Mom snorted a laugh. “That girl has a voracious appetite, just like you did when you were little.”

I kissed Hannah’s blond hair, which was finally thickening. “Like sister, like brother.” However, she had some Logan in her, too.

Wyatt put his fork down and wiped his mouth before taking a sip of beer. “So, are you boys ready for your trip?”

Logan nodded. “Yeah, we went over the plans today.”

His dad smirked. “Yet, I didn’t hear any fighting. Color me shocked.”

Logan and I both rolled our eyes, making our parents laugh.

“Mia and I would like you boys to have something.”

Wyatt pulled out his wallet and grabbed a credit card, sliding it across the table toward Logan. “We got this for your trip. It has a two-thousand-dollar limit on it. That’s a lot of money. We want you boys to use it for gas and food or if you have an emergency. You all have quite a bit of money saved already, and you’ll use that for anything else you might buy.”

“Thanks, Dad and Mia,” Logan said.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“There are rules,” Mom said. “This money doesn’t only come from the goodness of our hearts. You are to call us every single day. Call us collect if you have to. We want to know if you boys are safe at all times. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” we said.

“Keep to the speed limit and wear your seat belts. If you two get pulled over or arrested, we’re not going to bail you out if you do something stupid. You’re good boys, but things happen.”

Logan and I nodded.

“We’ll be careful,” I said.

Chapter 6

Logan

When Hunter opened the door after I knocked, I stood there, blinking several times, trying to comprehend what I was looking at.

“Dude, what happened to your hair?”

Hunter’s smile was sheepish as he ran a hand over his shaved scalp. “Yeah, Dad and I shaved our heads in solidarity for Mom.” He stood aside and let me in. “Man, she cried when she started losing her hair from chemo.”

I ran my hand over his stubbly head and smiled. “Looks good on you, Hunt. How’s she doing?”

He shrugged as I followed him upstairs, knowing I came by not only to hang with him, but to see Mrs. McKnight before I headed out to California.

“She’s hanging in there, I guess. She comes across as strong. You know her. She doesn’t like to show she’s struggling.”

I’d seen her a couple of times before her chemo and once after her surgery a month ago. She’d been in so much pain, but she still put on a brave face for me. I didn’t want to be intrusive in their lives as she went through her treatment, but I also needed to see her.

“Are you sure she’s up to visiting?”

“Yeah, man. Mom insisted she see you before you headed out. She’s doing okay… just tired and shit.”

We headed up the stairs, and at the end of the hall was the guest room where she’d been staying to give her the bed alone, along with all her meds.

“Where are your dad and Julia?”

“He took her to the movies because she’s been pretty stressed out about Mom. I mean, she’s only seven and doesn’t understand, so she’s been really clingy with Mom, who needs her rest.”

Hunter knocked on the bedroom door before opening it. “Hey, Mom. Logan’s here.”