Page 27 of The Fates We Tame

“And I think you should tell him,” Dad says finally.

“Tell me what?”

Mom looks at Dad, and I swear tears start to swim in both their eyes. The mood changes suddenly, and I don’t like it.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“Me and your mom need to head back to Florida for a bit. We need to check on the house. Pick up some of our colder weather clothes.” He squeezes her leg.

“And I need surgery before I start chemo,” she says.

“What? No. Why?”Why?I fucking know why. “Mom? Are you okay? No. You’re not okay.”

My heart pounds as my mom gets up and comes to sit next to me on the sofa. As soon as she does, I wrap her in my arms so tight, I swear I hear her back crack.

“It’s alright, Teddy Bear,” she says, using the nickname she gave me as a child. Embarrassing to admit she told me it was because I gave the best hugs, like a teddy bear, but now I want to give her as many fucking hugs as she needs.

Tears sting my eyes. “Fuck, Mom. What happened?”

She puts her palms on my chest and pushes gently. “Just before King called to tell us about the accident, I got some test results back that I have pancreatic cancer. King said the club would pay for me to have private treatment. So, I need to go back for that.”

She’s already onto logistics while I’m still processing that she has a disease that kills indiscriminately. I can’t fight it for her. I can’t ride with my club to battle it. I can’t protect her from it. It’s my mom facing the odds.

Perhaps logistics are her way of coping with this conversation, and that’s the most important thing right now. I can process later.

“Then you shouldn’t…be here. Go. Fuck…treatment. Words, shit.” When I’m stressed, I find it even harder to find the right words. “Whatever it is... I’ll come. Leave here.”

Mom shakes her head. “I won’t go if you threaten to follow. I need to know you’re here. Getting the best treatment. I wanted to be right by your side while you go through this.” A tear falls over her lashes, and it breaks my fucking heart.

My dad looks utterly devastated.

“You’ve been hiding it…from me.”

Dad huffs. “Mom insisted. I figured she deserves to have her say at the moment.”

She looks over at him and smiles. “Who knew it would take cancer for you to listen to me?”

“Don’t joke,” I say. My head is spinning with more questions and an overwhelming frustration that verbalizing them all will be a fucking nightmare. Instead, I hug my mom again.

If I’d paid more attention, I would have realized how thin and frail she felt in my arms.

“Mom. You’ve always been…my rock. I’m thankful you were here. If there’s…a problem, I… I’ll call. And I’ll stay…if that’s what you want.”

“It’s what I need, Teddy. I don’t want to go. A mom’s place is by her children’s side when they need her. I’d hate for you to leave the best place for you so I can be in the best place for me.”

Dad nods. “I’ve been trying to persuade her to leave for the past week.”

“Then you should go. Come back at Christmas, maybe.”

Mom tears up. “But I don’t want to leave my baby when he’s?—”

“I’m hardly a baby. And I’m doing…fine. Please, Mom. It’s…been great seeing you both, and…” Fucking words. I need this to be smooth. I need to convince her to do what’s best for her. I’ll survive this. I need her to survive what she’s facing too. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. “I’m grateful. You moved into my…house to look after it for me and make the hour drive to come see me all the time. But…you should—” I gesture away with my hand because I can’t think of the word. “You need to go.”

Mom studies my face the way she always did when I was a kid. She could tell when I was lying from fifty feet.

Whatever she sees there reassures her. “Okay. Fine. But maybe do me a favor, just in case. Hurry up and marry her and make me grandbabies so I can see it.”

Dad shakes his head. “You’re going to be here to see it, whenever it happens. Refuse to believe anything different, woman.”