“Cami got laid! Cami got laid!” Embarrassment didn’t even begin to describe how I felt as we walked into my father’s hospital room, and Valerie made the announcement. My sex life was something my father didn’t need to know about, ever.

“That’s very interesting news, Val,” my father said with a hum in his voice. He was clearly trying to hide his smirk because this was funny to him.

“Thanks for telling the whole world, Valerie.” I placed the pink box on the bedside table next to my dad and maneuvered the table over his bed. “I brought you treats from Le Panier.”

For the first time in months, I saw a hint of the twinkle that used to exist in my dad’s eyes as he opened up the box. “These look good, Camille. Thank you.” He gently closed the lid and pushed the table away, which disappointed me. Not even his favorite Napoleon could tempt his appetite. He patted the spot next to him, his silent request for me to sit. “We need to talk about what happened yesterday. Valerie, can you give us a few minutes alone?”

“Sure. I’ll just go hunt down that hot doctor I met yesterday,” Valerie said, which prompted my dad to give me a pointed look.

“Valerie has news of her own,” I told him quietly. “But we can talk about that later. It’ll be fun to watch her squirm while I eat an éclair.”

“So you were in Seattle then?”

“Yes, I went yesterday.”

“With whom?”

Dad was avoiding the subject of his prognosis and what I’d heard the doctors tell him, and I let him steer the conversation for the time being. I knew my happiness worried him. “Palmer’s friend Garrett. I met him at Palmer’s homecoming party. He’s the one who invited me to Coldplay.”

From there, I launched into almost a full replay of the concert. I might have left out certain details that my father didn’t exactly need to know. “And you called him yesterday?” my dad asked halfway through my story.

“Yes, I did.”

“He must be incredibly special then if he’s who you turned to for comfort.”

I blinked at my father’s observation. “Yes. Garrett is special. He’s amazing.” My cheeks were hot, and I knew I was blushing. “But his leave is ending in two weeks, and then he will be gone for a year.”

“Does that concern you?”

I shook my head quickly. “No. I’d wait for him forever.” The words were out of my mouth before I could take them back or even comprehend the confession I’d just made to my father.

Dad sighed with relief. “I’ve been waiting for this day. You’re finally in love.”

“No, Dad. It’s way too soon for that. Love takes time.” I paused for a moment before adding, “Doesn’t it?”

“I knew I loved your mother after a week.”

I scrunched up my face. “Can we please not talk about her?” Not when there were harder discussions in the very near future.

“Fine. Then let’s talk about yesterday.”

I sighed heavily because I could feel the tears form instantly. “You’re giving up?”

Our eyes met, and it was like looking in the mirror. He nodded once. “Yes. I’m done fighting. The cancer has spread, and that just means more of everything—more surgery, more chemo, more misery. And the doctors aren’t entirely certain that another surgery or another round of chemotherapy would give me more time.”

More time. That was what I desperately wanted more than anything. Time seemed to be my new enemy, and it was robbing me of my heart.

“How much time do we have?”

“A few more months, six, hopefully. Maybe a year.” God, I hoped for a year. A lot could happen in a year. There were still plenty of good days left in a year but a few months? What could we do then?

“So you want to come home then? When?”

“It will happen in the next few days. There are arrangements to make, and that takes time.”

“What kind of arrangements?”

“Hospice nurses, mainly, to come in and help. I’ve started to make some of the preparations already. Valerie will go over that information with you.”

I swallowed back the hard lump that formed in my throat and wiped the tears that hadn’t yet been shed. “Okay,” I said. “Are you scared?”

“Only to leave you and your sister alone. You’ve already had one parent abandon you.”

There was a soft knock on the door, and Valerie poked her head into the room. “Is it safe for me to come in?”

“Yes. You have some explaining to do,” I said with a grin. I grabbed an éclair from the box and hopped off the bed. I walked over to a small sofa, sat down, and devoured the decadent treat while I watched my sister explain about Dominic. I felt a bit sorry for putting her on the spot but watching her grow increasingly uncomfortable was also incredibly satisfying to my little sister heart.

We stayed with Dad through dinner, talking with him about absolutely nothing. He wanted to know about our everyday lives while still imparting his own personal wisdom.

“You were on the dock last night, Val?” He seemed surprised when Val explained about getting drunk and wandering the rocky beach behind our house.

“Yep. Me and Palmer and some cheap wine,” she said a little too triumphantly.

“You'll want to have that thing replaced soon. It’s a safety hazard. I’ll call Tim Grayson in the morning and make sure he puts it on the schedule.”

I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to worry about the dock behind our house because we’d get around to fixing it eventually, but it was important to him. “Okay,” Valerie and I both seemed to say together.

“And the carpeting in my bathroom needs to go. I’m ashamed to admit that, but I’ll tell Tim to take care of that too. Maybe it’s time all of the bathrooms get remodeled.”

“Sure,” I replied quietly. These were some of his final wishes.

“Cami, do you think Garrett is pretty handy?” I looked up, surprised.

“Um, I don’t know. Why?”

“Well, I just want to make sure someone’s around to help take care of the house.”

“We’ll just call Tim or Palmer,” I said. “They can schedule repairs for us.”

But what he was really asking was if Garrett was going to step in and be the man of the house after he was gone. And I couldn’t answer that. What if something happened and Garrett was killed during this last assignment? What if we decided to break up while he was gone? There were too many unknowns, but I’d say almost anything right now to put my dad’s mind at ease.

“But I will ask him anyway,” I added, and I immediately saw him relax as some of his worry was assuaged.