“Thank you.”
“But not necessarily the worst idea,” he added. “Next week is the one-year anniversary, and we’re about to get hit with crap news about his lungs. At least pretend for a week or two to distract him from all the shittiness.”
Like I didn’t know next week was the anniversary.
Every single day I thought about her, missed her, and hated the memories of that morning.
It was impossible to forget that it’d been a year.
Before I could respond to my brother, my phone started ringing with a FaceTime call from inside my pocket.
It can’t be him.
My brothers watched me as I pulled out my phone, and holy crap—it was Connor.
“Oh shit, this is great,” Joey said, grinning. “Answer it.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Pick it up, kid,” Ty said with a laugh. “You know you want to.”
I stood. “You guys are the worst.”
I walked to the other side of the waiting room and answered.
“Hey,” he said, giving me a smile that could knock a person’s breath out of their lungs. The guy just had a way of looking so happy to see you that it was dizzying.
“Hey, yourself,” I said, trying to be cool but very aware that I was beaming back at him.
“Sorry to FaceTime without texting first, but I wanted to make you look me in the eye and confirm you’re on for this weekend before I buy the tickets.”
God, he’s so freaking adorable.
“Hey, Connor,” I heard from behind me, and when I whipped around, all three of my brothers wererightthere, like a trio of annoying photobombers.
“You guys, go away,” I said through my teeth.
“Connor,” Joey said, reaching out his stupid big hand andwrenching the phone from my fingers. “I’m Joe, Duffy’s brother—we met when you took her out. Can we talk for a second?”
“NO,” I said, reaching for the phone, but he put his free hand over my face.
“Stop it,” I hissed, smacking at his hand while hearing Connor laugh.
“Don’t listen to them,” I yelled as the three idiots walked to the other side of the waiting room with me scrambling to catch them.
My entire childhood in a moment.
“Here’s the thing—our dad isn’t well,” Joey said. “I won’t get into the details, but let’s just say his health is declining and next week is the anniversary of our mother’s death.”
“Wow,” Connor said. “Tony seems so…great. I mean. That sucks—I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, so we were just telling Duff she should be a little selfless and give the guy some happiness, but she’s kind of a jerk. We’re hoping you might be more willing.”
“Just say no, Cunningham,” I said, trying to grab the phone but just getting pushed out of the way by Ty and Matty. “It’s an idiotic plan.”
I heard him laugh again and say, “Keep talking.”
“The old guy thinks it’s unofficial and off-the-record, but he’s convinced himself that you’re his daughter’s boyfriend.”