cer was already pretty far advanced, but hopefully, the hysterectomy got it all. She still has to have a few chemo treatments, though.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry. If there is anything your parents need, just tell me.”
Her smile was sad when she met my gaze. “Thanks, but they have it all covered for now. I think I’m more scared for her to endure the chemo than I was the surgery.”
Crouching down, I took both her hands in mine. “Whatever happens, I’m here for you. Just remember that, Lexa.”
“Th-thanks,” she whispered just as a hard knock came on the door.
“Lexa?” Quinn called out. “Do I need to call your dad, honey?”
Sighing, she pushed the chair back and stood. “You should go. I’m busy, and I honestly don’t know how long this is going to take.”
Straightening, I grasped her hand and brought her palm to my lips, kissing the center. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“If I can,” she promised with a nod.
“Lexa!” Quinn shouted. “I’m about to call Bash if you don’t come out of there right now.”
Groaning, she hurried over to the door and opened it. “It’s fine, Aunt Quinn. Sheriff Davis was just leaving. Weren’t you, Ben?”
Stopping behind her, I kissed the back of Lexa’s head before turning my focus on Quinn. “Excuse me, ladies.” Moving past them both, I turned once I was on the other side of the door, and I looked at Lexa over the top of her aunt’s head. Lifting my hand to my ear, I motioned for her to call me and got a single nod before I forced myself to walk away.
Chapter 11
Lexa
The sound of the television on in the living room pulled me toward it when I got home from Aggie’s. To my surprise, Max and Dad were both sitting on the couch, plates of spaghetti in hand as they watched a baseball game.
“How’s Mom feeling?” I asked as I dropped down between them.
“She’s sleeping. Flick is napping beside her in case she needs help getting up to go to the bathroom.” Dad offered me a piece of his garlic roll, but I only shook my head. Aunt Quinn had put one plate after another in front of me all afternoon, and I was so stuffed, I could barely breathe.
The three of us sat there in silence for a while before my curiosity got the better of me. “I didn’t even think you lived here anymore,” I teased my brother with a grin. “Figured Tanner and Jos adopted you and you were their son.”
He grumbled something under his breath before placing his now-empty plate on the coffee table. “Figured I needed to stay home more often. No one tells you shit when you’re not around.”
“Your mom didn’t want you to worry, boy,” Dad told him in a hard voice.
“Yeah, well, I’m worried now,” Max bit out, used to our father growling at him. “You should have told me she was sick when you first found out. I bet Lexa knew from day one, and she’s not even her real mom!”
Pain sliced through me like shrapnel, and I couldn’t hold in my gasp at being attacked so brutally. No one, and I mean no one, had ever tossed that in my face before. Raven was my mom in every sense of the word except for biologically. But she never let that stop her from loving me, and I’d never gotten hung up on the fact that I was the oddball of the family because I didn’t share a single drop of Hannigan blood.
Having my brother, whom I’d always been close with growing up, say such a thing now stung.
I jumped to my feet, glaring from one Reid male to the next. “You know what? I’m getting sick and tired of you two acting like total douchebags and throwing shit in my face. If it weren’t for Mom, I’d say to hell with you all and never come back to this house.”
“Lexa,” Max started, his face contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I…I’m just pissed.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to take it out on me,” I snapped at him, and he flinched. “Between the two of you, you make me feel like I don’t even belong to this family anymore.” My glare went to Dad. “Yes, I know everyone is tense because of Mom’s cancer. I’m scared and worried too. But tearing me down to make yourselves feel better is not the way to deal with it. And I’m tired of having to tiptoe around everyone else’s feelings just to avoid getting lashed out at.”
“Lexa.” Dad reached for my hand, but I backed away. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I never should have talked to you like that a few weeks ago. I regretted it as soon as it happened, but I was only trying to protect your mom.”
“I get that,” I said with a nod. “But you really could have handled that a little differently without making me seem like a traitor to this family.”
“So, you really were screwing around with the sheriff?” Max butted in.
“No!” I seethed. “I didn’t screw around with the sheriff. We were flirting and—”