And who the heck is that? Ben mouths, subtly gesturing with his head to Aunt Cassie. Of course he directs this question right at me. So I simply cross my arms and stare at the ground.

Poor Lauren looks extremely uncomfortable; well, more so then the rest of us.

Mrs. T clears her throat. "Come on guys. Let's everyone go o the living room. You can come in Cassie, if you want."

Aunt Cassie glances inside from her place about two feet outside the door. Her eyes wander everywhere before she shakes her slightly. "I'll just stay out here... Should I..."

"Just wait for me," I mumble, earning myself a glare or a look of pure sorrow from everyone in the room- Including Lauren for Pete's sake.

We all march into the living room- ah the living room. I've already learned tagged this is basically the designated area for serious family conversation.

Michelle won't stop staring at Lauren. Lauren appears to not notice but frankly it's making me uncomfortable.

Mr. T rubs his hands together and glances at Lauren awkwardly. "Uh... Ben?"

Ben looks up at his father and Lauren suddenly appears to get uncomfortable. "Do you want me to wait outside somewhere else, Honey?"

Ben simply squeezes her hand in reply and shakes his head. "You should know what's going on. I'm sorry it has to be this way. We'll still tell them our news soon." I barely hear these words but I immediately think I know what's going on.

Mr. T takes a deep breath. "Where should I start...?"

"Where's Lacy?" Ben pushes.

"Right. Um. We meant to call Ben but-"

"Get on with it Dad. Now's not the time to apologize."

Mr. T swallows. Then she offhandedly points at Lauren saying, "Right. Does umm she know about-?"

"Yes, Dad. What's wrong with my little girl?"

Lauren holds Ben tighter and Mr. T finally breaks. "The cancer's back Ben. I've been talking to doctors about different treatment options because they don't know if her body can take another round of chemo."

Ben breathes in deeply through his nose. The wave of despair hits me again but I've cried all the tears I can cry right now. Lauren gets a solemn look on her face and rubs circles on Ben's back.

"Gen?" Mrs. T breaks the silence. I look up at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to tell him why Cassie's here?"

No!

"Sure."

Ben looks at me curiously. I feel the eyes of everyone on me. Liam, who's been so quiet you might almost forget he's there, suddenly makes his presence known by crawling up onto my lap.

"That woman out there is my aunt. I'm gonna go live with her and my cousins back in Lincoln."

Ben stares at me blankly. He looks around at the solemn faces surrounding him. I brace myself, waiting for him to explode.

"That... That's wonderful!" he says softly. He takes another curious glance around the room. "Isn't it?"

Michelle scoffs and my heart breaks again. Ben glares at her. Then he turns his attention back to me. "I will miss you though. But you're not far away."

I bite my lip, nod and start scratching Liam's back. I glance at Bridget who has begun to bite her nails on one hand and scratch the couch with her other.

The silence lasts a while until Michelle breaks it. "So... How long have you known Lauren Benny Boo?"

Ben laughs nervously and Lauren offers him a smile. Ben scratches the back of his neck and stares at the floor. "Here's the thing..." he starts. "We had news we were hoping to tell you as well. We thought it best to tell you here and in person."

Bridget's eyes swiftly lift from the couch to Ben and Lauren. He laughs nervously again. This is obviously not how he imagined this moment to go.

"Umm... Well. We're engaged!" he announces.

There's a painfully awkward silence that settles over everyone for a moment. I feel really bad, but then the room erupts.

"Benny's got a wiiiifffe! Benny's got a wiiiifffe!" Liam chants.

"Do I get to be a bridesmaid?" Megan asks.

"I'm really happy for you but why did you keep your relationship a secret until just now?" Good ole Michelle.

Bridget walks over and gives the happy couple a hug followed immediately, of course by the overjoyed mother.

I smile. "Congrats guys!"

"You'll come in town for the wedding next year, righty Gen?" he says. He sounds as if he's teasing though I know he's also dead serious.

My head is swimming with everything that has happened in no time.

Mrs. T walks over and sits down next to me. She takes Liam off my lap and I can't help but feel that she just took a little piece of my heart. "Do you want to go still, sweetheart? Are you ready?"

I take a deep breath and nod. I kiss Liam's bundle of hair. Then I make my rounds. I hug everyone, including Lauren. I tell her it was great to meet her and that I'm happy for her and Ben.

Michelle doesn't seem angry anymore when I hug her. Bridget just looks like she's as torn in half as I am. I hug her again.

"Thank you. For everything," I whisper.

"Thank you," she replies.

I've said goodbye to everyone. Everyone but Lacy... I have to stop at the hospital. What if...

I shut down the worry section of my brain and head out the front door. Aunt Cassie sees me and smiles.

"You sure you're ready? Remember I don't want to force you to come. You're coming because you decided to. Right?"

I nod. I did decide. Well, more like my fear of more heartache decided.

I begin to follow Aunt Cassie to the car. Then I stop in my tracks. She turns to face me. "Need something sweetie?"

"Could we... Could... I..." I swallow a huge lump in my throat. "Never mind," I whisper.

She looks at me curiously. Then she shrugs. I get to the car and hop in. Josie is sitting up front and Franklin is in his booster seat beside me.

"Hey Gen!" Josie greets me.

I smile.

"Warning: Our house isn't the same one as when you left. It's a bit smaller."

"That's totally fine," I reassure her.

Aunt Cassie pulls out of the Tolias driveway. We make our way out onto the interstate.

That's that. No turning back now...

And part of me already regrets it.