Page 64 of Whisper of Love (Whisper Lake 1)

“Beat you here?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you get my message?”

“No.” Kade pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that he didn’t have any bars. “I don’t have service.”

“What’s wrong?” Ali stepped beside Kade.

“It’s George.” Nancy told Ali before looking back to Kade. “I went out to check on your dad and found him unconscious. I called an ambulance, they said they were bringing him here because it’s closer than the VA.”

“He’s here?” Kade repeated as he felt Ali’s hand rest on his arm.

“Yes. I don’t know more than that. But you can probably find out more—”

“No.” Kade shook his head. “I need to get them home.”

“Ricky got in a dirt bike accident.” Ali told Nancy before turning to Kade. “But we’re fine. You should stay.”

“I can take them home,” Ethan offered.

“No.” Kade wanted to take his family home. His dad could wait. “I can come back after I—”

“Kade.” Ali stepped in front of him. “Stay. Ethan can take us home.”

“No. It’s fine. I’ll come ba—”

“Kade.” Ali put her hand on his chest as she tilted her head to the side and with a warning tone said, “Don’t make me rock-paper-scissors you.”

He covered her hand with his, loving the feel of her touch.

“Stay,” she said softly.

He nodded his head, wanting so badly to lean down and seal this agreement with a kiss.

She reached up and hugged him, whispering quietly, “I wish I could stay with you, but I need to get—”

“I know.” He breathed as he wrapped his arms around her, absorbing the strength that holding her gave him. He was like one of the guys on the twins’ video games—she recharged his life force.

“We’ll see you soon,” she spoke against his neck. It wasn’t a kiss but it was intimate, and it gave him hope.

Ali, Ethan, and the boys left and Kade and Nancy walked the short distance to the front desk check-in.

“Hi, again.” Kade waved at the same woman from earlier. “I’m Kade McKnight. My father George McKnight was just brought here.”

The woman cocked her head to the side. “I thought you were here with Patrick Walsh.”

Hearing her call Ricky “Patrick” was odd, but it didn’t feel like the punch in his gut that it used to be when he’d hear his best friend’s name. “I was. I just found out about my father.”

“Wow. Busy night,” she commented before turning to the computer and typing. “It looks like they’re working on him now. You can take a seat. I’ve made a note that next of kin is here, someone will be out to update you soon.”

“Okay.”

Kade and Nancy both took a seat in the waiting room, and after a few minutes of small talk, she pulled out her Kindle and Kade was left to his own thoughts.

He’d never thought he’d be sitting here waiting to hear news about his father, and he still wasn’t exactly sure why he was. His father had been a mean drunk, and not so great sober, either. Before he’d stopped by his trailer last week, Kade wouldn’t have spit on him if he were on fire.

But seeing him so frail, broken, and alone had shifted something in Kade. He wasn’t going to be sending him Father’s Day cards or anything, but the anger that he’d been carrying around had dissipated. It was replaced with pity. His old man had been faced with knowing he was in the last chapter of his life and had no one. It was sad and Kade felt sorry for him.

After an hour or so, he walked outside to call Ali and check in.

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