chance asked from the doorway. A crease dented the smooth skin in between his eyebrows. “Brynn?” Fear danced across his features. He swallowed hard as he stared at her.
Inwardly I sighed with relief that he’d overheard her. I couldn’t do this alone. Not with River too. I was running on emotional fumes.
“Chance,” she said softly.
I stood and stepped out of the way as Chance charged forward, bent down, and cupped her face in his hands. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “Is it treatable?” His voice was hoarse with grief.
“They think so,” she said, grabbing his wrists.
Chance lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers. “What’s your treatment plan?”
“Chemo for four weeks on, then a break. I start next week.” Her attention darted over to me, then back to Chance.
He kissed her again, then pulled her against him. “I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll drive you to and from your appointments and take care of you.”
“We all will. I’ll even run errands for pot brownies or gummies,” I added.
A sniffle came from the other side of the room, and we all glanced in that direction. Jace stood still, tears in his eyes and his hands shoved into his jean pockets.
“Brynn,” he whispered, his lower lip shook. “This isn’t allowed.”
Brynn rushed over and threw her arms around Jace. He hugged her so tightly, I wondered if she could breathe.
