Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

AUGUST

A FEW DAYS LATER…

Having Connie here has been amazing for my spirit. I forgot how crazy she was and how much we feed off one another. Today, January, March, April, May, and June came into town, and having all of my sisters here has been the most fun. Declan, for the most part, has been taking it in stride, but I can tell he doesn’t know what to do with a house full of giggling women.

“Oh my gosh how is it we haven’t met Connie sooner than this?” January asks, wrapping her arms around Connie’s shoulder.

“To be fair, I have been busy with college and stuff, so I haven’t been around,” Connie says, drinking the lemonade I made for everyone.

“We are just glad you finally know. We had been after her to tell you and Declan for the longest, but she refused.” March is being a tattle-tale right now.

“Yeah. She was always headstrong and stubborn.” I scoff at her because she is one to talk.

“Like you are one to talk. I seem to remember someone dying their hair purple even after Mom said not too, but instead of you doing it with washable hair dye, you let Latrice Harrison talk you into using permanent dye mixed with food coloring. It took a year for your hair to get back to normal.” She looks a little sheepish and the other girls burst out laughing.

“Oh my gosh we are going to be late!” May screeches before ushering all of us out of the door.

We pile into two cars and go to the spa that April booked for us. I have to admit I am excited about the prospect of being pampered.

I have been massaged, rubbed, steamed, and had a facial. Now we are the mani/pedi place and Hayley is meeting us here. I am preparing myself for her reaction because she and Armstrong still don’t know.

“Are you nervous?” May asks. Leaning over her chair. I stare at my pale pink nails and nod my head.

“A little. I just don’t want a big scene, you know. I am finally working on moving past it and don’t want any more tears.” January chuckles and shakes her head.

“Good luck,” she says sarcastically. The bell over the door chimes and in walks Haley. I put my head down quickly, giving myself a little more time to prepare for her reaction.

“Hey girls. Sorry I am late. I got held up. How is everyone?” She begins looking at all of the girls and I know the second she sees me. “August, oh my gosh. When…how…why didn’t you tell us.” She pulls me from the chair and hugs me, crying on my shoulder and I have to stop myself from doing the same. I want to no longer be a crying wreck, and I am done explaining it to everyone.

“Don’t worry, Haley. She didn’t tell a lot of people.” Connie says.

Finally, we left the place and decide to go to lunch. We are walking into the restaurant when my phone rings. I look at the caller ID and realize it is my doctor calling. Oh, god, this is it. This is the call, and suddenly, I don’t want to answer it.

“August are you going to get that?” Connie asks. I shake my head, no, and she looks at me weirdly. She grabs my phone and when she recognizes the name of the doctor, she looks up at me and shoves it in my face. “Answer it. Shit, August, answer it.”

Hands shaking, I press the answer button. “H-hello.”

“August dear how are you?” Is she serious right now?

“You tell me.” I know I sound awful.

“Well, my dear, it all looks clear. Your cancer is clear.” My mind is whirring with her words, but I can’t hear them. I vaguely remember Connie taking the phone from me and talking to her. When she hangs up, she screams and hugs me before yelling.

“The cancer is gone!” Everyone hugs me and congratulates me, but my mind immediately goes to Declan. My love proposed to me recently, and I said no. My heart was screaming yes, crying yes, pleading yes, but my head said no. I couldn’t bring myself to agree to something like that only for us to be faced with losing one another. But now, I want to go to him and say everything I have wanted.

“I have to go. I have to go to Declan,” I tell them, running to the car. I rush home, my mind filled with balloons and joy, my heart filled with love and visions of a future.

After I pull into the house and park, I run through the door, screaming his name. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he comes sprinting into the living room. Crying, I fling myself into his arms and say what I should have said in the first place.

“Yes, I will marry you. I love you so much, Declan. You are my heart.” I kiss him, trying to convey all I have been holding in. His tongue slides into my mouth, and I hold on to his neck and kiss him back with the urgency of confined love. Finally, he pulls back and looks at me.

“Thank fuck. What changed?”

“It’s gone. The cancer is gone,” I tell him between sobs. “I have been given a second chance, and I want it with you.”

“Oh baby, I love you so much. You were always going to be my wife.”