Always: Broken Series Book Four by Annie Jocoby

whole thing than your mother.”
    “Mom, it’s going to be okay. You’re obviously more worried than I am, because, you know, if I don’t get through this, you’re going to have to live without me. But I obviously won’t have anything else to worry about at that point.” She looked sad, and her words were devastating to me. I couldn’t handle the fact that her mind was going there – dying at the age of 15. Before she ever had the chance to really live.
    “But baby, don’t think like that. You’re going to get through this. You are.”
    “I know. I guess. But, mom, what if the cancer has spread? I’ve been reading about this disease, and it might be in my lungs. What then? What then mom? We have to look at these possibilities.”
    Her words were cutting me to the core, but I tried not to let her know it. She probably already thought of me as being a basket case, and I didn’t blame her. “Honey, we’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I think that I need to go back to bed. And you do, too. Seven AM always comes so early.” She always woke up at 7 AM, and got the bus at 7:45. She was able to eat and get ready for school in record time, much faster than I ever did when I was her age.
    She nodded her head and closed her laptop. “Okay, mom. Well, goodnight.”
    I kissed her forehead, suppressing the sob that was forming in my throat. “Night.”
    I tiptoed back into my bed, and snuggled up to Nick. He groaned lightly, which told me that he wasn’t quite asleep, but probably not quite awake, either. It comforted me to feel the warmth of his skin against mine. I said a silent word of thanks for him. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have completely fallen apart. As it was, I was going to have to consciously try to go on with my life in a normal way. I was going to have to go to Addison’s doctor’s appointments, of course, but, the rest of the time, I was going to go to work.
    I finally realized that the best way to help Addy was to get my shit together.
    And that was exactly what I was going to do.

Eleven
    T he next day , I got up at 7, along with Nick and Addison. Nick looked at me as I got out of bed. “Hey, what’s going on? Why are you getting up this early?”
    “I need to make breakfast for Addison and Chloe. And I need to get ready for work.” I smiled at him, reveling in how he was looking at me with admiration in his eyes. “I finally came to the conclusion that you’re right. I need to try to carry on the best I can. I need this family to come to a kind of normalcy. A new normal, anyhow. And my hanging around the house, moping, instead of working, isn’t doing anyone any good. Least of all Addison.”
    Nick smiled and patted the side of the bed. “Hmmmm, I was hoping you would come around. But I still want you to see Adele.” He nuzzled the back of my neck and put his hands on my breasts. “You can give me a few minutes, can’t you?” At that, he kissed my lips, and I felt the familiar feeling of melting into him.
    “I can definitely give you a few minutes. Maybe a few more.” As I heard my heart quickening, I said “I think that Addy can probably make herself a bowl of cereal. She’s used to getting her own breakfast, and I…”
    Nick pinned my shoulders down on the bed and got on top of me. “I know, Addy can make her own breakfast,” he said. “I really need to feel myself inside of you right now.”
    I spread my legs, and felt his hard cock around my opening. I felt flush and warm. I had to admit that it had been a few days since I felt Nick inside of me, and I missed it. I really missed it.
    He entered me slowly, filling me up, inch by inch. I threw back my head, glad that I had never, ever gotten tired of making love with Nick. He still excited me as much as he ever did.
    He thrust in and out, his hands making their way to my breasts as his tongue was lightly caressing my neck and my earlobes. He hoisted me up to where I was riding him, and I put my hands on