Page 51 of Sweet Anarchy

I shrug. "I have four of you. It's not like it's going to bother me."

"That's cruel," Blake grumbles, shaking his head. "And here I was going to invite you on a bike ride today."

My stomach clenches at the memory of us having sex on his bike, the first time we finally connected and gave in fully to our impulses. He knows what he's doing, I can tell by the look on his face.

I smile at him innocently. "I have plans today anyway. Nice try though."

"What plans?" he demands to know.

"If you must know, I'm going to see Phoebe. Her Dad is in hospice care at home so I'm going to visit them."

Blake and Zayn's faces fall, their taunting smirks disappearing. They nod, giving me sympathetic smiles.

"Do you need a lift?" Zayn offers.

"I think I'd prefer to go on my own," I say, looking down. "Ronnie is like a second Dad to me. I think I'll need some space afterwards to deal with it."

Blake reaches over, grabbing my hand under the table. "We'll be here if you need anything."

"I know. I appreciate that," I tell him, squeezing his hand. "But promise me if there's any updates, you'll let me know straight away."

He nods. "We will. I don't like you going out on your own, but you should be safe. Besides, they live locally, don't they?"

"Just across town. Besides, you should probably have that awkward talk with your Dad. I'm sure that's going to be lots of fun," I laugh, picking up my empty plate and carrying it to the sink. "Enjoy that sinking ship."

"Phoebs!" I latch onto her as soon as she opens the door, giving her a hug before leaning down to look at her stomach. "And my little baby niece or nephew."

"Argh, you smell like pancakes," she groans, covering her nose.

I straighten up, looking at her bewildered. "What?"

She takes a deep breath, regaining her composure. "Don't ask. It's a pregnant superpower, I swear to God. And not a good one."

I lift my arm, taking a whiff to make sure I'm not leaking the smell of pancakes from my pores. "That's so weird."

"Tell me about it," she grumbles, beckoning me inside.

It's been ages since I have been to Phoebe's parents' house. It still looks exactly the same as I remember – the homey, welcoming feeling, the cream walls and salmon pink carpet and photos of the kids when they were younger.

Connor walks out of the living room, giving me a wave. "Long time, no see, stranger."

"It's been awhile," I agree, giving him a quick hug. "How have you been?"

He looks over at Phoebe, sharing a sad glance with her. "It's been bittersweet. We love being married. It's just difficult with Ronnie being unwell."

Connor adjusts his glasses, giving Phoebe a quick peck on the cheek. "I better go to work. Call me if you need me, okay?"

Phoebe nods. "I will. Love you."

"Love you too. Catch you later, Rylee," he says, nodding at me.

"See you, Con." I turn to Phoebe, checking her over. "Are you sure it's okay that I'm here?"

She smiles at me sadly. "Of course. The nurse said Dad's starting to shut down, so it's best that people say their goodbyes now. He doesn't have long left with us."

"I'm so sorry, Phoebs," I say again, feeling like a parrot these days.

A stray tear falls down her face, her finger quickly brushing it away. "Come on. Let's go see Dad. I know he's excited to see you."

---